Individual Assignment 2
Entry 2: Be A Manager

Kampong Fest! hopes to accomplish a lot of objectives. The objective of the event is to relive and revive the Malay culture and traditions. It hopes to bind the different communities together just like old times when people come together to participate in traditional Malay arts. Besides that, it also wishes to evoke the memories where Kuda Kepang, Silat, Tarian, and Zapin were very common during the traditional Malay era. Nowadays, it’s not performed as much as it used to; only at special occasions like weddings and events. Thus, this event is to bring alive the magic and aura that the past generation has experienced and share it with the current newer generation in the hope that it will never be forgotten
2) Who is the target audience?
The target audience for this event is everyone and anyone from all the different races. There is no specific audience for the event as everyone is welcomed.
However, I noticed that most of the people who were present compromises mostly of Malay people from all different ages. There were toddlers, teenagers, young adults, working adults and middle-aged adults.
3) How is the event publicized?
The event is publicized through brochures and through its blogspot:
http://www.malay-village.blogspot.com/
It was also on the event calendar of Uniquely Singapore’s website. I got to know of this event there when I searched for entertainment/cultural events in the website’s search bar.
4) Is the event reported in the media?
No, Kampong Fest! was not featured in the media at all. There were no TV cameras present when the Guest of Honour, Dr Fatimah Lateef was present to start off the event.
Not Applicable
5) Assume you are the manager overseeing the project. Evaluate the success/failure of this event. How would you do it differently for greater success?
I shall now name my reasons why this event was rated a 7.
1) Kampong Fest! had performances all way around the clock right up till the event was finished. Kuda Kepang’s performance took place almost the whole day while other performances like Malay Dance from Ping Yi Secondary had only one chance to perform on stage. The same goes for Zapin and Wicked Aura Batucada.
However, I feel that equal chances should be given to all the performers as they all had amazing talent to show off to the public. I feel that it is not fair for them to come all the way down to perform for only ONE TIME and furthermore, for FREE. The performers are not paid at all for this event.
Furthermore, some of the performances show the evolvement of traditional and modern music, for example Wicked Aura Batucada, which made use of modern drums like the snare and traditional drums like kompang to perform an exquisite blend of African samba music.
2) The stalls that were set up that day did not look complete as I felt they looked messy and unorganized. The “bazaar” consisted of small wooden tables with sellers sitting on white, plastic chairs selling their wares. It does not seem… professional. I then discovered that the sellers need not pay anything for the set-up of their stalls as it was FREE. So, how much does it take for them to come up with a small banner with their stall name on it? I am sure it does not cost much, especially if it is home-made.
As I walked around and surveyed the place, I saw a small table covered in tablecloth with a small water cooler on it. No one would have known that it was actually a stall selling almond milk and promoting its INAI services. Where were the signs advertising their wares? There did not seem to be any. And even if there was, they did not look noticeable enough to the people walking by.
To improve this situation, I would propose that all stalls be given a standard banner which they would then use to indicate clearly the name of the stall and the things they are selling. Even the pasar malams (night market) looks better compared to the “bazaar” in Kampong Fest.
3) I feel that this event should be further publicized on all different types of media- broadcast, radio and print. There should have been advertisements on The Straits Times and Berita Harian, radio (94.2FM preferably) and the television telling people of all ages and races to come down to The Malay Village on 27th December. With this, we could have attracted a higher number of people who could have spent more on the Mini Bazaar and rake in much higher profits.
Overall, I felt that the event was successful as it was entertaining and enjoyable. It was impossible to feel bored as there were many activities to do, watch, and learn. The event managed to entertain and educate at the same time as free admission to the museums were given to everyone and there were fun traditional games to play like Gasing and Congkak. I would recommend another event like this in the future, but with improvisation implemented, of course! :):)

