PROGRAM

National Arts Marketing, Development & Ticketing Conference, Seattle

11.05.19 - 11.06.19

KEYNOTE

So Now What? How Will You Reach Audiences in The Post-Social Media World?

Coverage of the arts is all but gone in your local newspaper. Digital ads are less and less effective on the web. But as long as we have social media, we're still reaching audiences, right? Maybe not. In the past year, 42 percent of Facebook users have taken a break from the site, and for the first time the platform lost users. Pew reports that only 9 percent of teens say Facebook is their preferred social media. So Snapchat? After a couple of years of spectacular growth it lost users in the second quarter of 2018, and its stock price cratered in mid-September. Instagram? It's still adding users, but there are signs of slowing. Amidst privacy concerns, fake news, a growing tech backlash, and more and more studies documenting the numbing effect of social media, the bloom is off the social media rose.

So now what? How will you reach audiences in a post-social media world? This session will show you how big media companies are pivoting, and explore strategies for what comes next in a post-social media world.

Douglas McLennan
Editor ArtsJournal

PLENARY

Equity in the Arts: National Town Hall Meeting On Equity Within Arts Organizations in Today's World

This esteemed panel will address such issues as "What does equity look like in today's non-profit arts organizations? How does this effect programming, fundraising, grants? What are ways in which the arts can lead to create a more just and inclusive environment?” Bring your questions, experiences and hopes to this rich, critical dialogue. What does equity mean to you and your organization?

Moderator: Meghan Villanueva
Grants Manager Spectrum Dance Theater

Tera Beach
Executive Director Seattle Art Museum

Priya Frank
Associate Dir of Community Programs Seattle Art Museum

Robb Hunt
Executive Producer Village Theatre

Dominica Myers
Associate Director of Administration Seattle Opera

Kathy Hsieh
Cultural Partnerships and Grants Manager Seattle Office of Arts and Culture

AFTERNOON INTENSIVE

Attracting and Keeping the Right Audiences for Your Organization

Successful audience building means more than getting people through the door, but creating enduring relationships. Like any relationship, a lot has to happen to make it work. First, we need to identify what target audience is a good fit, because organizations will need to accommodate these newcomers, and hopefully feel comfortable embracing them and be able to weather any growing pains. Finding that right fit and preparing the organization to receive new audiences are often overlooked considerations, but research suggests several guiding principles. Examples drawn from successful audience-building initiatives will be used to illustrate these principles, with exercises to help participants identify what audience makes a good fit for their organizations and how to prepare those organizations for success.

Bob Harlow
Marketing and Research Consultant Sponsored by The Wallace Foundation

BREAKOUTS AND PANELS

Random Acts of Ticketing

Sometimes a successful ticketing campaign calls for an extra touch of creativity, but we all know that can be hard to find when time to brainstorm and budgets are limited. This session will provide both inspiration and a list of tools you can use at your organization to boost engagement and ticket revenue. From tips for capturing customer data when you have a hit show to ways to win back lapsed attendees, we’ll be looking at case studies of fun and unexpected approaches organizations have taken with a proven return on investment. You can expect to walk away with concrete strategies you can implement at your own organization.

Karen Elizondo
Account Executive Spektrix

Four Secrets to Scoring a Major Gift

Like the four legs that keep a table level and steady, these four steps can assure success in a major gift solicitation:

    1. A Cogent and Compelling Case for Support
    2. Qualified Prospects - people with love, not just money, and who are intrigued and captivated by the Case
    3. A Good Ask, well-timed and executed
    4. Leadership (of those who have said 'yes' to the Ask) - hopefully the Board of your institution.

Anyone can learn these, but few practice them consistently.

Colorful examples will illuminate the presentation. In addition to questions, there will be opportunities for audience participation and role-playing based on their own experiences asking for money.

Mason Jay Blacher
President Mason Jay Blacher & Associates

The Road to Optimal Pricing: Where Do You Go From Here?

Everyone is at a different point in the evolution of their pricing strategies. Hear from these seasoned marketing professionals about where they’ve been and where they’re headed in their quest for the perfect pricing strategy. What have been their successes and what obstacles do they still face? Then chime in with your own plans and questions about where to go from. Getting pricing right is a key to your organization’s financial health — and this session is geared to making sure you’re going in the right direction.

Moderator: Michael Gepner
VP Marketing, Comms. and Guest Services The 5th Avenue Theatre

Laurie Kinsman
Marketing Manager The ACT Arts Centre

Chris Marcacci
Director of Marketing The 5th Avenue Theatre

Amy Gentry
Director of Sales & Marketing ACT Theatre

Winning Ways to Build Community Partnerships and Engagement

Panelists (Development, Education and Marketing Professionals) will discuss the changing role of their departments within the larger organization, and offer insights into how specific innovative programs and partnerships reach the entire community, attract new audiences, develop ongoing lasting relationships, and help meet goals. Then, step right up and share your partnership success stories with everyone.

