EVENT MARKETING STRATEGY DURING THE PANDEMIC CRISIS: CASE STUDY OF THE WESTIN RESORT AND SPA UBUD-BALI

The meeting, incentive, conference, and exhibition (MICE) activities have been one of the leading sub-sectors in Indonesian tourism, especially Bali. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought a massive impact on the sector. As one of the providers of MICE service in the Ubud area, The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud – Bali experienced difficulties in marketing their event service product during the pandemic, which contributed to the decrease in revenue in the hotel. This research aims to develop a marketing strategy for event service products to respond to the market conditions. This research took the qualitative approach with the data collection through observation, interviews, and documentaries. The strategy development was first started with the identification of the marketing mix components of The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud – Bali which are, product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence. The collected data is then used in the SWOT analysis to develop the strategy for event service marketing in a pandemic situation. Based on the analysis on the internal and external factors that influence the strategy of event marketing at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud – Bali, it was concluded that the strategies that needed to be taken were developing promotion strategies for MICE events, wellness events, meetings -stay and tour package, and entertainment show, arranging service products in the form of programs that can reduce the concerns and stress that may occur due to new normal adjustment, focusing on the small-medium exclusive events, as well as offering a more competitive price. The implications of this research are expected to contribute to the development of tourism marketing field of study, particularly the MICE, and be able to be one of the references for hoteliers developing along with the event organizer when event marketing strategy, especially in crisis conditions such as the pandemic.


INTRODUCTION
The Covid-19 pandemic situation is an event that has brought about seismic changes in all sectors, including tourism.The nature of the multiplier effect, which actually has a chain of positive impacts on trade in each line of its supporting sectors, also means it can have a chain of negative impacts when tourist travel activities are restricted on a large scale.Apart from restrictions from the government, concerns about the Marketing Department of the Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali, has a program to create events that are held at least once a month.This is done in order to increase hotel activities by inviting the internal and external environment to participate, apart from that it also aims to increase hotel revenue.So far, event activities created by the Marketing Department have played an important role in boosting revenue.However, the Covid-19 pandemic situation and interest are still low causing the Marketing Department to experience difficulties in marketing its products and event programs.The Marketing Department must strengthen promotion and marketing in all fields in accordance with technological developments, both online and offline.
Improving marketing strategies, especially for MICE activities, is important, because this activity can be an innovation with greater profit value than leisure tourism.The potential for MICE in Indonesia itself is quite significant with the many international standard events held in the country, especially in the province of Bali.However, the pandemic condition is an unpredictable situation, so handling in all aspects still needs to continue to be researched by taking various case studies.
Based on this background, it is deemed necessary to carry out research to determine hotel situational factors related to event marketing and then develop marketing strategies for event services in hotels, especially to answer marketing needs in times of emergencies such as pandemics.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The Covid -19 pandemic is a global crisis condition that has never been experienced before in this modern era, of course various studies are needed as a reference for developing mitigation models in the future.Disruption in marketing strategies caused by changes in consumer behavior and organizational behavior is needed to respond to economic instability (Oluwasanmi, 2022).
The case study used is event marketing during the Covid-19 pandemic at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali.This research will focus on discussing the marketing mix and formulating strategies using SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) analysis.The specific aim of this research is to identify various situational factors, both internal and external, that influence event marketing strategies and aims to develop event marketing strategies carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali.It is hoped that the implications of this research can be a reference for hoteliers and event organizers in implementing event marketing strategies, especially during pandemic conditions.
The strategy formulation in this research is based on marketing mix theory.Marketing itself can be interpreted as a whole activity that includes planning, pricing, promotion and product distribution so that it can satisfy desires, achieve market targets and company goals (Yulianti F, et al., 2019).Meanwhile, marketing strategy is a series of methods or plans prepared to provide direction to a company or organization in its marketing activities to achieve organizational goals.So it can be concluded that an event marketing strategy is everything that is designed and arranged to introduce and convey event activities that will be carried out so that they can be widely spread and accepted by the surrounding environment.
When marketing, whether in the form of products, services or a series of activities (events), there are several components that must be considered to be able to develop and market a product appropriately to target customers.This marketing tool is known as the marketing mix.
Successful marketing depends on addressing several issues faced within a company.This includes what the company will produce, how much it will cost, how the products and services will be distributed, and how the company will promote the product.Traditionally, these considerations are known as the 4P's (Product, Place, Price, Promotion).Marketing has become a sophisticated tool in a company's success, so the 3P's (People, Physical Evidence, and Process) were added.This consideration is known as the 7P's Marketing Mix (Masterson & Pickton, 2014).
The marketing mix is a series of elements compiled by a company or organization to obtain responses to consumer desires (Arifin, 2019), achieve marketing goals and sales levels based on market targets (Utama, 2017).As a marketing tool, the number of elements in the marketing mix used can be adjusted according to needs.The marketing mix is a guide to developing an effective strategy in marketing to reduce the risk of failure in a company's marketing.In marketing itself, the problem in general is the lack of product promotion so that the product is less known to the wider community (Gunawan, 2021).
A set of marketing tools in the marketing mix can be described as follows: a. Product Products can be seen as a bundle of activities or a combined package between the main and supporting products, to produce optimal offers in an effort to meet customer needs, desires and expectations (Fatihudin & Firmansyah, 2019).This means that consideration of product preparation does not only look at the core benefits of the product offered, but also the various supporting services that accompany the product.b.Price Determining prices and packages is crucial in marketing tourism products.The price element is the part that is directly related to a company's income.However, price determination must still consider other marketing mix elements.In addition, pricing also needs to reflect the target market segment, including the possibility of varying prices to suit various market segments (Kotler et al., 2014) .c. Place In the tourism business, place refers to the location where the service occurs and also the distribution channels used to bring access to the service with its users.This means that a place is the location where a tourism business is located and can also be a location where tourism products are marketed, or a digital platform as a virtual place that brings customers and companies together (Sethi, 2017) .As a physical location, an attractive place for consumers is a place that is strategic, pleasant and efficient (Suryana, 2013).d.Promotion Promotion is the process of communicating a product or service to consumers to attract consumer interest through various communication means such as advertising, sales promotions, social media, publicity or public relations, taking advantage of events and experiences, and personal selling (Kotler & Keller, 2016).e.People People element includes various people involved in delivering services to consumers, both directly and indirectly.The performance of each part of this people element can influence the quality of service provided to consumers.As an element that has direct interaction with service quality, people are not only related to human resources (HR) themselves, but are also related to recruitment and training process, so that the people elements who run the service can also be adapted to the culture of the service recipients (Koc & Cheung, 2023).f.Process Processes are various working mechanisms and activities of the service delivery system to consumers (Kotler, et al., 2019).This element also includes processes in marketing channels and how to build relationships with consumers (Hallak & Lee, 2023).

