The festival was a huge success, with high quality performances from artists around the world attracting large audiences in both traditional venues, outdoor areas and more unusual spaces around the city centre. Dance was brought to both regular dance audiences as well as more hard-to-reach non-dance attenders in the form of passersby at street events, who were exposed to various dance performances.

Thousands of people from across the West Midlands are set to become joint-world record holders in August, after taking part in an ambitious arts project new project from Arts Council England West Midlands to create the largest photo mosaic in the world.

Developed and delivered by Audiences Central, between January and June the Big Picture project saw over 100,000 photos submitted from people across the region, and uploaded onto the online gallery www.inthebigpicture.co.uk.

The pictures will be used to create a huge, record-breaking photo mosaic, the size of three tennis courts, to be unveiled at Birmingham’s Thinktank at Millennium Point on August bank holiday weekend (23 -  25 August).

Project manager, Kerry Endsor, said: “The response that we have received from people across the region has been fantastic. The photos have come flooding in - online, through the post, and by email and text message. People have sent us everything from holiday snaps to favourite pets, family and regional landmarks, and the online gallery really shows a unique portrait of the lives and loves of those of us in the West Midlands.

“We are now busy preparing for the World Record attempt and I can promise you that the final mosaic is going to be a spectacle not to be missed!”

The Big Picture team is also looking for volunteers from across the region to help create the final record-breaking mosaic. For more details, visit www.inthebigpicture.co.uk.

Well, 16 weeks into the role of the CEO for Audiences Central and what an action packed, inspiring and insightful time!

During these last few months I have been engaged in what Audiences Central staff colloquially refers to as ‘Ni’s CEO Member Visits’.  This has been an opportunity for to introduce myself to members, although some may know me from previous roles within the region over the last fifteen years.  This exercise is a about developing an ongoing dialogue aimed at making connections and strengthening the relationships we have with all our member organisations, big and small, urban or rural, arts or cultural. 

Diversity is the key that sets us free

We are in an incredibly diverse region and the innovative and collaborative work undertaken by our members is clear to see. Over the past few months I have travelled to see members from Warwick to Wolverhampton and Cardiff to Coventry to visit a diverse range of organisations in the region;  from the huge, established venues to small but perfectly formed innovative arts and cultural organisations.

Our members are as varied as local authorities, festivals, large venues, archives services, museums, creatives, dance companies, theatres and music venues -all with creativity and culture at their centres. This has been with an aim to get to know members, their work, their experiences of Audiences Central and some of the current issues and projects that are appearing on the cultural horizon.   

 
Not all latte and hot air...

What have I learnt?  Obviously there are issues and an honest critique from some members and I positively encourage this; if we are not open to honest and constructive criticism then we never learn or progress our practice.  I am of the school of thought that says that in your first few months people tend to tell you what they really think and believe.

Well, thankfully I have not needed protective body armour - as yet!  There is also plenty of praise for the service we provide and it is clear that you engage with us on a variety of levels from tactical services to research and consultancy work and national audience development projects.  

The planning of these visits actually coincides with a piece of consultancy that explores and makes recommendations on the way in which we interact with members. This piece of work is key to exploring practical ways to engaging you and your organisations in a more efficient way, providing support, products, services and insight at a level that suits your individual needs.


So as we enter the summer season, the visits, dialogue and engagement continue.  Next stop Wolverhampton? Walsall? West Bromwich?  I look forward to meeting you all!

- Nigel Singh

Shakespeare and schoolchildren many not sound like happy bedfellows, but Audiences Central are delighted to have been chosen to evaluate a national programme that aims to increase secondary school students’ knowledge and enjoyment of Shakespeare.

Shakespeare Live Ticket Offer is a national, DCSF-funded (Department for Children, Schools and Families) programme hoping to provide young people with access to high quality professional performances of Shakespeare’s plays in their local area.

Audiences Central have been chosen to report on this unique programme and to evaluate its impact on teaching and learning in participating schools. With a wealth of experience in research and evaluation, we are excited to be a part of this interesting, national programme and will be using innovative methodologies tailored to the needs and circumstances of all parties involved in the project: schools, teachers, venues, theatre companies and schoolchildren.

For more information about this project, or other Research work we undertake, please contact Vishalakshi Roy: vishalakshi.roy@audiencescentral.co.uk or phone: 0121 685 2604

Regional Marketing Network

The Regional Marketing Network meeting on 20 May at Wolverhampton Arena was on 'Street Marketing'. Manga, Co-founder of Shaanti, Presenter of Galaxy and Co-owner of Concrete, Birmingham, led a lively discussion on different methods of using street marketing to market arts events. It was lovely to see so many new faces!
 
