1. INTRODUCTION
Cosfest X.1 is the biggest cosplay convention in Singapore and it lies between Cultural and Arts in the Event typology. It is their 10th year organizing this event. The characteristics of the event are that it is short term, recurring and it is available to the general public for free.
A large amount of interested participants and visitors come together for a common purpose to visit the Cosfest event every year. The Cosfest event concept is a cosplay exhibition and competition. Cosplayers are regarded as participants and visitors are regarded as spectators.
The event is mainly catered to enthusiastic photographers and young adults who want to express their love for anime and photography. The purpose of this event is for leisure and to celebrate Japanese culture nearer to home.
For Cosfest X.1, a total of 13,000 people attended the event. (Refer to Appendix A1) It is a local or community event, as the scale of economic benefits is low. It is hosted at the D’Marquee at Downtown East in Pasir Ris every year which is a publicly accessible venue. The Cosfest Organizing Team also accepts volunteer’s services from the host community in Singapore.
Furthermore, Cosfest is sponsored by many nongovernment organizations (NGOs) like NTUC (National Trades Union Congress). Costs to run the event are relatively low but the event commands a high turnout rate. Tourists from overseas even travel to Singapore to visit the event.
Cosfest hosts many competitions like the World Cosplay Summit Singapore, World Cosplay Summit Malaysia, Asia Cosplay Meet Championship and the Sony Ericsson Cosplay Competition. One purpose of these competitions is to promote ties between countries and encourage local participation in the local community. People gather at the event to build relationships and increase their social circle of friends with similar interests as well.
2. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
2.1 Strengths of the Event
2.1.1 Environment and Venue
Cosfest is held at the D'Marquee which is air-conditioned and it is able to take in large crowds of up to 1,000 people. By preparing to accommodate many visitors to the event, they are able to anticipate any unexpected high turnout rate.
Near D’Marquee, there are F&B outlets which may satisfy hungry visitors to the event. Visitors can walk out of the venue for a quick bite before resuming their activities at the event.
2.1.2 Price
As the event is free, visitors do not have to fork out a single cent to gain admission to the event. This is a major strength as they do not have to go through the tiring process of making booking and securing tickets. Merchants who want to sell merchandise have to pay SGD50 for a booth for two days though. However, visitors who visit the event incur other costs like time, travel costs and lost opportunities.
By sponsoring the event, the event can create value for the sponsors. Sponsors brand names and logos are hung publicly in the venue. (Refer to Appendix A2) With the sponsor’s banners hung proudly in the event, participants and visitors will associate their brand names with their interests. This may greatly help in the marketing of the brand of the company.
2.1.3 Participants
With a huge turnout of participants to the event, hype is created which in turn attracts more visitors. For example, many cosplayers decide to cosplay of their own will which attracts photographers to visit the event to shoot them in their costumes. Some visitors attend the event just to mingle and look at the cosplayers instead of watching the competitions and performers.
2.1.4 Logistics
The booking of the venue was available and necessary equipment was set up and fully functional on the first day of Cosfest. There were no hiccups or flaws during the execution of the event. All the lighting and sound systems performed remarkably well which enabled the spectators to enjoy themselves fully. The date chosen was perfect as it coincided with the June holidays which means that many students will be free to attend or participate in the event.
The stage configuration used for performers was the proscenium theater. Use of the proscenium theater was an appropriate choice. The stage was elevated so that spectators can see the performers fully. Chairs were provided for seating for the performers in front of the stage. Performers were introduced and the transition from each performance to another was smooth.
2.2 Weaknesses of the Event
2.2.1 Environment and Venue
Cosfest is held every year at Downtown East at Pasir Ris which is located at the extreme east of Singapore. The venue is a good location in a sense that it is located nearby the Pasir Ris MRT station and the Pasir Ris bus interchange. For drivers, there is parking space available for them. A free shuttle bus service is provided to Downtown East daily from the Pasir Ris MRT station every 30 minutes intervals. Visitors to the event can also take a 10-minute walk from the Pasir Ris MRT station. However, many people may still be put off by the location and decide not to come to the event. Personally, I know of a few friends who decided to skip this event because of the location even though there are many travelling routes which are accessible.
