On September 12, 2001, the theater was dark, the museum galleries were empty and the phones didn't ring. I was a shared-services marketing director then - with responsibilities to sell subscriptions and single tickets at the dawn of the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts' new season as well as to launch the new season of the not-quite-2-year-old Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. We remember the fear and uncertainty of 9/11. … [Read more...]
How Relevant is My Arts Organization? Take this Self-Test!
Arts administrators worry. We worry about cash flow. We worry about achieving and sustaining consensus. We worry about attracting and retaining quality staff team. We worry about logistics. We worry about outstanding grant applications and whether last year's donors will continue their support this year. We worry about deadlines and opening nights. We worry about why ticket sales are underperforming budget expectations. We worry about … [Read more...]
Not Nearly Enough!
“…The bottom is falling out of the way performing arts organizations do business.… People's short-term buying habits have made revenue unpredictable and precarious. This has forced performing arts companies to rethink how they allocate marketing dollars, plan their seasons and approach customer service...” New York Times, October 16, 2002 “You see,” I excitedly exclaimed to my CEO at our regular weekly meeting on the morning of … [Read more...]