‘SEE’ the power of music for arts audience development!

We are leading up to the Classical Music Webinar on Friday! Today we have a guest post by Catherine Starek.  Catherine is a graduate student with the desire to promote the arts to younger audiences.  She came across a particular type of program, symphonic photochoreography, that is being used by some orchestras with great results.  The following is her personal experience and opinions about this presentation and how it might be one answer for reaching out to new and younger audiences.  Enjoy!

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Do you ever wish you could ‘SEE’ the power of music?
bv Catherine Starek

If you answered yes, you aren’t alone. Some symphony orchestras are exploring innovative audio-visual performance options, such as James Westwater‘s symphonic photochoreography.

What is symphonic photochoreography? James Westwater explains: “Symphonic photochoreography is an innovative art form that engages audiences worldwide with evocative, multi-image photographic essays choreographed and performed live to selected works of classical music.” Learn more>>





Baltimore Symphony performs a Westwater KCC piece.

I have attended two such performances, combining video and live orchestra.  The first was a performance of the Wizard of Oz by the North Carolina Symphony.

Every summer, the NC Symphony performs in Cary’s beautiful Koka Booth Amphitheatre. It is a lovely space with an expansive lawn, acres of surrounding forest, and a uniquely designed wooden stage situated next to Symphony Lake.  Members of the NCS staff roamed throughout the crowd, dressed as various Oz characters for the concert and screening of the Wizard of Oz.  The children’s  faces lit up with glee at the opportunity to meet Glinda the good witch, participate in the pre-concert “instrument zoo,” and stretch out on the lawn with their family for a picnic.  It was absolutely delightful.

North Carolina Symphony at Koka Booth (or Emerald City), July 10, 2010

Once the concert began, familiar sights and sounds flooded my senses. Hearing the music live was so exciting and the North Carolina Symphony performed with excellent precision and dynamic passion. The music coordinated perfectly with the moving images on the screen (sound track removed, of course). This was not only one of the most memorable concert experiences I have ever had, it made me appreciate the great talent, musical expression, and dynamism of the North Carolina Symphony musicians even more.

Video Games Live was another spectacular audio-visual performance experience. The Music Center at Strathmore located in North Bethesda, MD presented Video Games Live during their 2010-2011 concert season.  The multi-media extravaganza featured renowned video game composer, Tommy Tallarico, and incorporated members of the National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale.  This too was an interactive audience experience.  Some of the highlights included Guitar Hero play-offs, an audience costume contest — although this time, instead of mini Dorothy’s and flying monkeys, Nintendo characters such as the Mario Bros and even Tingle from the Legend of Zelda co-mingled in the hall — and a Video Games Live soundtrack and poster raffle.

Tingle, missing his balloon – Strathmore presents Video Games Live on April 7, 2012

The concert itself incorporated dynamic, rock concert lighting, video game screen shots projected on three enormous screens on stage, and the National Philharmonic performing video game music live.  Members of the audience ranged across all generations and people young and old found common ground with video games they had grown up with and loved.  I felt like I was in a sports stadium.  As the concert progressed, the audience would interact with the performance onstage (without the fear that normally accompanies the interruption of an orchestra).  People would laugh, cheer, clap and outright holler with approval. You could tell everyone was having a great time.  It was another exciting concert that I will never forget. (Read about the entire experience here>>)

What does this mean in terms of audience development,
especially among younger audiences?


The themes running throughout the majority of comments about this type of format run from interactive and intergenerational, to dynamic, exciting, and more.  Concerts that stimulate both the visual and audio senses, at least in my opinion, seem stickier.  Highly memorable and interactive.  Finding common ground with so many members of your community is exciting in itself and I think these concerts provide a forum that makes this possible.  It’s not just music, it’s a concert experience...a shared concert experience that becomes a story that audiences want to share with their family and friends.

With innovative partnerships, dynamic multimedia, and exciting, multi-sensory audience experiences such as these, I encourage symphony orchestras to continue thinking outside of tradition, push their creative boundaries, and connect with their audiences in a variety of ways that are relevant and interesting to them.  This means you have to know your audience, which takes time and stems from strong relationships.  With audio-visual performances to facilitate social interaction and common ground, and enthusiastic, dedicated arts organizations, I think symphony orchestras in the U.S. and abroad have a lot to look forward to on the audience development horizon.

As Ms. Fanizza of Audience Development Specialists would say:
“Cheers to happy and loyal audiences!”

What do you think of these “unconventional” performances? Do you think multi-sensory performances are distracting or enhancing to the symphony orchestra experience?

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Recommended Reading

More than Meets the Ear: Orchestras dive into the wide, wide world of multimedia performance.
 This issue of SYMPHONY Magazine “highlights how orchestras utilize and benefit from multimedia, such as Westwater’s photochoreography (article cover photo).”

The League of American Orchestra’s SYMPHONY magazine.

To read the article, click here>>

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Catherine Starek holds a bachelor’s of music education degree from UNC-Wilmington and is pursuing a master’s of arts management at American University in Washington, DC. She is completing her graduate research on the Millennial generation, and effective strategies for engaging younger audiences and donors in the U.S. symphony orchestra experience. [:O)]

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Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Audience development for the arts: TEAMWORK (Or you cannot leave social marketing just to the marketing department)

I hope you had a nice weekend!  After walking a 10k, I wasn’t able to post on Monday, but I will be back on Friday with my typical plucky commentary.

It’s Wednesday, and I have a guest blog post for you as promised.  Today, my friend and colleague, Howard Seth Cohen, submitted a post about social marketing teamwork.  I agree wholeheartedly that social media tasks should not be left to the marketing department alone.  It’s called social media for a reason, right?  Please do give us feedback on how you are conducting your social media for your organization.  What is working for you?  What is not? 

Here are Howard’s thoughts, and I hope you agree too.

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TEAMWORK (Or you cannot leave social marketing just to the marketing department)
by Howard Seth Cohen

As arts organizations look to the social web to engage past and future audiences, the one massive misstep they can make is to think that the only way to engage is through an official channel, e.g. a theater company’s Facebook page.

An ‘official’ Facebook page or Twitter account, while important, can get bogged down in two different ways:
1. The posts and shares and activities can be hampered by the illusory need to stay on brand, and a feeling that each post must be precious, perfect, and on point.
2. When you keep your online activity confined to an official channel, you are only speaking to an audience that is already aware of you and your mission.

Your goal on the social web is to interact with new audiences just as much as it is to reinforce your relationships with your current group of supporters.

The social web of today is just like word of mouth marketing used to be before our telephones became portable and morphed into pocket computers. You want to activate a wide swath of supporters to spread your message for you, in attractive bits of snackable content that reach out to new people- potential audience members that are outside of your current social circles.

You cannot control how someone else uses social media, so simply inviting someone to an event, or emailing, or posting to your page’s wall is not sufficient. Posting to social media once is never enough. If your goal is to reach everyone, you must constantly post so that a relevant message is shared on someone’s wall when they choose to be on line.

The best way to do this is to think of your entire staff as a TEAM of promoters…
Keep the ‘carefully thought out on brand message’ for the official page, and then have everyone, from your interns to board members to guest artists to creative team posting regularly.

Train your team to search for and engage with each other’s posts (re-share, like, and comment on them.) This way, you game the Edgerank algorithm into thinking that your content is important enough to share with more people, and become a Top Story.

Your organization has the power to utilize social media to foster growth and create a larger community of like-minded people ready to support your mission. But you cannot forget that the first word in “Social Media” is SOCIAL. Now is the time to engage your entire team in a thoughtful effort to increase your visibility online. Support in joining social networks, and learning how to create effective posts.

Unfortunately, arts organizations are usually overburdened with production duties, and effective, subversive promotions like this that take time and concerted effort to achieve are never implemented. But they should be.

Understanding that you have to be where your audience is should incite action to engage with them on the social networks where they spend their free time. Communication through social media is the norm for your audience’s demographic. If your current attempts are not effective, it does not mean that social media is not the right place to find your audience… It may just mean you have to reassess how you are reaching out to them. Rethink your social engagement priorities to utilize the social networks your staff already has at their fingertips.

When a team works together to expand their reach, the true power of the social web can create word of mouth that consistently drives new eyes to your content, and eventually your productions themselves. [:O)]

Howard Seth Cohen runs Thomas Hampton Reviews, a free service that helps artists and producers create great looking pr tools. He creates social strategies for online promotions as lead consultant at socialservicesLA.

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Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Although we are not a non-profit, if you would like to support ADS to continue our work, you can donate here.

New eBook!  The How of  Audience Development for the Arts: Learn the Basics, Create Your Plan

Why wasn’t I invited? Audience development for the arts

I haven’t been online that much this weekend.  I needed some time away to recharge my batteries (as well as the batteries of all my iStuff).  Today, I was looking at ARTicles and discovered that our Mahlerfest happened this weekend.  I had no idea!  I knew that this local festival was in May, but I completely did not see it on the radar.  I happen to be a big Mahler fan.  I am a horn player after all.  I have even gone to a past Mahlerfest.  Why wasn’t I invited?

