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August 13, 2004/Av 26 5763, Vol. 55, No. 47
Web site promotes local arts scene
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
Matt Lehrman has a vision of the future.
In it, Phoenicians hungry for a night of quality entertainment have a simple, one-step method of finding out what's going on in the Valley and purchasing tickets for cultural events.
As executive director for Alliance for Audience, an entrepreneurial venture designed to raise the public's awareness of the Valley's arts and culture scene, Lehrman has found that compiling the definitive calendar of the goings-on of an entire metropolis takes time, effort and tenacity.
Besides sending out letters to all the arts organizations known to Arizona Commission on the Arts, "I have gone out and per-sonally visit- ed with boards of directors of organizat- ions large and small, all over the Valley," Lehrman says. "We've scoured brochure racks everywhere, and we will continue to scour newspaper listings, newsletters and every other source of information so we can continue to find these organizations."
The results of his detective work will soon be evident in Alliance for Audience's new Web site, www.ShowUp.com. ShowUp.com, which is due to be fully operational in early September, will serve the public and the Alliance for Audience member organizations in variety of ways.
The site's calendar aims to be the most complete listing of arts and cultural events in the greater Phoenix area, a region Lehrman says will be defined by the boundaries of Maricopa County.
Alliance for Audience member organizations will have the opportunity to sell discounted day-of-show tickets on the site.
Lehrman says, "Just like the Tickets booth in New York's Times Square sells discounted tickets for day-of events, we'll be a comparable kind of function, except we'll be completely over the Internet - no standing out in the heat. And it will not necessarily be day-of - some organizations may choose to sell discounted tickets well in advance of their event."
Also, "You've Got Shows," a free e-mail newsletter, will be available to the public. The newsletter will notify its subscribers of upcoming events of interest.
Finally, later in the fall, Alliance for Audience hopes to offer a universal gift card on the Web site, one that would work for any cultural organization in the area.
Janet Arnold, managing director of the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company, an Alliance for Audience member, is excited about the debut of the ShowUp Web site.
"I think (the site) is going to be particularly beneficial to small companies, and we are a smaller company. Anything that can get our name out in front of the public is good for us," she says. "The main thing I think is going to be helpful is the public awareness. A lot of times, people aren't even aware of what's going on in town."
Lehrman says the idea for Alliance for Audience came almost four years ago through discussions with other members of the arts community. At the time, Lehrman was the marketing director for the Scottsdale Cultural Council, and he had two issues in common with his peers: constraints on the marketing budget and the need to bring in new audiences.
A $250,000 start-up grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, plus grants from Wells Fargo and other organizations gave Alliance for Audience the necessary funding to put its ideas into action. The group recently began collecting dues from its member organizations, which currently include AJTC, Arizona Theatre Company, Phoenix Art Museum, Scottsdale Cultural Council (which includes Scottsdale Center for the Arts and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art), Phoenix Symphony, Phoenix Zoo, West Valley Symphony and more.
Heather Scriven, marketing director for the Arizona Theatre Company, says awareness and convenience are two benefits the public will reap from the Web site.
"I think it's a fantastic way to let people know about the wealth of arts and cultural opportunities that there are in the Valley. There's so much that's out there, but it's really hard for people to figure out what's available at any given time. It's also a really great marketing tool for us in the nonprofit arena. It's kind of a win-win for everyone."
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