Commercialization of Melbourne Cup Carnival - Case Study Example

Theme: Commercialization of Melbourne cup carnival Name Date Course Introduction Melbourne Cup Carnival is one of the most popular festival is Australia. It is primarily a horse racing event that attracts about 350,000 patrons at the location and million other following the event on television. As a result of the high number of people, entrepreneurs and business people usually take advantage of the festival to sell their goods and products (Cusack & Digance, 2009). This has thus contributed to the commercialization of the festival. Most people have indicated that the festival has become a serious business opportunity. The levels of commercialization are quite high that the mention of the event equals a business opportunity. The commercialization of the festivals is increasingly becoming common in most parts of the world. Most of the festivals have attracted huge investors who sponsor the events and in turn obtain an opportunity to advertise and sell their products and services. The local people in most countries usually take the advantage of the high number of people to carry out their businesses. As a result of this, it is common for the business people to reap big from the festivals. Businesses in the hospitality industry are heavily involved in selling their products and services during the major festivals. In the festivals such as Melbourne cup carnival where the participants compete, the prize money has been experiencing an increase at a high rate (O’Hanlon, 2009). This makes the focus more about wining the prize money. As a result of the commercialization of festivals, the original symbol and meaning is being replaced by the business opportunities it creates. The paper thus discusses the Melbourne cup festival in relation to the theme of commercialization. Discussion A brief description of the event Melbourne Cup Carnival is a major festival in Australia that takes place every year during the month of November on the first Tuesday (Lagos, et al, 2014). The main activity during the festival is horse racing competition which takes place for four days. A part from horse racing, other activities includes fashion contests featuring the Australian clothing. The festival has been ongoing since 1861 when it was inaugurated. Over the year, the prize money for the winner has been increasing. Currently, the event attracts prize money of AD $ 6.2 million (Lagos, et al, 2014). The lucrative prize money has seen the number of competitors increasing. Unlike the past, the event attracts both the local as well as the international competitors. The location has the ability of attracting up to 350,000 event goers. The number of people attending event has been on the increase over the years. Due to the popularity of the event and its significance, the first day of the event is a public holiday. This is mainly for the purposes of ensuring that the people can be able to attend. The recognition of the event by the government is an important aspect that has boosted the profile of the festival (Eaton, 2010). A high number of people usually attend the festival as the day is a public holiday. Millions of people in Australia as well as other parts of the world are able to follow the proceeding of the event live on several television channels as well as the internet. During the event, a high number of businesses usually operate at the location in order to provide the attendees with the basic goods and services (Eaton, 2010). The festival is also accompanied with a lot of partying and alcohol is also sold. The event sponsor is the Emirate Group which is a UAE based company. Betting is also one of the major activities at the event with up to $ 60 million being spent on the first day (Raventos & Zloezzi, 2011). The interest in the event has been developing over the years with the number of competitors and attends increasing. The event is considered as one of the most prestigious and successful. The success of the event can be attributed to the high number of attendants as well as its symbolism. Symbolism of the event The event mainly symbolizes the Australian culture which involves horse keeping and racing. The Australian people are known over a long period of time in keeping horses and holding competitions for fun. Most of the events across the world are mainly related to the culture of the people and their way of life. The Australians highly values their horses and high quality care is usually provided to the horses (Lee, 2016). The relationship between the Australians and their horses is usually symbolized during the event. In most cases, it is the horses that have received the best care and training that wins the competition. The identity of the people is an aspect that is commonly symbolized during the festivals. The identity of the Australian people regarding horse keeping is usually symbolized during the festival. The expertise of the horse owners in terms of training their horses is usually displayed during the races. The commercialization of the festival has however contributed to changes regarding the symbolism of the event. To some people, the event symbolizes a business opportunity and they are able to reap big. As a result of commercialization, the competitors usually spent thousands of dollars in training and caring for the horses (Ward, 2011). This is motivated by the reward they will receive incase of emerging the winner of the race. The symbolism of the event is an important aspect that has contributed to the high attendance. It is also due to its symbolism of identity that the first day of the festival is a public holiday. Kind of event chosen Melbourne cup festival is an event that is characterized by competition as well as celebrations and partying. The festival is a sporting competition and carnival which attracts a high number of people. The competitors during the event have an opportunity of showing how well they have taken care of their horses. The activities