I am a slightly younger audience profile than their typical audience member.  These are the reasons why they missed me this year:

1. I do not buy a newspaper.  Sorry newspaper industry, but I usually get my information online.
2. I did not see any online ads, so I had no idea.
3. I had bought my ticket at the door the year I went.  They did not have my information from that transaction.
4. I did not see any posters around town.
5. Despite knowing a few people involved with this organization, I did not receive an email about it.
6. The free weekly I usually pick-up was not available at the locations I went to over the weekend.  So if they placed an ad here, it was missed.
7. They didn’t reach out to other organizations to collaborate. I was involved in a classical music event a few weeks ago.  A trade would have alerted me to their festival.
8. Perhaps they don’t have an ambassador program to spread the word around town.
9. They probably do not have an audience development program to get to know the people in their area that enjoy classical music, and more to the point, people that love Mahler.
10. Your guess here…

You see, I fit the profile of someone that would enjoy their concerts.  I am directly in their area.  I am involved in the arts community, and more specifically, the classical music community.  I have even been to a concert in the past.  Without audience development, all the yesteryear marketing in the world did not reach a younger generation potential audience member like me.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Although we are not a non-profit, if you would like to support ADS to continue our work, you can donate here.

New eBook!  The How of  Audience Development for the Arts: Learn the Basics, Create Your Plan

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Arts Audience Development and new ideas for new audiences!

TGIF! Today, I wanted to alert you of an idea from Audiences NI (North Ireland).  They have sent me the information on their latest audience development program, Test Drive the Arts NI. Straight from their website:

Test Drive the Arts NI is an audience development initiative, funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and managed by Audiences NI. Similar initiatives have run across the UK and further afield, including Sweden and Australia. The initiative takes the concept of taking a car for a test drive and applies it to the arts. Research shows that many people who try the arts for the first time will discover how much they enjoy the experience and go on to become attenders. The initiative uses unsold tickets and therefore availability is strictly limited. A range of arts organisations are involved in the initiative, including Belfast Film Festival, Belfast Waterfront, the Grand Opera House, Lyric, Moving on Music, Queen’s Film Theatre, Ulster Hall and Ulster Orchestra with many more to come.

The initiative was based in Belfast initially and was rolled out across Northern Ireland in April 2010. There are many regional organisations involved including the Alley Theatre in Strabane, the Market Place Theatre in Armagh, Millennium Forum in Derry / Londonderry and the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh.

Audiences NI is the audience development agency for Northern Ireland. If you want to know more about us please visit our website.

Reading further into this idea, the tickets are only available to people over 18 that have not yet purchased a ticket from the particular cultural organization within 3 years, and you can only sign up for test drive tickets one time.  This is to ensure that other people that are new to the performing arts have a chance to receive these tickets. Plus, if you don’t find an event that suits you currently, you can sign up for alerts for future events!

I have seen a few other ideas that are similar.  Such as:

• Bring a friend programs
• Cultural library passes
• Comp ticket programs
• Rush tickets
• If you can think of any other programs, please reply in our comment box!

The fact Audiences NI is lending a hand to organize an initiative for interested cultural organizations in their area is a definite bonus.  The extra exposure will serve the participating cultural organizations well.   They also have included a tell-a-friend email system which will help increase interest for this program.

Audiences NI has done a fantastic job with all the details of this program.  It has been recently reported that Test Drive the Arts NI has reached the milestone of 10,000 successful applicants this year.  Now we know that this program really works, and I hope to see similar initiatives implemented soon!

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Although we are not a non-profit, if you would like to support ADS to continue our work, you can donate here.

New eBook!  The How of  Audience Development for the Arts: Learn the Basics, Create Your Plan

How to choose the right ticketing solution for arts audience development

This week I was truly a happy audience development geek when I found Capterra’s ticket software filter.  If you are looking for a ticketing solution, this filter is the best for discovering what you can get for your budget.  Instead of being caught up in the better marketing of some companies, you can now compare features to features to find exactly what you need!

A ticketing program is very important when it comes to audience development.  In fact, it is more important than people realize.  Your ticketing system can either help you or harm you when it comes to audience development.  It is best to have a system where you can track and segment to reach the right people for each particular show or event.  I also feel it is important that the system can track your efforts.  I am a big fan of having the system be able to handle your fundraising and membership tasks as well.  The more you can get closer to an “all-in-one” system, the better off you will be.

It used to be that a system of this nature cost a ton of money.  Only the bigger organizations could afford to buy.  The good news is that during my research for smaller to mid-size organizations (and budgets), I found a list of very affordable solutions that are feature rich and could translate into fantastic audience development opportunities if used to the solutions’ potential.

Here is the list of requirements I wanted for under $7,000, 2-9 users, and Windows/Web based/Mac capable:

• Barcode / Ticket Scanning (94) – This is important so we can finally start tracking who is showing up!
• Box Office POS (90)
• CRM Integration (59)
• Custom Ticket Designs (83) – It allows you a place for sponsor logos & invites for upcoming shows.
• Customer Data Collection (89)
• Customer Database (95)
• Customizable Branding (87) – A must for audience development.
• Customizable Fields (94) – Another must for audience development!
• Customizable Reporting (93)
• Data Import/Export (103)
• Database Integration (80)
• Demographic Data (67)
• Fundraising (56) – Remember the all-in-one ultimate goal!
• Installation Support (86)
• Membership Management (64) – You can handle sponsorship levels with this feature on most solutions!
• No Fixed Fee (60)
• Online Ticketing (98)
• Onsite Ticketing (91)
• Print-at-Home Fulfillment (90)
• Remote / Kiosk Sales (70)
• Reporting (105)
• Reserved Seating (81)
• Reserved Ticketing (86)
• VIP & Discount Tickets (93)
• Volunteer Management (18) – ChoiceCRM & Glitnir only for this search!  I hope more solutions add this soon.

One feature I decided to cancel on my search was “Online User Selects Seats.”  This would be a nice feature, but if you are budget conscious, I think for now it is best to think of all the other features first.  If they need exact seats, they can call.

I must say that I am not endorsing one over the other, although I have my opinions.  Here is the list of all the ticketing solutions I found that had these features (in order of Capterra’s list, not mine):

Box Office Software

[Learn more]

SABO 17 reviews

[Learn more]

Performing Arts Ticketing 5 reviews

[Learn more]

Choice Ticketing
[Learn more]

Glitnir Ticketing – Glitnir Ticketing System

2 reviews

[Learn more]

TICKETsage – TICKETsage Custom Solutions

6 reviews

Box Office Solutions (Hardware and Software).  [Learn more]

If you are windows or web based only, there were a few more ticketing solutions in this price range that came up. If you are on a really tight to non-existent budget, I really liked PrimeTix for the lowest costs.  If you want audience development features that a Brown Paper Tickets or EventBrite solution does not have, I would say this is a great alternative to start building relationships with your audience members:

PrimeTix

[Learn more]

In my opinion, a ticketing solution needs to be user friendly, have the ability to track your efforts, be customizable when it comes to the data you input (and export), and be able to keep as much of your organizational functions in one system as possible.  Having fundraising, membership, and volunteer management combined with your ticketing, makes sense to me.  You need the ability to capture a complete picture of your audience members in order to be able to build the best relationships with them.  This is why choosing your ticketing solution is important and well worth the time spent on getting it right!

PS  I have spoken to a few of these services. Look for more volunteer management and class management additions on the horizon!

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Although we are not a non-profit, if you would like to support ADS to continue our work, you can donate here.

New eBook!  The How of  Audience Development for the Arts: Learn the Basics, Create Your Plan

Audience development diversity, but at what cost?

Let’s pretend it is Welcome Wednesday just for this moment.  Due to my workload, I was not able to post my guest blog that was scheduled.

On Monday I found the following article:

Portland introduces new diversity goals for local arts and culture groups seeking public funds http://bit.ly/zgoefv.

This article has caused a bit of discussion.  Mainly, most of us are in favor of promoting diversity, but forcing diversity in this fashion might be a little too extreme.  My colleague Drew McManus over at his blog Adaptistration found a thoughtful comment on Joe Patti’s Butts in the Seats blog (love the blog, but hate the name).  Mainly Patti declares the need for the guidelines of this program to be more clearly stated, and that simply taking action for more inclusion may not transfer to true inclusion.  I recommend reading his thoughts.

Again, due to being busy this week, I have not been able to put my own thoughts into words, but my friend and colleague, Amy Wratchford did a fantastic job of formatting a very thorough rebuttal.  My thoughts echo this line of thinking.   Please welcome Amy as our guest blogger, and let us know what you think by replying.

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Amywratchford’s blog

Misguided Means to Unintended Ends: Portland’s arts diversification plan

This article came across my Twitter stream this afternoon and immediately piqued my interest.  On the surface, a city like Portland linking funding for arts organizations to racial diversification of their boards, staff, contractors, and eventually audience sounds like an innovative and progressive idea.  Diversification of voices around the table is a good thing and we should all invite a variety of voices to the conversation.  However, linking vital public funding to blanket benchmarks can’t be healthy.  While I understand this policy is still in its infancy and “years from completion,” the information covered in the article is plenty to make me wary.

