Through the generous support of The Argosy Foundation and the leadership of the Cultural Alliance and UPAF, this Geodemographic Mapping Study was commissioned as the second of three phases of the Audience Development Initiative to assist the Greater Milwaukee arts and cultural sector in its long-term efforts to engage, build, and sustain audiences. Sixty-two (62) cultural organizations representing a variety of programs from the seven-county Greater Milwaukee area submitted audience information to be confidentially analyzed and provided input on the study's design. Decision Support Partners (DSP) was contracted to use geodemographic analysis, informed by market segmentation, 2005 U.S. Census demographic updates, and consumer market potential indexing to study the known culturally affiliated households compared to all households in Greater Milwaukee. Group and individual meetings between the consultant and the participating cultural groups were held throughout the course of the project.

In October 2005, UPAF and the Cultural Alliance commenced work on the Audience Development Initiative, made possible by the vision and generosity of the Argosy Foundation. Its goals are:

• To understand and enhance the relevance and value of arts and culture within our communities
• To provide actionable information to the arts and cultural community in the seven county region (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Washington, Ozaukee) that will:
  • Stimulate demand for arts and cultural activities across the region
  • Develop a sustainable audience for arts and culture in the region
• To improve access to information and participation in arts and culture events

The Executive Summary for a 360 page report on how to target new customers, testing the capactiy of the market to maintain or expand audiences, identifying possibilites for audience diversification, ticketing strategies and recommendations for growth opportunities.