Art House Convergence 2019

In music, television, and movie theaters, subscription services aren't going anywhere. What can we learn from this new "disruption"? How can we use our skills in member cultivation to foster new kinds of customer loyalty? Hear from art house innovators about the ways they are engaging the audience of the future and offering great deals without sacrificing their bottom line.

Every day organizations work to introduce themselves to new customers. But despite best intentions, 75% of first time ticket buyers don't return a second time. Why? They are not being asked to return. Organizations need to actively engage in identifying, retaining, and upgrading their customers ― turning them into patrons and ambassadors. Join us to learn the three most important questions you should be asking about how to engage with your audience and turn them into ticket-buyers, members, donors, and evangelists.

A fully hands-on workshop! Practice choosing effective images and authoring engaging copy for marketing and outreach. This activity-based session will consider how images and language impact who feels welcome and included, how marketing can forge relationships with new audiences, and strategies for avoiding miscommunication, homogeneity, and hurtful missteps. Come prepared to collaborate and fine-tune sample marketing ads, calendar listings, social media posts, and more!

Overextended and underfunded? Learn how to prioritize and make the most of your marketing resources. This session will address the Flywheel, a new patron-centered marketing model, as well as social-first marketing strategies, the foundations of campaign measurement, re-thinking banner advertising, and changes to the Google Grant program.

Digital and social media advertising have unlocked powerful new ways to share assets, track behavior, and efficiently target customers. But when it comes to film, the people placing the ads usually aren’t the people selling the tickets. This disconnect undermines the most powerful tools digital has to offer, from social media metrics to re-marketing and conversion tracking. Join us for a discussion between distributor and exhibitor marketers about ways to bridge this gap and work together. Panelists will discuss various strategies they've employed and solicit input from the audience. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the tools available to them for sharing materials, building audiences, and tracking customer behavior.

In recent years exhibitors have begun to see the financial merits of one-off, "eventized" screenings that can pack the house and bring new faces and voices into art houses. This panel explores how one-night events can boost box office and contribute to greater inclusivity and community engagement in the art house, making room for traditionally overlooked audiences and community -members to participate in dynamic speciality programs.