Here are some of my concerns:

• Arts organizations, their missions and their audiences, are as diverse as the city itself.  Suggesting that every organization should be striving for the same benchmarks goes against the very reason they are distinct organizations in the first place.
• What about organizations that are not producing work that speaks to a large and diverse audience?  We, as an industry, have decried funders dictating programming for decades.  Is it OK here because diversity for diversity’s sake is seen as a good end result?  There should be room in a vibrant arts ecosystem for niche companies and each of those will serve a different audience.  You can’t force an audience to be interested in a type of programming and you shouldn’t force an organization serving a distinct audience to turn from its mission in order to secure public funds.
• Requiring a certain level of spending (30% of their budget is the “ideal” mentioned in the article) on communities of color is misguided.  How would this play out?
  • Do the Mayor and City Commissioners understand that each dollar an arts organization spends is already stretched to the limit and that few companies can simply divert funds in this way?
  • Does this mean a forced quota for staff, artists, and contractors?  What happened to allowing companies to hire the best person for the job, regardless of ethnicity?
  • Throwing marketing money at underserved communities may be the antithesis of actual engagement of these communities
• Why just enforce ethnic diversity?  I’m willing to bet that there isn’t a direct correlation between the gender split of the staff and boards of Portland’s arts organizations and the population of the city as a whole.  What about gay voices at the table?  The disabled community?  Religious beliefs?  Socio-economic status?  Diversity comes in all shapes and sizes and each organization daily contends with reaching out to those audiences who could be interested in their work.

Instead of making arts organizations jump through ever more hoops to reach benchmarks unrelated to their mission, how about some of these ideas:

• Rewarding organizations for diving deep into the communities to which a company’s programming speaks?
• Judge an organization on their dedication to fulfilling their mission and the steps they take to engage and broaden their audience in ways that make sense for them?
• Celebrate diversity in all its forms within the arts community

I applaud the Portland city leadership for looking for ways to encourage diversity.  I just fear they are heading down a path that will be detrimental for all involved.  As always, I’d love to know what you think.  Please continue this conversation in the comments below. [:O)]

Amy Wratchford is managing director of the American Shakespeare Center.  As the company’s chief administrative and financial officer, Amy oversees finance, marketing, development, and other business management functions for the ASC.  Before joining the ASC, Amy served as managing director of Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta, a theatre dedicated to supporting women artists, forging community partnerships, and developing new work.  Previously, she worked in a number of capacities in theatre in New York City, including producer, director, and actor.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in Acting from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and a master’s in fine arts degree in Performing Arts Management from Brooklyn College.

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Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,
Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”
~James Stewart

Join us for our next webinar:
March 16th – Noon ET
Working with Mobile Technology to Develop Your Audience
With the rapid adoption of web-enabled cell phones, smartphones and tablet computers, what options are available to arts professionals who want to engage their audiences via mobile devices? How can artists and organizations implement these options cost effectively without taking focus away from the art?

        

Shoshana Fanizza, Audience Development Specialists
Co-hosted with David Dombrosky, Chief Marketing Officer, InstantEncore
Co-produced with David Weuste, Rosebrook Classical

To Register: Click Here! 

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Although we are not a non-profit, if you would like to support ADS to continue our work, you can donate here.

New eBook!  The How of  Audience Development for the Arts: Learn the Basics, Create Your Plan

Audience Development and building younger audiences – 9/16 Noon ET #auddev chat

I invited Connie Rhind Robey an arts marketing consultant in Washington, DC and Amy Higgins who is on the board with San Francisco Opera’s Bravo Club (a group of young professionals) to co-host today’s #auddev chat.  We discussed building younger audiences.  The agenda was set for discussing:

• Definition of younger audiences – how do you define “younger audiences?”  Which received a variety of replies.
• Discounts and socials only? These are popular methods for attracting a younger audience, but is there more that we can do to create loyal younger audiences?
•  Examples – We asked people to post ideas of what they are doing, and some brainstorming occurred for new ideas as well.
• What works and what doesn’t – We mostly discussed what is working.  The main point is to find ways to attract the younger audiences and then engage with them instead of just hooking them and hoping they will stick around.

To summarize, we discovered that younger audiences can be defined demographically from 18-46.  We also need to consider the psychographics involved.  A 50 year old could have the outlook of a 40 year old, etc.  To attract a loyal younger audience, we need to find ways that will appeal to them.  In order to attract a wide base of younger people, which spans several generations, programs and events do need to be created to cater to specific generations. Although many people like social events, the aspects of the social event may need to change to be more appealing for each generation.  For example, providing more hands on experiences will attract and click with GenY.  For GenX,  providing more intimate experiences may be just the ticket.  Of course these are generalizations and one-size does not fit all when considering individuals.  However, there is a grain of truth to discovering what each generation would prefer. Finding ways to connect with them on their terms can make all the difference to building relationships with these audience members.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”

~James Stewart

The following is the complete #auddev chat.  Feel free to add your own ideas and comments by replying. 

