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NOVA Information Management School

MARKETING RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC

MARKETING PLAN: LISBON ART WEEKEND

Engin Deniz Gürler

Lisbon Art Weekend Internship Report

Internship report presented as partial requirement for

obtaining the Master’s degree in Information Management

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Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão de Informação

Universidade Nova de Lisboa

LISBON ART WEEKEND INTERNSHIP REPORT

by

Engin Deniz Gürler

Internship report presented as partial requirement for obtaining the Master’s degree in Information

Management, with a specialization in Marketing Intelligence

Advisor: Pedro da Costa Brito Cabral

June 2021

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ABSTRACT

This internship report is about the Lisbon Art Weekend (LAW), which is an annually held event in

Lisbon. This yearly event is managed by a non-profit organization, which has both advantages and

disadvantages in Lisbon’s art market. In this internship, I had the opportunity to have a closer look at

Lisbon’s contemporary art scene, and also to put my background knowledge in marketing into

practice in order to come up with several strategic goals for the LAW. I have benefited from the

“Marketing Mix” and the SWOT analysis, both of which are commonly used in marketing research.

The SWOT analysis results led to the development of 10 strategic goals, all of which are expected to

solidify LAW’s position in the market. By implementing these plans, LAW would strengthen its

relations with the public and its customers, while being able to reach out to more sponsors and

generate revenues more easily.

KEYWORDS

Nonprofit Organization; Marketing Research; Strategic Marketing Planning; Event Marketing

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INDEX

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

1.1. Problem Description .............................................................................................. 1

1.2. Scope of this work ................................................................................................. 3

1.3. Objectives .............................................................................................................. 3

2. Methods ....................................................................................................................... 5

2.1. Marketing Mix ....................................................................................................... 5

2.2. Swot Analysis ......................................................................................................... 7

3. Results .......................................................................................................................... 9

3.1. Lisbon Art Weekend and First Edition of Law ....................................................... 9

3.2. Outcomes of Marketing Mix................................................................................ 10

3.3. Results of Swot Analysis ...................................................................................... 11

3.3.1. TOWS Analysis .............................................................................................. 14

4. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 17

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Marketing Mix Cycle .................................................................................................... 6

Figure 2. Lisbon Art Weekend’19 Map, Part 1 ........................................................................... 9

Figure 3. Lisbon Art Weekend’19 Map, Part 2 ......................................................................... 10

Figure 4. TOWS Analysis ........................................................................................................... 15

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. SWOT table created by LAW team’s insights ............................................................. 12

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

AMA American Marketing Association

LAW Lisbon Art Weekend

NPO Non-profit Organization

SG Strategical Goals

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

Art marketing has been developing remarkably since the 1990s. Many marketing scholars have

shown interest in the sector of art and culture, and some have considered this as a branch of non-

profit marketing (Lee, 2005). The structure of the art market had gone through some substantial

changes as online sales got a boost from the widespread use of internet. More specifically, the

accumulation of art investors and mutual funds led to the creation of more than 260 art fairs held

annually (Art Marketing Trends, 2011). Today, the art market consists of artists, art audiences /

buyers / collectors, curators, art critics, art consultants, art galleries, auction houses and museums,

as well as many basic actors such as art fairs and biennials (Ağlargöz & Öztürk, 2015).

The globalization of the art market has driven up the number of art fairs. This, in turn, caused some

alterations in the classical art market, while paving the way for new concepts like 'fair fatigue' (Mun-

Delsalle, 2016; Schachter, 2018). The most important change that “fair fatigue” brought along was

the emergence of gallery/art weekends. Therefore, it is necessary to segregate art fairs and

gallery/art weekends, in order to understand the “fair fatigue” concept. While art fairs exhibit

properties of a trade show where artists, collectors and curators gather in the same place, art/gallery

weekends take place as alternative events that allow people see art exhibitions in separate places

such as galleries, museums, or artist run spaces. In other words, art/gallery weekends are extremely

disaggregated in terms of location. Parties engaged in the art market need to travel among those

different spaces, which brings some disadvantages like the “fair fatigue”. In order to catch up with all

these major art events held in many different places, art lovers unintentionally enter a marathon.

This intense circulation eventually results in overwhelming (Kennedy, 2015; Winkleman, 2006),

elevated costs (stand prices, stand designs, tickets) and tiredness.

On the other hand, previous research mentions that participants perceive information they receive

as more deep when they see see artworks in their own places. These places also allow a better

perception of the relationship between artists and galleries. In addition, free access to artwork is also

a great advantage for the participants (ArtSpace, 2013; Mun-Delsalle, 2016; Schachter, 2018).

