Supporting the Arts with Technology for Good
Having one foot in the arts, one foot in digital marketing, and by extension a strong interest in how social media can help a business, the upcoming Not For Profit / Technology for Good Summit holds a lot of appeal.
I’ve become increasingly aware that online marketing is a huge opportunity for arts organizations, and I think performing arts groups in particular. One core need of every production is to generate a buzz to get butts in seats, and usually on a shoestring budget…and with the UK government announcing significant cuts in arts funding, the budgets are going to get even tighter. Social media thrives on a buzz, and costs relatively little to implement. It seems a natural match.
But, it’s in many ways still a fledgling niche of marketing. Some companies are doing great things in the social space, but many organizations are either missing opportunities, or aren’t getting involved at all. Building networks online, and effectively engaging and growing those relationships in a way that benefits your show or event, takes planning and strategy. And if there’s any budget investment, it’s vital to be able to show how that expense is paying off.
Because I can see the clear opportunity for non-profits, I’ve strongly considered dipping my toe into organizing social campaigns for a theatre company or a charity just to get the experience of doing it. This day-long conference focuses specifically on how to implement digital and social technology into Not for Profit organizations, and seems like a perfect way to gain some solid fundamental knowledge and a lot of highly practical information.
I was all ready to take a day off work and register, until I noted the date – November 15, 2010. Turns out I can’t go, because I’m not even in the UK on the day of the event – I’ll be at PubCon the week before, and still in the US on that for another week.
I think this looks like an extremely valuable day of learning. Arts budgets are being slashed in the UK, and arts marketing people are going to have to adapt their approach accordingly. Making better use of online and social media marketing is going to be an increasingly vital element of any event, and any organization attending this event stands to gain in the long term.
So here’s what I’m going to do:
I’m going to sponsor someone to go. And it could be you.
- What: TechMap Not For Profit Summit ’10
- When: Monday 15th November 2010
- Where: Hatton Conference Centre.
- What to expect: A day that combines Key Note talks from industry specific leaders with short case study talks from people who worked on some fantastic campaigns. The focus for the day will be producing tangible outcomes from each of the talks, answering big questions, providing best practices and key learnings about how to build and implement strategy in your organisation.
As a small token of support, and partly in reaction to the arts funding cuts, I have decided I will cover the cost of a conference pass for one individual working for an arts organization in the UK.
This can include, but is not limited to:
- theatre/dance companies
- art galleries
- museums
- independent directors, designers, choreographers or producers
I’m going to make it a little competition. If you would like a chance to attend this conference, simply answer these 4 questions.
- what arts organization you work for?
- what is your role there?
- what are you currently doing with social media?
- how might this conference help you?
Entries may be in whatever format you deem appropriate – a comment here, as a post on your own blog, a youtube video, whatever. Get creative.
I will be accepting entries until 5pm GMT on Thursday, November 11. The one I judge most inspiring/cohesive/compelling will be registered for the conference.
I will choose and announce a winner during the UK work day on Friday, November 12 (bearing in mind I’ll be 8 timezones away…)
UPDATE:
I am pleased to announce that techMAP has now provided a special discount rate for anyone who enters the competition, offering £5 off the early bird rate (so £70) to any entrant who wants to attend the conference. Nice!