NAMP Conference

Opening day was really great here in Providence.  Lost of marketers interested in finding new ideas to take back to their offices and put into use.

The openings session with David Court of McKinsey was very interesting.  They've done a lot to measure the effectiveness of various media  on consumers.  One of the most important charts he showed was on the way mass media diminishes in effectiveness for those that aren't familiar with a brand.  

If you haven't worked your way into their consciousness before they need your product, Court says you have to rely on having a great web presence because the consumer is in the driver's seat once they start searching for info to make a decision.  They'll look online and make up their own minds at that point and it's too late for your mass media messages to have an effect.

I'm waiting to see his presentation again on the NAMP website this coming week so I can digest more of his message.  I'll share thoughts of my own when I have.

Plus more to come from Rhode Island in upcoming posts.

Providence

Arrived in Rhode Island today in preparation for the opening of the NAMP conference tomorrow.

Providence is a wonderful choice as host for the conference.  The commitment to promoting the arts shows everywhere here.  There is a reason they bill themselves as the creative capital.

One of the biggest draws downtown is the restored Providence Performing Arts Center.  Had a chance to get my first tour of PPAC and to grab lunch with marketing director Lynn Singleton today.  If you are in Providence it's worth your time to see the remarkable old theatre that originally opened in 1928.  

Tomorrow the Collaboraction conference starts and I'm really looking forward to a number of the sessions.  A panel of Massachusetts arts groups presents on Collaborative Cultural Tourism in what should be a great afternoon session for the first day.  Then the Museum of Art at Rhode Island School of Design hosts our reception tomorrow evening.

More thoughts from RI throughout the weekend.

North Carolina Central University

The last three weeks we've been designing and preparing to install new materials at the North Carolina Central University Art Museum in Durham.  NCCU has recently committed to significant upgrades in the museum's branding.  The new graphics are coordinated for the opening of "Homecoming", an exhibition of works by Central grad, and Durham native, Ernie Barnes.

I'll share some additional pieces from their new graphics package in the next few weeks.  The exhibition opens this weekend on the Central campus.

Collaboraction!

I'm getting very excited about attending the National Arts Marketing Project annual conference next week in Providence.  As I've mentioned here Wendy Livingston and I will be presenting a case study on how they've reduced their collateral budget at the Nasher Museum of Art over the last year.  Wendy's eliminated almost 50% of printing costs without losing impact and I think it's going to be an interesting discussion.

The rest of the lineup for the conference is really tremendous as well, including speakers like Arthur Cohen, futurist David McIntosh and John Maeda, President of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Check out the full schedule here.

Arts destination marketing push in Florida

Apparently having some of the nation's best beaches wasn't enough for Sarasota. A new marketing effort is underway to draw visitors for the arts as well. Sounds like a winning combination.

Marketing Sarasota as an arts destination

For many who come to Sarasota for a weekend, week or season-long stay, the white sands and turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico may be the primary draws.

But Sarasota also treasures its reputation as Florida's cultural capital, with theater, visual art, opera, ballet and classical music available for top-caliber entertainment after a day at the beach or on the water. (read the full story from Herald-Tribune)

National Summit on Arts Journalism

Arts journalists gathered in Southern California last week to talk about the future of their craft.  The decline of arts coverage in traditional media and the rise in arts coverage among social media outlets were high on the list of topics.

Fittingly the top coverage of the event can be found in various  blog posts:

A few thoughts on National Summit on Arts Journalism

Reinventing arts journalism... by starting with a virtual summit

And there is plenty of video from the summit posted to their YouTube  channel.