that are carried out during the festival can be classified as international in the 5 levels of activity. According to the theory of events and festivals, an event that is classified as international attracts the international media and visitors (Mackellar, 2013). The Melbourne Cup festival is an event that attracts thousands of visitors from different countries including Japan and s a far as Middle East countries. Unlike the past, the event is open to participants from other countries. About 3 titles have been won in the past by foreign competitors. The sponsor of the event is Emirates Group which is an international company (Lee, 2016). This is an indication that the event has an international status. Sportsmen and horse racing spectators from different parts of the world usually attend the event. Due to the number of people attending the event, it can be considered as a mega festival. This has in turn attracted mega businesses and corporations which are involved in different activities. It is also important to note that the festival is unique as compared to the other sporting events such as football and Rugby which are also common in Australia. Everyone loves the Melbourne cup festival and it does not have divided loyalties as compared to football and Rugby. What motivates people to attend the event The factors that motivate the people to attend an event vary from one festival to the other. This is an important aspect that determines the number of people as well as the demography. One of the main factors that motivates the people to attend the event is the nature of the activities that usually takes place. The horse racing is a traditional sport for the Australians (Lee, 2016). A high number of people in Australia also keep horses. As a result of this, the competition automatically attracts most of the local people as it is part of their traditions. This is a factor that also contributed to the day being declare a public holiday so as to enable the workers to attend the festival. The horse racing completion is interesting to watch and hence playing an essential role in attracting a high number of people to the event. According to the theory of festivals and events, it is common for the people to attend to an event for social purposes (Lagos, et al, 2014). Friends and family members usually attend the Melbourne Cup Festival. The parents usually attend the festivals with their children for the purposes of socializing with other people. During the event, there are also fun activities for the children which are a motivational factor. It is also important to note that people usually meet their friends at the festival and they also make new friends. This can be attributed to the high number of people from Australia and other foreign companies. The fun and partying that is characterized by the event is also an important factor that motivates the people to attend. A high number of youth who are interested in having fun usually attend the event and it also provided them with an opportunity to make new friends. The fun is usually facilitated by the availability of different products including wine, beer and grilled meat as well as different types of food and cuisines. A major supplier of wine such as Treasury Wine Estates is the official supplier during the event (Lagos, et al, 2014). This provides the people attending the event an opportunity to sample different types of wines being supplied by the organization. This is an indication that the involvement of such major businesses has greatly contributes to the success of the festival. The event goers are fully aware that they will be able to obtain all their needs due to the high number of businesses operating during the festival. About 400 business companies are usually involved in selling their products and services during the festival (Lagos, et al, 2014). This observation indicates that the event has highly been commercialized. The companies usually use the opportunity to market their products and services. This includes offering discounts to the customers who visit their premises. Some of the people are thus motivated to attend the event in order to purchase certain products and services at a discounted rate. The business reasons are thus an important motivation for the event goers. The business reasons are increasingly becoming important during the event. The representatives of different companies usually meet during the festivals and a lot of business deals are usually made. The sponsors of the festival are huge companies that usually take the opportunity to ensure that their products and services are advertised and sold. The business motivation is an important aspect that has contributed to the commercialization of the event (Stevens, 2011). A high number of sports people also attend the event. This is motivated by the need to learn more about the sport in order to facilitate future participation. The diverse factors contributing to the motivation of the event goers has greatly contributed to its success. Intensive marketing of the event usually takes place in order to attract the people from other countries. Betting is one of the main activity that usually takes place during the event. During the first day of the event about $ 60 million is usually spent on betting alone (Gainsbury & Russell, 2015). Some of the event goers therefore visit the festival for the purposes of making money through betting. This has seen the betting companies playing an active role during the festival. The festival therefore provides the goers with an opportunity to make money as they watch the races and socialize with other people (Gainsbury, 2012). This has therefore played an important role in attracting a high number of people. The presence of betting and money making is a further indication of how commercialized the festival has been. Structure and rituals of the event The meaning behind an event is an important aspect that determines the popularity of the festival (Holloway, et al, 2010). This