@AudienceDevSpec We will be speaking with Connie Rhind Robey and Amy Whiggins. #auddevFri Sep 16 15:59:52 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730229452382208 – #18
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@AudienceDevSpec Welcome to #auddevchat! I am Shoshana from Audience Development Specialist and am here with @amywhiggins & @arts_marketing.Fri Sep 16 16:00:31 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730391545462786 – #19
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@AudienceDevSpec Are you both there? #auddev@amywhiggins @arts_marketingFri Sep 16 16:00:46 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730453210112002 – #20
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@arts_marketing I am here and excited to be part of today’s chat. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:01:05 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730535229718528 – #21
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@amywhiggins HI everyone! I’m ready to get this party started! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:01:18 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730589726314496 – #22
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@AudienceDevSpec I have asked @amywhiggins @arts_marketing to introduce themselves. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:02:12 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730813676986368 – #23
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@arts_marketing I work on marketing for arts organizations, including the Smithsonian Craft Show, Corcoran BPW and Wellesley. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:02:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730924754731008 – #24
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@AudienceDevSpec Follow #auddev to chat about building younger audiences. To reply, no need to @ anyone, use the #auddevtag.Fri Sep 16 16:02:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114730964520943617 – #25
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@amywhiggins I’m on the board with @sfobravoclub – we are a group of young professionals – growing the love of #opera #auddevFri Sep 16 16:03:19 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731095144148993 – #26
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@arts_marketing And I try in all I do to bring in younger audiences. So I think about what is “younger”/how to make that aud a part of larger aud #auddevFri Sep 16 16:03:52 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731234713812992 – #27
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@amywhiggins @ZaarlySF join our tweet chat #auddevFri Sep 16 16:04:04 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731283271254016 – #28
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@AudienceDevSpec Let’s talk about that. What is “younger audience” mean to you? #auddev@amywhiggins @arts_marketingFri Sep 16 16:04:27 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731380499423232 – #29
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@amywhiggins @thelittletheatr on twitter – follow #auddev– I’m using tweetchatFri Sep 16 16:04:33 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731407003238400 – #30
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@AudienceDevSpec I hope you can join us on #auddevchat. Talking about building younger audiences. @pnomanFri Sep 16 16:05:39 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731682875179008 – #31
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@amywhiggins for us “younger” is 20-40 yrs old – #opera is not for the gray hairs any more damn it #auddevFri Sep 16 16:05:45 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731709945233408 – #32
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@arts_marketing For Craft Show, I generally think of “younger” as 35-50 or so, which is younger than our ave. Interested in what other groups think. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:06:06 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731795345444864 – #33
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@AudienceDevSpec So your definition is 20-40 @amywhiggins and @arts_marketing is 35-50. That is a difference! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:06:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731891592151040 – #34
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@LindaInPhoenix #auddevYounger relative to what/whom?Fri Sep 16 16:06:33 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114731908780408833 – #35
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@AudienceDevSpec This would place us in the murky land of GenY and GenX. LOL. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:07:04 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732040406056961 – #36
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@AudienceDevSpec Good point! #auddevYounger relative to what/whom? via @LindaInPhoenixFri Sep 16 16:07:33 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732161243947009 – #37
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@amywhiggins @LindaInPhoenix true- esp. with classical art. different with say modern art maybe #auddevFri Sep 16 16:07:34 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732163756343296 – #38
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@AudienceDevSpec So do we not consider teenagers and younger to be a younger audience too? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:08:11 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732322452021250 – #39
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@arts_marketing I often think of younger than the “average” audience. Perhpas an audience that will continue to build an interest in the art/music #auddevFri Sep 16 16:08:12 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732326000406528 – #40
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec Watch out for Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Vibes programme to woo younger audiences #auddevFri Sep 16 16:08:14 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732332849696769 – #41
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@LindaInPhoenix #auddevHow do you aculturate youth 18-24 to being audience members?Fri Sep 16 16:08:20 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732357021474816 – #42
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@AudienceDevSpec @maricarjagger What are they doing over there? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:08:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732397672660992 – #43
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@operaskank Hope it’s OK if I just sit in the corner for a bit of the #auddevdiscussion.Fri Sep 16 16:09:14 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732583358693376 – #44
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@MarilynArtsmart I agree – younger meaning what? Chronological age is unreliable as a gauge #auddevFri Sep 16 16:09:21 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732614379782144 – #45
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@maricarjagger Vibes – Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s brand new membership scheme for 16-25 year olds – that young! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:09:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732627239501824 – #46
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@arts_marketing The experience of being “in the audience” is different for music/performance and for visual arts #auddevFri Sep 16 16:09:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732627730239490 – #47
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@AudienceDevSpec Since we have a range of ages for “younger audiences”. Let’s start with the 18-24. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:09:34 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732669035753473 – #48
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec I’d be lucky if I get anyone under 40 to concerts usually, although we are home to uni students in Portsmouth #auddevFri Sep 16 16:10:16 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732843627843584 – #49
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@AudienceDevSpec This group is the GenY, how do we build a connection with them? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:10:18 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732852628824064 – #50
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@thelittletheatr What about community theatre, especially one that has been around for almost 80 years? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:10:20 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732861436862466 – #51
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@amywhiggins @LindaInPhoenix @sfobravoclub welcomes 18-24 yrs olds, w/ our education events -hard to have them at our social events at bars #auddevFri Sep 16 16:10:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732936108060673 – #52
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@maricarjagger @operaskank *wave* #auddevFri Sep 16 16:10:50 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114732987446337537 – #53
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins Can you tell us more about the events? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:10:54 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733002147373056 – #54
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@arts_marketing When we’ve targeted early 20s in events, find that they drift away after the event and there’s no continuing interest #auddevFri Sep 16 16:11:25 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733134452490241 – #55
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@AudienceDevSpec @maricarjagger Sounds like you have an opportunity with students. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:11:26 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733139871547392 – #56
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing Are you offering them a reason to stick around? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:11:50 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733239951831041 – #57
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@amywhiggins our events vary- education & social, plus cheaper tixs to shows ($50/ $35) to @sfopera #auddevFri Sep 16 16:12:08 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733315386384384 – #58
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@arts_marketing I think the issue is that their interest in the 1st place was the food/wine at the event and there was no real connection to the art #auddevFri Sep 16 16:12:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733480377712640 – #59
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@AudienceDevSpec So is offering social events and cheaper tickets the only way to connect with GenY? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:13:06 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733558429532160 – #60
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@AudienceDevSpec My feeling is we need to dig deeper. This generation is very hands on, which is why events are a big draw for them. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:13:44 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733715590090752 – #61
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@amywhiggins Education- we had one last night @iicsanfrancisco – costumes from Puccini with talk from Nicola, musical dir. @sfopera then.. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:13:56 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733768073416705 – #62
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing So how can we get them to feel more connected with the art? #auddev(getting somewhere here! )Fri Sep 16 16:14:09 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733822658097152 – #63
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@amywhiggins social- we all went out to dinner together to get to know each other #auddevFri Sep 16 16:14:19 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733865439993856 – #64
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@AudienceDevSpec I like the educational component, @amywhiggins #auddevFri Sep 16 16:14:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733945148555264 – #65
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@arts_marketing @Elena_TPKnits Please chime in! Use the #auddevhashtag so everyone can follow along.Fri Sep 16 16:14:39 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114733949665812480 – #66
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@arts_marketing I would say we need the initial event to have more connection to the art–rather than being primarily about the food/wine. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:15:21 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734125981765632 – #67
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@amywhiggins @arts_marketing that’s why I never went to the social events- you need to make them connect w/ the art #auddevFri Sep 16 16:15:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734135255367680 – #68
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@AudienceDevSpec So it does need to be more than just wine/beer and snacks. We need to connect them to the art. Education is one way. Other ways? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:16:09 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734327018954752 – #69
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@LindaInPhoenix #Auddevsitting here with a 20something who says “what engages? – besides free pizza?” gott be really emotionally dynamic and interactiveFri Sep 16 16:16:17 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734358706925568 – #70
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@arts_marketing @amywhiggins Exactly me too. Also, why we have targeted a little older as we have a big gap in age. I know we’ll talk about that 2. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:16:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734389732188160 – #71
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@AubrieF As a member of GenY, I find that my peers and I are much more willing to spend money when we’re actively participating #auddevFri Sep 16 16:16:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734410196201472 – #72
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing From what I know of students who have ‘turned around’ it’s knowing that it’s a place for them #auddevFri Sep 16 16:16:40 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734454379003904 – #73
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@arts_marketing @maricarjagger GREAT point! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:16:55 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734519176798208 – #74
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@LindaInPhoenix #auddevalso high risk, high reward for the 18-24 group. can push limits at that age that 35-50 group won’t pushFri Sep 16 16:17:02 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734547312197632 – #75
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@AudienceDevSpec …however, I personally invited this group of people to come. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:17:05 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734562298437632 – #76
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing That’s why holding events for esp for them might help #auddevFri Sep 16 16:17:19 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734618216894464 – #77
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@AudienceDevSpec @LindaInPhoenix Can you expand on that thought? #auddevpush limits?Fri Sep 16 16:17:36 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734688731545600 – #78
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing Seeing people their own age might help! #auddev #notforgranniesFri Sep 16 16:17:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734741441347585 – #79
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@arts_marketing I’ve also found early 20s tend to move a lot (maybe that’s a DC phenomenon). That they’re here a year or two and then leave. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:18:15 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734855522226176 – #80
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@AudienceDevSpec I think the younger generations are hands on due to how the world is for them. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:18:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734913516863488 – #81
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@amywhiggins @maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing that’s what our social events do- and they are free- same age, same interest #auddevFri Sep 16 16:18:33 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114734930503811072 – #82
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@operaskank I’m going to toss a library-related observation into the #auddevconvo…Fri Sep 16 16:19:37 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735198041686017 – #83
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@maricarjagger @amywhiggins @AubrieF Is it true though that certain age group might just be ‘too busy’ to ever attend cultural events? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:19:40 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735211723501568 – #84
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@AudienceDevSpec Events are part of it, especially educational events, and since they are hands on, can you think of ideas that get them in the art? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:19:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735222091808768 – #85
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins @maricarjagger @arts_marketing What type of activities would get you to come? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:20:37 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735450253570048 – #86
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing back to getting people to feel affinity for the art, I think we need to start younger! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:20:53 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735516829749248 – #87