g. Physical Evidence
Physical evidence is the physical environment of the elements of the service product being offered.Physical evidence owned by service providers can be used as an attraction and added value aimed at target markets, customers and potential customers and as a means of communicating the position of the service product (Kotler, et al., 2019).

RESEARCH METHODS
This research uses a qualitative approach to develop event marketing strategies in crisis situations such as pandemics, taking a case study at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud hotel, Bali during the Covid-19 pandemic.The research implementation period is July to August 2022.The data in this research was taken from primary and secondary data.Primary data sources were obtained directly from informants.There were five informants who supported this research, namely the Sales Manager as the hotel manager who carries out marketing and is responsible for organizing an event at the hotel.(Informant 1), Event Organizer who once held an event at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali (Informant 2), and participant group event meeting as user (There were three informants).Collecting primary data by asking in-depth and structured questions to sources to obtain opinion data.Secondary data was obtained from publications from various related agencies, such as books, literature, company documentation, in order to complement and support the primary data obtained.
Data collection was carried out through observation, interviews and documentation.The facilities and infrastructure used in data collection were interview guides, recording equipment and smartphone cameras.The data that has been collected is then analyzed further using SWOT analysis to obtain an appropriate strategy.SWOT analysis begins with identifying Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat factors based on the 7P marketing mix components.Then the strategy formulation utilizes the SWOT matrix model which produces four strategies, namely S-O, W-O, S-T and W-T strategies.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
In developing a strategy using the SWOT analysis technique, it is necessary to first identify internal situational factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external situational factors (opportunities and threats).These internal and external factors are seen from the perspective of the 7P marketing mix, namely: product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence.)from event marketing at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali.The various elements in the marketing mix identified are as follows:

Product
The core product of The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali is accommodation.The total number of rooms is 120 rooms with complete facilities in the rooms.The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali service products often attract the interest of MICE players and tourists who stay overnight and are interested in wellness activities.According to the hotel sales manager, there are five sales The points that are superior in terms of product are "strategic location, contemporary design hotel, complete facilities, wellness resort, and Westin brand" (interview, July 2022).
The various MICE service products offered at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali are: a. Group Meetings It is a gathering or meeting activity held by a group, organization or company to carry out company affairs.b.Incentives Events in the incentive category usually take the form of a series of activities participated in by a group of employees of a company organized by the company where the employees work, as a reward for their achievements and efforts.Usually, this incentive activity is also carried out by several universities and is given to their students for their achievements.c.Workshops This is a special meeting to conduct a study or solve a problem that requires discussion between the speaker and the participants.d.Exhibition An activity that displays products and works owned to the wider community.It is a way or medium for disseminating information, introducing and marketing products.e. Gatherings It is a gathering event held by both companies (employee gatherings) and families (family gatherings).f.Live Music (Music Festival) A music performance event that has a theme and presents a number of musicians.

