The objective of this blog is to firstly identify how the various components of the event marketing mix had been adopted in the event chosen and to evaluate how effective these components had been used to contribute towards the success of the event. Secondly, this report allows us to consider the role of this event to Singapore and its value to the tourism economy. The methods of research are mainly through internet and observation. 
The chosen event is named "Ultimate Magic" – Singapore’s first permanent illusion show held at The Arena @ Clarke quay. Performed by Singapore’s celebrity magic duo J C Sum and ‘Magic Babe’ Ning, this event aims to bring magic closer to the public in a new environment. This million-dollar contract that enables this magic duo to perform at The Arena will last for 16months, from 1 September 2008 to 31 December 2009.
6:40 AM
'Magic Babe' Ning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKET98KJ8gI Therefore with these 2 duo coming together to stage this "Ultimate Magic’, this live show became Singapore first permanent illusion show that will last for 16 months and it’ll be held at Singapore’s top entertainment district, Clarke Quay, which will reach out to the public more easily and people who patronize the area are seeking entertainment and they are one show people will no miss.
Voted for top 100 sexiest women in the world 2008, Ning was placed at the 16th position in FHM Singapore. She became the first female magician in South East Asia to successfully attempt a mega escape from ‘The Impalement Cage’. With a series of unique acts, she became an accomplished magician in her own right and has performed for Multi-national Corporation, government agencies etc, in many countries like Singapore, China, India and Malaysia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCt9Joo-IG8
J C Sum:
He has been in the illusion entertainment industry for the past 10 years, first in Singapore to have a regular street magic series on TV and other media. Some famous performance are ‘The Impossible Journey’ which involves the teleportation of 3 people over the Singapore river in 2.5sec in front of 5000 viewers, ‘The Impossible Teleportation’ which is the teleportation of himself from ground level to the roof of a skyscraper. J C Sum is also the creator of over 50 original illusions for his show and author of 3 books on theatrical illusions which was sold over 35 different countries.
4:16 AM
Components of the marketing mix comprises of 2 segments, experiential component and facilitating component.
Experiential component includes product, place, program and people.
Facilitating component includes promotions, partnership, price and packaging & distribution.
4:06 AM
The product consists of 3 main elements, mainly the core product, tangible product and the augmented product. Core product Augmented product
In this event, the core product that refers to the experience of being entertained via illusion tricks. As customers’ pays entrance fees to watch the live show, they are actually looking forward to being left in awe by the stunning illusion tricks performed by the 2 illusionists. Also another core product could be to see the illusionists up close compared to just watching off the internet or televisions. Guests purchase the tickets to meet these 2 illusionists in person and to watch the show performed live by them.
Tangible product
In this case, the tangible product might be the venue itself, The Arena is located at Clarke Quay, one of the top entertainment site in Singapore and that the building itself, which is a club, creates a totally different ambience compared to being held in a theatre. Also, sofas were used rather then chair to bring more comfort to guests prior to the start of the show. All these physical products further enhance the uniqueness and comfortable ambience which allow the audience to be able to fully enjoy the performance.
There were many augmented product that makes the performance much more enjoyable. For example complementary drinks to freshen up the audiences, card tricks performed by the assistant to get the audience in the mood for the upcoming performance and also usage of lights and music to further enhance the ambience and to prepare the audiences for the shock of their life in the next hour.
The event also pays close attention to what the potential customers need, want and will pay for. As for customers need, it refers to the need of a high class magic show entertainment. "Ultimate Magic" provides a platform where magic shows can be held in clubs and also a place where professional illusionists can perform, this also satisfy their wants to be entertained. The amount of money the customers are willing to pay for also shows their expectations and the value of entertainment they should receive. As guests are paying around S$55 to watch the show, a certain level of expectation is formed in the customers’ mind. And the show did provide extraordinary tricks and a wide range of unique and dangerous stuns to meet these expectations of the audience, to make sure the audiences will feel that the costly entrance fee they paid for are well-valued in the short 1 hour performance. Hence I feel that they did define their product clearly and reaches out to the correct audiences who know what they are seeking for in terms of high-class entertainment
3:55 AM
Located at Clarke Quay, the location suits the event’s purpose of bringing entertainment to its audiences as Clarke Quay is Singapore top entertainment district. The Arena, which is one of Singapore famous nightlife clubbing destination provides the event a unique setting and atmosphere where audiences can enjoy illusion tricks in a club ambience. This club ambience portrays a relaxing and comforting environment for the audience to fully enjoy themselves during the show. 
I feel that the event, "Ultimate Magic" did made full use of its location to promote itself. Firstly, as it a form of entertainment, a club environment is most suitable to be selected so that audience do not feel that they have stepped into a stadium or theatre where the atmosphere may be kind of formal. Magic should be in a form of comfort and enjoyable, therefore I think that by using The Arena as the venue to hold the event, they increases their chance of attracting more audience and also reaching out to passer-bys that may be interested to come in and have a look.
From observations conducted on the day itself, it seems that the strategic location of The Arena, located near to the fountain which is the center of the entire area, will aid in drawing peoples’ attentions to the club and eventually the event itself. 
However, I feel that as this event is located in The Arena, Clarke Quay, the management might want to consider making use of the heavy traffic of tourists that floods the area. As close to 80% of the people there are tourists, the event should try and reach out to these people as much as possible. Perhaps some street performances can be conducted by the assistants of "Ultimate Magic" to spread more recognition of the event to the general public and to attract in more audience.
3:48 AM
In programming, there are 4 key elements in programming success and by using "Ultimate Magic" in reference to these 4 elements; we can determine whether they use this marketing mix strategy to its advantage. The need to marry the event program with its physical environment or site The role and operational approach of the artistic director/producer Establish criteria for program content
The need for a distinguishing core concept in the program
In "Ultimate Magic", this event delivery a series of illusion tricks as entertainment and also this helps to ensure that such entertainment can be presented to its audiences in a whole new way. It also serves as an encouragement for those who loves illusion tricks that they can achieve fame regardless of gender as ‘Magic Babe’ Ning is a real example that women can excel in the area of magic.
Illusion shows in the midst of Singapore’s top night entertainment district, "Ultimate Magic" provides a whole new experience to its audiences. Also, people patronize clubs and pubs in Clarke Quay to seek entertainment or basically a place to chill. This event can become an alternative choice of programming to be included in these peoples’ list of entertainment.
As the illusion is managed and performed by J C Sum and ‘Magic Babe’ Ning, careful planning of programming enables them to constantly keep the audiences attracted to their performance. Taking for example prior to the starting of the show, their assistant displayed some card tricks to get the crowd hyped up. The careful selection of assistant will show positive response as the show begins. If the assistant were to fail in most of his tricks, then the crowd would be having second thoughts on whether the high cost they paid is worth the value. Hence careful planning of program flow using which assistant is vital to the success of the event and this success is show by whether each audience left The Arena with a wonderful experience and leaving The Arena in awe as they just witness some of the most unbelievable illusion tricks.
As the 2 illusionists are the programmer; they have control over the standard of the performance they present. Taking for example, the planning of how to make an entrance onto the stage to get the show started depicts a certain level of standard for the rest of the show. Compared to just walking onto the stage, J C Sum teleported onto the stage from Night Safari and ‘Magic Babe’ Ning appeared out of shadow rather then simply walking out. Such examples sets the criteria for the entire show and what the audiences will receive is no less then a certain level of standard of performance.
On the whole, I think that the programming of the event was used quite efficiently. However, one point to take note might be that the duration of the show to be slightly longer. As audience pays around S$55 for ticket fee, 1 hour duration might be kind of short. So perhaps the management might want to consider lengthening the show by another 30mins or 1 hour.
3:37 AM
As people are part of the product, therefore the success of the event depends on whether there are sufficient interaction between performers and audiences. In my point of view, "Ultimate Magic" did a pretty good job in this area. Prior to the start of the event, card tricks were being displayed by the assistant. And throughout the short demonstrations, jokes were cracked and communication between the assistant and the audience were quite interactive so as to get the audiences in the mood for more magic tricks. The set up of the area also ensure maximum interaction between the staffs and the audience. The stage is located near to the seats to allow the 2 illusionists to easily communicate with the audience. For example, in some of the tricks, audiences were invited up to the stage to ensure that all the props used were authentic. Such small requests break down the barrier between the performers and the audiences.
From another point of view, their website also makes uses of this marketing mix strategy. Features like ‘Contact Us’ and ‘Fan Page’ allows their fans to interact with one another and also with the illusionists themselves. Any questions by the public can also be answered; this allows interaction between them and the public.
3:11 AM
"Ultimate Magic" uses a variety of promotional activities to reach out to the public. Taking for example, large posters were displayed on various parts of Clarke Quay. Like on the glass display in The Arena and also on the walls of building around the area. Such posters tend to attract on-site visitors. The event also uses a variety of media as a form of promotions. For example liaising with Singapore Tourism Board(STB) will help to promote their event to tourists as they look up on STB website site. Also the creation of their individual blog and also their duo blog at their main website allows their event to be widely advertised. 
All such performances contribute to establishing a better public relationship and to promote this event better.
On the whole I feel that the promotional effort of the event is alright, but the management might want to do a little more advertising to promote the event further. Maybe commercial ads can be put up on television to promote the event; this will help to reach out to families who might be their potential customers.
3:06 AM
The most common type of partners will be the government agencies. "Ultimate Magic" works closely with Singapore Tourism Board(STB) so as to promote their event to the tourists who are looking for night time entertainments. The event’s information can be easily obtained in the STB’s website; this will enable the event to be well known to foreigners who might be the potential customers as well.
The event also has partnership with many other companies like for example SISTIC which helps to sell tickets for the event, The Arena itself as they provide the space for the event to be held. Other partnership includes working with Pay Pal, which is one of the top online payment methods, ABN-AMRO as the official card for the event as stated in the brochure, Island as the official spirit of the show where their spirits were used as part of the performance.
I think that the event did made use of their partnership to their advantage. Endorsed by the Singapore Tourism Board, this is Singapore’s’ first permanent illusion show. Having the support of the STB makes the event more significant and also a more promising one too. The million-dollar contract between the duo and The Arena shows that their partnership will benefit both parties as more recognition will be gained by the duo and more businesses will be brought in to The Arena. Hence I do feel that they did made good use of their partnership to benefit both Singapore and The Arena.
2:56 AM
As for the ticket price of the event "Ultimate Magic", the prices are as follows:
TICKET PRICE (Exclude Booking Fee) November Performances
Standard - S$52
Child (6 - 12 years old) - S$24.50
Student - S$37
This is only applicable on November Saturday night shows and for other days, the prices are as below:
Tickets are priced at S$55/ adult
S$27.50/ child (inclusive of one drink)
The availability of different price allocations opens up to the various age groups, standard tickets are for the general adults, child ticket encourages families to bring their children along as they can pay lesser for the entrance fee for their child and that students get discounted price during Saturday night show to encourage more patronage from students. As on weekdays students will most probably be studying, hence student tickets would only be applicable on Saturday nigh shows.
I feel that the even though the ticket prices were relatively expensive, however the value and the entertainment level received is worth the costly administration fee. "Ultimate Magic" allows me to experience a totally new different level of magic entertainment and that to me; it is really worth paying for.
2:51 AM
The event "Ultimate Magic" packaged itself with firstly, its location. The collaboration with The Arena allows audience to enjoy a free complimentary drink as they watch the performance, which in other word a service bundle where entertainment experience and beverage is sold to customers in a single ticket price.
The distribution channel for the event is mainly SISTIC as it is the main ticket distribution centre. In this way, the event is made known to the public when they browse through SISTIC official website searching for the latest event happening in Singapore. Other then SISTIC, "Ultimate Magic" also work with Pay Pal as the mode of payment for online ticket purchases. This is an alternative distribution channel other then just using SISTIC.
I feel that other then packaging with The Arena, the event also package together the intangible experience. Other then just offering pure entertainment, "Ultimate Magic" package together entertainment and a form of high class luxurious experience. By purchasing a ticket to the event, it entitles you to an hour of high-class entertainment where the performers were really close to you as they perform and because the seats are small in number, you feel as though they are performing just for you solely. It is this experience that differs from other magic performance where it is held in a big theatre. Therefore I feel that the usage of this marketing strategy is quite effective as it leaves a good and deep impression in me.
2:47 AM
Place marketing
"Ultimate Magic" creates a positive image for Singapore as it can be said to be a new form of entertainment arising locally. Known as the “Urban Illusions in the City”, the event helps to portrays a new look for the country and this fresh look would be the pull factor in bringing tourists into Singapore. "Ultimate Magic" can also become the hot favorite pick for leisure entertainment and the answer to a different form of leisure activity. This event is capable of improving the quality of life in a sense that it can became the solution to a whole new experience of illusion tricks.
Tourism attractions
Based on observations conducted that day, most of the audiences there were foreigners, from countries like Japan and Australia. "Ultimate Magic" is hence capable of drawing in tourists from various countries to watch their performance and the fact that this event would last for 16months, until December 2009, it shows that there is a demand for their performance due to their overwhelming popularity worldwide and also locally. The event also helps to encourage visitor spending as well. As foreigners come to The Arena for the event, they would definitely dine there as well. Therefore the event helps to encourage visitor spending via a spill-over effect to the nearby clubs and restaurants and other entertainment facilities. All of these spill-over effects will eventually help to improve the economy of Singapore as visitor spending increases.
Image maker
The moment I stepped into The Arena, the lighting, music and design makes me feel that I have come to the correct place to watch an illusion show. The theme was correct and it prepares the audiences for on up coming show. This can act as the first impression of The Arena and also the show itself. The moment customers steps in, the theme, music and the layout would give them a good impression of the place and that this would help to combat any negative imagery, eg long waiting time to enter the club.
Catalyst
"Ultimate Magic" helps to bring business into The Arena as tourists travel from all over the world to come and watch their performance; hence it’s only natural that they would stay in the club after the performance ended. The event also creates a new look for Singapore as it shows Singapore’s break through into the magic industry under the lead of the 2 professional illusionists, J C Sum and ‘Magic Babe’ Ning. The event also causes spill-over effect to the surrounding service facilities like restaurants and clubs. Also as tourists travel to Singapore for the show, they would tend to stay here for a period of time. Meanwhile they are in Singapore, they would take this chance to visit other famous attractions like the Singapore Flyer and Esplanade which is located not far away from Clarke Quay.
Animator
"Ultimate Magic" is Singapore’s first permanent illusion show which will last until 31 December of 2009, hence it encourages tourists and locals to visit the event for the very first time due to it’s popularity and extraordinary illusion tricks. And once the event period is over, the next time it comes back to Singapore, it would generate repeat visits to the event as people would be keen to see their tricks again, wanting to experience the excitement again. Therefore this event is capable of drawing in new customers, pulling them back to the same location for a second time experience, hopefully with new tricks to display.
2:36 AM
In conclusion, I feel that the event "Ultimate Magic" did make good use of the 8ps in the marketing mix to promote itself. The selection of The Arena suits the event’s theme as it goes well with the concept of urban illusion in the city. And since it is located at Singapore top entertainment district, it naturally will attract in many potential customers and also providing free advertisement to both The Arena and also "Ultimate Magic". The careful pricing of the ticket fee is quite reasonable as it indicates that the amount of money you paid for admin fee reflects the level of entertainment you will receive at the end of the show, eventually feeling that the amount of money spend is of a certain value.
However, I feel that there are certain areas where "Ultimate Magic" can improve on. Firstly, the duration of the show is relatively short. As audiences travel a long way to watch their performance, it would be quite depressing if the event were to last for only an hour, therefore an extension of additional 30 min or so can be the solution to this problem. Secondly, I feel that there is a lack of promotional effort locally. The reputations of both the illusionists did stretch all over the globe, but locally, very little advertisements and commercial ads were used to promote this event to Singaporeans. And from the observation conducted on that day, it seems that most of the audiences are foreigners. Only a small hand are Singaporeans. Hence I feel that they should put up more notices or road show to publicize this event. It would be a waste if such a wonderful event is not well known locally!!!
All in all, I’m still satisfied in the event as it is really a whole new experience for me and that if there were a new series of shows performed by them , I would be likely to patronize the event to relive the experience again!!!!
2:30 AM
*Note: as photography and video recordings are prohibited inside The Arena, therefore i am unable to take any photos during the event, when i am still within The Arena*
Below are some pictures that resembles the event:
The complimentary ticket to exchange for the drinks inside The Arena
Recipe of the purchase of the tickets
A piece of poker card with 3 digits that were used as proof when J C Sum teleported onto the stage from Night Safari
The front of the brochure about "Ultimate Magic"
http://www.jcsum.com/profile.html
http://www.jcsum.com/magicbabe.html
http://www.jcsum.com/arena.html
http://www.magicboutique.sg/blog.php?paged=2
http://www.group.abnamro.com/about/about.cfm
http://www.thearenalive.com.sg/events.html
http://www.sistic.com.sg/portal/dt?retry=1&dt.provider=PortletWindowProcessChannel&dt.action
=process&dt.window.portletAction=RENDER&dt.containerName
=JSPTabContainer/sEventsCalendar&contentCode=
ultimate0808&dt.windowProvider.targetPortletChannel=
JSPTabContainer/sEventsCalendar/Event&dt.windowProvider.
currentChannelMode=VIEW&dt.isPortletRequest=true
2:26 AM
woo, 1st blog i ever created for project purposes! anyway, the event i'm doin on is call ' Ultimate Magic' - Singapore first permanent illusion show which will last till the 30 dec 2009! the magicians are JC Sum and 'magic babe' Ning. since i haven go for the show yet, so shall keep the details till after i watched it on this comin sat 8 nov... till then.. ciao~
9:36 AM