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@amywhiggins we have trio series for @sfobravoclub members – less $ tixs, & then we all meetup during intermission – gr8 discussions happen! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:21:01 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735548664524800 – #88
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@AudienceDevSpec @maricarjagger @amywhiggins @AubrieF I don’t think they are too busy. They choose other activities instead right now. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:21:15 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735610283032576 – #89
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@operaskank About a year ago, we invited students and faculty to participate in some usability testing for our library’s website upgrade…#auddevFri Sep 16 16:21:23 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735640955990017 – #90
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins So discussions are a main attraction. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:21:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735726540763136 – #91
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins @arts_marketing Much the same like pre-concert talk, but aimed at ‘them’ #auddevFri Sep 16 16:21:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735726079385600 – #92
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@amywhiggins @threedukes Please join us under #auddev– would lov your insightFri Sep 16 16:22:05 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735817947217920 – #93
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@AubrieF Access to the artists is compelling, events that include an opp for discourse with the people behind the art #auddevFri Sep 16 16:22:10 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114735841481474048 – #94
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@AudienceDevSpec From what I observe, GenY are hungry to participate. They like to discuss and do hands on activities. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:22:55 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736027918274560 – #95
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@operaskank In order to make this more appealing to students, most of whom are in the 19-25 age range, we provided free pizza…#auddevFri Sep 16 16:23:01 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736055361617921 – #96
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec yes! Don’t you get tired of going to the bar scene just to get hit on- by dudes with nothing to say 🙂 #auddevFri Sep 16 16:23:03 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736063129452544 – #97
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins Hahaha! That would make a great campaign! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:23:36 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736200174149632 – #98
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@threedukes @amywhiggins To an outing, or amidst the #auddev hashtag? I mean, what is #auddev?Fri Sep 16 16:23:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736249423675392 – #99
geo info: Point – lat = 36.97563238 – long = -122.02554921
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins @AubrieF It’s true that they choose to do something else, pay for something else, how to change that? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:24:09 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736339873837056 – #100
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@arts_marketing Love the hands on point and connections 2 the artists. That’s what makes it fun for all ages. And targeting Gen Y with that is great #auddevFri Sep 16 16:24:28 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736417212612608 – #101
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@AudienceDevSpec Moving component brought up by @arts_marketing is something to think about. Harder to build loyalty if they are going to leave. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:24:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736460757876737 – #102
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@amywhiggins @threedukes a tweetchat all about building a younger audience in the arts #auddevFri Sep 16 16:24:42 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736478575263744 – #103
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec LOL- true – the women to men ratio is amazing at some events, anyone else have that issue #auddevFri Sep 16 16:25:22 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736644359340032 – #104
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@maricarjagger @AubrieF That’s interesting and is this like post-show discussion type thing? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:25:23 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736649631576064 – #105
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@AubrieF I choose what arts I go to based on my friends and vice versa, utilize the young audiences you already have to grow that dem #auddevFri Sep 16 16:25:28 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736669143470081 – #106
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@AudienceDevSpec It does seem easier to get the younger women. How do we wrangle the boys in? LOL! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:25:54 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736777142599680 – #107
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@threedukes Awesome! “@amywhiggins: @threedukes a tweetchat all about building a younger audience in the arts #auddev”Fri Sep 16 16:25:56 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736788299464704 – #108
geo info: Point – lat = 36.97115707 – long = -122.02437144
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec Perhaps we need to look at ‘loyalty’ in a wider context – building a love for the art not just your art #auddevFri Sep 16 16:26:28 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114736920734601217 – #109
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@amywhiggins Connection to artists: I’ve started tweeting to all the @sfopera artists -we also events behind the scenes – like opera costume shop #auddevFri Sep 16 16:26:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737007309242368 – #110
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@AudienceDevSpec @maricarjagger Love that! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:26:52 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737022719098880 – #111
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@ChristianAmato My company, @thtrprjct is picking up liquor sponsorship. Thursdays are a big college night out. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:26:54 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737028683403264 – #112
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@operaskank …and we gave away gift certificates to the book store. We also wanted to make sure that they could claim bragging rights… #auddevFri Sep 16 16:27:11 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737103765639171 – #113
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@AudienceDevSpec @ChristianAmato It does need to be more than about the booze though. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:27:27 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737170450874368 – #114
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@AubrieF @AudienceDevSpec Spin an event as a great date night #auddevFri Sep 16 16:27:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737257759514624 – #115
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@AudienceDevSpec @operaskank Claiming bragging rights is important! #auddev;O)Fri Sep 16 16:27:49 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737260628422658 – #116
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@operaskank …which as one of my GenY colleagues pointed out, is a big deal for many in that age group. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:27:59 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737302554689536 – #117
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@DjDolt Need a Dj?“@ChristianAmato: My company, @thtrprjct is picking up liquor sponsorship. Thursdays are a big college night out. #auddev”Fri Sep 16 16:28:05 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737328077025280 – #118
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@AudienceDevSpec Great idea – have any of you done this? RT @AubrieF: @AudienceDevSpec Spin an event as a great date night #auddevFri Sep 16 16:28:16 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737376361840640 – #119
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@amywhiggins Bragging rights is a good point- anyone have any tips? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:28:20 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737390324695040 – #120
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@ChristianAmato Perhaps by offering free booze with the purchase of a ticket, we can build #auddev. A good way to start the night before going out?Fri Sep 16 16:28:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737429470130176 – #121
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@OutreachNerd Ack ! Is #auddevuntil 10am?Fri Sep 16 16:29:11 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737604439719936 – #122
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec @AubrieF date night? LOVE IT! how’d you do it? esp. w/ female to male ratio #auddevFri Sep 16 16:29:21 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737648370843648 – #123
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec Work with other organisations across the city. We should collaborate not compete #auddevFri Sep 16 16:29:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737680536973314 – #124
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@ChristianAmato Also to build #auddevwe will offer $5 tux with a 4square check in. It’s not just about the booze, but perks help.Fri Sep 16 16:29:47 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737754901987328 – #125
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@AudienceDevSpec @maricarjagger I think having a culture pass could get the younger generations interested & nurture non-compet. atmosphere. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:30:20 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737896686235648 – #126
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@operaskank So, for me the question is, What can arts orgs do to help potential younger audience members claim bragging rights? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:30:31 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737940147617796 – #127
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec @ChristianAmato I agree that incentives like booze is only giving you a small gain not loyalty #auddevFri Sep 16 16:30:37 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114737966831771648 – #128
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@thelittletheatr Great point! RT @maricarjagger That’s why holding events for esp for them might help #auddevFri Sep 16 16:30:49 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738017922596866 – #129
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@Elena_TPKnits @arts_marketing A large, active, eager audience of 20-30smths exists for all things arts/cultural. Target the @Etsy generation. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:31:06 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738088311390208 – #130
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@OutreachNerd Pairing up 2 fun things “to do” always a great idea. People like pairings rather than going out for just one event. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:31:07 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738092044333057 – #131
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@amywhiggins @maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec we’ve combined events with @iicsanfrancisco , Encore (Ballet) Symphonix (@sfsymphony ) #auddevFri Sep 16 16:31:13 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738116664889344 – #132
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@AudienceDevSpec I’m wondering if badges for websites/blogs and such would help with bragging rights. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:31:19 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738142766055424 – #133
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@ChristianAmato Meant $5 tix. I think perks help gain a younger aud. We also will be releasing an app, it will target usership areas and push perks #auddevFri Sep 16 16:31:35 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738208172019712 – #134
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@arts_marketing Love these ideas. Seems to me they’d apply to a broad range of people, into their 30s etc, and not just Gen Y. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:31:59 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738311351894016 – #135
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins @maricarjagger @iicsanfrancisco @sfsymphony Speaking my 4 C language – collaboration and community! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:32:02 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738323490213888 – #136
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@maricarjagger @AudienceDevSpec Easier said than done! Lots of arts organisations still behave like they are competing for audience…#auddevFri Sep 16 16:32:12 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738363864580098 – #137
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing GenX needs dates too! ;O) #auddevFri Sep 16 16:32:27 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738427911606272 – #138
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec I find that old and outdated// badges for websites #auddevFri Sep 16 16:32:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738495041454080 – #139
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@AudienceDevSpec I’m wondering if we can switch gears to the 28-46 age range. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:32:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738515354464256 – #140
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@maricarjagger @amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec @iicsanfrancisco @sfsymphony That’s great as I think if one loves the art, one would see more of arts. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:32:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738514368794625 – #141
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@arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec And even people who are married have “dates”. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:32:51 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738529141145600 – #142
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@AudienceDevSpec GenX is completely different – more individual, busy with families, yet still have arts in their background raised by Boomers. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:33:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738664558440448 – #143
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@LindaInPhoenix @AudienceDevSpec #auddevsorry its my drop in office hours and have to meet with some studentsFri Sep 16 16:33:25 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738669767770112 – #144
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@AudienceDevSpec @LindaInPhoenix That’s okay, thank you for joining us! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:33:39 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738731432411136 – #145
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@amywhiggins @arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec LOL – true dat #auddevFri Sep 16 16:33:49 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738769910972417 – #146
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing Good point! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:33:59 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738812969680898 – #147
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@AudienceDevSpec GenX is busy so our efforts need to be to the point and visually captivating to get our attention. We are the MTV generation. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:34:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114738999226138625 – #148
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@arts_marketing I think many 28-45 are interested in the arts, but don’t know where to get started. Want to find a place there. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:35:00 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739068616716288 – #149
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@AudienceDevSpec It is not so much about the bigger social events with us. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:35:06 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739093577007106 – #150
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@MarilynArtsmart I like the idea from @outreachnerd about promoting ‘pairing up’ #auddevFri Sep 16 16:35:25 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739172383789056 – #151
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@ChristianAmato Thinking about a monthly free #auddevhangout as well. Younger involved aud may come, experience free performance, win prizes. Build loyaltyFri Sep 16 16:35:53 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739291338452992 – #152
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@mitchthetenor @LindaInPhoenix @AudienceDevSpec treat them like adults. Program works they know w/more adventurous. then they will search for more #auddevFri Sep 16 16:35:58 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739311068463104 – #153
geo info: Point – lat = 32.2846868 – long = -110.93766894
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@amywhiggins Our event last night was smaller, and I loved it- I really got to know some our newer members #auddevFri Sep 16 16:36:04 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739339673616384 – #154
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@AudienceDevSpec @ChristianAmato Great idea! #auddev– free hangout, performance, win prizes.Fri Sep 16 16:36:35 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739467247562752 – #155
