Arts Audiences is delighted to announce the successful applicants for the Build Your Audience pilot project, which will provide free expert tuition on arts marketing and audience development.
The high level of interest in the project and the quality of applications received will prove extremely useful to the Arts Audience Initiative in identifying future strands of work which may benefit arts organisations and those working in the arts.
The three organisations were selected on the basis that their projects would have a wide application across artforms and disciplines and that the outcomes would be clear and useful to others. They are:
Coisceim Dance Theatre, Dublin, whose audience project is focused on developing a marketing strategy for a national tour.
The Ark, Dublin, in association with Irish Museum of Modern Art, whose project will focus on developing programmes which meet the practical needs of schools.
The Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, whose project will focus on retaining and building on the audience base through profiling and increasing visibility
Case studies of all three consultancies will be published online at on this site in the new year to make learning outcomes available to the arts community.
. TAKE YOUR SEAT – MONDAY NOVEMBER 9TH – SATURDAY 14TH 2009
For the first time in Ireland, performing arts venues all around the country have decided to take action, joining forces to promote the performing arts in Ireland. Take Your Seat is the name of a nationwide promotion happening in November aimed at encouraging people to return if they haven’t been for a while.
The Take Your Seat promotion will be built around a dedicated website, www.takeyourseat.ie, providing the consumer with a one-stop-shop of exciting, live performances happening in venues nationwide, supported by a nationwide radio and print campaign alerting consumers to the promotion and driving them to the website.
Take Your Seat provides a model of innovative practice for public and private interests working together to address the issues which arise in difficult times.
The idea for the promotion came from those working in the industry, and is being co-ordinated by Arts Audiences, with the support of the Arts Council, Temple Bar Cultural Trust, Fáilte Ireland, and RTE Radio. Private sector interests have also rowed in, providing considerable pro bono promotional support for an initiative we all hope will be the first of many.
Full details about the venues and arts centres taking part in Take Your Seat will be published on www.takeyourseat.ie
If you’re not on LinkedIn, you might, for a moment, fight the initial reaction of ‘oh no, not another drain on my time!‘ and read on, as what follows may be of interest to those working in an arts management context.
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Firstly though, for those already on Linkedin – this is advise you we’ve set up an Arts Ireland group (hence the new logo above). The aim this group is to provide an online space where those working in the management and administration of the arts in Ireland can discuss and exchange ideas, find support, make contacts, find work opportunities etc.
With 60 members and rising, all are welcome! Click here to join; Arts Ireland Group
(we only ask that you are working, seeking to work, or have an active interest in arts management and administration in Ireland).
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For those unsure / unclear of what exactly Linkedin is;
Linked In is a professional social networking site, and as such is a powerful tool to help you access a wide network of professional contacts.
Where a site such as facebook keeps you in touch with friends, Linkedin is about keeping in touch with colleagues (and friends) in a professional capacity. As such, the functionality of the site is geared accordingly (and there is not a holiday photograph in sight).
One aspect of the site I find very useful is the ability to access an extended network of people outside my own circle.
For example, imagine I am looking for a web designer with experience of designing a site incorporating a ticketing system, and that I know no one who can do this. This is what I do;
In Linkedin I search my contacts’ contacts using specific search terms
I find my friends Joe, Sue and George each have a different contact who can do this (Joe, Sue and George don’t have to respond to me, the search is automatic)
I phone Joe, Sue and George and ask them if they can recommend their contact
very quickly I get an idea of the right person for the job without much effort
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holiday photos: not on Linkedin
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It’s like word of mouth on steroids. When you start to use groups, this becomes even more powerful. Every group members can post a question which all the group will see – they can choose whether or not to respond. So, I could ask the group (most of whom I won’t know personally) for advice on a web designer with specific experience, and get advice from all sort of people I don’t know.
Many of you are familiar with discussion forums (like the fantastic boards.ie) so the idea might not be so new. What we are hoping for Arts Ireland, is that the group becomes a discussion forum specifically for arts management and administration in Ireland – and this will only work if a critical mass of people get involved.
Well, by now you probably get the idea. If you’re curious, the best and easiest thing to do is give it a go. It’s free, you can give as little or as much personal information when you’re setting up your personal account, which can take as little as 5 minutes. For those interested in a bit more explanation, this film explains the concept a bit more…
Do you need help to identify, communicate with, and build your audience? Looking to target a specific audience sector, e.g. older people? Wondering if you should you use traditional marketing techniques or new media?
Arts Audiences recognises that even the most creative and productive of organisations can struggle with a lack of information about their audience, or with what to do with audience data when they have it.
In this pilot scheme, Arts Audiences will provide free audience consultancy from Heather Maitland this area to 3 organisations. Participating organisations will assist in documenting the process and results, which will be publicised to make learning outcomes available to the wider arts community.
In order to maximise learning, brief case studies of all 3 consultancies will be published on this website – if you’re interested in applying for this, there are more details here
Customers care about more than just the show or event, and we need to see what we can do to make sure their experiences are good ones.
Two cultural organisations based in Temple Bar, Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) and Project Arts Centre (PAC) , have decided to run a project which focuses on the experience of customers who visit their buildings, request information, and attend their events.
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Both organisations have assigned 2-3 members of staff to working on the design and delivery of the project in their respective organisations. A steering committee comprised of the staff members from both organisations meets on a regular basis to update on progress, share experiences and identify next steps in the project.
One of the main aims of this Customer Service Project (CSP) is to create a manual for other cultural organisations interested in conducting a customer service audit, based on the experiences of TBCT and PAC. This manual will be completed in early 2010.
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