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Audi Fashion Festival Singapore 2009
Audi Fashion Festival Singapore 2009 is a five days long event filled with glamour, fashion and style. International and local designers and Super models were showcased during the festival. Adding on, it also showcases the new Audi A3 Cabriolet.

For this field trip, I went to the Blueprint 2009 featuring Blackmarket Show at Tent@Orchard on 7 May 2009 and Christian Lacroix the costumier exhibition held at National Museum of Singapore on 13 May 2009.

Marketing Strategies
Another similar festival to Audi Fashion Festival which has been successful in another city would be the 2009 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival

Experiential Components:

i. Product
A Product is what the customer is actually buying. In this cause for a festival, the customers are buying the atmosphere and experience feel during the event.
Both Audi Fashion Festival and L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival offers similar product to the customers. The atmosphere and experience they are giving to the customers is more or less the same. Both events have fashion shows, catwalks, exhibitions and after party.

ii. Place
The Place is where the festival is held.
For Audi Fashion Festival, the fashion shows is held at the same place, Tent@Orchard. While the exhibitions and after party is held at a different venue.
For L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival, the fashion shows is held at the same area but different venue. Similar as the Audi Fashion Festival, the exhibitions and after party is held at another different venue.
But for both Audi Fashion Festival and L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival the festival is both held at the famous fashion district of the city or country. For Audi Fashion Festival is Orchard area for L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival is Fashion Central at Central Pier.

iii. Programming
The Program of Audi Fashion Festival and L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival is more or less the same. It starts with the opening party, then later on fashion shows, exhibitions and ends with a after party, celebrating the closing and the success of the event.
But overall L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival has more programs than Audi Fashion Festival. They have more shows and more exhibitions. Adding on they have programs which Audi Fashion Festival does not offer like the clothing exchange program where people swap their unwanted clothes with other people.

iv. People

Facilitatiing Components:

i. Partnerships
For Partnerships, both Audi Fashion Festival and L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival partnership with company which are compliment to the festival such as jewellery companies, hair and makeup companies and skin care companies.
But for Audi Fashion Festival, they do not have any partnership with any media related companies like Mediacorp.

ii. Promotion (Communications)
Audi Fashion Festival promotion is partnership with Mastercard. MasterCard cardholders are able to enjoy 10% off ticket prices for all shows.
For L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival, there are only some programs which have pre-booked price which is cheaper compared to when you buy at the door.

iii. Packaging and Distribution
For Audi Fashion Festival, they used intermediaries, Tickets.com (http://tdc.sg/events/details.aspx?eid=5495), to sell their tickets for the shows. Customers could either buy the tickets online or via Tickets.com hotline. While for the exhibitions and after party, tickets if bought at the door.
For L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival, they also used intermediaries, Ticket Master (http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/L) to sell their tickers for the shows. Customers could either buy the tickets online or via Ticket Master hotline. For some programs, ticket could be bought at the door.

iv. Price

Both the Audi Fashion Festival and L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival have a range of prices catering to different people, ranging from very expensive to free admission.

Best Practices
The best practices of Audi Fashion Festival are: Promotions, Place
The best practices of L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival are: Programming, Partnership

Promotions
Although Audi Fashion Festival has only one promotion, but that one promotion can be used for all of the fashion shows, the main product of the festival. L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival only offers pre-booked promotion to some program. It does not offer promotions to any of the fashion shows which are the main product that the festival is selling. Hence I think promotions is one of Audi Fashion Festival’s best practices as it offers promotion on the main product that the festival is selling.

Place
Audi Fashion Festival held the fashion shows, the main product of the festival at the same place: Tent@Orchard, for all shows. Orchard is main shopping district area in Singapore. It is easy accessible to Orchard via MRT and Bus.
Though L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s fashion show is also held at a shopping central, similar to Orchard, but the venue is not fixed. As L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival is using the whole area to hold their fashion show thus might confuse the customers.
Thus I think Place is another one of Audi Fashion Festival best practices as the venue of the main product is fixed. Therefore customers would not be confused where to go.

Programming
L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival offers much more varieties of programs compared to Audi Fashion Festival some of which I think are creative and innovative. An example would be the clothing exchange program where people swap their unwanted clothes with other people. Another example would be the film season which celebrated the influence of New Look pioneer and fashion icon Christian Dior, which is like mixing the arts and fashion together. L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival also offers a platform for students to showcase their designs.
Audi Fashion Festival only offer basic programs that a fashion festival would have, fashion shows, exhibitions and after party.
Hence I think programming is L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival best practices as they offer a variety of programs of some which are creative and innovative. They also offer a platform for students, the future of the fashion industry to showcase their designs, letting them experience the feeling of having their own fashion show.

Partnership
L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival does not partnerships with not only companies which are compliment to the festival, they also partnership with other companies such as law firms. Furthermore, L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival has a great variety of partnerships and quite a number of media partnerships which would help to advertise and report about L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival. While Audi Fashion Festival does not have any media partnerships.
Therefore I think another best practices of L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival would be partnership as they partnership with not only companies compliment to the event, they also partnership with companies that will bring benefits to the festival.