The next Regional Marketing Network will be taking place in early September - more details to be confirmed.

Regional Press Network

June saw a full house for the Regional Press Network Meeting: ‘Untangling The Web’. Catherine Bray from Channel 4’s creative industries site 4Talent gave the Press Officers a good insight into working with web-based media, with lots of useful tips on all things WWW including visuals, search engine optimisation and follow-ups. If you weren’t able to attend the meeting, the notes are available to read here.

Dates for your diary
Forthcoming Press Network Meetings are being scheduled for 2008 as follows:

Tues Sept 16th 11:00 a.m:  Media Tour:   Venue TBC

We are planning to arrange a visit for members to a key regional media body and details will be announced as soon as they are confirmed

Tues Dec 16th 3:00 p.m.: News Agencies:    Venue TBC

We are planning to invite a member of a local or national News Agency to talk to the group. This session will be followed by joint Christmas Drinks with the Regional Marketing Network

The Audiences Central team has gathered evidence to show that building stronger relationships with internal and external customers will help organisations enhance the customer experience. Enhancing the customer experience will increase audience loyalty and lifetime value, which will in turn increase profitability and sustainability in the long term. Captivate also presents the opportunity for arts and cultural organisations to develop more entrepreneurial skills by adapting business tools used in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to the arts and cultural sector.

The Development phase will prove to be very interesting as we embark on pilot studies with member organisations that are interested in building stronger relationships with internal and external customers in order to achieve their business objectives.

Through Captivate, Audiences Central aims to see arts and cultural organisations that:-

1) Focus on both their internal and external customers
2) Have deeper and more fulfilling experiences with their audiences
3) Have higher retention levels and more loyal audiences
4) Have a strong, satisfied employee base with a wide range of transferable, creative skills
5) Are more profitable and sustainable

We have formed five groups to develop the strands of work required to complete this Development phase. These strands of work will focus on carrying out the pilot study work, and as this action research progresses, one of the teams will focus on ensuring that the internal staff team has the capacity and skills to successfully and efficiently deliver the best possible service and value on investment through Captivate.

Several organisations have expressed their interest in being involved in Captivate and there is still room for more. If your organisation is interested in exploring opportunities for developing audience or visitor loyalty; tracking high-value repeat customers; moving audiences up the loyalty ladder or into cross-artform attendance and introducing more creative or challenging work without losing core audiences, then please contact Pam Zigomo at the Audiences Central office for a more detailed chat: 0121 685 2619 or pamela.zigomo@audiencescentral.co.uk

Spending hours over your newest, shiny publication? We’re here to help support what you do next with your beautiful creations.

Often a manic time of year for many organisations, the creation of new season print is a painstaking process of copy writing and proofing and re-proofing and re-re-proofing…

We work with two experienced distribution companies with expert knowledge of the West Midlands area, offering targeted and general print distribution to help you get the most out of your print.

We can help you make sure you’re covering the right people and the right places, offering options which are flexible to time, place and budget.  Whether you’re after your usual run or are thinking of trying something a bit different, call Anna or Amy on 0121 685 2600 who will be happy to make the process as hassle-free and valuable for you as possible. Full run reports are available on request.

Book your distribution today and save collection costs by getting your printer to deliver direct to our distribution suppliers.

You can now make your print available to every Tourist Information Centre in the region with our new TIC Distirbution service. We manage the relationships between supplier and TIC for you, all you need to do is make your print available. It's as simple as that. Call Anna or Amy to take up this opportunity and get your print working for you.

Audiences Central are delighted to extend a warm welcome to 3 new members

REAP (Rural Education & Arts Project)

Based in Staffordshire, REAP encourages and supports creative communities through the delivery of a portfolio of rurally focused projects, bringing together training and informal education with Arts and Environmental professionals and specialists. They are also organisers of the Strawberry Moon Festival, which annually showcases the cream of local talent in music, drama, dance, crafts and many more art forms.

www.reapweb.org.uk

Women In Music

Women in Music is a national membership organisation that celebrates women's music making across all genres of music. They raise awareness of gender issues in music and support women musicians in their professional development. The Birmingham-based organisation aims to create opportunities for women musicians through promotion, projects, networking and resources.

www.womeninmusic.org.uk

Meadow Arts

Meadow Arts is a West Midlands based contemporary arts organisation that aims to increase public knowledge and understanding of contemporary art. By commissioning new works and delivering temporary outdoor exhibitions they  encourage innovative contemporary artistic practice and also attract new audiences to contemporary visual arts.

www.meadowgallery.co.uk

We look forward to working with you!