Moderator: Jen Lee
Philanthropic Advisor Seattle Foundation

Jérémy Jolley
Associate Director of Artistic Collaborations Seattle Symphony

LaNesha DeBardelaben
Executive Director Northwest African American Museum

Christy Wood
Associate Vice President of Marketing & Sales Seattle Symphony

Jackie Ernst
Director of Philanthropy Seattle International Film FestivalJ

Reaching Beyond the Comfort Zone: Finding, Enticing and Keeping Diverse Audiences

Artistic Directors and arts and culture organizations are speaking specifically about equity and producing works with an eye to equitable representation. Great! But what does that mean for arts marketing and development departments? How should your tactics change when reaching out to audiences with which you may not be familiar? How do you market not only to your target audience, but to other audiences as well? And once you’ve successfully brought new audiences to your doors…how do you make them stay for the next show or exhibition?! We’ll talk practical tactics for how to reach out past your comfort zone, and bring people to your organization – which may not be in their comfort zone!

Moderator: Sharon Williams
Executive Director Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas

Christine Lessard
Director The Presidents Circle at The University of Washington

Alina Santillan
Director Seattle Centers Racial Equity Cohort

Part of the Digital Marketing Track - Can 100% Digital Marketing Work for Your Organization?

The Phoenix Symphony, has allocated 100% of their single ticket advertising budget to digital for over two seasons. That’s right, zero print ads, good postcards, thanks-for-nothing television and radio. In this session, you’ll learn about the Symphony’s digital evolution, and see how the Symphony used data and experimentation to arrive at this progressive budget. Discover how this real live case study is playing out with $4,000,000 in annual ticket sales on the line—hint: record breaking results & growing audiences.

After this session, you’ll be able to:

Implement an iterative and strategic approach to increasing your digital advertising
Evaluate how to set, measure and implement key KPI’s to prove, justify and communicate your progress
Double down what marketing efforts are working and discontinue or cut back efforts that are not
Prove or disprove paradigms in your industry using data (e.g. older audiences don’t use social media)

Todd Vigil
Chief Marketing Officer Phoenix Symphony

Why Are They Just Not That Into You? Creative Audience Building Strategies That Repeatedly Bring Visitors Back

Arts organizations are struggling to stay relevant to ever changing audience preferences and behaviors. As audiences age, pockets get tighter and competition for attention gets fiercer -- continuing to do what worked in the past just won’t cut it. Come join our discussion as we share this interactive session on:

Breaking out of the scarcity mindset and burnout cycle
Common misconceptions and mistakes of audience building strategies
The changing mindset of younger audiences
Analyzing the Audience Journey based on RAND’s behavioral model
How to identify visitor churn and get ahead of it
The 3 elements of ongoing audience engagement

Walk away with frameworks to building sustainable audiences you can apply to your organization today.

Sandy Liu
Marketing & Business Consultant SL Arts & Culture Strategies

Part of the Digital Marketing Track - Hunters & Gatherers: Tracking Down Audiences Through Search, Display & Social Media

Serving potenial audiences with the right message at the right time in the right way is the key to success in the digital world. Come learn from these seasoned pros what is working for them and how you can apply it to your own situation right now.

Moderator: Brad Wilke
Co-Founder & Principal Smarthouse Creative

Chris Marcacci
Director of Marketing The 5th Avenue Theatre

Sarah Manriquez
Director of Sales and Operations Manager Fairbanks Concert Association

Stay Tuned For Many More Sessions To Be Added, Including:

Increasing Revenue While Lowering Costs
Attracting Younger Audiences
Google Analytics
Strategies To Boost Advance Sales
Optimal Pricing
Digital And Traditional Marketing Mix
Social Media As Audience-Building Tool
Artificial Intelligence
And More!
(program and speakers subject to change)

Our Sponsors

Dream Warrior Group provides graceful yet technologically savvy solutions for Arts organizations. The goal-driven services focus on audience and action. As your technology advocate, we will be your ally and can manage and fully implement your online presence. Our services (à la carte or contracted) include: Web site design and development, e-marketing, e-promotion, social media management and optimization. We implement your message in a digital environment.
More Info
InstantEncore powers over one million patron experiences every year. helps arts and culture organizations thrive. Our two innovative mobile services – Appscension and InsideGuide - breakdown barriers to attendance, increase convenience for patrons, and drive ROI for you.
More Info
BroadwayWorld is the largest theatre site on the internet, covering Broadway, the West End and beyond to 100 US cities, 45 countries and in 12 languages worldwide. With over six million monthly visitors, BroadwayWorld delivers complete up-to-the-minute Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theatre news, in-depth interviews, extraordinary photo coverage, entertaining video features, lively message boards, ticket discounts, reviews, and more.
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Spektrix is a ticketing, marketing and fundraising solution made specifically for the performing arts. With cloud-based technology and world-class support, Spektrix helps 400+ organizations across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. grow their revenue and deepen patron relationships. We do this through providing a system with frequent and seamless upgrades, sophisticated reporting, and free strategic consultation from experienced arts professionals.
More Info

Schedule

November 5, 2019:
Morning Intensive (Program starts at 9:00 a.m.)
Panel
Lunch on Your Own
Panel
Plenary
Opening Reception with one-on-ones

November 6, 2019:
Breakouts
Networking Reception with one-on-ones
Lunch with the Experts
Bonus Skill-Building Seminar (no extra charge)
Conference ends at 4:00 p.m.

Program and speakers subject to change.

Among other benefits, Arts Reach Members receive significant discounts on conference registration. Join NOW!