Americans for the Arts today announced its annual National Arts Marketing Project Conference, held virtually for the first time December 7–8. The largest gathering of arts marketers in the country, the conference will provide ideas and tactics, strategies and inspiration to set the groundwork for surviving and thriving in the next 18-24 months. From changes in consumer behavior, to pricing strategies in the COVID era, to addressing bias in content, to targeting audiences and accessibility planning, the National Arts Marketing Project Conference aims to equip and prepare arts marketers for 2021.   

Keynotes and Featured Speakers

• “Closer Captions,” December 7, 1:00 p.m. EST. Sound artist and composer Christine Sun Kim will describe her experiences with American Sign Language (ASL) and Closed Captioning, and break down their nuances and complexities. As the arts and culture field continues to rely on the digital space for new audiences and production spaces, we must ask ourselves what is lacking and how to create experiences that are for all audiences. With humor and insight radiating from the personal to a communal and justice-oriented perspective, Kim’s work expresses the depth and dynamism of sound and language in the human experience.

• “Valuing Art in the Era of COVID-19: Ticket Pricing for Online & In-Person Performances,” December 8, 2:30 p.m. EST. Jamie Alexander, Senior Manager at JCA Arts Marketing, Jennifer Sowinski, Consulting Analyst at JCA Arts Marketing, and Mark Cardwell, Founder of Ohio Marketing Association, will explore how to communicate value and maximize revenue through pricing for online and in-person performances. Organizations are not short on plans for online content (for the short-term) and for reopening their doors (for the long-term). A critical piece of these plans is the price of a ticket, key to determining both your revenue and your audience’s perception of your art. Attendees will come away with basic knowledge of pricing best practices for online and offline content and ideas for optimizing revenue and value perception through pricing. 

• “Disrupting Bias in Content Creation for Arts Programs,” December 8, 5:00 p.m. EST. Donna Walker-Kuhne, President of Walker International Communications Group, will talk about how, in working towards greater racial justice, the arts field is increasingly evaluating programs and artworks for bias, whether conscious or unconscious. To make arts programs equitable, we need to examine and uproot prejudices, discrimination, and racism that exists. The session will ask the question, how do we make these necessary changes and protect the authenticity of the artist, the art, the narrative, and the work regardless of ethnic or racial origin?

For a detailed schedule of the conference sessions, artist performance, and interactive breaks, visit the conference website. Use #NAMPC on social media channels to get a flavor for the conference and connect with attendees.  

Press interested in covering the conference should contact Inga Vitols at 202-371-2830, or email [email protected]. 

Americans for the Arts extends its thanks to The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation for its support of the 2020 National Arts Marketing Project Conference. 

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of 60 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.  
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