More importantly, we all have a legal responsibility to comply with the Data Protection Act and an obligation to conduct our customer communications accordingly.

DataClean does exactly what it says - it cleans your consumer data. We work directly with Experian, Europe's market leading data management provider, and have negotiated excellent rates in order to provide this service to arts venues and organisations at the best possible price.

DataClean offers professional, accurate, straightforward and fast cleaning of your databases enabling you to reach the right audience and improve retention through effective communication. What's more, we will run a detailed database audit completely free of charge (to members only), which will give you an indication of the work that needs to be carried out. We offer free advice on these reports, helping you to fully understand the current status of that database.

DataClean will help you to:

•          Keep data accurate and up to date
•          Improve the quality of your marketing communications
•          Safeguard your company's professional integrity
•          Meet your customers' service level expectations
•          Ensure compliance with the latest legislation

So, before you send out that next mail out, please contact Anna Cook on 0121 685 2615 or at anna.cook@audiencescentral.co.uk for more information or to obtain your free database audit.

An opportunity to discuss in depth your professional development ideas and plans with a specially trained adviser on a confidential one-to-one basis. As well as general DNA sessions there will also be sessions focusing on music in the youth justice system for those looking for opportunities and information on working in this field.

Sessions run for 1 hour and will be booked subject to first-come-first-served. Email west-midlands@musicleader.net to book now and avoid disappointment! For further details on DNA sessions visit www.musicleader.net/dna.

The New Art Gallery is one of the leading gallery’s in the country with a reputation for a vibrant exhibition and education programme, the friendliness of its staff and its close links with local communities. 

We are looking to recruit a number of Casual and Weekend Gallery Assistants to perform a number of duties including providing advice and information to visitors.

If you would like to know more about these opportunities then join us at our forthcoming event:

RECRUITMENT EVENT

Thursday 26th June 2008

The New Art Gallery Walsall

6.00 pm – 8.00 pm

·       Obtain information about the gallery casual assistant vacancies

·       Collect an application pack

·       Complete an application form and where appropriate be interviewed

For further information, please contact Cordell Lane on 01922 65 5744.

From the 30th April – 12th May 2008 Arts+Media Training (A+MT) will be
moving to its new offices in the Institute for Creative Enterprise (ICE), a newly re-furbished building at the Techno Park in Coventry, destined to be a natural creative hub for all the incredible cultural activity taking place in the City.

Over this period we may find it difficult to answer the phone whilst carrying large boxes, or reply to emails promptly until we find which box the keyboards are in!!!!

We will endeavour to respond to all enquires promptly, but we would appreciate your patience during this time.

A+MT will continue to offer a full range of services from ICE: business support for new cultural and creative businesses, mentoring, master classes, information, advice and training. In addition, ICE will enable A+MT to develop new projects, partnerships and collaborations to support a vibrant cultural sector by encouraging practitioners to grow creatively and build sustainable businesses.

A+MT will continue to nurture work and experimentation by fostering participation, encouraging discussion and debate and by forging relationships and partnerships with regional and national constituencies as well as local arts communities.

As from 2nd May our new address is:

Arts+Media Training
Insititute of Creative Enterprise (ICE)
Technology Park
Puma Way
COVENTRY
CV1 2TT

The new telephone number is:

0845 050 9284 (Local call rates apply)

Email addresses:

Jeanne Jenner

Chief Executive

jeanne@amtcc.org.uk

Cathryn Goodwin

Programme Manager

cathryn@amtcc.org.uk

Sheilagh Holmes

Programme Manager

sheilagh@amtcc.org.uk

Ray Watkins

Finance Manager

ray@amtcc.org.uk

Danny Watkins

Administrator

danny@amtcc.org.uk

The delight in training without Power Point or a person speaking for three hours were some of the reactions to Women & Theatre’s equality and diversity training for Walsall Primary Care Trust. The Trust commissioned Women & Theatre to research, devise and deliver an interactive training programme exploring equality and diversity in the workplace for all their employees.

To shape the training, the charity carried out numerous interviews with employees at all levels in the Trust, from community nurses to chief executives. Interviews were also carried out on the streets of Walsall focusing on what equality and diversity means to you. The results fed into a creative training workshop on equality and diversity.