All type of events require project planning in order to meet the relevant market targets (Glenn, Allen,

O’Toole, Harris, & McDonnel, 2006). In line with the aforementioned background information, the

main goal in this internship was to seek out new opportunities and to find new marketing practices

for Lisbon Art Weekend (LAW). To do that, the organization needs to take the appropriate steps in

their marketing strategy because its competing decisions (where and how to compete) are related to

present and/or planned marketing behaviors (Varadarajan, 2010).

Although marketing is a frequently used term, it has no universal definition. According to the Charted

Institute of Marketing (2020), the term marketing means ‘The management process responsible for

identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably’. American Marketing

Association (AMA) adopts a similar definition: ‘Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and

processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for

customers, clients, partners, and society at large’ (American Marketing Association, 2020). Those

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definitions demonstrate that marketing goes beyond providing communication to customers, it also

has a role in the creation of the provided good or service and how it is delivered to customers (Miller,

2010). Over time, new developments and changes have integrated the term and reconfigured the

factors related to marketing as follows (Glenn et al., 2006):

• Need of different marketing approaches for the growth number of varied services that are different from goods

• Realization of the special marketing requirements for nonprofit organizations

• Increasing power of different actors that has power on organization such as sponsors, media, governement

• Technologic developments

• Increasing global opportunuties with internalization

All in all, marketing aims to satisfy consumer needs by developing a related series of ideas

(Hannagan, 1992c). Each business unit develops its own way to specify and implement its marketing

strategy. The strategies developed in this internship are in reference to ‘’event marketing’’ and

‘’marketing in non-profit’’. This is because if the adopted marketing strategy is not suitable for

nonprofits, it would be inconsistent with LAW’s organizational structure and therefore, some

budgetary issues might emerge. Also, focusing on “nonprofit marketing” brings up new topics such as

sponsporship.

Application of marketing in the non-profit context came into the scene in the period 1960-1980.

According to Hannagan (1992a), marketing is related to profitability and is expected to provide a

competitive advantage. However, this explanation is only valid for for-profits. In the non-profit

marketplace, the essential connection between the customer and organizations is the costumer

service (Hannagan, 1992a; Pope, Sterrett Isely, & Asamoa-Tutu, 2009). The urge of organizations to

satisfy similar customer needs or to increase the commitment of time and energy from the same

targets cause a competition between organizations. Competition occurs in the non-profit sector

when several actors target the same segment of customers, or service providers (Ritchie & Weinberg,

2000). Business-like techniques were brought into effect by nonprofits in order to combat the ever-

expanding competition, therefore leading to the adoptation of marketing strategies by nonprofits.

The business structure of nonprofits restrict their flexibility for adapting to changing market

conditions. That means the orientation according to demands of marketplace is quite hard for

nonprofits to implement. However, nonprofits can use a variety of marketing instruments without

compromising its mission (Dolnicar & Lazarevski, 2009). Nonprofits can use marketing as a tool for

finding volunteers, raising awareness, motivating behavioral change (Miller, 2010).

According to Business Dictionary (2019), event marketing is defined as ‘’ The activity of designing or

developing a themed activity, occasion, display, or exhibit such as a sporting event, music festival,

fair, or concert) to promote a product, cause, or organization’’(Business Dictionary, 2019). In order to

combine the right activity and the right people under the right context, there are different marketing

tools put to use, such as Business to Business event marketing (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C)

marketing. In this event, the focus is on B2B for galleries and sponsors, and B2C for attendance.

Difference between these two approaches is the tone of voice. On the business side (B2B), the main

objectives are helping a business to increase revenue, generate leads or gain a competitive

advantage. On the other hand, personal interests and benefits that improve with experience are at

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the heart of the consumer side (B2C) (“B2B vs B2C Event Marketing: Strategies and Tips,” 2018). In

this internship, all type of attendants will be evaluated according to this theory.

According to Hoyle (Hoyle, 2002) every type of event shares the three critical Es of event marketing,

which are explained in more detail in the upcoming paragraph:

• Entertainment;

• Excitement; and

• Enterprise.

To start with, entertainment is something that can be easily reached from homes nowadays. Because

of that, for a successful event, a different and unique element should be present in order to attract

attention from the audience so that they decide to participate in the event. Second, excitement is an

important part of an effective marketing plan, and it can be provided in different ways with several

activities. Lastly, enterprise in marketing refers to pioneering, going into unexplored territories and

taking initiative. The goal of the enterprise is to get inside the mind and imagination of the target

audience (Hoyle, 2002). These aforementioned items (i.e., the 3 Es) constitute the basis of the

marketing plan suggested at the end of this internship.

1.2. SCOPE OF THIS WORK

According to the data obtained from Mapa das Artes, Lisbon nests more than 100 art spaces (2019).