g. Event Collaborations
Collaboration between several related companies, both between internal and external parties and external parties with external parties.h.Wellness Events Organizing activities that have a fitness and health theme.i. Special Events Activities for special events or commemorating something, such as birthday events, wedding anniversaries, New Year's Eve, Christmas Eve, Valentine's Days and other special events.
The sales manager of The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali also stated that "complete facilities with 5-star standards, trained employees, contemporary hotel design, providing accommodation and event services" (interview, July 2022) are the hotel's advantages.Looking at the results of the interview, the availability of event implementation services is considered one of the things that makes The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali competitive.However, the hotel sales manager also added that The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali does not have enough open space to support large capacity event services, even though the number of rooms is quite large (interview, July 2022).
Various facilities used to support the organization of event activities are: a. Event Venues This hotel has indoor and outdoor venues, but the size of the venue is not that big.Indoor space, The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali has a Prana Chakra meeting room.Chakra Prana with an area of 11.8 M x 13.8 M, has two large meeting rooms, namely Chakra and Prana which can accommodate a maximum capacity of 100 pax.The various capacities of Chakra and Prana rooms include the following amounts:  Theater with a capacity of 100 pax  U-Shape with a centralized capacity of 50 pax  Round Table with a capacity of 80 pax  Classroom with a capacity of 80 pax Usually used for meetings, especially group meetings, for exhibitions, seminars, employee appreciation events, farewell events and birthday events.Apart from the lobby area, Tabia Restaurant is also usually used as an event venue.Meanwhile, for outdoor space, The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali has a small garden on the 1st floor.Usually only used for small parties.

b. Event Services
A professional work team that helps in arrangements so that the event can run smoothly and successfully.The team in question is a team banquet from the food and beverage team service.

c. Restaurants and Bars
The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali has two restaurants, namely Tabia Restaurant which serves authentic local dishes and Tall Tress Restaurant which provides rare and ancient recipes using traditional wood burning and grilling methods.Apart from that, it also has two bars, namely the lobby bar which serves cocktails, juice, herbal medicine, coffee and snacks with stunning views of the resort and lush landscape and the pool bar which provides a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks that can pamper guests.while enjoying the swimming pool facilities.Food and beverage can help provide buffet food for event participants.

d. Technical Services
Assist with all activities including various facilities such as IT equipment, presentations and internet services.e.Other supporting facilities such as Westin Workout (Fitness Center), Heavenly Spa by Westin Ubud, Infinity Pool, Westin Family, Kids Club, Kids Pool and Laundry Service.

Price
Product prices at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali are determined based on several considerations, namely market segment, the Covid-19 pandemic situation and price increases during the new normal to be able to compete.a.The market segment in question is the type of consumer who will stay overnight or just organize an event.For example, consumers who already have a Marriott Bonvoy Member are different from consumers who do not have members, the prices offered for government are different from universities, the prices offered for group guests are different from individual guests.b.Covid-19 pandemic situation In this situation, the price offered drops by 50% to reach the target market.The emerging target market is the domestic market.c.Increase prices during the new normal to be able to compete.
During the new normal, policies loosen and activities return to normal slowly.Market share is starting to return to normal.Market needs and demands are starting to increase.The prices offered have also been increased according to hotel occupancy, prices have even been increased 2 times compared to during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The following is a price comparison for Meeting Packages for The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali with the Sthala hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel Ubud, which is a hotel with the same class and facilities.a.The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali  Based on the meeting package price comparison picture above, it can be seen that The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali charges a price that is almost twice as high as the price offered from Sthala, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel Ubud with the same inclusion package.Likewise, the event packages offered are an average of 10% -25% higher.Interviews with customers also said that The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud was too expensive.One of the event organizers who usually collaborates with The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali said "(prices) were quite competitive during the pandemic, after the situation improved the prices were less competitive " (interview, August 2022).Similar opinions were also expressed by corporate consumers.This shows that it is important to consider pricing strategies in marketing products and adapt to changing times and situations.

Place
The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali is located in a strategic area, namely close to the Ubud Center Area.Guests who stay or have activities there can easily reach the places they want to reach, such as shopping centers, tourist attractions and restaurants.

Promotion (Promotion)
Online and offline marketing strategies carried out at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali to market events are: a. Online Marketing Strategy  Telemarketing Carrying out marketing communications via telephone.Marketing contacts potential target markets and offers products or services in detail by telephone.

 Social Media
Carry out promotions via social media, such as Instagram and Facebook.

 Marriott Bonvoy
The biggest contributors to marketing strategies through Marriott Bonvoy are member guests.Guests who have a Marriott Bonvoy Member get a guaranteed member rate, various discounts and points that can be exchanged.

 IP (Internet Protocol) Address
It is a standard in internet protocol that contains a unique number which is then connected to all internet activity.This IP address is installed on every online channel in every country targeted for promotions.Marketing Management sets up channels on various websites such as: Marriott.com,Agoda, booking.com,Traveloka.
For example: The target market is Australia.Marketing Management can add a discount of 5% -10%.So the target market in Australia will be able to search (search) more cheaply than if the person were in Indonesia (based on searching).b.Offline Marketing Strategy  Sales Calls Conduct visits with Travel Agents (TA), government and related parties who have the potential to use the products and services they have. Collaborating with a Travel Agent (TA) Collaborating with online and offline Travel Agents.Marketing Management will send promotional materials that have been prepared to the Travel Agent (TA), such as: marketing campaigns, packages, special rates.

People
The Sales Department is a special department that serves event activities, which is also assisted by the Marketing Department.If the event taking place is an event organized by an internal party, then only internal parties are involved in the event, namely the Sales and Marketing Department, banquet who are employees of The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali in the Food and Beverage (F&B) and kitchen sections.So, if the event is created by Marketing, then Marketing will be the host with the aim of making the brand better known to the wider community or outside parties.Meanwhile, if the event being held comes from external sources or collaboration, the parties involved are the first party (Sales and Marketing Department) and the second party (the customer who owns the event or the organization invited to collaborate).Sometimes there are even third, fourth and tenth parties who adapt to the event activities being held, this usually happens at bazaar events.The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali does not have a special team in the banquet department because it only has one meeting room and meetings are only available from time to time.The role of hotel employees in supporting event activities is very significant.Without assistance from employees, event activities cannot run smoothly.
The qualifications of people who can be involved in event activities, especially for meetings at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali are as follows: qualified in MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition), having skills in the banquet field such as: meeting set up, serving guests during the meeting until the event ends.Employees involved in event activities receive special training through the Marriott Training Program which is held once a month.

Process
The process of organizing events during the Covid-19 pandemic at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali is running normally as usual.However, what makes it different is that it is accompanied by standard health protocol policies.The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali has complied with government policies and complies with health protocols.Event activities can run well.The activity process begins with submitting a proposal, then followed by a negotiation process.After that, the approval process and payment process are carried out.Action, namely organizing events.Sales and Marketing Department will process requests and communicate with the banquet event or food and beverage department to prepare the room to be used, the number of tables and chairs and other equipment needed.To ensure preparations have been completed, a meeting will be held before the day between Sales and Marketing and the parties carrying out the event activities.Next, an evaluation will be carried out to find out what is lacking and needs to be improved during the event activities.Lastly, improvise on the results of the evaluation process so that future events can be organized better and optimally.
Event organizing process is carried out by the Sales Department.The Sales Department will organize all event management from preparation, during and after the event.However, if the event being held is an external event (event collaborations), the entire series of events will be arranged by the party organizing the event.The Sales Department will ask for a banquet to help with the set up process, decoration, food and drink preparation, stationery.Then assisted by technical services to prepare all the electronic equipment and presentation tools needed during the event.For registration activities, participants involved are usually assisted by the Front Office Department.During the event activities the sales department, banquet and technical services will be available standby to help activities run smoothly.