Restrooms are unavailable at the venue. Participants and visitors will have to leave D’Marquee in order to visit the restrooms. This will negatively affect the visitor’s enjoyment as the time needed to leave the area may cause them to miss a component of the event. For example, a photographer at the Cosfest had secured a very good spot for shooting the ongoing event performance at the stage. If he requires visiting the restroom, he may have to lose his spot by the time he reaches back.
Emergency plans and exits are not communicated to the visitors and participants to the event. This is a critical weakness of the event. This may be disastrous during a fire emergency, as the visitors will panic and will not know how to leave the venue quickly in an orderly manner.
2.2.2 Programming
The event programme of Cosfest was confusing to new visitors who visit the event for the very first time. This is because the event schedule is only available online on their official website. People who decide to visit the event when they are at Downtown East coincidentally will be clueless about the programme and schedule. The emcee did not clearly indicate which event was currently ongoing too.
2.2.3 Manpower allocation
Cosfest had too little manpower allocation. First-time visitors will not know where to visit and they will have to visit every location in order to know where the specific programmes are held at. Visitors are allowed to freely visit the event locations at their own time and pace. No security is posted at locations around the venue as well.
2.2.4 Logistics
Little marketing was done to promote the event. Visitors who attended the event may be regulars who attend the event annually or the event was spread by word of mouth.
There were too few signs and props placed over the event venue. Also, the events are spread out over a few locations which make it confusing for visitors and they may be lost at the venue.
Few trash bins were spotted at the venue which makes it difficult for visitors to dispose their litter. Visitors may even litter which will create a negative experience for others. Also, no flyers and brochures were handed out to inform visitors of important information. The lack of information may cause visitors to leave the event as they do not know when each segment will end and what performances are they currently viewing.
2.2.5 Products and Services
Although booths were provided, there was too few of them selling anime merchandise and anime fan drawings. Visitors who wish to purchase products will be limited to a very small amount of selection which may leave them disappointed.
3. RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 Improvements for Environment and Venue
Cosfest could consider opening a small snack stall inside the venue of D’Marquee like a selling hotdogs and can drinks. Also, they can possibly install a mobile restroom temporarily in the venue. This way, visitors will not have to leave the venue to take a break and they will not miss any important performances they would not want to miss.
As one of the reasons why visitor will not visit the event is because of the distance from their homes, a possible improvement will be a change of location. One good venue which Cosfest can shift to is to the Suntec Exhibition Halls which can accommodate even larger crowds. Suntec Exhibition Halls are located in the city which is closer to the heartland of Singapore than Downtown East at Pasir Ris.
An event emergency contingency plan should be in place in case of any emergency. It should be communicated from the emcee to the visitors before the start of the event.
3.2 Price
Sponsors may consider giving out giving goodie bags which include anime merchandise like printed pens with their brand on for the first 500 customers. This way, visitors to the event will remember the sponsors more easily and possibly support their brands after the event.
3.3 Participants
As participants (cosplayers) make up a huge part of the event, Cosfest could market the event based on user contributed content instead of marketing based on competitions and performances. This may possibly attract a greater number of people to the event.
3.4 Manpower allocation
It would be better if Cosfest could hire a few guides and station them at strategically placed locations. Visitors who are lost could go to the nearest guide and enquire about the event and other information. Guides could also hand out brochures which state the event programme and a sitemap of the locations of important areas like restrooms and F&B locations.
3.5 Logistics
As seats were only provided for the performers, and limited seats are available, Cosfest could possibly sell tickets to seating at the stage. During the event, many photographers crowded behind the seating areas and blocked the view from other spectators. One way to improve this issue is to create an elevated platform for photographers behind the standing area and beside the seating and standing areas. (Refer to Appendix A1)
Another improvement which can be introduced is to implement a live close up view of the performers using a screen projector.
More marketing must be done to attract more visitors to the event. Use of media like television and newspaper or magazines advertisements will greatly influence the amount of visitors to the event.