Lisbon Art Weekend (LAW) is established for letting art lovers discover Lisbon’s contemporary art

scene. By enabling this, LAW help artists and art venues become more aware of the art market, as

well as improve their marketing practices. Here, what is meant by marketing practices does not refer

to sales. Art must be seen to be sold, and for this to happen, the work needs to be known and seen

by people which put the art marketing into practice.

Major cities like Lisbon offer many choice options for their residents to spend their disposable

income and leisure time. Therefore, events in such cities need to be prepared according to the needs

of target consumers. In order to understand its target market and satisfy their consumers’ needs, all

events need to implement the principles of marketing while meeting the needs of their targets.

That’s what makes marketing salient in the organization field, and therefore it is also crucial for LAW

(Glenn et al., 2006). LAW needs to improve its marketing plan to obtain more satisfied consumers.

1.3. OBJECTIVES

This report aims to analyze the first edition of Lisbon Art Weekend and find applicable strategic goals

to be usen in future events. LAW is a non-profit organization that provides a special weekend event

for art lovers coming from all around the world. Via this event, Lisbon’s contemporary art scene is

introduced to this vast audience. The event is occurring in several venues such as galleries, artist-run

spaces, private art collections, and museums. This variety also allows the audience to observe the

diversity of art spaces in Lisbon. In this internship, I have learnt to put my marketing research and

planning skills into practice. Initially, LAW did not have any specific marketing plan. Later, after the

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first event took place in between 15-17 November, 2019, results showed up. These results were

subsequently used in the marketing research I conducted and yielded some marketing solutions for

LAW. These solutions can only be used by LAW during the upcoming events. In the final stage of this

internship, related researches and methodologies used led to the determination of suitable strategic

marketing, which would enable LAW to gain more awareness for its future projects.

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2. METHODS

Any business can have a coherent marketing strategy after learning its position in the marketplace

(by both identifying internal and external dimensions) and an idea about its customers' needs and

demands (Hannagan, 1992b). To find the most appropriate strategies, a business should follow these

steps: first, information gathering about the market and the company, and second, creating the best

solutions in accordance with the challenges encountered. Before diving deeper into the

methodology, it is necessary to clarify the meaning of the word ‘strategy’. Globalization and its

influence on the intensification of competition have had put strategic planning under the spotlight.

Strategy can be considered as a universal concept where a single definition would be insufficient

(Karakaya & Çoban, 2010). According to Webster's dictionary, strategy is the science and art of

placing the military power of the sides suitably in accordance with the conditions to reach a better

result in a war (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2020). However, when the economic, political and

administrative aspects are considered, the concept of strategy gains a different meaning. In

management science, the concept of strategy is referred to as the ways or tactics an organization

follows to achieve its purpose. Strategy in marketing is defined as the achievement of a long term

advantage via the usage of related tools such as 4 P’s to come up with tactics (Varadarajan, 2010).

Previous literature mentions that, there are different points of view that demonstrate a diverse

comprehension of marketing strategy and tactics, and marketing strategy and marketing

management. In this internship report, the focus is on “marketing strategy and tactics”, in which

marketing behaviors of companies are investigated (Varadarajan, 2010).

The methodologies used to achieve this internship objectives are explained in detail in the upcoming

sections.

2.1. MARKETING MIX

A concept founded by Neil H. Borden, “Marketing Mix” exhibits an ideal combination of all marketing

basics that would enable companies realize their business goals and their position in the market. A

sustainable marketing strategy necessitates the usage of a marketing mix, which can be categorized

into four elements; Product, Price, Place and Promotion (Figure 1). All of these four variables are

dependent to each other and need to be considered jointly during the pursuit of customer

satisfaction. A combination of these elements harbor the essences of marketing, and therefore helps

the company formulate its strategic decisions. Moreover, a clear definition of the four Ps (product,

price, place and promotion) reveals any vague aspect of the business, thus allows the evaluation of

marketing practices while keeping an eye on the organization’s existing resources. Schematization of

these aspects further eases the management of marketing tools. Companies can create a longer or a

shorter list of variables depending on their classification of demands (Borden, 1964; Hannagan,

1992b; Singh, 2012). An organizational point of view is introduced in a study by Hannagan (1992b),

stating that the capabilities of an organization need to be compatible with the promotion and

distribution of the products/services while reaching potential customers, and with the range and

price of products/services that enable the organization to meet customer needs. Lastly, combining

the marketing mix with other techniques yields better results since a mere implementation of the

marketing mix overlooks the target consumers, as it focuses only on the company and its resources.

Here, we intend to eliminate this deficiency by applying the SWOT method, which takes into

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consideration some other factors. More detailed information regarding the SWOT analysis is

presented in the following sections.