Physical Evidence
The physical environment of The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali is a hotel that provides accommodation services and event organizing services.The facilities available are complete with the technology used which is quite sophisticated following the times.This hotel is one of the hotels that has indoor and outdoor venues in the Ubud area, but its size is not too big.The indoor room usually used is Chakra Prana with dimensions of 11.8m x 13.8m, then the lobby room and Tabia Restaurant.Meanwhile, the outdoor area is a small garden which is usually used for small parties.
Based on the 7P marketing mix analysis, the following formulation of internal and external factors is obtained: The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali only has a small garden for holding events in an open area. Prices are less competitive, sometimes prices are too high.After the situation returned to normal, The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali competed to raise the prices offered again to cover the reduced income during the pandemic.The price offered has been increased to twice the pandemic price.However, when compared to the prices offered by hotels that have equivalent facilities, The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali offers the highest prices. We don't yet have a special banquet team to serve event activities.b.External Factors  Opportunity  Corporate and private market segments in the MICE industry which have started to increase again in the new normal situation.With the easing of restrictions on holding face-to-face activities, the MICE industry market segment is gradually recovering (Kamalina, 2022) .This is also supported by the need and longing of the community to return to offline activities. Wellness tourist market segment that can be a target market for wellness activities at The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali. Stressful conditions make people need events, be it music events, wellness and other entertainment. Offering events and various packages at promotional prices or following market price trends to be competitive (W3, O1 O2 O4)  Concentrates on the event segment with medium capacity but with complete facilities and an unforgettable experience.(W1, O3 O4)  Providing an event organizer or creating a permanent banquet team (W4, O4)  Collaborating with universities, labor service providers, interns so that if there is a shortage of people during event activities they can be contacted (W4, O4) c. S-T Strategy  Maintaining market segmentation position with authenticity of products and services offered (T1, S1 S2 S4)  Improving the Sales and Marketing Department's ability to package promotional packages, discount products at prices that are not too high (T2, S7)  Continue to comply with health protocol standards when holding events (T3, S8) d.W-T Strategy  Create luxury event packages targeting the exclusive MICE market with limited participants (T2, W1 W3)  Remain alert and seek the latest information regarding applicable health protocol restrictions and standards (T3, W2) Based on the results of the analysis above, it can be seen that in its efforts to carry out the strategy, it shows that the company has overall internal strength related to marketing, strategic location, complete accommodation and event facilities.Likewise, if we look at external factors, the company's position is relatively strong to face threats.The main unfavorable situation is regarding pricing.In accordance with the opinion of Oluwasanmi (2022) who said that during the pandemic and post-pandemic, consumers tend to become more value conscious and become more materialistic.This should be a consideration in developing price strategies and promotional strategies, so that consumers can assess the suitability of the price and the benefits received.

CONCLUSION
Based on the results of the SWOT matrix analysis, the formulation of the strategies that emerge is as follows: The S-O strategy with emerging strengths and opportunities can be drawn from a strategy that focuses on offering MICE packages, wellness events, meeting stay and tour packages and entertaining activities to relieve stress with accommodation facilities and event organizing services which are expected to attract interest.consumers with a wide range.W-O's strategy is to create promotions with special prices, promote small events with quality and unforgettable experiences as well as strategies to control the banquet workforce.S-T's strategy is to maintain and increase the authenticity of its products and services.This is done to convince the target market to choose the company, increase Sales and Marketing capabilities in packaging products at promotional prices and organize events that meet health protocol standards.W-T's strategy is to offer luxury event packages targeting the exclusive MICE market with a limited number of participants and seeking the latest information regarding applicable health protocol restrictions and standards.
A global pandemic situation such as Covid-19 is a condition that is unstable, unpredictable, and has quite fast movement of conditions.In 2023, world conditions will be more stable, but there is still the possibility of changes.This also leads to strategies that must be continuously evaluated.The company's sensitivity in assessing marketing aspects is also something that needs to be continuously paid attention to.The results of this research certainly have limitations in terms of the time scope and scope of the research object.However, it is hoped that the results of this research can contribute to enriching case studies in the realm of marketing, especially in times of crisis, and can become a reference for hoteliers in developing event marketing strategies that are appropriate to continually developing global conditions.

Table 1 .
Percentage of IncomeSource: The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud, Bali, 2022

Table 2 .
Meeting Packages Source: The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud-Bali, 2022 b.Sthala, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel Ubud Implementation of intensive marketing strategies online and offline according to market needs.The Sales and Marketing Department is able to follow various updates according to market demand and needs through feedback from consumers. Event management is carried out in accordance with health protocol standards. Rural feel with a natural atmosphere that is rejuvenating and calming. Weakness  The size of the venue is not that big. Meeting room is small, namely 11.8 M x 13.8 M which can only accommodate a maximum of 100 pax.The restaurant, lobby, small garden can only accommodate 80 -100 pax. Lack of space for open areas.
 Threat  Competitors who have larger meeting room or venue facilities.This is a threat to The Westin Resort and Spa Ubud -Bali in convincing customers to choose the company.There are hotels in the Ubud area with the same class but offering cheaper prices. Social factors regarding the Covid-19 virus that still exist.The Covid-19 virus is still there and just spreading.This is a threat to companies because of the lack of visitors and the restrictions imposed.