Stakeholders
a. Host Organisation
-Mercury Marketing and Communications

b. Host Community
Singapore
Orchard (In front of Ngee Ann civic Plaza)
National Museum of Singapore
Singapore Art Museum
Zouk Velvet Underground
Zouk and Wine Bar
New Asia
The Prime Society
Supperclub

c. Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor — Audi (Title Sponsor)

Official Card - MasterCard

Official Living — Baker

Official Mobile Phone – Samsung Mobile

Official Jewellery – Lee Hwa Jewellery


d. Media
Audi Fashion Festival uses Internet as the main media. Through partnership with Microsoft Advertising, news and information of Audi Fashion Festival are easily found on MSN and on Facebook. Adding on websites which reports news like Channel News Asia also has news about Audi Fashion Festival.
Audi Fashion Festival also has its own website for people to know more about the shows in Audi Fashion Festival.

Other Media includes Fashion Magazines such as NanYou and NuYou, Celton Manx & Designaré Magazine and Newspaper such as My Paper and Today.

e. Co-Workers
Volunteers

Ushers

Official Hair – Action Hair Salon using L'Oréal Professionnel

Official Hotel – The St. Regis Singapore

Official Light Sparkling Beverage – Coca-Cola light

Official Logistics Provider - DHL

Official Skincare – Dr. Georgia Lee

Official Screen Provider – International Conexxion

Preferred Caterer – Lavish

Official Photography Partner – Live!studios

Official Makeup – M·A·C

Official Online Partner – Microsoft Advertising

Official Champagne – Piper-Heidsieck

Official Wine – Rosemount

Official Airline – SIA

Official Nightlife Partner – Time Out Singapore

Production Partner – 1 Werks

Official Garment Care Partner – NOVITA, the Lifestyle Makers

Partner – Yew Lee Metal Works


f. Participants and Spectators
-A-list Designers:
Ashley Isham, Christian Lacroix, Gareth Pugh, Marc Jacobs, RAOUL, Vivienne Westwood
-Local Designers:
Elohim, Nikicio , Gian Romano, Stella Rissa, Reckless Ericka
-Supermodels:
Charmaine Harn, Jacquetta Wheeler
-Models
-Students Studying Fashion
-Fashion Lovers
-Invited Guest

Main Purpose of Audi Fashion Festival

The main purpose of Audi Fashion Festival Singapore 2009 is to let local Singapore designers to gain more recognition not only from Singapore but to the rest of the world. It acts as a platform for local designers to showcase their designs. By having this festival, local designers are able to experience what it is like to have their own show in the festival. It could also act to inspire students studying fashion design.

Another purpose might be that Singapore wants to grow its fashion industry. By having this festival, Singapore is able to discover more talented fashion designers. Thus grow the fashion industry of Singapore.

It also encourages young fashion designers to be creative and innovative in designing clothes. Adding on, it also allows Singaporeans to get to know the newest trends and fashion.

Tourism Benefits

Political

Audi Fashion Festival would attracts more visitors to Singapore. Tourist visiting Singapore would stay at least five days in Singapore as Audi Fashion Festival is a five days festival.

Thus having more people coming into Singapore, it would create economic benefits and jobs in Singapore. For example, Hotels would hire more people to cater to the guest. The festival would also hire people to maintain the crowd going in and out of the venue, the traffic flow of the participants.


Economic

For the Audi Fashion Festival 2009, the host city is Singapore. It will draw a lot of fashion lovers all around the world to Singapore as there will be A-list fashion designers, top models and local Singapore designers. Some tourist would extend their stay to participate in the Audi Fashion Festival.
By holding the Audi Fashion Festival in Singapore, it allows Singapore to show her capabilities of hosting such events. Hence promote new business opportunities for Singapore.
As programs are on certain time slots of the day, tourist would spend their rest of their time visting the attractions of Singapore. Hence add more tourist receipets to the Singapore Economy.
Tax revenue would increase, employment would also be created due to Audi Fashion Festival.
Hence they will help to generate more tourism revenue in Singapore.
Social

As Audi Fashion Festival also features local designers thus would help Singapore Designers to gain more recognition in the fashion industry hence increasing the pride of Singaporeans.

It will also bring about greater awareness of fashion and trends of the fashion industry, what are the newest fashion trends. Adding on, it would increase cultural exchange of Singaporeans to Foreigners

iv. Physical & Environmental Impacts
New Infrastructure would be build to hold such events. Infrastructure would be build around the area to cater to the visitors.

References
1) http://www.audifashionfestival.com/index.html
2) http://www.lmff.com.au/2009/#/home
3) Allen, J. et al (2008). Festival and Special Events (4th ed.) Milton, Queensland: John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, Chapter 1,2,3,9.10.11).

Proof of Visit: