Over 50 people gathered on Friday to hear a range of speakers talk about tourism and marketing in our increasingly digital world. If you weren’t able to make it, here are some links and points from each of the speakers.
Our first Speaker Elizabeth Rogers, from Regional Arts NSW reinforced issues with regards to getting the language right when speaking to ‘tourism people’. She also reminded us that museums and galleries can be part of the part of the regional tourism picture and that the easier you can make it for the tourist, the greater the chance you have to engage with them.
Next up was Barbara de Rome from the recently formed Destination NSW, who encouraged museums and galleries to clearly define the unique experiences they offer. By identifying the unique “thing” - be that the “biggest” or “best” or “only” item in the collection or exhibition - this could then give the tourist visitor a reason to come. She also shared some of the resources available including the Tourism Ekit and the VisitNSW.com and emphasised the importance in keeping this information current.
After morning tea we were joined by Sally Basser from the Office of the Arts, who took us though the draft National Cultural Policy. You can read more about the policy and give feedback up till 21 October 2011 at www.culture.arts.gov.au There are clear places for both museums and galleries to have a role in this conversation, especially around goal 3.
This was followed by a discussion of Bridget Jones’s visual arts audience data from the Connecting Arts research, recently undertaken by the Australia Council. You can read about the full project at http://connectarts.australiacouncil.gov.au/ and find out how arts audiences are using the internet and digital devices at all stages of the digital journey. They are:
Awareness – First hearing about the event through a friend or other media
- Four in ten find out about the event through online media
- Word of mouth and print media are still the biggest drivers of awareness
- E-newsletters are the best way to create awareness online
- Social media provides a lot of opportunity, and many young people are already on board
Research - Finding out more about the event and deciding whether to attend
- Three quarters of people use the internet to research the artist or event
- Search engines are the most popular way to seek information
- Videos, photos and audio give a taste of what to expect
- Online reviews and recommendations help with the decision
Booking – Buying a ticket to the event ahead of time
- Most of those who booked tickets did so online
- Ticket outlet websites were mainly used
- Seating plans enable audiences to choose their own seats
- Audiences are interested in mobile ticketing solutions
Preparation – Anticipating the event and getting organised
- Almost three quarters of people use the internet at the preparation stage
- ‘Hyping up’ through video clips, photos and background on artists
- Practical info like online journey planners, parking and restaurant offers are important
- Mobile apps help to plan things on the go
At the event - Getting more information and sharing the experience
- A third of people use the internet at the event – and more are interested in doing so
- Seeking information about the event or artists online
- Using Facebook to share the excitement is popular among many
- As mobile internet becomes universal this will continue grow
After the event – Reliving the experience and considering the next event
- Two thirds use the internet after the event
- Many will share videos and photos to relive the event
- Talking with others and recommending the event
- Planning the next event and purchasing tickets
Though often considered the domain of young people, this research shows that the interweb ( as George Bush once called it) is used by all age groups. And don’t forget if you are trying to source young people to help you with this area, try you local University, TAFE, High School, Scouts/ Guide Groups and set it up a volunteer project for them (making sure you define the project with clear goals and aims).
The video that we were not able to show due to technical difficulties can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r38p5LeSBo&feature=player_embedded
There are a whole bunch of resources on the Connecting Arts web site including many “how to’s” and case studies.
After lunch there was a session on creating a press release with Lauren Murada from the Inner Western Courier and Anne Lawler from AKL PR. A few of the key points that came though this conversation was the need to build a relationship with your local journalists and the need to make a connection to the local community. Also though everyone thinks their story is newsworthy, not every story will run.
This was followed by a conversation going though some basics of social media with Elliot Beldsoe from the Australia Council. As Elliot pointed out few people read the Facebook terms and conditions and his Blog piece can be found at: http://connectarts.australiacouncil.gov.au/facebook/nobody-reads-the-terms-but-everybody-should-part-1-establishing-your-account/
The day finished with a talk on ‘how to build a digital strategy’ from Stuart Buchanan founder of We are the Nest. He reminded us that we have a better story to tell about our organisations than most “airport bios”. Stuart’s presentation will be up on our resources page in the next few days, so you can follow his steps to creating a digital strategy. Plus there are a whole lot of resources on the connecting arts site.http://connectarts.australiacouncil.gov.au/category/strategy-and-planning/
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