Audiences Wales Newsletter April 2009

We’ve published a new Learning On Demand Guide to Media and Public Relations. The new guide is available for free on our website, www.audienceswales.co.uk, in the resources section. The latest guide offers an overview of media and public relations and clarifies the difference between them.

The guide details how to work with journalists, how to write a press release, when to use public relations and how to develop a public relations strategy. Audiences Wales’ Chief Executive, Nick Beasley, said: “Effective media and public relations are critical and can be managed by any arts organisation regardless of size or resources. The Media and Public Relations Guide aims to demystify this key area of marketing that, if done successfully, can provide valuable and cost effective support to any arts organisation.”

The Guide to Media and Public Relations is the third Learning On Demand Guide to be published with support from the Arts Council of Wales. The Guides to Marketing and Publicity and Design and Print are also available free of charge from the Audiences Wales website.

Audiences Wales’ role is to support arts organisations and artists to understand and reach their audiences and maximise the benefits of marketing and audience development. We’ve made some changes to our website – www.audienceswales.co.uk – to provide even greater support for our users.

Our new Resources section has a wealth of useful documents and training guides. Each resource has been selected to address a specific area of marketing and support your development and understanding.

We have also updated our Links page to help you access further information which we think will be useful. This section now includes websites covering arts marketing, research, fundraising, some key organisations working in the arts and a section on ideas to get you thinking about the future.

If you have any resources or links that you think are particularly useful, let us know and we’ll add them to the site for others to benefit from. Please send them to michael@audienceswales.co.uk.

Audiences Wales will hold our next Welsh Language Marketing Forum at the Arts Council of Wales’ offices in Carmarthen on June 17th between 11am—1pm. Euros Lewis will be discussing his work as a community arts practitioner in Wales. Also, Elwyn Williams will be talking about his reach figures for Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s business plan. More speakers are set to be confirmed.

If you wish to attend the forum please email michael@audienceswales.co.uk.

The Arts Council of Wales is offering up to 5 bursaries of £240 + VAT off the cost of your 2009 AMA (Arts Marketing Association) conference place. The Conference is taking place from Tuesday 21st to Thursday 23rd July 2009 at the Curve Theatre Leicester.

The topic of the Conference is ’Exploring artistic excellence and public engagement’. To be eligible to apply for the bursary you must be working in Wales, be in the first five years of your arts marketing career and not attended an AMA conference before.

Priority will be given to those based at smaller arts organisations. The Bursary does not include travel and accommodation. If you’re a non-member of the AMA you’d pay the full price of £487 to attend but with the Arts Council of Wales bursary you are offered a 50% discount so you’d pay £247.

The closing date for applying for a bursary is Thursday 30th April. To apply, download an application form by clicking here. Email your completed form to helen@a-m-a.co.uk or for a hard copy application write to Helen Bolt, Arts Marketing Association, 7a Clifton Court, Clifton Road, Cambridge, CB1 7BN.

For further information visit www.a-m-a.org.uk.

Bookings are now open for A Brand In Your Hand, the AMA workshop on digital marketing for arts professionals with some experience of working on digital marketing campaigns who now want to develop a more integrated strategic approach.

Roger Tomlinson will show delegates how to personalise web, e-mail and mobile marketing campaigns; how to integrate these campaigns with each other and with their offline marketing; and how to develop their own e-CRM strategy and approach.

The A Brand In Your Hand workshop will be held St David’s Hall, Cardiff on 14th May. The cost for AMA members is £129 + VAT and non members £185 + VAT. For further information and to make a booking, go to www.a-m-a.co.uk, e-mail anna@a-m-a.co.uk or call 01223 578078.

Ever wondered how to place the arts at the centre of national life? Well, here’s your chance to find out. Bookings are now being taken for Forging the Future, this year’s Arts Council of Wales Annual Conference, which will be held at Barry Memorial Hall and Theatre on Thursday April 30th. Speakers include Professor Dominic Shellard from Sheffield Theatres Trust and Andrew Dixon of the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative.

Professor Dominic Shellard is the Pro Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs at Sheffield University. Dominic specialises in the British Theatre having authored many books on the subject. He is also the Institutional Auditor for the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), the Chairman of Sheffield Theatres (including The Crucible) and is a member of the National Committee of the Society for Theatre Research.

Andrew Dixon comes from the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, which focuses on stimulating regeneration within the region and in delivering economic, employment and social benefits through cultural tourism.

To book your place on the conference contact:

Audiences Wales Ltd

www.audienceswales.co.uk
www.whatsonwales.co.uk

tel : 029 2037 3736
fax : 029 2038 4141

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