If you want your local art event to succeed, then you need to put in an equal amount of effort. From planning the flow of the event to promoting it and making sure people actually show up, it’s not as easy as it may sound.
Fortunately, we’re here to guide you through it. If you have no idea where to start with your art event, here are some tips for planning and promoting it.
Planning Your Event
Planning an art event involves a lot of things to take into consideration. Here are some steps you can follow to guide you throughout the process:
Set A Time for Your Art Event
Make sure to choose the date and time well in advance. You need to give yourself enough time to prepare for the actual event, as well as the promotions. It also gives people enough time to clear any schedules they might have so they could attend your event.
Select A Theme and Name
A theme and name are two of the first things you should have prepared. Observe the artworks that the event will be exhibiting. Do they have anything in common? Does a particular piece stand out? The name and theme should not contradict each other, but instead, make the collection feel like a cohesive unit. It should also be enough to incite curiosity in anyone who comes across it.
Experience The Space Before the Event
Spend some time at the venue before the event to plan hanging arrangements. You can even bring along a sketchbook and design the overall layout. Measure the space and draw a plan to scale. Walking around the gallery also helps you visualize where certain pieces should go for optimal lighting and interaction.
Label The Artworks
Make sure to label the art pieces. This way, people will have an easier time identifying them. The label cards should include size, name, and medium.
Have A Curriculum of Events Ready
It’s important to plan the entire event, step by step and from beginning to end, so nothing goes dull or messy. You can have different activities and mini-events take place. You can also hire an MC and prepare a speech to give to your attendees.
Promoting Your Event
Now that you’ve planned out your event, it’s time for the actual promotions. No one wants all that effort of planning the event to go to waste. Here are different ways you can promote your event and guarantee an audience:
Prepare The Necessary Paraphernalia
Paraphernalia includes catalogs, posters, exhibition cards, etc. that are useful for advertising your event. Before the event itself, you can hang posters up to build up the excitement. There are art templates available online, such as those from PosterMyWall, that allow you to create custom art festival posters.
During the actual event, you can have exhibition cards that contain more information about the art pieces placed near the artwork or at the reception desk for the people who want to know more about the pieces.
Inform Relevant Organisations and Local Contacts
After your event information and materials are in place, you can contact relevant organizations and inform them about your upcoming event to reach wider coverage. Journalists and media professionals are some people you can reach out to.
Think of any specific groups or individuals who would be interested in attending your event. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. You can try inviting schools, colleges, or the local art school to your event.
Don’t forget to inform your close personal contacts. Encourage them to spread the news about your event to people whom they know might be interested.
Take Advantage of Local Media
Using local media also allows you to reach a good number of locals. You can do a radio interview or advertise using other local community media such as public meetings, newsletters, etc.
Use Online Announcement Boards
If your exhibition studio or community center has a webpage for advertising upcoming events, then take advantage of that too. It’s likely to do the majority of the advertising for you. You can also search for other artist collective websites and find their ‘call for contributing’ artists announcements where you can submit your event under.
Use Social Media
Social media is an incredibly powerful tool, especially when it comes to promotions. Not only does it allow you to reach people from around the world within seconds, but you can also connect with like-minded people and discover the latest trends in art.
A Facebook page or a Twitter account or an Instagram profile are some of the best platforms to advertise your event on. These platforms make it easy to re-share information which means it’s easier for you to get the word out about your exhibition.
You also shouldn’t stick to one post about the event. You need to build up the hype and excitement and make people want to go. Make sure to post a lot more often, so people can constantly see you in their feeds.
You can even post sneak peeks of the art pieces that will be showcased. Posting pictures of the behind-the-scenes process of the event preparation is also one way to build anticipation.
Keep in mind that social media is incredibly quick-paced. Not to mention, the algorithm could be working against your favor. So, if you don’t want people to move on and forget about your event, you need to be constantly putting yourself out there.
Send Out Invitations
Lastly, you can make your event even more special by inviting established artists. Create personalized invitations using online tools, such as PosterMyWall, and send them out to well-known artists in the area.
There’s a good chance they’ll also tell their students or fellow artists about the event. Who knows, they might be submitting a few of their own works to be showcased too. At the very least, it gets the word out about your event and increases the likelihood of someone well-respected in the local industry attending your event.
Final Words
Art events are always a great opportunity for artists to show what they’re capable of. With the tips listed above, you could turn the event into a great stepping-stone for a memorable career. It all lies in how well you plan and promote it!
Image: Art Frames – photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash