a) What is the objective of this event? Give a brief background to this event.
The objective of this event is for families to come together this holiday season to bond and play with Playmobil themed activities. Families will also be entertained by their fun and wacky hosts and the interactive games provided.
The event is called "Sentosa PLAYcation" and it was located at Sentosa's Palawan Beach from 24th November 2012 to 30th December 2012. Admission to the event is free for all.
There are a couple of activities for the families to participate such as:
1) Playmobil Santa's Sleigh @ Merlion Plaza
2) Come PLAY with PLAYMOBIL @ Palawan Beach
3) Playmobil Bazaar
4) Port of Lost Wonder (POLW)
5) Sentosa PLAYcation - PLAYful Moments
- Little Hands & Minds
- Playmobil play pit
- Meet & Greet Playmobil Mascot
- Boogie with Captain Palawan
- Storytelling Comes Alive
- Rhythm & Senses
- The Puppet Master Musical
- The Playmobil Challenge
- Games & quiz
b) Who is the target audience?
I would say that Sentosa PLAYcation is an event that is catered to families with children of below twelve years old as most of the activities are more suitable for young children. It is a good opportunity for parents to bring their children to the event and bond happily together as a family as they play the games and activities together.
Families with children turned up for the event
c) How is the event publicized? (In other words, how does the target audience get to know about the event?)
Sentosa PLAYcation is publicized using various methods and media platforms.
The event is publicized on banners and posters around Sentosa especially at the Palawan Beach. I saw a couple of posters regarding the event on the monorail as well.
This poster was seen around Palawan Beach
This poster was seen on the monorails of Sentosa
The event is publicized on online media platforms such as the official Sentosa website, twitter and Facebook accounts. The target audience also get to know the event through feedbacks or reviews that others posted online regarding the Sentosa PLAYcation. The feedbacks and reviews of the event can be found online on websites belonging to parents such as "cheekymonkie", "thewackyduo" and "simplymommie". Besides, it can also be found on events website such as "events.insing" and "sg.everydayonsales" and "sg.offerstation".
The event is publicized on The Straits Times newspaper under the Life! section on the 28th December 2012.
There is also a photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012.
There is also a photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012.
d) Is the event reported in the media? If yes, how widely is it reported? (Do a quick analysis of the reports, in terms of the angles that the media take, the importance of the coverage, and your opinion of the impact of the coverage). If no, why do you think the media did not cover the event? What do you think could be done to attract media coverage?
Yes, the event is reported on The Straits Times under the Life! section. The media took an angle which covers the various activities that Sentosa PLAYcation offers to attract readers to the event.
The coverage is important to publicize the event as the article includes all the important details to the event that people would like to know such as the date, time, venue, contact details and activities involved.
However, I do not think that the coverage by The Straits Times created a big impact to publicize the event as it only appeared on the 28th December 2012 for a day on the Life! section. Sentosa PLAYcation ends on the 30th December 2012 and the article is posted way too late to attract people to the event.
The event is also reported on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012. It only includes a photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation.
Poster which appeared on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012
A screenshot of where I got the above photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation which appeared on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012.
The coverage is important as it provides the photograph of the poster which consists of all the detailed information of the event such as what activities are in stored for the audiences, how long the event would last and etc.
I feel that the coverage by TODAY newspaper to put up a photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation should create a greater impact because it is a big photograph and it would definitely grab the eyeballs of readers. Besides, it is reported on the 14th December 2012, so there is still time for people to check the event out.
Besides, Sentosa PLAYcation is also reported on social media platforms by parents who are bloggers such as "cheekymonkie", "thewackyduo" and "simplymommie". These parents received invitations by Sentosa to attend the event and to write about it on their blogs based on their experiences, thoughts and feedback about the event.
It is important for Sentosa to give out invitations to these parent bloggers because many other parents read their blogs and when the other parents read these blogs and find out about Sentosa PLAYcation, they would then be interested to check the event out.
I feel that the blog reviews of parent bloggers about the Sentosa PLAYcation would create a big impact because there are a lot of other parents in Singapore who read these parenting blogs and when they chanced upon the events reviewed by the parent bloggers, they might be interested to bring their family there as well.
In order to attract more media coverages, I think Sentosa should advertise the Sentosa PLAYcation on a larger scale on various media platforms such as newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television and such. In that way, a great number of people would turn up for the event and the media would then be interested to cover the event due to large number of people involved in it. The event is also reported on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012. It only includes a photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation.
Poster which appeared on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012
A screenshot of where I got the above photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation which appeared on TODAY newspaper on the 14th December 2012.
The coverage is important as it provides the photograph of the poster which consists of all the detailed information of the event such as what activities are in stored for the audiences, how long the event would last and etc.
I feel that the coverage by TODAY newspaper to put up a photograph of the poster of Sentosa PLAYcation should create a greater impact because it is a big photograph and it would definitely grab the eyeballs of readers. Besides, it is reported on the 14th December 2012, so there is still time for people to check the event out.
Under the lecture "Understanding Markets and Audience - Part 2: Audience", it is said that audience research in print media is by readership and circulation. I certainly do not think that the coverage by The Straits Times created a big impact because the article appeared just two days before the event ended and the number of people reading the publication might be low and circulation of copies might not be fast enough to immediately attract people to the event. However, the coverage by TODAY newspaper should create a bigger impact because the article appeared a couple of days before the event ended, therefore, there is enough time for the readers to check the event out.
Besides, Sentosa PLAYcation is also reported on social media platforms by parents who are bloggers such as "cheekymonkie", "thewackyduo" and "simplymommie". These parents received invitations by Sentosa to attend the event and to write about it on their blogs based on their experiences, thoughts and feedback about the event.
It is important for Sentosa to give out invitations to these parent bloggers because many other parents read their blogs and when the other parents read these blogs and find out about Sentosa PLAYcation, they would then be interested to check the event out.
I feel that the blog reviews of parent bloggers about the Sentosa PLAYcation would create a big impact because there are a lot of other parents in Singapore who read these parenting blogs and when they chanced upon the events reviewed by the parent bloggers, they might be interested to bring their family there as well.
Besides, Sentosa can also invite celebrities who are parents themselves to the event to have some fun. The media are always interested in the lives of the celebrities, that is why when the celebrities attend such events, the media might most probably be there to cover it. Also, when celebrities go to such events, its fans or the public might be interested to catch a glimpse of them and more people would turn up for the event. When there is a great turnout for the event, the media would then again, be interested to cover the event due to the large number of people involved in it.
e) Assume you are the manager overseeing the project. Evaluate the success/failure of this event. How would you do it differently for greater success?
On the whole, I feel that this project "Sentosa PLAYcation" is a success. I went to the event on a Sunday and the turnout was quite good as many parents brought their children there to have fun. I saw smiles on many faces and I guess everybody had a good time.
On that particular Sunday, 30th December 2012, I went to check out the Sentosa PLAYcation PLAYful Moments which includes Little Hands & Minds, Boogie with Captain Palawan, Games & Quiz, The Puppet Master Musical and lastly, Meet & Greet Playmobil Mascot.
Sentosa carried out the activities successfully and here are the things I felt that they did rather well.
For Little Hands & Minds, I think it is good that they put notices on what the activity is about and how much the activity cost. It is also good that the crafts corner is decorated very beautiful with vibrant colours to attract people to it.
Notices found around the crafts corner at Little Hands & Minds
Vibrant colours at the crafts corner
Crafts corner was decorated beautifully to attract the crowd
For Boogie with Captain Palawan and Games & Quiz, I think it is good that the host and mascot put in a lot of effort to interact with the crowd and to constantly entertain them. I like it that they give each and every children a little gift despite not getting the answers right to the quiz.
Children having fun with the mascot and host
For The Puppet Master Musical, I think it is good that the puppeteers were engaging and tried their best to involve everyone in the show by shaking hands with the crowd and sprinkling the shiny dusts on the children's heads.
Puppeteers in action
For Meet & Greet Playmobil Mascot, I think it is good that the mascot had a lot of patience to bend down and take pictures with the young children. The host was also very humorous and tickled many.
Now, as a manager overseeing the project, I would do things differently to achieve greater success.
For Little Hands & Minds, I would ask the staffs at the crafts corner to be more out-spoken as well as to lure the customers to participate in the activities instead of just sitting behind the counters.
Staff should promote the stall instead of sitting behind the counter
For Boogie with Captain Palawan and Games & Quiz, I would give the host a better working microphone. The host was trying to raise his voice throughout the show because the microphone was not working very well and the environment was rather noisy. Besides, I would also hold these two activities in a sheltered area instead of an outdoor area because it was drizzling that day and some parents were quite worried that their children might catch a cold.
For The Puppet Master Musical, I would hold it in a sheltered area in case of rain. Besides, the trees are bearing fruits around that area and when the wind blowed, the trees swayed and the fruits actually dropped on peoples' heads. This situation can be quite dangerous, so I would definitely hold this activity in a sheltered area. On the same note, I would use bigger sitting mats for the audiences to sit on. The mats that they provide previously were really too small and many audiences resorted to sitting on the floor or on grasses.
They should provide bigger mats enough for the crowd
For Meet & Greet Playmobil Mascot, I would give the host a better working microphone and to lengthen the time of the activity so that more children can interact and take pictures with the mascot.
Analysis for question (e)
Basically, for Sentosa PLAYcation to be successful, the managers must do a good job in the management process which includes planning, organizing, leading and controlling.
Planning is important as a manager needs to define goals of what Sentosa wants to achieve in Sentosa PLAYcation, establish strategies for the employees to reach their goals and develop plans to coordinate the activities for the event to flow smoothly. In short, a manager has to know what Sentosa wants to achieve at the end of Sentosa PLAYcation and craft out strategies for the employees to reach their goals so that the event can be a successful one. A manager also has to plan to coordinate the activities such as picking out a venue for the event, employ the suitable staffs and performers for the various activities, ensure that the activities go according to the plan.
Organizing is important as it determines what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and what decisions are to be made. It is important for a manager to have good organizational skills so as to oversee the Sentosa PLAYcation event accordingly. A manager has to oversee the entire schedule of the day such as which staffs should be in-charged of which booths, what activities are the performers going to take part in, ensure that the schedule of the activities are carried out on time.
Leading is important to motivate the employees to perform to the best of their abilities, direct the activities of Sentosa PLAYcation, ensure effective communication amongst the employees to prevent any misunderstandings and resolving any possible conflicts. Strong organizations normally have strong and effective leaders.
Controlling is important to monitor the performance of Sentosa PLAYcation, whether the event has attracted their target audiences or not. It is important for the manager to monitor the performance of the event to see if the event is doing well or not.
When a manager covers the above four duties well, I am sure Sentosa PLAYcation would be a successful one.
Besides the management process, a manager also have to be responsible of the financial management of Sentosa to make sure Sentosa PLAYcation flows smoothly.
Financial management involves planning, monitoring and controlling. For planning, a manager have to develop a budget for the event. In this case, the manager of Sentosa PLAYcation has to set a budget for all the activities and ensure that the expenses does not exceed the budget. It is important to do expenses projections as well to estimate how much money should be set aside for future use. For monitoring, the manager has to review statements and reports to measure the efficiency of Sentosa as an organization. It is important to have efficiency in an organization to minimize resource costs. For controlling, the manager have to review policies of the organization to ensure that everything is in order for Sentosa PLAYcation to succeed.
If a manager covers all these aspects in his/her role, I am sure that Sentosa PLAYcation would be a successful oneu
Planning is important as a manager needs to define goals of what Sentosa wants to achieve in Sentosa PLAYcation, establish strategies for the employees to reach their goals and develop plans to coordinate the activities for the event to flow smoothly. In short, a manager has to know what Sentosa wants to achieve at the end of Sentosa PLAYcation and craft out strategies for the employees to reach their goals so that the event can be a successful one. A manager also has to plan to coordinate the activities such as picking out a venue for the event, employ the suitable staffs and performers for the various activities, ensure that the activities go according to the plan.
Organizing is important as it determines what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and what decisions are to be made. It is important for a manager to have good organizational skills so as to oversee the Sentosa PLAYcation event accordingly. A manager has to oversee the entire schedule of the day such as which staffs should be in-charged of which booths, what activities are the performers going to take part in, ensure that the schedule of the activities are carried out on time.
Leading is important to motivate the employees to perform to the best of their abilities, direct the activities of Sentosa PLAYcation, ensure effective communication amongst the employees to prevent any misunderstandings and resolving any possible conflicts. Strong organizations normally have strong and effective leaders.
Controlling is important to monitor the performance of Sentosa PLAYcation, whether the event has attracted their target audiences or not. It is important for the manager to monitor the performance of the event to see if the event is doing well or not.
When a manager covers the above four duties well, I am sure Sentosa PLAYcation would be a successful one.
Besides the management process, a manager also have to be responsible of the financial management of Sentosa to make sure Sentosa PLAYcation flows smoothly.
Financial management involves planning, monitoring and controlling. For planning, a manager have to develop a budget for the event. In this case, the manager of Sentosa PLAYcation has to set a budget for all the activities and ensure that the expenses does not exceed the budget. It is important to do expenses projections as well to estimate how much money should be set aside for future use. For monitoring, the manager has to review statements and reports to measure the efficiency of Sentosa as an organization. It is important to have efficiency in an organization to minimize resource costs. For controlling, the manager have to review policies of the organization to ensure that everything is in order for Sentosa PLAYcation to succeed.
If a manager covers all these aspects in his/her role, I am sure that Sentosa PLAYcation would be a successful oneu