Trainers would act out short scenes with anecdotes based on real experiences relating to equality and diversity so it was practical, recognisable and believable to those in the sessions. Then using the role plays as examples, participants would create their own scenes reflecting what equality and diversity meant to them. Afterwards, the scenes were discussed. In total Women & Theatre gave 56 sessions over seven weeks, with up to 30 participants in each session.

Informally throughout the session and formally at the end, participants were asked to evaluate their experience and learning during the training. Nearly all said the training was relevant to their role, appropriate to their needs and accessible and easy to understand.

Ruth Richardson, general manager of Women & Theatre, says: “The training really challenged the conception of equality and diversity for us and the participants. It’s not just about specific groups as we are all different and unique and this richness and diversity should be celebrated. As a result of our training the Trust is setting up further committees on equality and diversity to ensure it is celebrated positively.”

What’s happening in your part of the world … How are you creating a better world? What challenges do you face? What successes have you had? Have you used film to document your experiences?

“The emphasis from the start has been on films made by local people that record life in their community. The selection committee are looking for a strong message rather than big budget films.”

To enter, all you need to do is send us three copies of your film on DVD - and send us a completed application form. Please ensure that your film arrives in the UK by 11 July 2008. Please see www.icff.info.

 Currently they are collecting information on Transport, Leisure, Positive Activities and Volunteering. They will be expanding on the topics that they are collecting on in the coming months.

To submit an example of good practice use the form on their website.

If you require more information please contact Sarah Hope on 0116 242 7441 or email ruralyouth@nya.org.uk.

You will need to be available on the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th August.

And a day prior to the event to develop the story in Walsall Town centre with Pumpkin Arts.

If you are available, and think it may be something you are interested in Please send ideas of costs and previous experience to pumpkin_mckay@yahoo.com

Event leaders required for new academic year.

At www.workshopnetwork.co.uk each leader is represented on the site by their profile, this features images and other information about your workshops and events also about your previous work experience. These profiles are fully editable by the event leader, this allows you to inform potential clients of any new strings to your bow or just show off about some of your recent activities.

We promote your events across the UK, from local authorities to schools in your area, prisons, festival organisers, corporate clients, arts development officers, extended school coordinators, theatre’s and art centres amongst others.

We promote events through various means; direct mail campaigns, e-mail marketing campaigns, advertising campaigns in journals and relative publications, we network, promote, organise, arrange costs, travel, accommodation and deal with the painful parts of being a freelance creative event leader.

We will not take any commission from your earnings.

Each leader deters their own fees, average daily earnings are £150 - £280 per workshop day. Workshop Network add a small finders fee onto the artist fee and pass these and other costs onto the client, leaving you more time to get creative and do what you do best.

Each selected leader is subject to an enhanced CRB check, this applies across the board. We understand the CRB system is floored but this is an administrative necessity. To cover this and basic admin costs there is a small registration fee to join. This small yearly subscription is negligible when compared to average earnings from the work we find and organise for you.

In the interests of fair representation Workshop Network will only represent event leaders we genuinely feel we can successfully promote.

We are rapidly establishing ourselves as a consistent resource across the UK for event organisers; our client list is expanding with many returning to use the service again.

www.workshopnetwork.co.uk

There are many opportunities for socialising with the other participants, who come from across Europe to join in the music making. The course includes Symphony and Chamber Orchestra playing and the value of chamber music-making is emphasised with the majority of the ensembles organised by the players themselves.

Previous courses have shown that this concentration on chamber music-making has generated a homogenous orchestral sound, with players performing not as individuals but playing for each other and with each other in a shared music-making experience. The great majority of course members take part in the chamber music concert on the penultimate evening and there is an informal concert on the last evening consisting of selected items from the course repertoire.

This year's course is still recruiting for the following instruments: tuba, bass trombone, double bass, viola, cello and bassoon. For more information and application forms, visit the EYMW website at www.eymw.org.

The course will be held in Old Swinford Hospital School, Stourbridge, West Midlands, on 2 to 9 August 2008.

Whether you are new to fundraising or not, the Toolkit will outline the strategies upon which successful fundraising is built - it is an essential resource for anyone who wishes to raise the profile of community and youth dance.

Priced £10 + £1.50 UK postage and packaging. To order call 0116 253 3453 or visit www.communitydance.org.uk

Putting Dads in the Picture has been successful in engaging over 200 dads from Solihull.  As part of the project which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund organisations working with families in Solihull will have the opportunity to apply for £1000 award to put on their own dads photoshoot/ Fun day.  Four organisations will be selected to receive support in organising a photoshoot/ fun day and £1000 to spend.

