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Before the conference brain bursts

Posted On November 4, 2015 By Shoshana

Usually during and after a conference my brain gets all tingly, and then it lights up with new ideas and inspirations. Today, for some reason, it is happening before the conference. Perhaps I had too much coffee this morning. A likely assessment, yet my thoughts are fairly targeted towards what we might be discussing at… 

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Round up for more audience support!

Posted On October 30, 2015 By Shoshana

I might have posted this idea before, but in view of the latest article of  “The Cost of Your Ticket” is No Way to Raise Money, I think I want to put the idea out again. Raising funds in addition to the cost of the tickets is challenging for us. The audiences are already supporting… 

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Feeling the arts again

Posted On October 19, 2015 By Shoshana

I am working on a new presentation about the magic of audience development. I hope to unveil this one soon, either via a conference, workshop, or a webinar. The presentation leads to a final conclusion, which I will share with you…feeling the arts again! We did ourselves in with the elitism. We expected that placing… 

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Marketing alone does not cut it anymore!

Posted On October 1, 2015 By Shoshana

I won’t name any names, but I know of a few organizations that are only doing the marketing side of promotion. They dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s for purchasing advertising. They promoted their events on social media platforms. They obtained publicity. They sent out a slew of mass marketing emails. Even with all… 

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The COPD of the arts – elitism

Posted On September 8, 2015 By Shoshana

We have for a long time discussed the big elephant in the room called elitism. The other day I saw another commercial for a pharmaceautical for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Here is an example of these commercials: I put two and two together. The elephant in the room, elitism, is choking the living breath… 

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Taylor Swift – a case study for audience appreciation

Posted On September 2, 2015 By Shoshana

  Hardly a day goes by without a Taylor Swift reference these days. I am not a fan of her music, yet I am finding myself a big fan of how she connects with her audiences. This will be, probably, my one and only post about Taylor Swift. She might do something huge in terms of… 

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The How of Audience Development for the Arts – Paperback!

Posted On August 20, 2015 By Shoshana

It’s a reality now! After 5 years of work, The How of Audience Development for the Arts is now in paperback format.  I wanted to take a moment to thank the people that helped make this milestone possible. The printed version of this book would not have been possible without the following people.* Thank you… 

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Artistic buy-in for audience building

Posted On July 20, 2015 By Shoshana

This past weekend I was giving a presentation to the board of a choral organization. One of their main concerns of shifting to audience development was whether or not the choir would be supportive. The choir members already do help sell tickets and volunteer in other capacities. Will this be overload? Will they see value in… 

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The return of random thoughts for audience development

Posted On June 18, 2015 By Shoshana

Due to my longer term contract, I have not been as present lately, but this does not mean that I haven’t been percolating on new topics and ideas. The following are a few ideas that I wish to develop in the future, and if you have any comments before my write-ups, I’d be ecstatic to… 

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The big reason why big organization advice may not translate

Posted On May 23, 2015 By Shoshana

Putting this out there, again: I was thinking about all the details I have to get done for the organization I am working for at the moment. It is a big list of everything that is involved with marketing a season. It includes all the planning for audience development, marketing direction for the season, advertising,… 

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