2015 Asia-Pacific Gold Winner - E-Plus Entertainment Productions
Company: E-Plus Entertainment Productions (M) Sdn Bhd, Selangor, Malaysia
Category:Marketing - Campaign: Culture & The Arts
Entry Title: Melaka Art and Performance Festival (MAPFest)
Genesis:
Melaka Art and Performance Festival (MAPFest) is an international arts and performing arts festival to celebrate the works of independent artists globally. Co-founded by Andrew Ching and Tony Yap in 2009, the non-profit festival provides a vital platform for artists to display, perform and share network and ideas.
Tony Yap, the Creative Director of MAPFest lives his life as a performing artist in Australia, but soon realise the industry’s growth and the need to create platforms for young and upcoming artists, hence collaborated with Andrew Ching, a renowned event management company’s director in Malaysia, to create the festival. Incorporates in November annually, MAPFest is the world’s largest independent site specific art festival in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where artists from various fields are invited to showcase their arts.
Development:
MAPFest 2009 kick started with only 24 artists over a 2-day festival, and has leaped into its 6th instalment in November 2014. The festival has grown to a 3-day festival in 2010, and has successfully captured the eye of the world with its diversity of arts. Total number of artists has increased from 24 performers in 2009 to 65 performers in 2014. Total number of performances has also increased from 60 performances to 165 performances in 2014. Total visitors to the event also increased 320 per cent from 10,000 in 2009 to 32,000 in 2014.
The festival started without any support from both public and private organisations. But interest towards the festival grew, with support from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), the state government of Melaka as well as various private bodies to continuously support and expand the influence of art locally and internationally. In 2014, a total of RM100,000 (Approximately USD28,000) was funded by MOTAC, along with other monetary and in-kind supports by public and private companies affiliated to the tourism industry.
Execution:
Various methods were used to publicise the festival. This includes:
- Governmental Bodies and International Bodies’ Support: News and announcements on over 13 government and supporting bodies’ websites.
- Public Relations: International news coverage through pre-event, during event, and post-event press release dissemination. In-depth interviews were also arranged to continuously provide in-depth understanding about the event, thus nurture and educate the public about the festival and the art.
- Printed Collaterals: Posters, buntings, and pamphlets were disseminated in Melaka to gain support from the local public and businesses.
- Social Media and Website: MAPFest’s Facebook was established in October 2013; while MAPFest’s Instagram was established in November 2014, acting as the main source of information for the global target market.
- Prominent Figure Ambassador: Selangor state’s princess, YAM Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah was announced as the Royal Patron of MAPFest in 2014.
Results to Date:
The annually increased participants and visitors justified the marketing strategy’s effectiveness to promote the event. Results as below:
- MOTAC assigned its Malaysian tourism advertising production team from FOX International Channels to include MAPFest 2014 as part of The Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015.
- Over 30 local Melaka small businesses have endorse the event through in-outlet and digital media publicity
- A total of RM11,553,396 international media value was garnered for MAPFest 2013 and 2014 based on news reported globally.
- A total of 6,000 pamphlets were printed and distributed for MAPFest 2013 and 2014, printed on recycled paper to ensure an eco-friendly event.
- As of 13 January 2015, MAPFest has 1,243 Facebook followers. The page has gained over 9,500 engagements from September 2014 to December 2014.
- As of 13 January 2015, MAPFest has over 5,000 Instagram followers. The page has recorded 5,716 likes and 213 comments on November 2014, the month of MAPFest 2014.
Supporting Materials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmVS8UB6_7o
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=765196806883391&set=vb.110280892374989&type=3&theater