To apply for the £1000 award organisations need to have completed a Putting Dads in the Picture questionnaire and a form to explain what you would spend the money on and why it will be successful in engaging dads.

Contact Kerry Flynn for more information kflynn@cflearning.org.uk

Engage with the Creative and Media Diploma

Friday 20 June 2008, Tate Modern
10.00 – 15.00, £45/£65

For more information about the event, contact Clare Charles on 020 7490 4690 or clare.charles@engage.org

There are still a small number of places available on the next Family Friendly workshop being delivered by playtrain on 6 June.

The day is designed to introduce front line staff to a range of techniques which can help them in their job, and ensure families have the best possible customer experience at your venue…

To find out more visit the event page or click here.

Fierce! Festival: 21 May – 1 June 2008

After over a decade of surprising, unsettling, outrageous, stop you in your tracks experience, the clock is ticking toward Fierce’s 11th Festival. This year, we have put together the most captivating programme of contemporary art installations, performances, theatre, club nights and film screenings in and around Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Our volunteers are not simply spectators, but fully briefed, supported roles with job descriptions. The festival is small enough for everyone involved as a volunteer to gain not just an overview of how the festival works, but to give real input and value to this nationally acclaimed presentation of contemporary works.

Various roles available…

We are looking for production runners, invigilators, helpers and people to administer questionnaires. We will try to fit your experience and aspirations against required roles in the festival, so that we all benefit as much as possible. We will need to know, very specifically, when you are available to volunteer for Fierce Festival. This enables us to timetable volunteer hours in the office, at events and when liaising with artists and venues.

Great for your C.V.

For further information please contact Simon on: 0121 244 8080 or e-mail

As part of their third Phrased & Confused outing, the hub is looking to commission four spoken word artists to create new material for its Phrased & Confused festival tent, which will be part of this year’s Summer Sundae Weekender in Leicester between 8-10th August. As many of you know, Phrased & Confused (www.phrasedandconfused.co.uk) explores the creative common ground between lyrics and spoken word, and so they’re very excited to be part of one of the UK’s best boutique music festivals.

Each commission is worth £1000. In addition all the commissioned artists will receive a weekend pass for themselves and a guest plus camping space in the artist field and travel expenses to and from the festival. You'll also receive a stand-alone video of your commissioned festival performance for you to use in your own promotional activity after the festival and the chance to workshop your material at a creative sharing day, facilitated by Stuart Silver, one half of Perrier Award winners, Noble and Silver. The artists they commission will be asked to create at least 15 minutes of new material, and be given the opportunity to perform it at least once at the festival.

Phrased and Confused hope that these commissions will be provide a real professional development opportunity for the artists selected. One of Phrased & Confused’s primary aims is to develop audiences for spoken word, and they anticipate that around 2000 people – most of them new to spoken word - will visit the tent during the Festival. As such, the commissions will open up a whole new audience to our commissioned artists.

The deadline for applications is the 11th June 2008 and you can find out more by either visiting the website or by downloading the Commission Pack by clicking here. If you have any questions or get stuck, please email:

Making Connections 2

You are invited to Making Connections free informal network event that will bring together people working in the arts and creative sectors in East Staffordshire to make new contacts, re-establish old ones and find out what’s new.

Date: Tuesday 20th May

Time: 7.00pm

Venue: Brewhouse, Burton upon Trent

The following speakers will talk about funding schemes and opportunities available to arts practitioners in this area:

Paul Challacombe – Community Arts Officer. Will be presenting an over view of Arts East Staffs Commitment to Artists and Creative industries within East Staffordshire.

Michele Clerc – Lead Community Arts Officer. Will be presenting information on East Staffordshire Grants Scheme

Adam Bee – Marketing Manager of QUAD. Will be presenting information what their aspirations and support for local artists. 

If you would like to attend and to book your place please contact the Brewhouse Box office on 01283 508100

If you would like further information about this event please contact Paul Challacombe – tel:01283 508515 or email: paul.challacombe@eaststaffsbc.gov.uk.

Anne-Marie Pope will be finishing her post with Black Country Festival and Events in June. Through her time in post, Anne-Marie became a beacon of knowledge and a key informant to the sector and kept her contacts well updated with job opportunities, events news and lots of other relevant information.

In order to hand over to her successor in June, Anne-Marie is putting out a call to all in a bid to define what information you would like to receive so that BCF&E can continue to keep you updated. It is hoped that tailoring the information to what you want, will mean their recipients will get a relevant and personalised service in the future.

If you would like to receive the updates from BCF&E, please take a few moments to opt-in. The link will take you to a short form where you can submit what information you would like to receive. The information obtained from you will determine the content and format of all future emails from BCF&E.

To find out more about BCF&E’s work please visit this link.

The deadline for Shape's 'Inspired by 2012' poetry / spoken word commission has been extended until tomorrow (9 May 2008) at 6pm. Deaf or disabled writers, poets and spoken word artists or disabled led organisations are invited to develop work inspired by the 2012 Olympics. The successful artist/company will receive £5,000 budget.

For more details, visit the Shape website at www.shapearts.org.uk/news/newsdetail/index.asp?view=177.

We are now calling for submissions from artists living in Birmingham and the West Midlands region (incorporating Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire) to take part in the first ever Open West Midlands exhibition.

What is it?

Open is a biennial collaboration between Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Wolverhampton Art Gallery, celebrating the vibrant talent of the art scene in the West Midlands and allowing regional artists the chance to show their work at these prestigious venues.

Judges

Works will be selected by an independent panel:

Richard Billingham, photographer

Dr Rachel Garfield, artist and curator

Alistair Robinson, programme director for Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art

Prizes

Top prize - £1000

Work on Paper, £250 sponsored by Café Rickshaw; Painting, £250 sponsored by Spectrum Fine Arts; Time Based Media, £250 sponsored by TVS Media; 3D /sculpture, £250 sponsored by School of Art and Design at University of Wolverhampton; Photography, £250 sponsored by What's On Where Wolverhampton.

Entry fee

£10 - one work

£15 - two works

£20 - three works

Student entry is half price with valid id.

Visit http://www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/wolves/whats_on/003618.html to download an application pack and for more details.

Call 01902 552 055, email info@wolverhamptonart.org.uk or visit www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/wolves for forms in alternative formats

The awards are open to any business in the UK that has partnered with an arts or cultural organisation to achieve CSR, marketing, branding, PR and professional development objectives. Businesses working with UK-based cultural projects or organisations abroad can also enter.

Nominations must be made before 5pm on 30 May 2008.

Key differences are:

The main focus of Grants for the Arts remains individuals and smaller arts organisations, although larger organisations and regularly funded organisations can still apply. Existing requirements for RFO applications still pertain.

Visit the Arts Council England website for further information.

There is a new section of The Loop for news from our Members. It will include information on any awards, extraordinary happenings or significant changes/developments within Member organisations. This is also an opportunity for Audiences Central Members to offer special discounts or other ticket offers to other Members.

NB This is not general listings information. If you want to list regular events, go to Artscentral

We will be taking the majority of the information on Member news and jobs from our website. As Members, you are able to upload your jobs  and press releases or add to our blog, so log on and get posting to increase your chances of getting in The Loop!

You can also send news, jobs or offers for other Audiences Central Members for inclusion in this newsletter to fiona.ferguson@audiencescentral.co.uk  

RSS

The Audiences Central website has a number of RSS feeds. This means that registered users can simply click on the RSS symbol and receive News, Events, Jobs and Blog updates, as well as updated Resources and Press Releases straight into their inbox.

Registration with the site is free and very easy. If you are an Audiences Central Member, then you also have access to certain Member-only areas and resources on the site, if you put in your organisation code when you register. If you have any problems logging on, or receiving the RSS feeds, please contact fiona.ferguson@audiencescentral.co.uk or call 0121 685 2616 or jamie.perry@audiencescentral.co.uk or call 0121 685 2607.

Resources

Did you know that in the Resources area of our website there are a number of useful documents, articles and publications available to download? NB Some resources are available only to registered users of the site or our Members

Examples include:

Top Art Tips on Distribution, RSS feeds and Engaging New Audiences, amongst others.

Standard Box Office System reports (only available to registered users and Members)

Family Friendly Resources

Online Resource Forum?

Audiences Central aims to provide like minded people with the opportunity to talk, share ideas and interact. We are considering setting up an online Source forum for people who are interested in marketing intelligence and research. Is this of interest to you? If you simply email your name, organisation, job title, telephone number and email address and we will make sure you are one of the first to benefit!
 
Email details to jamie.perry@audiencescentral.co.uk

Following his appointment to the position of Chief Executive at Audiences Central, Nigel Singh is undergoing a tour of he West Midlands region to meet each of our members personally.  

The visits will be taking place over the course of the next few months (April-June) and have been organised so that Nigel can get to know each of our member organisations individually.

If you are a member organisation, please feel free to make the most of these meetings to get to know Nigel, ask any questions or voice any concerns.

If you would like further information on Nigel's schedule please contact Helen Knott: helen.knott@audiencescentral.co.uk or phone: 0121 685 2600 

Recent changes to the Staff Team at Audiences Central

April saw a number of changes within the staff team at Audiences Central. We wished Alison Finn (Marketing Services Manager) ‘bon voyage’ as she headed off on her travels around South America and South East Asia for 6 months.

In Alison’s absence, please direct all Marketing Services enquiries to Anna Cook: anna.cook@audiencescentral.co.uk or telephone 0121 685 2615.  Caroline Griffin will be managing the Marketing Services team.

We also welcomed Amy Commander as the new Marketing Services Assistant. Amy has come all the way from Edinburgh and will be working alongside Anna and Kate Jones, who continues to assist with our listings website Artscentral. We are also pleased to announce that Kerry Hodgkiss will be continuing her work as Temporary Research Assistant.

Big Picture Day

You can add a title if your phone gives you a Subject: field, and tell us a story in the text of your message (even leave your name). Texts cost your network operator’s standard rate. We may in the future use your number to send you free information about The Big Picture - you can text STOP to 60300 to stop

We need your photos!

There are 2 upcoming themes and competitions at the Big Picture website for May that will be of interest to arts and cultural organisations in the region: live music and ‘then and now’; which focuses on the history of the West Midlands.

There are two parts to the live music competition; one for bands and one for photographers:

- Bands will be able to sign up to the site and get a widget that displays fans' photos of them on hteir website/myspace page. The band that gets the most photos wins. The prize for the band is a professional photo shoot.

- The photographer who submits the best photo wins the photography competition. The winning photographer wins a chance to accompany the professional photgrapher on the shoot, and vouchers for camera equipment.

It’s really easy to get involved and upload your photos, so put your organisation at the heart of the West Midlands by being inthebigpicture.co.uk

Big Picture Research

The Research team will be monitoring all Big Picture activities to ensure that the targets are reached using a combination of methods, including the exciting new research tool, Digivey; a touch screen technology which yields high response rates.  Digivey will be piloted for the first time at Audiences Central.

For more info on the Audiences Central’s research work  contact Vishalakshi Roy, Research and Intelligence Manager: vishalakshi.roy@audiencescentral.co.uk or telephone: 0121 685 2604

Speakers include: Minister Margaret Hodge, Alan Davey, CEO of the Arts Council of England and Robin Simpson, CEO of the Voluntary Arts Network.

Highlights will include:

PLUS an evening reception hosted by the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust.

This event will take place in London on Wednesday 2 July 2008.  Booking and venue details will be available shortly on www.vaengland.org.uk. Watch this space for updates.

This will include £4million of funding for new training programmes for volunteers and volunteer managers as well as £2million to create a new access to volunteering fund for disabled people.

The volunteering fund for disabled people will be implemented during 2009/10- 2010/11 and will be piloted in three regions and focus on increasing opportunities for disabled people to volunteer.

For further information click here to visit the Cabinet Office's website.

His appointment, by Culture Minister Margaret Hodge, follows swiftly on the heels of the recent publication of Tony Hall’s Dance Review and the Government Response, which identified how cross-Government work could raise the profile of, and increase access to, dance for more young people, both in and out of school.

Wayne McGregor’s new role as Youth Dance Champion will see him working as an ambassador, inspiring and championing dance, and a promoter of dance to young people, both boys and girls.

For further information click here to visit the DCMS website.

In addition to being able to download presentations, handouts and resources, you can also listen to an audio interview with Voluntary Arts England Coordinator Reemer J Bailey, recorded at the conference, looking at how the work of Voluntary Arts England has been enhanced by the use of ICT and how a new 'participation portal' will be of benefit to voluntary / amateur arts and crafts groups.

 Applications are now open to be part of the Cultural Olympiad in every UK region and nation. To become part of the Cultural Olympiad and use the ‘Inspire’ mark, there is a simple application process. The full details of the criteria and process can be found at this address: www.london2012.com/beinspired Any cultural organisation should initially contact the West Midlands Creative Programmer, Paul Kaynes who can offer feedback on ideas, and explain the application process. His e-mail address is p.kaynes@culturewm.org.uk

The Cultural Olympiad will be launched across the UK on the weekend of 26-28 September. Paul is interested in hearing from organisations who have events already planned which support the UK-wide core themes of the weekend - ‘light up’, whereby a lighting colour is used to light buildings, landmarks or simply to shine out from a window, and ‘Open up’ which allows unusual access to events or spaces across the cultural field, for free. Please e-mail him if you think you have an event or project which supports either of these themes during this weekend.

