Susan Medak and NAMP

Susan Medak, Managing Director at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre talks about balancing the needs of an arts mission and maintaining commercial viability. This was her presentation at last month's National Arts Marketing Project plenary luncheon.

Susan Medak: National Arts Marketing Project Conference from Americans for the Arts on Vimeo.

Still Accepting applications for NAMP 2010

Got an update from the Arts Marketing Project today, reminding everyone that the deadline for speaking proposals at this year's NAMP conference is 3/16/10. The 2009 conference in Providence was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to present with my friends from the Nasher Museum of Art.

If you've got a great case study to share I highly encourage you to submit for this year's NAMP. Hope to see you in San Jose in November.

Technology in the Arts

This evening I had the opportunity to go to dinner with some very interesting and passionate arts marketers from across the country.

One member of the group was Corwin  Christie, the primary author of a blog you should read if you haven't run across it before.  Technology in the Arts consistently has good, new information on the use of technology, from mobile to the web, in the marketing of arts organizations.

Check out Corwin's thoughts at technologyinthearts.org

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.

Arts Marketing Conferences

Labor Day has passed and some very good conferences are coming up.

I''ll be in Providence at the end of October with Wendy Livingston from the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.  We'll present at the National Arts Marketing Project annual meeting.

Meanwhile ArtsReach is holding their annual Arts Marketing and Development meeting earlier in the month in LA.  ArtsReach put together this video as a preview for their gathering which runs October 8-11.

National Arts Marketing Project Conference

I'm happy to announce that I'll be speaking with the Nasher Museum's Wendy Hower Livingston at the National Arts Marketing Project annual conference in Providence this fall.

Our discussion is titled  "Printing Money: Stretching your collateral budget".  I've worked very closely with Wendy over the last six months to help the Nasher develop alternatives to their traditional print projects and I'm looking forward to the presentation.

If you'd like to see a list of all the scheduled topics for this year's conference here's the NAMP's conference home.