More signs and props should be placed all over the venue to show the specific activities in each tent. This will prevent first-time visitors from getting lost and leaving the place. With a better experience at the event, it is possible to retain first-time visitors will come back to the event next year.
Trash bins should be stationed at the entrance of the event venue and other strategically located areas. (e.g. close to the snack booth)
There should be an information booth as well which visitors can visit to take brochures and to enquire any matters regarding the event.
3.6 Products and Services
Possible reasons for the lack of booths could be that the rental space of the booths was too expensive. Cosfest may consider lowering the price to a cheaper amount to encourage more people to draw and sell their fan-made merchandise.
4. POSSIBLE FUTURE CHALLENGES
Although the turnout rate this year was high with 13,000 attendees, it is possible that the turnout rate will fall next year. This means that the event could not successfully retain the visitors. As there are many other cosplay events in Singapore, Cosfest may lose its standing as Singapore’s biggest cosplay convention. For example, Anime Festival Asia (AFA) is a large cosplay event which attracts 70,000 over 3 days. It contains much more activities and performances by famous artistes direct from Japan. Visitors may skip Cosfest altogether and visit AFA instead.
For Cosfest X.1, it is held during the June holidays but for previous Cosfest events, some of them were held in July which may result in a drop in attendees. Cosfest must keep their event inside the June holidays to attract more visitors. Other possible challenges are that Cosfest may coincide with another event which results in people attending the other event instead.
5. USE OF ONLINE TOOLS IN MARKETING
Cosfest used new social media in marketing their event. They have used online websites and Facebook to reach out to online netizens which belong under the young adults category. However, Cosfest could use Twitter, a micro-blogging website which can provide regular updates to ‘followers’ about future events as well as ongoing events.
Another way to market Cosfest is to make use of Ustream, a website which provides live video streaming to users online. This is a revolutionary new way to market products. Cosfest could stream live video online of the performances ongoing at the event site. This way, people who watch it online would not miss out on the performances if they could not make it to the event. However, this may also deter people from going to the event site when they can watch it from the comfort of their home.
Images from the event:
Cosfest X.1 is the biggest cosplay convention in Singapore and it lies between Cultural and Arts in the Event typology. It is their 10th year organizing this event. The characteristics of the event are that it is short term, recurring and it is available to the general public for free.
A large amount of interested participants and visitors come together for a common purpose to visit the Cosfest event every year. The Cosfest event concept is a cosplay exhibition and competition. Cosplayers are regarded as participants and visitors are regarded as spectators.
The event is mainly catered to enthusiastic photographers and young adults who want to express their love for anime and photography. The purpose of this event is for leisure and to celebrate Japanese culture nearer to home.
For Cosfest X.1, a total of 13,000 people attended the event. (Refer to Appendix A1) It is a local or community event, as the scale of economic benefits is low. It is hosted at the D’Marquee at Downtown East in Pasir Ris every year which is a publicly accessible venue. The Cosfest Organizing Team also accepts volunteer’s services from the host community in Singapore.
Furthermore, Cosfest is sponsored by many nongovernment organizations (NGOs) like NTUC (National Trades Union Congress). Costs to run the event are relatively low but the event commands a high turnout rate. Tourists from overseas even travel to Singapore to visit the event.
Cosfest hosts many competitions like the World Cosplay Summit Singapore, World Cosplay Summit Malaysia, Asia Cosplay Meet Championship and the Sony Ericsson Cosplay Competition. One purpose of these competitions is to promote ties between countries and encourage local participation in the local community. People gather at the event to build relationships and increase their social circle of friends with similar interests as well.
2. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
2.1 Strengths of the Event
2.1.1 Environment and Venue
Cosfest is held at the D'Marquee which is air-conditioned and it is able to take in large crowds of up to 1,000 people. By preparing to accommodate many visitors to the event, they are able to anticipate any unexpected high turnout rate.
Near D’Marquee, there are F&B outlets which may satisfy hungry visitors to the event. Visitors can walk out of the venue for a quick bite before resuming their activities at the event.
