Marshall of Singapore: The Extraordinary Life & Times of David Saul Marshall (1908-1995)

A. What is the objective of this event? Give a brief background to this event.

This event is basically an exhibit showcasing the personal and professional achievements David Marshall made in his lifetime. It is ongoing from 12 Dec 2008 10.00am - 20 Feb 2009 9.00pm at the Level 10 Promenade in the National Library Building.

The exhibit comprises of boards featuring biographies, pictures, timelines and quotes of all kinds about Mr. Marshall. It even has some authentic historical artifacts like books, wigs and letters on display.

The objective of this event is to educate Singaporeans on a great historical figure that helped mould the basis of which Singapore is built on.

B. Who is the target audience?

    Students who are studying Singapore history or Social Studies

·      Historians

·      Generally people who are interested in David Marshal

c. C. How is the event publicized?

·      National Library Website (http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg/Event.aspx?EventID=26996

·      Newspaper – “Things to do this weekend”

·      Newspaper – “Home

            SEAS website (http://www.iseas.edu.sg/iframes/12dec08.htm)

·      Saint’s alumni website (http://www.saints.org.sg/index.php/component

/eventlist/details/5-marshall-of-singapore-the-extraordinary-life-a-times-of-david-saul-marshall)

·      Posters in library

·      NLB brochure

·      School

D. Is the event reported in the media? If yes, how widely is it reported? If no, why do you think the media did not cover the event?

Yes it was covered briefly in the newspapers as a recommended event to partake in over the weekend and in “Home”. The media angled the event as a leisurely but educational exhibit to visit.

However, I personally feel that the reports did not have much impact as a quick survey showed that not many people have heard of the event.

 Moreover it was not covered extensively, this is probably because it does not appeal to the wide general audience.

What do you think could be done to attract media coverage?

 A competition with prizes would probably have attracted some attention (Eg. “Answer three simple questions based on the interview and stand a chance to win an iPod Nano!”)

E. Assume you are the manager overseeing this project. Evaluate the success/ failure of this event

In terms of aesthetics and content it was rather successful. Everything was in chronological order and it was neat and well organized. Some of the historical artifacts were indeed intriguing.

In terms of people-flow, the exhibit was completely empty at the time we were there. Less than three people walked through in an hour. This shows that it probably wasn’t as popular as they had expected. Perhaps more media coverage would change this

F. How would you do it differently for greater success?

I would probably add in some kind of interactive medium to engage the visitors more. Exhibition was slightly word-y and almost dull.

Moreover it was not in a prime location; 10^th floor is too quiet and isolated. I would have booked a more happening location (eg. In a mall like Paragon, Entrance of Library)

 More media coverage in popular lifestyle magazines like “8 Days” would probably attract a lot more attention.