Figure 1. Marketing Mix Cycle

Product

Just as in the for-profit sector, the non-profit sector tries to provide their customers a different and

unique experience in order stand out among its rivals. Product is the core element of the marketing

mix, that refers to a physical good or service provided by the company (Singh, 2012). In this case, as

an event, LAW offers its services to the event participants attending to many different art spaces. In

other words, the “product” of LAW is the opportunity provided to the public so that LAW’s attendees

from different backgrounds can get familiar with Lisbon’s ever growing urban contemporary art

scene, including the experience they can gain while enjoying artworks and performances.

A clearly identified mission and vision statement would be highly useful for an organization to

increase its reputation. Besides, LAW includes series of events that give both direct and indirect

allowances to its customers (attendees) through the collaboration with art spaces. Events such as art

talks and guided tours are also present in the LAW. Apart from those, art spaces create their own

events like exhibition openings, performances and studio visits. Having a variety of activities shows

that LAW has a product/service mix. Considering the information mentioned above, LAW already

offers different quality programs in order to satisfy both the needs of its attendees and the

participant art spaces.

Price

Price is another element of marketing mix, which might be confusing when it comes to nonprofits. In

this organization (LAW), price structure is comprised of funds and personal costs. While

implementing programs, funds play an important role in determining the organization’s price

structure. In the first event, no participants were charged, since funds obtained from several

business units and personal spending by founders compensated all expenses. However, there is a

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non-negligible confusion about LAW’s budgeting. Since this organization was preliminary, there is not

much attention given to pricing yet, but different income sources need to be unlocked in order to

make the event program more efficient in the future.

Promotion

This element provides clear information about the message delivered to the target audience and

represents the suitability of the delivery channel of that message (Miller, 2010). As a powerful

element of promotion, Advertising focuses on creating and establishing the image of the product in

the market and shows the position of the product in the target market which also makes it one of

the most important tool as outlining the competition (Singh, 2012). LAW use several ways to

promote its event which includes having brochures at galleries and sponsored places (such as

Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian and Tourismo Lisboa) and social media. Being a part of Art Across

Europe (https://www.artacrosseurope.com) also helped LAW to make its name.

Place

Place is all about the accessibility of the provided service. It is important to ensure that customers

know where and how to access the service/product (Singh, 2012). Since the LAW takes place in

several location, “placement” yields a certain advantage to the organization. Equipping participants

with event maps and giving them online access to acquire information on the details of the event

program would help attendees develop their own visiting plan. Besides, the participants can benefit

from guided tours according to their preferences. In guided tours, several art spaces can be visited

with a tour guide who explains the details.

2.2. SWOT ANALYSIS

All companies come across to internal and external forces that affect their future goals that sets

invisible and unexpected potential limitations. To develop a promising strategic plan, these forces

need to be determined (Houben, Lenie, & Vanhoof, 1999). Nowadays, SWOT Analysis is one of the

most used tool that help companies to understand the dimensions of their company with two

approaches; Market Research and Strategy Development (Leigh, 2010).

Many organizations engage in strategic planning based on the results coming from the evaluation of

internal and external conditions. SWOT Analysis is a practical technique to identify and fill out the

variables that define the company’s business (Steiss, 2003). This methodology also helps businesses

understand their strengths and weaknesses, enables them to recognize the surrounding

opportunities and let them be aware of the potential threats. SWOT analysis helps the organization

detect the right paths to follow by assessing potential opportunities in the face of threats, as well as

gives the organization an overview on its strengths and weaknesses. It can also be used as a risk

determining tool by assigning variables as follows:

• Strengths and Weaknesses as internal risks; and

• Opportunities and Threats as external risks. All four variables have different intentions. External variables, namely opportunities and threats are the ones that exists outside of the company and have short term impacts. On the other hand,

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internal variables are directly related to company itself and include company structure, culture and resources (Houben et al., 1999).

In this regard, by ensuring essential information collection, SWOT analysis is a very useful tool to

form a base for the establishment of a strong marketing strategy because strategic goals must

develop for the sake of minimizing weaknesses, figuring out how to use the strengths of the

organization, also for avoiding threats and taking advantage of opportunities (Glenn et al., 2006).

LAW can build a marketing strategy by taking insights from its list of strengths as well as weaknesses,

which helps the organization to have a clear vision of the opportunities ahead. These opportunities in

turn form a basis for the business strategy and strategical goals to be pursued.

