{"id":4,"date":"2011-10-02T19:39:23","date_gmt":"2011-10-02T19:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/audience\/?page_id=4"},"modified":"2018-06-13T19:59:01","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T02:59:01","slug":"about-audience-wanted","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/audience\/about-audience-wanted\/","title":{"rendered":"About Audience Wanted"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-206\" title=\"AudienceWanted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/audience\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/AudienceWanted.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"199\" \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Audiences,\u00a0they&#8217;re not just for arts &amp; cultural organizations anymore.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>My favorite part of any show or concert takes place precisely when the houselights dim and the curtain rises.\u00a0 It&#8217;s at that remarkable moment that an assembly of individuals unites into an<em><strong>\u00a0audience<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0&#8211; a community of people who share focus, openness,\u00a0and trust for the journey about to unfold.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This blog is dedicated to what it takes to gather and grow an audience &#8211; and that means more than just selling them a ticket.\u00a0 The cause of &#8220;audience development&#8221; exists to welcome a diverse variety of people\u00a0to that moment of ENGAGEMENT.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So generally, that means this blog will pay attention to these building blocks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>Attract<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; to innovate methods of sales, marketing, and public relations,<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Build Momentum<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; to bolster best practices for getting attendees to return,<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Cultivate<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; to embolden long-term strategies that advance opportunity and responsibility,<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Diversify<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; to nourish inclusiveness, equity, and a passion for community betterment,<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Experience<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; to recognize and adapt to the changing nature of what people value.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In 2011, when Doug McLennan at ArtsJournal generously invited me to launch this blog, I could sum up my pitch for &#8220;audience development&#8221; with the assertion that <em><strong>the marketing of arts &amp; cultural activities must aim higher than the &#8220;low-hanging fruit&#8221; of older, affluent, and educated audiences.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Of course, that&#8217;s still a valid (and obvious) point.<\/p>\n<p>However, over the years, my professional work has expanded to also address the (surprisingly) similar &#8220;audience development&#8221; challenges of associations, non-profit causes, civic organizations, universities, companies in all sorts of industries, professionals in private practice, municipalities, and government agencies.<\/p>\n<p>Even though they don&#8217;t all commonly describe their customers or constituencies as &#8220;audiences,&#8221; <strong>THEY VERY WELL COULD!<\/strong>\u00a0 If you crave the same kind of focus, openness,\u00a0and trustfulness of your &#8220;customers,&#8221; then you share in the cause of &#8220;audience development&#8221; in which we study and explore:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The virtue of togetherness,<\/li>\n<li>The meaning of exceptional shared experiences,<\/li>\n<li>The essentialness of artistic integrity,<\/li>\n<li>The business of growing attendance and support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For those reading this blog looking for practical insights and instruction for running an arts &amp; cultural organization, you&#8217;re still in the right place.\u00a0 For those interested in growing &#8220;audiences&#8221; for other sorts of causes, businesses, and community endeavors, you&#8217;re in the right place, too.<\/p>\n<p>Together, let&#8217;s wear our hearts on our sleeves by posting the sign that reads: \u00a0<strong><em>\u201cAudience Wanted.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>Matt Lehrman,<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/em><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>June 13, 2018<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Audiences,\u00a0they&#8217;re not just for arts &amp; cultural organizations anymore. 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