Communication Strategies

Singapore
Dear Tony On November 13th 2010 10,000 people are expected to converge in the Singapore Art Centre and participate in the unveiling of Hope  Glory. Touted as a conceptual circus Hope and Glory is one-of-a-kind multimedia arts project being presented for the first time in Singapore by the well known Honk Kong based artist Simon Birch. Heralding a new and innovative approach to installation art, the exhibition will be held between 13thNovember to 30th December2010. It hopes to challenge existing paradigms in art by exposing its audience to a new and exciting experience.

The exhibition combines and showcases the talents of a number of local artists from Hong Kong and Singapore. It is a collaborative fusion of the talents of Asian based musicians, designers, filmmakers and artists. Though some international artists have also participated and lend their unique talents to Hope and Glory it is predominantly being touted as an Asian Experience. Some prominent Asian artists that are associated with this project include artist Stanley Wong, photographer Wing Shya, filmmaker Eric Hu, designer Douglas Young, architect Paul Kember and actor Daniel Wu.

 The Exhibition successfully launched in Hong Kong in April this year, is the brainchild of the Birch Foundation .Established by Simon Birch , Valerie Doran and Professor Dr Robert Peckham this organization produces non-profit art events and exhibitions aimed at contributing to Asian cultural enrichment.  It also arranges cultural and art events, promotes independent artists, facilitates an exchange of internationally diverse art and educates young people in discovering their artistic talents.
Hope and Glory is the foundations first major project and a very ambitious one.  Conceived by Simon Birch  the event is an  installation art extravaganza featuring artists, musicians, architects, actors and designers from Hong Kong and abroad . Simon Birch is a very  well known English-born, Armenian artist in Hong Kong .An established painter  Simon received his formal training at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and has experimented in design, music and sports. Over the course of the last couple of years Birch has ventured into film and installation work. His tryst with this venture culminated in two notable projects conducted on a large scale. Specifically these were the Azhanti High Lightning (2007) held at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore and This Brutal House (April 2008) held at  10 Chancery Lane Art Projects and Annex, Chai Wan. These huge projects incorporated the use of multiple media including film, paintings, installation, sculpture, and performance all of which were structured in specifically configured spaces. As an artist Birch has always been interested in concepts portraying universal ideas of transition, the moments that transpire between an initiation and a conclusion, and the unobtainable now. He also harbours an interest in myth, history, circus and science fiction. In his artistic work he chooses to glorify and represent these themes by using multiple modes of media as his source of expression. In Hope and Glory Birch uses the theme of a circus and structures his entire exhibition of installation art around it. Prior to Hope and Glory Birchs exhibitions include Out of the Darkness at the Louis Vuitton Gallery in Hong Kong (2008). Hope  Glory represents a new directional shift in Birchs artistic endeavour as it expresses a new level of integration of the artists conceptual, material and aesthetic concerns.

 Hope and Glory aims to showcase a fresh, dynamic perspective which is quite unique in its concept and design. The diversity of the art work on display is aimed at eliciting the audience to express their own point of view and share their ideas with each other. Presented as an installation art extravaganza Hope and Glory provides respite from the daily monotony of everyday life and enthrals its audience with a sense of communal wonder .In fact after its initial success and publicity in Hong Kong Hope  Glory is a much anticipated event in Singapore. It hopes to give local artists a platform to express themselves and also provide Singapores cultural audience access to new experiences. The event will give its participants an avenue to showcase their artistic skills and an opportunity to interact with other young artists. The exhibition will introduce its audience to a whole new entertaining world of artistic endeavour.

Sponsorship of Hope and Glory is well suited for an Organization such as HSBC looking for an opportunity to bring clients together in an interesting way. Ranked the worlds largest banking group on the 2008 Forbes List, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation is incorporated in England and Wales and headquartered in London. It is one of the oldest and most reputed banking organizations in the world and was named the worlds most valuable banking brand by The Banker magazine in 2008. HSBCs core business is banking though it has established a considerable presence in the field of insurance and securities as well. The bank provides a whole gamut of banking services including consumer and commercial banking, corporate banking, credit cards, asset management, private banking and investment banking among others.

Often portraying itself as the worlds local bank HSBC Holdings has an active presence in the UK, Europe, North and South America, AsiaPacific, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa.  The bank has over 10,000 offices in more than 80 countries throughout the world. With a branch network spread across hundreds of cities with HSBC one has access to their accounts anywhere in the world where life or works take them. HSC has a large network of branches and a thriving business banking operation in the Asia pacific region including Hong Kong and Singapore. In Singapore, HSBC is a market leader in trade finance, credit and debit cards business, and the private residential home loan business. It is also a key player in loans to small and medium enterprises As with all the countries it has operations in HSBC has been involved in the local community in Singapore for a number of years and understands the Local culture well.In recent years, HSBC has focused its community support in Singapore on primary and secondary education for the disadvantaged, and on the environment. HSBCs Youth Excellence Initiatives, scholarships, have played a major part in developing the talent of many young Singaporeans.In recent years the bank has increased its involvement in the local arts scene through sponsoring art events in a bid to encourage the development of local arts
Dspite the recession setting in HSBC has continued to support sponsorship of art events as part of is its strong Global Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy.  Event sponsorship of Hope and Glory would further HSBCs  reputation for involvement in  advancing community art The partnership would also  reflect  and complement HSBC banks other art sponsorships. These include HSBC Private Bank USA and Design Miami, HSBC France and the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie and HSBC Private Bank Channel Islands and Guernseys international Artist in Residence programme. Having positioned itself globally as the Worlds Local Bank, HSBC is always seeking opportunities to advance and promote the culture of communities in which it does business.  Hope and Glory provides an opportunity for the bank to advance a unique conceptualization of installation art in Asia. It also accords the bank a forum to give its clients access to a growing market for investment.

Sponsorship of the event will also reinforce HSBCs corporate image of being a bank heavily involved in advancing communities cultural activities specifically to develop local culture and talent. Thus by assuming sponsorship of Hope and Glory HSBC will only be investing back in itself by enhancing and promoting its brand image and credibility.

HSBCs sponsorship will
allow the art community in Singapore to witness the  Hong Kongs first ever installation and conceptual art fusion extravaganza on  tour for the first time  in the country
provide educational and financial  support to the Nations youth artists  who will benefit from the proceedings of the exhibition
Ensure that the Birch Foundation has adequate funding to conduct the exhibitions on a grand level for a period of more than a month.

The projected budget of the event is US 350,000. Since the event is a non profit one and has no tickets the costs incurred in organizing and presenting the installation art project will be solely derived from sponsorship fees. Complete sponsorship would require a financial commitment by HSBC for the full amount mentioned above. This money would be used by the Birch Foundation to acquire professional lighting equipment, lease or purchase audio and multi media equipment, build a stage to display some of the art pieces, arrange for security to safeguard the art and the equipment,, purchase liability and fire insurance, purchase advertisements in newspapers as well as airtime on local TV stations and national cable television channels. Since the Birch Foundation currently employs four full staff time staff members based in Hong Kong it would have to hire local staff as well as Volunteers to cater to the added responsibilities.

The event is scheduled to be held as a series of daily exhibitions scheduled to begin six months from now on 13th November. The Birch Foundation has already   scheduled the event to be held at the Singapore Art Centre. Admission to his event will be free and funds from sales will be donated to support the training of local Singapore based artists.

A lot of electrical technology will be used in the Hope and Glory event to set up the exhibits. This includes the use of lighting, media, audio technology and laser displays to name a few of the complex gadgets that need to be in place and work effectively to make the series of exhibitions a success. Therefore it is essential that technicians be available on site to fix any electrical outages or other technical problems which might render the show ineffective. It is also imperative that fire alarms are installed and easy access provided to fires fighting equipment in case of a short circuit.
Artists and sponsors should also make sure that all valuable pieces of art are pre-insured for fire damage. Organizers should also make the exhibition a no-smoking zone to avoid any freak fire accidents.

HSBC Singapore will be promoted on all the Birch Foundations publicity materials, advertising and press releases and on the Birch Foundations Web site. In return for sponsorship HSBC will also get some perks such as parking and a dinner for all its prime customers with the artists. However the bank cannot interfere with current patrons or dictate the removal of any artist from the exhibition. In addition to sponsorship opportunities the exhibition organizers are also accepting contributions from donors and have already received an amount of USD 25000 in donations for the Singapore event.
Though HSBC is being approached for primary sponsorship title for the Hope and Glory Event, Birch Foundation will still have the right to negotiate individual sponsorships from local firms such as the Singapore Tourism board, EDB (Economic Development Board)-Singapore, National Heritage Board, and the National Arts Council-Singapore.

Sponsorship of an event such as Hope and Glory can be used as apart of HSBCs marketing strategies to build brand awareness and reinforce the brand image in the minds of both new and existing customers. Hope and Glory is an art exhibition and generally such events target individuals with high net worth or institutional investors who can afford expensive art work. Therefore it is appropriate that the bank uses sponsorship of this event to promote its Private Banking services which caters to individuals with high financial worth. Since the tickets are free the Bank can distribute them to all its customers and use the event as a forum to entertain and reward its clientele for their loyalty.

For those clients who are art connoisseurs or special customers the bank in conjunction with an art dealer can provide investment advice on which pieces of art featured in the exhibit are likely to appreciate in value in the future and will be a profitable investment. In its endeavour to promote art the bank can also hold a local competition of new artists and feature the winners work in the Hope and Glory Exhibition. The bank can further extend invitation to all known amateur and professional local artistes to attend the exhibition and help enhance its function exchange artistic viewpoint.

Simon Birch will be available in Singapore  to discuss the  Hope and Glory exhibition , and his role as the ringmaster of his conceptual circus  from June 30th  to July 5th 2010.Ill be in touch soon to set up a meeting to discuss sponsorship possibilities for Hope and Glory .Looking forward to speaking with you soon.