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3. RESULTS

3.1. LISBON ART WEEKEND AND FIRST EDITION OF LAW

Marc Kean Paker and Merve Pakyürek are the coordinators (founders) of Lisbon Art Weekend. They

explained their reason(s) for choosing Lisbon to do this gallery weekend and gave some extra details

to Myles Francis Browne from Umbigo magazine. According to this interview, the co-founders of the

LAW state that while they were visiting gallery weekends and contemporary art fairs throughtout

Europe, they realized the absence of such an event in Lisbon despite the shiny city’s developing

contemporary art scene. Bringing their contribution in life with reshaping the stance towards a more

inclusive format turned the project from its starting point 'Gallery Weekends' to 'Art Weekend'.

These two concepts have several differences such as hosting nonprofit art spaces, or taking

commission from participants. Merve and Kean opted for a committee for them to undergo an

unprejudiced and well done selection process. Participants that applied over open call were chosen

by the following selection committee: Carolina Pimenta, Adelaide Ginga, Carlos Durán, Deborah

Harris and Luiza Teixeira de Freitas.

During the three-day event, 19 participants held at least one event in 22 different locations and kept

their doors open for the public. The names of these 22 art spaces can be listed as follows: 3+1 Arte

Contemporânea, AZAN, Balcony Gallery, Bruno Múrias, Carlos Carvalho Arte Contemporânea,

Carpintarias de São Lázaro Centro Cultural, Casa dell’Arte Lisbon, Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art,

Galeria 111 and Galeria Belo-Galsterer. Along with the exhibitions, some other occurences also took

place in the event program such as cocktails, talk panels, and private&public guided tours for visitors

(Umbigo Magazine Interview, 2019).

Figure 2. Lisbon Art Weekend’19 Map, Part 1

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Figure 3. Lisbon Art Weekend’19 Map, Part 2

In total, LAW was sponsored by 7 different companies:

• Arco

• Tourismo Lisboa

• Heden

• Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian

• Coletivo 284

• Viriathus drinks

• Quinta da Chocapalha

These companies were responsible for different activities. To illustrate, Arco supported the public

and private guided tours, whereas Tourismo Lisboa was responsible for marketing activities, and

Heden provided the working place. Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian organized an open day for VIP

guests, and Coletivo 284 provided the space for opening cocktail. The last two companies – Viriathus

drinks and Quinta da Chocapalha) were responsible for the beverage products served in the opening

cocktail. Lastly, there were in total 12 volunteers worked for the event, with 7 of them being in

charge of support at the art spaces, and 5 being responsible for the photography.

3.2. OUTCOMES OF MARKETING MIX

As a powerful methodology, the “marketing mix” shows the deficient parts of the organization that

need to be strengthened. In the product part, need of clear mission and vision statement showed up.

The marketing mix facilitates the next steps that LAW should take while presenting and sharing ideas

with its potential sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers and so forth. Mission statements are in principle

about the problems or circumstances that the organization is willing to address and change by

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showing endeavors. On the other hand, with vision statements, an organization aims to show an

image of success that will motivate people within the its body (Steiss, 2003).

In the view of received information, the mission, vision statements of LAW indicate that;

Mission: Being an event that allows experiencing art in their own habitats.

Creating a unique art experience for everybody

Highlight and support the art scene of Lisbon

Vision: Making art reachable for everyone.

Second point that needs to underline is ‘Promotion’. Since it is an event that take place only once per

year, LAW need to have a long-term social media plan to remembered easily by its followers. For to

be able to do that, getting more visual content from the last event is a good option. These images

have potential to shared by artist and galleries which means to reach more people.

3.3. RESULTS OF SWOT ANALYSIS

The SWOT analysis is very helpful especially in scenario planning and strategy development and its

use is widespread among non-profits (Leigh, 2010). Here, the SWOT analysis that I conducted during

this internship was based on the qualitative information collected from LAW’s insight team.

The SWOT table created by insights from the LAW team is presented below (Table 1);

STRENGHTS Scores WEAKNESSES Scores

1. Free events for visitors

2. Art expertise

3. VIP tours

4. Free of charge for art spaces

5. Absence of such an art event

6. Multi-locations by collaborations with

several art spaces

5

3

3

5

5

5

1. Communication difficulties with art

spaces

2. Lack of organization awareness (Public

Relations)

3. Lack of sponsors

4. Difficulty to measure the impact of

event

3

4

5

4

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

1. Increased interest in art

2. Lisbon's position as a tourist

destination

4

4

1. Newcomer to the market

2. Difficulty of entering into the emerging

international market

3

3

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3. Lisbon’s position as a developed art-city

connection

4. Volunteer interest for being a part of

such an event

4

5

3. Losing loyalty of participants 4

Table 1. SWOT table created by LAW team’s insights

Strengths

Being a unique event in Lisbon provides a number of advantages to LAW. In addition, the abundance

of art spaces located all around Lisbon allows attendees to choose the places they want to visit

during the event. As mentioned before, one of the most important features of LAW is that it is free.