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@thelittletheatr We hold talk-back nites with cast, director & special guests or moderators. This is a good way to help people connect w/ “the art”. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:36:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739480841306112 – #156
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@FineArtsCenter Enjoying #auddevchat this morning! We’ve contemplated a Young Friends of the Arts club, also offer $15 student tix for all showsFri Sep 16 16:36:58 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739564026920960 – #157
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@AudienceDevSpec I have to say that I do not feel like I am being courted when it comes to arts marketing/arts events for the most part. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:37:39 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739736286998529 – #158
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@arts_marketing I think reaching an audience is also about how the events are marketed. We’ve found email, social media etc important. Not just ads #auddevFri Sep 16 16:37:46 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739766079127552 – #159
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@thelittletheatr Do you have examples of how to use social media to help connect with younger audience? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:38:03 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114739835763298304 – #160
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@arts_marketing 1 thing social media allows is to develop audience over time but also mention the event much closer as people set schedules so late #auddevFri Sep 16 16:39:21 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740162856091648 – #161
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@amywhiggins @AubrieF OH! I like that. Can we exclude single men? Oh what about those of us ladies that are single? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:39:51 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740290060943361 – #162
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@arts_marketing Also social media allows for distribution of interesting content. The “best” do a lot of that I think. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:40:15 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740392108371968 – #163
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@AudienceDevSpec @thelittletheatr I don’t have an example top of head, but I would think using YouTubes and following with discussions could be good. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:40:21 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740415999123457 – #164
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@thelittletheatr Good idea. Anyone try on #auddevtry this? MT @FineArtsCenter: We’ve contemplated Young Friends of the Arts club.Fri Sep 16 16:40:32 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740461071118337 – #165
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@colorsign #auddevYou need an event/program that ends with participant getting a work of art. and….Fri Sep 16 16:40:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740485792350208 – #166
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@AudienceDevSpec @thelittletheatr Contests are fun too. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:40:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740509842481153 – #167
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing What types of things do you do to “develop audience” over time with social media? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:41:51 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740791125090304 – #168
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@arts_marketing Has anyone started using Google+ to develop an audience? I find Twitter and FB work great. LinkedIn okay. What do others find? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:42:04 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740847249068032 – #169
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@amywhiggins We use a wide variety of social media to reach our audience #auddevFri Sep 16 16:42:06 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740855708975104 – #170
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins Which are your favorites? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:42:21 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740919235907584 – #171
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@thelittletheatr @AudienceDevSpec We just launched a YouTube channel! We also started using our blog, Facebook, Twitter. I luv this #auddevchat.Fri Sep 16 16:42:31 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114740962210746368 – #172
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@FineArtsCenter @thelittletheatr Idea came from KC’s Young Friends of the Symphony…great young pros group, helped with their #auddevfor 20-30 yr oldsFri Sep 16 16:42:44 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741015746842624 – #173
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@AudienceDevSpec @thelittletheatr The fact you can embed YouTubes almost anywhere is fantastic. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:42:56 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741067701698560 – #174
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@arts_marketing Audience development for each event builds an audience for the next event as people stay engaged. Content in between. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:43:08 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741114312994817 – #175
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@amywhiggins We have close to 2000 followers on FB, – create events there that can then be shared out w/ friends #auddevFri Sep 16 16:43:18 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741157396877312 – #176
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@Elena_TPKnits #auddevA large, active, eager audience of 20-30 somethings exists for all things arts/cultural. Target the @Etsy generation.Fri Sep 16 16:43:33 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741220475011072 – #177
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@thelittletheatr @arts_marketing What about FB chats on a related arts topic? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:43:35 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741230335819776 – #178
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@arts_marketing People who are searching for a group can find it and join. They can listen at first and engage more over time. Grows organically. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:43:59 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741330894270464 – #179
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@AudienceDevSpec @FineArtsCenter @thelittletheatr Young Pros groups is fabulous and a little different than a Young Friends group. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:44:00 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741336099405824 – #180
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@amywhiggins our twitter growth is slow, but great to talk to artists and other opera groups #auddevFri Sep 16 16:44:09 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741371507707904 – #181
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@ChristianAmato @arts_marketing google hangouts are supposed to be great. Have yet to try, but @dloehr of #2amt seems to like them. 10 only though. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:44:15 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741395624960000 – #182
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@arts_marketing Interesting idea. I’ve not seen anything like that. @thelittletheatr: @arts_marketing What about FB chats on a related arts topic? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:44:19 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741412280549376 – #183
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@AudienceDevSpec GenY is in need of more experiences for their resumes, right? So Young Pro group could help them with that. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:44:23 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741432027332609 – #184
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@AudienceDevSpec Oooo…cater with the benefits of joining these types of groups. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:44:46 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741526768254976 – #185
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@ColleenNicole I’m always for social events that further arts discussions #auddev #artsengagementFri Sep 16 16:44:58 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741576403664897 – #186
geo info: Point – lat = 40.76287938 – long = -73.915361
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@arts_marketing YES! RT @amywhiggins: We have close to 2000 followers on FB, – create events there that can then be shared out w/ friends #auddevFri Sep 16 16:45:05 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741606963359745 – #187
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@amywhiggins @thelittletheatr @arts_marketing I have opera group on FB- I use it to promote opera specials on FB in SF, but not much action #auddevFri Sep 16 16:45:08 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741618766135296 – #188
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@colorsign #auddevThis way there is collaborator/collector interaction that can be taken to the media in any form as ‘something that is happening …Fri Sep 16 16:45:12 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741634431856641 – #189
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@AudienceDevSpec @colorsign I do like your “leave with art” idea. #auddevA great incentive.Fri Sep 16 16:45:46 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741779978387456 – #190
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@mlaffs @amywhiggins is there some kind of #auddevchat happening?Fri Sep 16 16:45:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741785191907328 – #191
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@arts_marketing @amywhiggins Love Twitter. But more on a personal level as the best interactions are personal. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:46:01 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741841089400833 – #192
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins @thelittletheatr @arts_marketing Group format on FB with ability for everyone to invite easy is good. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:46:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741959259734016 – #193
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@amywhiggins Try http://t.co/3W956Syp for creating instant web pages too for ur events – really easy-I made one for my gala table -over 800 hits #auddevFri Sep 16 16:46:31 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114741967606398976 – #194
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@thelittletheatr We’re participating on great #auddevchat about building audiences for your arts organization.Fri Sep 16 16:46:40 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742003824209920 – #195
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@AudienceDevSpec So have any of you tried something that didn’t work? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:46:54 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742062141800448 – #196
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@amywhiggins @mlaffs yes- pls join us! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:47:04 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742104726581248 – #197
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@OutreachNerd Thanks, I unfortunately can’t join into this full-force, but whenever I’ve paired local events, better turnout @MarilynArtsmart #auddevFri Sep 16 16:47:21 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742177254481921 – #198
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@ColleenNicole Arts organizations come together with a common theme so audience members could go to multiple events and learn more #auddevFri Sep 16 16:47:41 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742262654713856 – #199
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@AudienceDevSpec MT @amywhiggins: Try http://t.co/r418jYXk for creating instant web pages for ur events – made one for my gala table -over 800 hits #auddevFri Sep 16 16:48:00 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742339020394496 – #200
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@LisaMcClure Opera? Have you met @trishussey & lovely wife? RT @amywhiggins: great to talk to artists & other opera groups #auddevFri Sep 16 16:48:33 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742479022063616 – #201
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@operaskank @AudienceDevSpec I’ve got to take off, but thanks for letting me chime in on the #auddevconvo!Fri Sep 16 16:48:39 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742505764958208 – #202
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@AudienceDevSpec @operaskank Thanks for stopping by! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:48:50 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742550044213248 – #203
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@arts_marketing The time it takes is one possible downside to social media. I recommend people only do what they can follow up and support. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:49:06 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742618071638017 – #204
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins @arts_marketing @mlaffs Have there been any attempts that didn’t work? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:49:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742693518778369 – #205
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing I think it is also a matter of figuring out which audiences are on which social media platform. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:50:02 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742853581815808 – #206
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@RachDminor @AubrieF Some specific examples of events and kinds of active participation you (GenY) choose would be really insightful & helpful. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:50:18 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114742919935705089 – #207
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@arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec Yes. But it’s easy to engage with the same people on all mediums. Not that that’s bad if it buildings depth. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:50:54 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743071748538368 – #208
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@AudienceDevSpec Here’s a point – the younger generations like to make their own choices. Create your own series are good! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:51:07 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743124277989376 – #209
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@RachDminor “@AudienceDevSpec: @colorsign I do like your “leave with art” idea. #auddevA great incentive.” / I like it, but sounds like pre-school 😉Fri Sep 16 16:51:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743255735861249 – #210
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing we have a some old men that hang around our social events-would love advice on how to weed them out #auddevFri Sep 16 16:51:40 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743262526451713 – #211
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec check our @sfobravoclub Trio series –http://sfopera.com/Bravo-Club/BRAVO!-Subscriptions.aspx #auddevFri Sep 16 16:52:35 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743493125087232 – #212
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing I was thinking more along the lines that X age group likes Twitter vs. Y age group likes FB, etc. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:52:51 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743561240580096 – #213
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@ChristianAmato @amywhiggins The creepy old men are the hardest to weed out. We get those too. Is it worth i? You don’t want to be rude. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:53:05 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743620074086400 – #214
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@nealcorl We’re launching a PayYourAge program @oregonballet #auddevFri Sep 16 16:53:15 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743661656408064 – #215
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@arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec Do you find that? I find everyone on Twitter is on FB, but you can engage differently on Twitter. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:53:23 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743695856762880 – #216
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@mlaffs Have those of you on the #auddev chat seen @outwestarts’ story about social media this morning? http://mkl.af/80Fri Sep 16 16:53:25 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743701879783425 – #217
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@amywhiggins @ChristianAmato as a female- I do want to be rude. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:54:06 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743876752900096 – #218
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@amywhiggins Thks! RT @mlaffs: Have those of you on the #auddev chat seen @outwestarts story about social media this morning? http://mkl.af/80 #auddevFri Sep 16 16:54:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743952145522688 – #219
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing Not sure. I think many of my friends are only on FB and not Twitter. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:54:27 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114743963746975744 – #220
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@ChristianAmato @nealcorl @oregonballet that’s great #payyourage #auddev. But what is you get a 60 yr old? Will they pay that? Works for a younger aud.Fri Sep 16 16:54:55 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744082701623297 – #221
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@amywhiggins @arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec I don’t- my tech friends hate FB #auddevFri Sep 16 16:55:07 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744130357297152 – #222
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@arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec Agreed. But do you find those on Twitter on FB? But Twitter is a better way to be in touch when interests overlap #auddevFri Sep 16 16:55:15 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744163286790144 – #223
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@arts_marketing @amywhiggins Interesting. I haven’t found that. Why do you think that’s the case? #auddevFri Sep 16 16:55:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744280798593024 – #224
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing I don’t overlap Twitter and FB much at all. Just a few select since I use FB differently. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:55:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744281490657280 – #225
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@amywhiggins @ChristianAmato @nealcorl @oregonballet love it! #payyourage – I’m so going to bring that up at our next board meeting 🙂 #auddevFri Sep 16 16:56:14 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744414634639360 – #226
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@AudienceDevSpec @ChristianAmato @amywhiggins Maybe figure out what the creepy old men do not want? ;O) #auddevFri Sep 16 16:56:23 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744450806321152 – #227
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@ChristianAmato @amywhiggins ha! I guess I understand. I try to leave that to the audience if they are uncomfortable.I dislike turning away patrons #auddevFri Sep 16 16:56:30 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744478564229120 – #228
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@AudienceDevSpec @nealcorl Tell us more! PayYourAge…#auddevFri Sep 16 16:56:41 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744525091651585 – #229
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@amywhiggins @arts_marketing privacy issues and contin. changing security features #auddevFri Sep 16 16:56:48 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744556238548992 – #230
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@thelittletheatr @arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins Great #auddevchat. Got lots of new ideas and insights. Thanks for hosting.Fri Sep 16 16:57:36 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744757724512257 – #231
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@RachDminor “@nealcorl: We’re launching a PayYourAge program @oregonballet #auddev” / Nice for very young but further isolates seniors w dwindling $Fri Sep 16 16:57:55 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744836837486592 – #232
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@AudienceDevSpec Do you think a point system would work and they get a “badge of honor” to brag with. I went to X amount of arts events. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:58:12 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744906832027649 – #233
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@arts_marketing On 28-45, I think arts orgs (all orgs) are going to have to change to fit them. Not just fit that group into what’s been happening. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:58:25 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114744963673243648 – #234
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@AudienceDevSpec @RachDminor @oregonballet I bet they have a cap on it. #auddevFri Sep 16 16:58:41 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114745030262013952 – #235
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@AudienceDevSpec @thelittletheatr Thank you for joining us! #auddevFri Sep 16 16:58:59 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114745106329911297 – #236
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@arts_marketing More hands on, more access to artists, more integration with other groups, more flexibility in picking their own series etc #auddevFri Sep 16 16:59:50 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114745317869629441 – #237
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@nealcorl @RachDminor Seniors aren’t left out – we have many discounts covering all demos #auddevFri Sep 16 17:00:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114745521087840256 – #238
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@AudienceDevSpec This is a weird thought, but after thinking about it, GenX likes to hang with GenX. Wondering if specific events could be made. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:00:40 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114745530306924545 – #239
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@AudienceDevSpec This means that if your “younger” group program is too broad ranged, it may turn off GenX. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:01:28 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114745729871921153 – #240
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec I find Gen Y hangs well with Gen X too #auddevFri Sep 16 17:02:05 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114745884163579904 – #241
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins Yes, they do, but the majority of GenX want something all their own. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:02:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746022533672960 – #242
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@arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec One thing I find in alum groups is that the younger classes love the older alums…more than they expected. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:02:42 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746041068306432 – #243
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec interesting- maybe we need diff. levels of membership? with structured pricing? #auddevFri Sep 16 17:03:30 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746240750727170 – #244
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@AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing @amywhiggins Oh, not saying never mix since that is true, but there really isn’t too many events specific for GenX. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:03:42 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746291065593856 – #245
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@dloehr @ChristianAmato @arts_marketing Ten video feeds/computers. No limit to the number of people per computer tho… #auddev #2amtFri Sep 16 17:03:59 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746364902121472 – #246
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@amywhiggins @arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec different levels equal pricing tier and levels of respect too maybe? just a thought #auddevFri Sep 16 17:04:33 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746506103357441 – #247
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@Elena_TPKnits #auddevIn my exp as viewer/visitor, NYC’s FallForDance is a hit w/all age groups, NY Opera & Ballet co’s recent ads are also “younger”Fri Sep 16 17:04:45 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746555617124352 – #248
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@AudienceDevSpec @amywhiggins @arts_marketing I think you are onto something, Amy! #auddevFri Sep 16 17:04:53 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746589574205440 – #249
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@AudienceDevSpec @Elena_TPKnits What made it a hit for all ages? Any ideas why? #auddevFri Sep 16 17:05:26 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746729395531776 – #250
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@OutreachNerd Orgs also need to listen to their audience and not just program to own tastes. Sounds contradictory but art can be too narcissistic #auddevFri Sep 16 17:05:46 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746810341400576 – #251
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@AudienceDevSpec Oh boy, we are in overtime. I want to take this moment to thank @amywhiggins & @arts_marketing for their time and expertise. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:06:01 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746874094829568 – #252
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@amywhiggins Thanks all for the great chat and ideas! I have to get going. Thks! Please follow @sfobravoclub to see what we are doing #auddevFri Sep 16 17:06:12 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114746920639004672 – #253
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@ChristianAmato Tiers work well, but what about inclusion. Different pay levels give you different alerts and insight as to what is happening. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:06:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747030055825408 – #254
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@AudienceDevSpec Thank you to @thelittletheatr @RachDminor @operaskank @AubrieF @mitchthetenor @LindaInPhoenix @maricarjagger @artemis_selena #auddevFri Sep 16 17:07:11 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747170418200577 – #255
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@cindymariej If interested in #auddev, check out hashtag. Gr8 chat just occurred (I participated thru my chat/live tweeting accnt @OutreachNerd )Fri Sep 16 17:07:34 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747263959580673 – #256
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@ChristianAmato With that, thank you to @AudienceDevSpec for organizing such a great chat! You all really got my mind turning! #auddevFri Sep 16 17:08:02 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747382754836480 – #257
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@AudienceDevSpec Also thank you to: @ChristianAmato @OutreachNerd @Elena_TPKnits @nealcorl @mlaffs @ColleenNicole @FineArtsCenter @colorsign #auddevFri Sep 16 17:08:13 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747430104342529 – #258
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@arts_marketing What a favulous chat. Thank you everyone! I learned a lot today. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:08:16 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747441282154496 – #259
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@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec @arts_marketing @ChristianAmato @OutreachNerd @Elena_TPKnits @thelittletheatr Thanks for #auddev #yourock #FF #auddevFri Sep 16 17:08:28 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747491446034432 – #260
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@AudienceDevSpec A few more thank yous: @MarilynArtsmart @threedukes #auddevFri Sep 16 17:08:55 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747603975028736 – #261
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@arts_marketing .@amywhiggins @AudienceDevSpec @ChristianAmato @OutreachNerd @Elena_TPKnits @thelittletheatr Thanks for #auddev #FF #auddevFri Sep 16 17:09:08 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747659302080514 – #262
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@AudienceDevSpec @ChristianAmato Glad to hear it! #auddevFri Sep 16 17:09:29 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747747751563264 – #263
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@arts_marketing Yes. @OutreachNerd: Orgs also need 2 listen 2 their audience/not just prgrm 2 own tastes. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:09:56 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747859844337664 – #264
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@dianakohne Great advice! “@OutreachNerd: Orgs need to listen to their audience;not just program to own tastes…art can be too narcissistic #auddev“Fri Sep 16 17:09:58 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747869700952064 – #265
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@FineArtsCenter @audiencedevspec @amywhiggins @arts_marketing Thank you all! Great ideas. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:10:22 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747970943062016 – #266
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@AudienceDevSpec Feel free to keep chatting and using #auddev tag. I will be posting a transcript later in the day. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:10:24 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114747977138057218 – #267
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@nealcorl @christianamato Hopefully a 60 year old is wise enough to know not to pay her age! (I’ll link to our program when it goes live) #auddevFri Sep 16 17:10:43 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114748057572220928 – #268
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@arts_marketing @AudienceDevSpec Thanks for organizing this Shoshana! #auddevFri Sep 16 17:11:36 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114748278553325568 – #269
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@nealcorl @AudienceDevSpec Thanks for organizing today’s #auddevchat!Fri Sep 16 17:13:12 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114748683387535361 – #270
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@Musicshosh @dianakohne @OutreachNerd Personally, I don’t think focus groups are utilized enough. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:14:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114749042185076737 – #271
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@Musicshosh I just found out there is a daily limit that Twitter is imposing now. I won’t be able to use @AudienceDevSpec for a while. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:15:25 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114749241842335744 – #272
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@OutreachNerd Second. Can’t wait to curl up with the transcript. @nealcorl: @AudienceDevSpec Thanks for organizing today’s #auddevchat!Fri Sep 16 17:15:28 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114749251204026368 – #273
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@Elena_TPKnits @AudienceDevSpec #auddevDiscounts/perks are great but content is no.1, tell me WHY your arts/music/etc event is great, then HOW to attendFri Sep 16 17:15:40 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114749301829283840 – #274
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@Musicshosh If anyone wants to chat with @AudienceDevSpec use @MusicShosh until ban is lifted (silly Twitter) #auddevFri Sep 16 17:16:38 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114749546361401345 – #275
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@OutreachNerd A great Intrinsic Feedback survey underway in #LAthtr http://t.co/nBHNTsbe #aud20 @dianakohne @OutreachNerd #auddevFri Sep 16 17:16:51 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114749599104765952 – #276
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@travisbedard @dloehr @ChristianAmato @arts_marketing 10 Participants but no limit to the people who can watch a feed i.e. HangoutParty #auddev #2amtFri Sep 16 17:21:34 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114750786923270144 – #277
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@RachDminor @AudienceDevSpec @oregonballet Cap & maybe Benjamin Button effect at a point. Pls b mindful of excluding those simply born earlier. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:22:03 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114750908918792192 – #278
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@Musicshosh @RachDminor @oregonballet Great idea! #auddevBenjamin Button effect.Fri Sep 16 17:22:53 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114751117451210754 – #279
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@RachDminor What does this mean, please? “@nealcorl: @christianamato Hopefully a 60 year old is wise enough to know not to pay her age! #auddev”Fri Sep 16 17:24:23 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114751496851173376 – #280
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@mlaffs Catching up on @outwestarts’ excellent response to @markswed’s complaints about Twitter in the concert hall http://mkl.af/81 #auddev#Fri Sep 16 17:25:14 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114751712249647104 – #281
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@nealcorl @RachDminor @ChristianAmato Just trying to say that PayYourAge isn’t the only ticket option and that older patrons recogonize value. #auddevFri Sep 16 17:32:32 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114753546083237888 – #282
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@nealcorl @oregonballet Pay Your Age http://t.co/8WwXVNVN #auddevFri Sep 16 17:35:39 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114754333203103744 – #283
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@JustIntrigueMe Catching up on #auddevchat. Lots of great tweets and ideas! @outreachnerd your survey link did not work. Would love to check it out.Fri Sep 16 17:52:08 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114758478865760256 – #284
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@RachDminor “@nealcorl: We’re launching a PayYourAge program @oregonballet #auddev” / This is what I saw & all I find b4 commenting. Good, just be clearFri Sep 16 17:55:35 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114759350169513984 – #285
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@OutreachNerd Oops thx for telling me, @JustIntrigueMe . Re-posted article I wrote which directs to compconducting surveys http://t.co/OyY7bA59 #auddevFri Sep 16 18:03:22 +0000 2011 – tweet id 114761306581647360 – #286
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@OutreachNerd And this is my reaction to being in the audience @BostonCourt on perf incl survey http://t.co/lWOZ0LQB @JustIntrigueMe #auddev