is considering that most of the people would want to attend an event that they are associated with. The Melbourne Cup carnival symbolizes the Australian identity in terms of horse keeping and racing. The horses have been playing a vital role in the life of Australians for years. It is also known that the Australians are recognized for their love of horses. Horse racing can thus be considered as an Australian culture. This can be compared to the Spanish who are well known for cattle keeping and bull fight. The symbolism of the Australia culture and way of life plays a vital role in attracting a high number of local people. Every event has structures as well as rituals which play a vital role in making it unique (Walmsley,2011). Social as well as psychological benefits are usually derived from the structure and rituals of an event. One of the main rituals during the event is the wearing of hats by men as well as the traditional Australian clothing. Fashion on the Field is one of the main rituals during the event. The best dressed man and woman are usually awarded with substantial prizes. The raceday fashion has played a significant role in creating uniqueness about the event. It is through the rituals that the event has been able to gain an international attention. This is considering that international celebrities usually participate in the rituals to show case the Australian fashion. Analysis of the event at the location The location of the festival is Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The festival has always been held at this particular location since 1861.Changes in terms of the modifications have however been carried out over the years in order to accommodate more people. According to the festival and events theory, the location determines the convenience in terms of enabling the people to attend (Getz, 2010). The popularity of the festival has seen the infrastructure being developed in order to facilitate the ease of access by the patrons. Rail transport to the location as well as bus shuttles is available. The transport industry usually benefit greatly during the festival as thousands of people have to be transported. The location is favourable for holding the event as it has the available space for the horses to race and compete. All the patrons can also watch the races comfortably at the location. The location of an event during the festival plays a vital role in determining its success. The businesses around the location have experienced tremendous growth and development. There are thriving businesses in the hospitality industry which has played an important role in enabling the patrons to obtain all the required goods and services (Raventos & Zloezzi, 2011). The location of the festival is easy to access and the event has been able to put Melbourne in the global map. The authorities in Australia are in full support of the event which has greatly contributed to the development of the location. Changes in the event over the years Commercialization of the festival is one of the main reasons that have contributed to the changes that have been taking place over the years. The prize money is too high and this is due to the increase that has been taking place over the years. As a result of the high prize money, most of the competitors are interested in wining so as to gain financially (Lagos, et al, 2014). This has also seen the event attracting the foreign competitors. This is a major change from the past where a lot of focus was on the fun brought about by the event. In the past, the foreign companies were not involved in the sponsorship of the event. However, the Emirates group which is a UAE company is involved in the sponsorship (Lagos, et al, 2014). Millions of dollars are usually provided by the sponsors of the event. The festival is an opportunity for the sponsors to popularize their own business. The Emirates Group and other companies usually take the opportunity to advertise their products and services. This indicates that the event is increasingly being commercialized at different levels. The sponsors have been able to benefit financially due to increased sales as a result of the advertisements. The number of businesses has been on the increase at the location of the festival. Involvement of a high number of businesses is an indication of commercialization. The change to the festivals is a common and this can be attributed to various factors including modernization (Grimm & Needham, 2012). The changes in the event that has been taking place over the years which have contributed to enhancement of the festival. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the Melbourne cup festival is one of the most popular and precious festivals in Australia. The main event during the festival is horse racing which plays a vital role in the Australian culture. It is evident that the prize money has been on the increase and the festival has been growing in numbers. The number of people attending the event has been increasing over the years. It is evident that various factors motivate the people to attend the event. This includes the social as well as commercial reasons. The festival is increasingly being commercialized as more than 400 business companies are involved in selling their products and services. It is evident that the commercialization has seen the betting companies playing an active role with millions being spent on the first day. It is evident that the people who attend the event have an opportunity to make money through betting. The festival provides the sponsors with an opportunity to advertise their products and services. The national as well as the international organizations are usually involved in business activities. It is evident that the festival provides the attendants with an opportunity to have fun and meet new friends. The location of the event is convenient and it enables the attendants to watch the proceedings of the races. 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