This feature is very important for both visitors and exhibitors. While public art tours, art talks and

other events capture a good amount of interest from the visitors, art galleries are also given the

opportunity to use this event as a good chance to promote their spaces and artworks since they also

do not pay any participation fee. Moreover, these spaces also benefit from the VIP tours. Besides,

visitors are affected positively from additional tours and specific group visits. Lastly, there is also no

similar events to LAW held in the Lisbon art scene.

Weaknesses

Communication difficulties cause a problem since they prolong the planning process and create

misunderstandings between parties. Sponsorship is another major issue since it requires a marketing

plan for LAW. As a nonprofit organisation, funding is crucial for future events. Nowadays, lack of

financial support is a very rare phenomenon for any kind of event. Funds provided by companies

have a vital role in an event’s revenue side. Usually, revenues are generated by the association of

different sources. While the primary external source that The main focus of this internship is

sponsorship, a primary external source. However, other external resources such as promotional

partnership, donations and back-end renevues should also take part in this combination (Hoyle,

2002; Wood Schmader & Jackson, 1999). Public relations is a management function that helps an

organization establish and maintain mutual communication, understanding, acceptance and

cooperation with its target audience It also forms a basis for the information provided to the public.

The main purpose of public relations is to enable institutions and organizations to build positive

relations with their respective environments and to create an effective and efficient communication

and interaction atmosphere. In today's business environment, the biggest concern is to design

proper communication strategies by finding and implementing the optimum methods possible. This

puts the public relations departments on a critical position (Karatepe, 2008). In the event marketing

interview series of Benchmark, Alex Burrola from FSB Core Strategies mentions the

interconnectedness between public relations and event marketing;

‘Putting on an event can, of itself, be a stressful and all-encompassing undertaking. Add to

that the need to market the event as an exercise in public relations, and you’ve got a full

scale operation on your hands. It’s not an impossible task, however. From front to back,

successful public relations strategies can be employed to make your event stand out from

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every other affair vying for your audience’s attention and make them remember it as

something not to be missed next year.’ (Qudosi, 2013)

Assessments with scientific support prompt organizations to take insights regarding the overlooked

aspects of an event. This way, organizations can see the big picture by evaluating their internal and

external resources. This evaluation would then outline and categorize some valuable information for

the organization, and would guide the strategies for next events (Glenn et al., 2006). Since LAW is a

brand-new organization, there are some deficiencies in the business structure like impact

measurements regarding the event. Also, stepping into a vast public scene during the first event

might have some unwanted consequences for LAW like taking wrong decisions for the next event.

Opportunities

Lisbon, a tourism rich city, was named as the 'World's Leading City Destination' by the World Travels

Award (2018). What can be understood from this is that many people want to visit this city, which

creates a huge opportunity for the art scene. In this respect, LAW is a great option for those who

want to explore both the city and its contemporary art elements. An effective staffing plan that suits

to the event’s mission and objectives is the key for success. The biggest opportunity of NPOs is to

work with volunteers, which substantially reduces operational costs. A fair number of volunteers

showed willingness to be a part of this initial LAW event. In addition, the volunteer application period

was quite short. If LAW manages to use the right channels to communicate in the future, the number

of volunteers might increase (Allen, 2010; Glenn et al., 2006).

Threats

The biggest threat that LAW is facing is that it has just entered the art market of Lisbon. Without

proper information use, initiating such a big event poses a danger. As a member of

galleryweekend.org, LAW recognized by internationally. However, since Lisbon Art Weekend is one

of the most premature events in the marketplace, it is still facing a recognition problem in the

international area. Lastly and maybe the most importantly, since LAW does not yet have a big

reputation, the loyalty of its customers is under risk. There is no certainty whether the next event will

have a high retention rate.

The scores attached to each item of the four aspects (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and

threats) on a 1-5 scale represent the evaluation of the potential impact of that item on the

organization’s business (Pinto, 2018).

Strengths – results: According to Table 1, LAW gives the highest weight (impact score = 5) on the

items: events being free for visitors, art spaces being free of charge, absence of a similar art event in

Lisbon and inclusion of multiple art spaces by collaborations. The items “art expertise” and “VIP

tours” were given a lower impact score (= 3). Total number of items under strengths aspect was 6.

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Weaknesses – results: An impact analysis on the defined weaknesses of LAW indicate that a lack of

sponsors has the highest impact on the activities held (score = 5). Lack of public relations and the

difficulty to measure the impacts of the event were both given the score of 4, that still has a

relatively high impact on the business. Lastly, communication difficulties with art spaces was

expected to have some impact on business (score = 3). Weaknesses aspect was comprised of 4 items

in total.

