July 1, 2010
Filed under: Workshops
E-Marketing is central to the communications strategies of arts organizations of all sizes. Yet, even the most sophisticated groups struggle to stay current with the ever-expanding tools, techniques and analytics that are available today. To address this need, A&BC will launch a series of intensive, in-lab clinics this August designed to keep Chicago’s arts organizations current with new technologies that can help develop audiences for the arts. The intensive clinics are already sold out, but if you want to be added to a wait list, contact Andrew Micheli, A&BC’s Director of Programs.
Andrew envisioned a clinic series as a way to go beyond theory and into hands-on practice. After receiving funding for the project from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) earlier in 2010, the idea became a reality. “A&BC offers a number of web-related workshops where people learn about the tools available to them, but we aren’t able to walk people through the process in our usual workshop setting,” notes Andrew. “At our clinics, participants will be at computers, going through the process with an instructor. It’s exciting because we’ll provide small group consultation and be able to get people up and running with their web marketing strategies.”
The clinics will be led by Marty Higginbotham, founder of The Stage Channel and a media and arts marketing consultant and who also recently led A&BC’s workshop on text message marketing. With an eye towards the practical application of new technologies, Marty’s first session will cover online research and survey tools. The second and third sessions will cover the assessment, administration and analytics of web sites and social media strategies.
While these issues may be relevant to many organizations, the clinics are particularly designed for small and mid-sized arts organizations that have a marketing plan in place and have also utilized some web-based marketing strategies already. The clinics will help these groups move to a new level in their marketing efforts. With generous funding from the NEA, A&BC is able to offer these hands-on clinics for free.
With only 22 spots available the clinics quickly reached capacity. The high demand affirms A&BC’s belief that many arts administrators are looking for this type of intense hands-on learning. Andrew explains, “We received responses as soon as we posted this opportunity. Our programming team is interested to see what we learn from the participant evaluations we will receive after the clinic sessions. Ideally, we’ll be able to offer this type of learning opportunity again next year.” Remember to check www.artsbiz-chicago.org for more opportunities like the clinic series in the future.