Audience development and arts relevancy

Every once in a while, I seem to need to ramble about a topic that has popped up in my head with aspirations to be explored more.  Today, I have been thinking about relevancy.  When we think about the products we buy, they need to be relevant to our lives or we will not purchase them.  Products and services have to fill a need or a want that makes sense for us.  Why should the arts be treated any differently?  In consideration of audience development, the audience will require the art to be relevant to them in order to connect with it in the first place.  In order for us to connect and build relationships with our audiences, we too need to become relevant to them.

Though, there is tradition to consider.  Yes, some of our art forms have traditional presentations.  The presentation is a part of what the arts are all about, right?  However, as I mentioned before, the arts pre-19th Century had a different presentation that was tradition in those times.  The arts were presented among the people instead of the standard of asking people to come to the arts and be subservient to the arts that was established as the new tradition.

So, if tradition is actually a standard that is set by the status quo, in order for the tradition to make sense, the traditions need to be relevant for the time (or rather relevant to the people of the time).

The status quo needs to be what people of the day accept, expect and need.  If there are changes that have happened, the status quo will change too, right?  Just because we do something the way we have always done something doesn’t mean that this way is relevant to the new times.

The arts have gone through many changes already.  The arts reflect the surrounding times and function as historical markers for points in history.  We seem to be in a battle with a time for the arts to change once again.  The old status quo is not happy with the changing status quo.  Perhaps this happens all the time, but we are now the ones living through this phenomena so it becomes a personal and relevant issue to explore once again.

The arts are very much like a living, breathing human being.  Let’s say we have a person that wants to look like they are in their 20’s even though they are 50 years old.  This person can attempt with plastic surgery, exercise, diet, etc., but to be honest, they will never be able to turn back time to become what and who they were in the past. Since the arts is a living, breathing and a changing being as well, why are we attempting to control the changes that are upon us instead of becoming accepting and adaptable to the new times with these changes?  Maybe we need to learn to accept that the changes are going to happen and become more at peace with these changes?

The way I see it, the status quo has changed.  How the new generations want to experience the arts and what they want to experience is different than what the older generations want.  The change is upon us and is inevitable, as sure as we grow older each day, we have little control over this fate and function of life. This doesn’t mean that we couldn’t have niches that glorify the days of the old, but that is what these arts presentations will be, representations of the past for people that want to remain in this past.

In order for any art form to “survive,” in terms of audience development, it must become relevant to the new status quo and format and/or blend with new traditions that are relevant. The art form must also change with the times.  The basics of the art form may still be there, but it will be different. These changes are not necessarily bad, just different.  Sometimes the changes might end up being perceived as better.  To the new status quo, they may strongly feel the changes are better.

I see this same struggle throughout history.  People struggle for old customs or values that may not be relevant for today’s general society.  The new generation marches to a different drummer.  The new generation has a different status quo, and when this new generation becomes strong, the traditions will need to change to be relevant to their wants and needs.  Why continue to hurt ourselves when it is so obvious we have once again reached this stage in the life of the arts?

We are artists after all.  Let the arts and artistic creativity be the living and breathing entity it has always been and allow it to grow and change to be relevant for today.  The struggle against this growth only robs us of valuable time and precious peace of mind and the ability to once again reflect the times and be relevant for the audiences of today.

What do you think?

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

Audience Development and the dumbing down for new audiences

Today I happened to come across this article:

The Lesson Of Britten’s ‘War Requiem’: Don’t Underestimate Younger Audiences

Basically, this article talks about how an instructor gave her students a challenging piece of music to listen to, Britten’s “War Requiem,” but found ways that the kids could relate to it so they could find meaning while they listened.  With these extra tools, tools to relate, the kids could understand, listen openly and ask  pertinent questions. They came up with well formulated comments that related to their own lives and to current events in our world.

Are these simply amazing kids or is this teacher on to something incredible?

These kids are amazing, however, the teacher was able to connect the kids to the music by finding ways they could relate, which we all can do.  It reminds me of the time I was at the National Performing Arts Convention a few years back, and I stumbled upon an Indian dance group that was performing.  This group told us stories about the dances before performing so the audience could relate to the dance and the music.  I had never seen this form of dance close and personal before, and I was delighted!  It was new to me, but I could relate since this group went the extra mile and helped me to understand through their stories.

Mainly, when it comes to reaching out to new audiences, I see attempts to dumb down the content in easy to swallow pieces.  Familiar plays, music and dance programming is starting to breed contempt.  The same old same old is being advised to hook new audiences, but from the above examples, there really isn’t a need to dumb down at all.  New audiences can enjoy new offerings if we find ways they can relate.

Of course, finding ways they can relate takes more time and effort.  It took time and effort for the teacher to come up with scenarios the kids could relate to, and it took time and effort for the dance group to find the right stories to tell their audience.  The time and effort are worth it due to this main fact- with finding ways your audience can relate, you are finding ways they can experience the joys and passions of your art, the basic reasons why your art matters in our world and how it can matter to them personally.

Audience development is about building relationships with people, but in this sense, it is also about helping your audiences, new and old, to build relationships with your art.   Dumbing down to me means that you were too lazy to go the extra mile to find ways your audience can relate to all kinds of offerings.   There is an opportunity to do better!

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”

~James Stewart

Audience Development and Classical Music concerts for newbies

I had a major thought today after reading another article about a symphony performing a free classical music concert mainly for audience development purposes.  The repertoire selected was the same old type of list: Barber of Seville, some poppy selections from South Pacific, some light operetta favorites.  Throw in pieces from Fantasia and it’s a wrap!

I agree that it is nice to choose pieces that might be familiar to people in order to get them interested in classical music.  However, if they are truly newbies to art music, go ahead and program an accessible newer piece!  Here’s my story:

I had invited a friend to a wind ensemble concert.  She had never heard a wind ensemble.  She said she was willing to give it a try.  She was familiar with a few pieces on the program, but the one she really liked was something she never heard before.  She ended up enjoying the concert mainly because of this piece.  My friend came with an open mind so it really didn’t matter if the selections were familiar, only that they were quality music performed well.

From this example, if a person truly is open and new to hearing classical music, then they will be open to hearing anything!  It’s similar to when someone hears classical music out of context, let’s say on a commercial, and they end up noticing and really digging the music.

The point is, we have an opportunity to play new music for new audiences!  We don’t have to keep performing the same, although pleasant, “gateway” pieces.  We can throw in an accessible newer piece too.  I caution with “accessible” since something outside of a new ear comfort zone could be a complete turn off.  There are pieces out there that can fit nicely into an audience development concert, even if it is for kids.

I hope the composers out there are jumping up and down.  This is an opportunity for you too.  What would you compose if faced with the challenge of creating for a brand new classical music audience?

Perhaps you might still fear the fact that if the music is unfamiliar, this new audience may not like the program.  Please do consider though that if it is truly a new experience, these people are open and ready to receive the best of what you can offer them, no matter what century the music comes from.

Cheers to happy and loyal audiences,

Shoshana

Shoshana Fanizza

Audience Development Specialists

http://www.buildmyaudience.com

“Never treat your audience as customers, always as partners.”

~James Stewart