Opportunities – results: The opportunities part includes the evaluation of 4 items, in which the

volunteer interest for the event was evaluated as the most impact creating one (score = 5). Rest of

the items (increased interest in art, Lisbon’s tourist attracting position and the connectedness of art

and city in Lisbon were also scored as 4, expected to have a non-negligible amount of impact on

LAW.

Threats – results: The threats aspect of the SWOT analysis harbors 3 items, where the most impactful

item is chosen as losing loyalty of participants (score = 4). The fact that LAW being premature to the

Lisbon art market also poses a threat, which is scored as 3. Barriers to enter the emerging

international market is also given the score of 3, and therefore is expected to pose a substantial

amount of threat.

3.3.1. TOWS Analysis

As a way to match the variables that are identified in SWOT Analysis, TOWS Analysis can be determined as the next step of SWOT Analysis because by way of combining TOWS Analysis matrix with SWOT Analysis helps companies to take better decisions by reducing the risk of wrong selection of goals. By taking better strategic decisions, companies can move into their future goals easier (Kulshrestha & Puri, 2017). TOWS Analysis is a tool to analyse the environment of a company namely opportunities (O), strengths (S), weaknesses (W) and threats (T). This analysis system brings a shape to the current situation of the company and its future strategic planning. (Kulshrestha & Puri, 2017; Weihrich, 1982). The purpose of TOWS Analysis is to get benefit of advantages while minimizing the impact of weaknesses and keep the company safe from threats (Kulshrestha & Puri, 2017). The results of TOWS matrix based on four basis strategies: - Strengths – Opportunities (SO) Strategies: Using strengths with opportunities to develop strong expansions. - Weaknesses – Opportunities (WO) Strategies: Using opportunities to reduce the effect of weaknesses. - Strengths – Threads (ST) Strategies: Using strengths to avoid the impact of threats. - Weaknesses – Threads (WT) Strategies: Provide a seeing of negative scenarios with using internal and external variables and try to minimize. (Kulshrestha & Puri, 2017) This step is crucial for LAW because connecting these items together reveals some important insights for the development of marketing strategies that can be implemented to improve the impact and quality of future events. Results of this analysis uncovered 10 strategical goals (SG) for LAW, which are presented below.

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Figure 4. TOWS Analysis

SG1 (S1, O4): Benefit from volunteers to attract visitors, in order to create a positive word of mouth

SG2 (S1, S3, O2): Use social media to promote that the event is free of charge, which is expected to

increase both the international participation rate and the VIP tour attendance

SG3 (S5, O3): Target art-lovers’ needs by selling the uniqueness and importance of such an event

taking place in a city that is strongly connected to art

SG4 (S1, T3): To increase the visitor retention rate, build up relations with visitors by sending them

emails as reminders regarding the upcoming free events that are going to be held by LAW and inform

them about the most mainstream occurrences in the Lisbon art scene

SG5 (S5, T1): Use having no competitors as an absolute advantage during the first phase after the

entry to the Lisbon art market by applying supply quotas or price floors

SG6 (W2, T3): Strengthen public relations by bonding with visitors on an emotional level (make them

feel that they are cared by updating them on the most current trends in Lisbon’s art market)

Opportunities

StrengthsWeaknesses

Threats

SG1SG2

SG3

SG4

SG5

SG6

SG7

SG8SG9

SG10

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SG7 (W1, W4, O4): Use volunteer support to have a better communication with the art spaces, and

to increase the impact of the event. Moreover, volunteer skills in spoken Portuguese as well as in

organizing the features of the event program can be beneficiary. In order to measure the impact,

volunteers can be given the duty of summing up the number of visitors participating in the opening

events in multiple galleries. Forming a volunteer team to count heads on the opening day would also

leave a good impression of the LAW on different art spaces.

SG8 (W3, O2, O3): The problem of having a lack of sponsors for the LAW can be eliminated through

pointing the importance of art-city connection in Lisbon. Putting this subject forward would give the

management team of LAW team the advantage of reaching out to more sponsors. Along with

pointing out the ever-increasing number of art related spaces in Lisbon, prompting individuals to

assess the city from a touristic point of view, as well as presenting them the art-related environment

in Lisbon would constitute the fundamentals of a solid marketing plan that would capture the

attention of sponsors.

SG9 (W2, O2, O3): It would be wise to use Lisbon’s advantageous position in both tourism and art

while raising LAW’s awareness regarding its public relations. A properly planned publicity campaign

initiated through social media channels might receive support from other organizations that are also

a part of the same group as LAW, and thus would keep attracting people to Lisbon.

SG10 (W1, W2, T2): The same publicity campaign mentioned in SG9 can be implemented to expedite

LAW’s entry to the international market. Especially a plan with a B2C focus would help LAW to gain

awareness on the market conditions.

TOWS matrix (Figure 4) analysis results led to the development of 10 different strategic goal plans for

LAW to implement in the future projects (Table 1). This analysis is extremely important for LAW to

build up on its deficiencies in business. By implementing these strategic plans stated above, LAW can

not only use its strengths as opportunities, but also can turn its weaknesses into advantages. Since

LAW is a non-profit, the SWOT analysis draws attention on making proper use of volunteers to

attract visitors, to improve the communication with art spaces, and to measure the impact of the

event. Moreover, using social media to strengthen the public relations side is highly important, since

it would enable LAW to communicate its advantageous position in tourism and art, and to build up

closer relationships with its visitors. This would in turn help LAW find more sponsors and increase the

visitor retention rate. Building up relations with visitors by sending them reminders and updating

them on the most current trends would help the art-lovers identify themselves better with the

annually held event of LAW, and create a positive word of mouth. A good publicity campaign would

also increase the overall awareness regarding the art market conditions, and catalyze LAW’s entry to

the international art market.

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4. CONCLUSION

During this internship, I had the chance to have a close look at the Lisbon’s contemporary art scene,

from the point of view of a non-profit organization that has no competitors, and many advantages in

this market. However, the business model of LAW is not very developed since it only had a first

edition, and therefore there is a need for improvement in its marketing plan to have a better impact

in the future events. The marketing mix is a commonly used method in marketing that helps

organizations realize their state in the market, guiding them to develop strategic goals so that they

can improve their position and benefit from potential advantages or opportunities. The marketing

mix cycle includes taking the following factors into consideration while developing marketing

strategies: product, place, promotion and price. LAW also needs to account for these factors while

making plans for its future events.

Although it was an instructive and exciting experience, I had some difficulties due to being a part of

its 1st edition. The biggest challenge of this internship was that there was not enough data. The aim

of this internship was to determine the place of the organization in the market and also create a path

to help the organization to reach where they want to be by multiple information source features of

Marketing Intelligence. Since it was the 1st edition and there was a lack of data to analyze, I

preferred Marketing Mix and SWOT Analysis to determine the organization's position in the market

and its future goals. The strategic goals determined as a result of the SWOT will help the organization

strengthen its position in the market in accordance with its structure.

SWOT analysis is a similar technique that is used in marketing that helps businesses understand their

strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O) and threats (T). It is an essential tool that uncovers

some important strategic paths for the businesses to follow. In this work, the emphasis was on the

TOWS technique, since LAW does not have a clear definition of its elements. The analysis results

show that LAW can adopt 10 different strategic goals. By doing that, the management team of the

LAW would focus on strengthening its public relations, while bonding with its customers and helping

them identify themselves better with the yearly event’s concept. More importantly, the adoption of

these strategic goals would also make LAW realize that it is a unique entity in the Lisbon art market,

and there are some absolute advantages like having no competitors at this point. Last but not least,

by maximizing the efficiency of volunteer work, LAW can minimize its operational costs while

reaching out to more potential sponsors.

Although this work presents a comprehensive SWOT analysis for Lisbon Art Weekend, there were

some limits for determining the factors that define LAW’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and

weaknesses. First of all, the brainstorming activity while creating the SWOT was only inclusive to the

management team. In LAW’s case, opinions of volunteers also matter since they would also bring

different points of view to the table. Furthermore, since the event was the first edition, the impact

that LAW creates is still unknown, and further observations are needed. Only after a second event a

comparison can be made in terms of impact and participation/retention rate. Lastly, the SWOT

analysis usually includes survey preparation or other qualitative data collection techniques, which

could not be implemented in this work, due to time limits and language restrictions.

In order to improve its position in the market, to form better connections and to realize its

opportunities LAW needs to implement the 10 different strategic goal outcomes of the SWOT

18

analysis. All of these marketing strategies are not costly to implement, since they involve the use of

volunteers and social media channels to reach out to more sponsors and find new revenue sources.

After implementing these strategies, LAW can conduct some future work on the outcomes of its new

marketing tactics. Future studies including further SWOT analyses would help LAW to have a clear

vision on its business trends and what to improve next.

For future works, to see the results and determine goals clearly, more data needs to be collected and

analyze by LAW team. This data might include Attender data, Attender preference data (based on the

events, openings that they prefer and so on), data from art spaces which includes attender/buyer

preferences, feedback form both art spaces and attenders. This data might collect during and at the

end of event via forums, online surveys. Collecting more data in every year can show the areas that

needs to be more focused and work on.

19

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