2.1.2 Price
As the event is free, visitors do not have to fork out a single cent to gain admission to the event. This is a major strength as they do not have to go through the tiring process of making booking and securing tickets. Merchants who want to sell merchandise have to pay SGD50 for a booth for two days though. However, visitors who visit the event incur other costs like time, travel costs and lost opportunities.
By sponsoring the event, the event can create value for the sponsors. Sponsors brand names and logos are hung publicly in the venue. (Refer to Appendix A2) With the sponsor’s banners hung proudly in the event, participants and visitors will associate their brand names with their interests. This may greatly help in the marketing of the brand of the company.
2.1.3 Participants
With a huge turnout of participants to the event, hype is created which in turn attracts more visitors. For example, many cosplayers decide to cosplay of their own will which attracts photographers to visit the event to shoot them in their costumes. Some visitors attend the event just to mingle and look at the cosplayers instead of watching the competitions and performers.
2.1.4 Logistics
The booking of the venue was available and necessary equipment was set up and fully functional on the first day of Cosfest. There were no hiccups or flaws during the execution of the event. All the lighting and sound systems performed remarkably well which enabled the spectators to enjoy themselves fully. The date chosen was perfect as it coincided with the June holidays which means that many students will be free to attend or participate in the event.
The stage configuration used for performers was the proscenium theater. Use of the proscenium theater was an appropriate choice. The stage was elevated so that spectators can see the performers fully. Chairs were provided for seating for the performers in front of the stage. Performers were introduced and the transition from each performance to another was smooth.
2.2 Weaknesses of the Event
2.2.1 Environment and Venue
Cosfest is held every year at Downtown East at Pasir Ris which is located at the extreme east of Singapore. The venue is a good location in a sense that it is located nearby the Pasir Ris MRT station and the Pasir Ris bus interchange. For drivers, there is parking space available for them. A free shuttle bus service is provided to Downtown East daily from the Pasir Ris MRT station every 30 minutes intervals. Visitors to the event can also take a 10-minute walk from the Pasir Ris MRT station. However, many people may still be put off by the location and decide not to come to the event. Personally, I know of a few friends who decided to skip this event because of the location even though there are many travelling routes which are accessible.
Restrooms are unavailable at the venue. Participants and visitors will have to leave D’Marquee in order to visit the restrooms. This will negatively affect the visitor’s enjoyment as the time needed to leave the area may cause them to miss a component of the event. For example, a photographer at the Cosfest had secured a very good spot for shooting the ongoing event performance at the stage. If he requires visiting the restroom, he may have to lose his spot by the time he reaches back.
Emergency plans and exits are not communicated to the visitors and participants to the event. This is a critical weakness of the event. This may be disastrous during a fire emergency, as the visitors will panic and will not know how to leave the venue quickly in an orderly manner.
2.2.2 Programming
The event programme of Cosfest was confusing to new visitors who visit the event for the very first time. This is because the event schedule is only available online on their official website. People who decide to visit the event when they are at Downtown East coincidentally will be clueless about the programme and schedule. The emcee did not clearly indicate which event was currently ongoing too.
2.2.3 Manpower allocation
Cosfest had too little manpower allocation. First-time visitors will not know where to visit and they will have to visit every location in order to know where the specific programmes are held at. Visitors are allowed to freely visit the event locations at their own time and pace. No security is posted at locations around the venue as well.
2.2.4 Logistics
Little marketing was done to promote the event. Visitors who attended the event may be regulars who attend the event annually or the event was spread by word of mouth.
There were too few signs and props placed over the event venue. Also, the events are spread out over a few locations which make it confusing for visitors and they may be lost at the venue.
Few trash bins were spotted at the venue which makes it difficult for visitors to dispose their litter. Visitors may even litter which will create a negative experience for others. Also, no flyers and brochures were handed out to inform visitors of important information. The lack of information may cause visitors to leave the event as they do not know when each segment will end and what performances are they currently viewing.
2.2.5 Products and Services
Although booths were provided, there was too few of them selling anime merchandise and anime fan drawings. Visitors who wish to purchase products will be limited to a very small amount of selection which may leave them disappointed.
3. RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 Improvements for Environment and Venue
Cosfest could consider opening a small snack stall inside the venue of D’Marquee like a selling hotdogs and can drinks. Also, they can possibly install a mobile restroom temporarily in the venue. This way, visitors will not have to leave the venue to take a break and they will not miss any important performances they would not want to miss.
As one of the reasons why visitor will not visit the event is because of the distance from their homes, a possible improvement will be a change of location. One good venue which Cosfest can shift to is to the Suntec Exhibition Halls which can accommodate even larger crowds. Suntec Exhibition Halls are located in the city which is closer to the heartland of Singapore than Downtown East at Pasir Ris.
An event emergency contingency plan should be in place in case of any emergency. It should be communicated from the emcee to the visitors before the start of the event.
3.2 Price
Sponsors may consider giving out giving goodie bags which include anime merchandise like printed pens with their brand on for the first 500 customers. This way, visitors to the event will remember the sponsors more easily and possibly support their brands after the event.
3.3 Participants
As participants (cosplayers) make up a huge part of the event, Cosfest could market the event based on user contributed content instead of marketing based on competitions and performances. This may possibly attract a greater number of people to the event.
3.4 Manpower allocation
It would be better if Cosfest could hire a few guides and station them at strategically placed locations. Visitors who are lost could go to the nearest guide and enquire about the event and other information. Guides could also hand out brochures which state the event programme and a sitemap of the locations of important areas like restrooms and F&B locations.
3.5 Logistics
As seats were only provided for the performers, and limited seats are available, Cosfest could possibly sell tickets to seating at the stage. During the event, many photographers crowded behind the seating areas and blocked the view from other spectators. One way to improve this issue is to create an elevated platform for photographers behind the standing area and beside the seating and standing areas. (Refer to Appendix A1)
Another improvement which can be introduced is to implement a live close up view of the performers using a screen projector.
More marketing must be done to attract more visitors to the event. Use of media like television and newspaper or magazines advertisements will greatly influence the amount of visitors to the event.
More signs and props should be placed all over the venue to show the specific activities in each tent. This will prevent first-time visitors from getting lost and leaving the place. With a better experience at the event, it is possible to retain first-time visitors will come back to the event next year.
Trash bins should be stationed at the entrance of the event venue and other strategically located areas. (e.g. close to the snack booth)
There should be an information booth as well which visitors can visit to take brochures and to enquire any matters regarding the event.
3.6 Products and Services
Possible reasons for the lack of booths could be that the rental space of the booths was too expensive. Cosfest may consider lowering the price to a cheaper amount to encourage more people to draw and sell their fan-made merchandise.
4. POSSIBLE FUTURE CHALLENGES
Although the turnout rate this year was high with 13,000 attendees, it is possible that the turnout rate will fall next year. This means that the event could not successfully retain the visitors. As there are many other cosplay events in Singapore, Cosfest may lose its standing as Singapore’s biggest cosplay convention. For example, Anime Festival Asia (AFA) is a large cosplay event which attracts 70,000 over 3 days. It contains much more activities and performances by famous artistes direct from Japan. Visitors may skip Cosfest altogether and visit AFA instead.
For Cosfest X.1, it is held during the June holidays but for previous Cosfest events, some of them were held in July which may result in a drop in attendees. Cosfest must keep their event inside the June holidays to attract more visitors. Other possible challenges are that Cosfest may coincide with another event which results in people attending the other event instead.
5. USE OF ONLINE TOOLS IN MARKETING
Cosfest used new social media in marketing their event. They have used online websites and Facebook to reach out to online netizens which belong under the young adults category. However, Cosfest could use Twitter, a micro-blogging website which can provide regular updates to ‘followers’ about future events as well as ongoing events.
Another way to market Cosfest is to make use of Ustream, a website which provides live video streaming to users online. This is a revolutionary new way to market products. Cosfest could stream live video online of the performances ongoing at the event site. This way, people who watch it online would not miss out on the performances if they could not make it to the event. However, this may also deter people from going to the event site when they can watch it from the comfort of their home.
Images from the event:
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 · 11:51 AM
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Tuesday, May 10, 2011 · 7:58 AM