Field Trip!!

It has been so taxing doing such a field trip!

Although i thought that rugby sevens aint much of an event, i went for it not because of this field trip but for my sister.

Well, since it is a blog i shall make it more personal in this entry.

Basically, my objective of checking out the Rugby Sevens for the project is to understand how sports can affect tourism in the country. Using first hand experiences and background research, i have come up with a suitable methodology to justify my beliefs.

Seriously, this is one even that has been downplayed even in the hearts of MOST Singaporeans. Asking so many of my friends, they usually do not know what this event is about and/or come up with answers like; "rugby loh".

In a Nutshell, The Cricket Club International Rugby 7s Competition is an international tournament for countries to take part. The unique point of this is that EACH team is only allowed to field seven people at any point of time. This makes the game more tactical and less smashing and bashing.

It also serves as a contact point for many teams to exchange pointers and hold their ground in terms of their positions in the rugby world. Therefore, it always leaves bruised egos lying around after everytime the event ends.

Well this year, there are 16 teams, competing for the top dog position. SA Vipers won!! YEAH!

Back to the report, the marketing is not a very gung-ho attempt, at least in Singapore. The most ive seen is during the comercials in Starhub's Cable TV. I believe that this event is targeted more at the foreigners than the heartlanders, partly due to the fact that most Singaporeans know nothing about Rugby.

In terms of marketing mix, i shall target 4 of the Ps which i think applies more efficiently in this context; Product, Place, Programming, Promotion. I realised that the Singapore Sports Council also did focus on these marketing style too!

In terms of Product, i believe that the event sells for itself. I once read that events always rely on a 80/20 rule where 80% of the people are just one time participants coming for the atmosphere while the other 20% are supporters of the event/teams. With the intangibility of such a product, the branding of the event must be of utmost importance. This is infact the case because the Rugby 7s event has such an impact on the ticket holders, they tend to return repeated for the event. Thus costing less for advertising to attract new ticket holders and besting the 80/20 rule.

The next P is Place, a critical setting for events to succeed or fail. As the event is based in Singapore, what many considers as an event/ sports hub, i believe on a macro scale, it is the best place posible to hold such an event. On a micro scale, holding it at City Hall is also beneficial because of the various hotels nearby and the easy access with transportation will not hinder the tourists/ locals when they come, creating the full expeirence for them. When i was at the event, the atmosphere DID gave me the impact of my life with their rowdy shouts and cheers for the winning team. That is something that people want to buy, not the product, but the whole experience.

The 3rd P would be Programming, which i think it absolutely cant live up to its reputation. No doubt there are stalls that offer food and games, but there are just not enough programs that cater to people whom are not fanatics of Rugby. In basketball during half-time, they would bring the cheerleaders in, however i was disappointed with the lack of interval programs offered. I hope that they would do something to spice up the event so that more people would attend.

The final P would be Promotion. With the right promotion, local and international, the right target market actually attended the event. Although i attended the event for free, i found out that the tickets the people hold are different, thus the sales promotion to generate revenue kicks in like yield management. It is a very smart idea in event the attendence is not as good as forecasted, they can apply this strategy to fill up the gaps, generating more revenue to reduce loss. Their advertising styles also target the local markets whom are interested sports as ive seen them on Sporting forums and local Sports channels. Internationally, i am not sure how they 'preach' to the masses, but my guess is the tourists that are planning to come, investors, and sports fans. This is judged by the advertorials from The Expat Magazine, the event's website, and oversea sporting forums.

The tourism roles of this event, i personally think that it does not make much of a buzz, as compared to other events that are in Singapore. However, though the increase might be insignificant, but the spending power of tourists are amazing, based on the consumer spending during the F1 period. Therefore, besides generating revenue from the tourists through the event itself, certain shops that lie with the interested of that target market would also see an increase in revenue. This in turn would boost the economy of Singapore in many little ways.

In conclusion, i believe that this event has the potential to achieve much more, by making it a festival instead of a sporting event. If they can incorporate games and or other programs like the F1, it would attract much more people than its original targetted market. The marketing mix done by the organising team has been way effiecient, but because of the niche market they are targeting, it is wise to increase the numbers with more varieties of ways.

Well that is what i think, and i know that Rugby 7s will always be a success in the Heart of Singapore.

http://www.sccrugbysevens.com/