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National Arts Marketing Project Conference
Imagine being among 500 marketing executives from museums, dance companies, arts councils, orchestras, theatre companies, presenting organizations, recording companies, galleries, et al - who are all focused on building audiences and participation for the arts. That's what the Arts & Business Council of Americans for the Arts has created for the cultural sector here in Los Angeles for the last three days.
As a sector, we have to take our hats off to American Express. Without them, this project might never have happened. It was their idea in the first place. They fueled its birth some years ago and they continue to fund it. They are one of the best examples of enlightened corporate philanthropy that I've encountered. Is this teaching people how to fish? You bet it is.
Sessions have been energizing. The tone is energetic and optimistic. And the substance has been forward-looking and innovative. It's just wonderful to be among so many people who share a focus on making things better for their organizations and communities.
What I've loved most about these last three days is that I've had an opportunity to listen to a lot of smart peers present and discuss a very broad array tactical and strategic approaches in action-oriented detail. There's a lot of new thinking and innovation going on out there. NAMP is a great place to share and learn.
One particular moment was emblematic of this whole experience for me. Yesterday afternoon I was poring over the dine-around sign-up sheets, looking over the dinner topics and evaluating the corresponding restaurants. Two topics - one on PR horror stories and the other about telling your most awful marketing story - had almost nobody signed up. It occured to me that I heard very little whining going on around this conference.
I particularly have to take my hat off to Alan Brown whose P2P marketing session with Eric Haeker (Arts in Motion) and Meredith Towers (Long Wharf Theatre) was just terrific. Their adaptations and applications of buzz strategies and leveraging social networking were intriguing. Meredith's initiation of a play group - think book club - is brilliant. I can't wait to see how this goes moving forward. I'll be blogging more about this after more thought about the strategies and implications.
Another thing that really made an impression on me is the technical production quality of the event itself. Sound quality has been very good so participants can hear. LCD projectors are very bright, properly calibrated and focused, and projecting on very large, concave screens that eliminate distortion. Participants can see and see well. The techs working the event were on-the-spot. The room setups were school style with tables so participants could easily take notes. All these things helped create an atmosphere conducive to learning and participation. The event team at Americans for the Arts know what they're doing. It shows.
The only downside to this otherwise upside event is that it happens only every two years. So, don't miss the next opportunity, wherever it is.
Posted on May 2, 2006 06:03 AM | Permalink
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Comments
Neill,
Thanks for the quick overview. I was so sorry to have to miss the event, but it was an impossible time of year. Please do spin out some of the key insights you discovered at the event.
I'd love to learn by proxy.
And where can we find more info on the Long Wharf Theatre initiative? Sounds cool.