Utilising new channels to get new customers
Over the past five years, the Vietnam Circus Federation has been one of the few pioneering art units to organise annual customer experience conferences, attracting the enthusiastic participation of many artistic event organisers, travel agents, and media companies.
Instead of waiting for customers to come to them, the federation has proactively hosted promotion activities to introduce the public to their performing plans throughout the year.
According to People's Artist Tong Toan Thang, Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation, the announcement of the performance curriculum plan for the whole year not only helps the unit in conducting thorough preparations in staging performances and making reasonable arrangements of human resources for tours abroad and international events, but also support customers in choosing the circus acts that best suit their demands.
Through customer experience conferences, we want to seek new customers, thereby attracting more investment in staging circus acts, contributing to the sustainable development of Vietnamese circus.
People's Artist Tong Toan Thang
Affirming the importance of being more active in approaching the public, People's Artist Ta Duy Anh, former Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation, acknowledged that in the past, artists only put their mind to practicing and performing rather than advertising their products to the market. This led to a situation in which artists simply offered viewers with what they have, not what viewers want to see.
Customer experience conferences have provided valuable opportunities for art units and artists to receive feedback from customers towards further improving the quality and professionalism of their products and services, thus meeting the needs and tastes of tourists.
Promoting innovation to win the hearts of the audience
Thanks to its new approach to diversify the source of visitors, the Vietnam Circus Federation achieved great success in 2023, expanding its number of shows by 150% and reaching a 200% year-on-year increase in revenue.
At the recently held 2024 Customer Experience Conference, the federation introduced more than 20 special circus shows that will take place from March until the end of the year.
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A circus act in the show honouring female circus artists on the occasion of the Vietnamese Women’s Day. (Photo: toquoc.vn) |
All of the shows are staged and innovated in a more professional direction in both scale and quality of art. They include annual shows that have affirmed the brand of the Vietnam Circus Federation, such as the ‘Flying Rose Petals - Vietnamese Circus Princesses’ show honouring female circus artists on the occasion of the Vietnamese Women’s Day (March 8), and the ‘As Time Goes By’ show in commemoration of Wounded and Fallen Soldiers’ Day (July 27).
This year, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (1954-2024), the federation will stage a programme entitled ‘Living Forever with Dien Bien’ in May, recreating the globe-shaking victory through the language of circus. The programme will also feature the participation of heroes of the armed forces and historical witnesses.
In addition, a series of programmes have been designed to observed the country’s major holidays, such as Children's Day (June 1), National Day (September 2), Mid-Autumn Festival, Vietnamese Teachers' Day (November 20), Christmas Day, and New Year.
The federation also plans programmes in response to social campaigns, including the Action Month for Children, and the fund-raising event to support circus artists living in difficult circumstances.
In 2024, the federation will continue combining circus with other art forms such as rock music, folklore music, ‘cai luong’ (reformed opera), and magic in order to provide audiences with new and interesting art works.
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A circus act in the show celebrating the Dien Bien Phu Victory. (Photo: daibieunhandan.vn) |
In addition to the programmes requested by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the federation is also willing to create made-to-order circus acts according to customers’ specifications, or adjust the length and scripts of performances to match customers’ demands.
The federation has also coordinated with tour operators and travel agents to design tours to the circus.
Promoting innovations, utilising multiple channels to seek new customers, improving their performances’ quality, and enhancing the marketing strategy to advertise their works, these are the key for the Vietnam Circus Federation to win the hearts of the audience at home and abroad, contributing to fostering the development of the country's cultural industry.
