fact that the competitions take place in warm-weather areas where
spectators can feel comfortable attending in a bathing suit or shorts
to watch volleyball, complete with sand that is sometimes brought
in to re-create a summer beach scene.
Indoor shows or events can be adversely affected if the weather
is ideal. However, when the weather turns undesirable, it can keep
people from outdoor leisure activities and bring them indoors to
special events. A sophisticated marketer will be ready in these sit-
uations with advertisements on standby. When rain is forecast, the
marketer will run local radio or TV advertisements promoting the
public to come indoors in the wet weather.
There are hundreds of arts-and-crafts shows that are held in
outdoor locations with exhibitors under portable pop-up tents.
The success of these events depends on good weather, but every-
one participates in these events with this understanding. One way
marketers can ensure their success in promoting events that can
be affected by the weather is to presell as many tickets as possi-
ble, sometimes at a deep discount, to guarantee attendance at these
events. At the Vintage Virginia Wine Festival, tickets at a discount
are sold in advance to guarantee substantial attendance. Part of the
allure of the Super Bowl is that the event takes place in the mid-
dle of the winter in a warm climate or at an indoor venue. The
success of marketing a golf tournament is better in May than in
November. The success in selling concerts under the stars at out-
door amphitheaters has created a national summer concert season
at amphitheaters, both new and old, across the country.COST
The word “free” is used in fair, festival, and other special event
advertisements because it attracts attention. If the cost is set at an
attractive level, it needs to be included in the advertising. Cost and
price can also be determining factors in marketing events as dis-
cussed in Chapter 4. When advertising a show, a marketer wants
to be able to attract as wide an audience as possible to the event.
For this reason, some events and shows that sell front-row seats at
a premium do not even list the price of these tickets in advertise-
ments but instead say “special seating available.”
Sometimes a strategy with a high price can be successful when
the event is positioned as something special. At other times, a154 Chapter 7 Marketing Festivals, Fairs, and Other Special Events