Cultural organisations who want to find out more about the Cultural Olympiad plans, both nationally and regionally, and contribute ideas have the chance to do so at one of 4 day-long workshops being held across the region in May. You can attend any one of the 4 workshops you like - you don’t have to attend the one nearest to you, though if you do you’re more likely to meet up with other people in your area who may want to collaborate on projects for the Cultural Olympiad.

The venues and dates are:

o       Assembly Rooms, Ludlow 13 May
o       Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford 14 May
o       Cox’s Yard, Stratford-on-Avon 19 May
o       Gas Hall, Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham 22 May.

The approximate running time for each of these days will be 10am - 4pm with some variations. If you’d like to register for any one of these please e-mail Sam Stephens at Culture West Midlands at s.stephens@culturewm.org.uk

The purpose of the days will be to:

The events are suitable for people with responsibility for programming and creation of cultural projects, people working in the cultural agencies, as well as LA culture officers. If an organisation is, for example, unsure as to whether to send a programming person or a marketing person, best to err on the side of the programmer but ideally bring both!

If there are any other questions about the Cultural Olympiad, contact:
Paul Kaynes, West Midlands Creative Programmer, London 2012
Culture West Midlands, The Regional Partnership Centre, Albert House, Quay Place, Edward Street, Birmingham B1 2RA
e-mail: <mailto:p.kaynes@culturewm.org.uk> tel : 0121 678 1072 fax : 0121 678 1049

 
Are you involved in a leading-edge cultural partnership? Would you like your business or organisation to be recognised for your achievements in your arts sponsorship?

30th Arts & Business Awards

Nominations now open

Nominations are now open for the 30th Arts & Business Awards - the UK's premier awards celebrating excellence in the field of cultural partnerships and sponsorships.

The awards are open to any business in the UK that has partnered with a cultural organisation to achieve CSR, marketing, branding, PR and professional development objectives. Businesses working with UK-based cultural projects or organisations abroad can also enter.

Previous A&B Awards winners include UBS & LSO, Orange & Extant, Max Mara & Whitechapel, Leeds Metropolitan University & Northern Ballet Theatre.

The nomination period opens today for a six week period - the closing date is 5pm Friday 30 May. Find out more about this year's categories and how to mkae nominations by visiting www.aandb.org.uk.

This year, the winners will be announced in November at a black tie Awards dinner and ceremony in London.

We look forward to receiving your nomination!

ABCD and Music for Youth joined forces with the Music Education Council to present this singing, conducting, choral and voice day for all who work with singers and musicians of all ages.

Singposium 2008 will take place on Tuesday 8 July at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham as part of the National Festival of Music for Youth.  For more information and a booking form see link below:

http://www.mfy.org.uk/Singposium.asp

Action Learning is the discipline of meeting regularly,probing, questioning, challenging, researching,understanding and taking new action … and then learning from it!

This scheme will enable those responsible for developing the relationship their organisation has with its visitors to explore their current challenges, barriers and opportunities by providing: 
* a safe and supportive yet challenging learning environment,
*  a strong sounding board to help them implement and improve good practice in developing visitors,
*  a network of trusted peers from the museums and galleries sector,
*  a way of bringing about positive change with the aim of expanding, diversifying and retaining visitors. 

Five structured meetings will take place over a twelve-month period with a skilled facilitator and a group of peers from the museums and galleries sector. The first two action learning groups will start in London and Leeds in June 2008 – if applicants are willing to travel they don't need to be based in these locations. 

Learn more about the scheme, facilitators and how to apply by downloading the full information pack and application form at:
www.a-m-a.org.uk/images/downloads/ActionLearningInfoPack.pdf

Applications need to be completed and returned to the AMA by Friday 9th May 2008. 

 The cost to join the scheme, once a place has been offered, is a one-off fee of £75 + VAT – AMA members only

For further information about action learning please go to the Action Learning Associates website: www.actionlearningassociates.co.uk/

If you have any queries or require further information, contact Katherine Dimsdale on 01223 578078 or katherine@a-m-a.co.uk

 
 
ENDS
 

Note to the editors: The AMA is the professional development body for the arts marketing industry with over 1,900 members in the UK and internationally. For further information contact Helen Bolt, Marketing Manager, on 01223 578078 or e-mail helen@a-m-a.co.uk

Two types of grant are available:-

1. Performance Funding - grants of up to £600 for groups to develop a performance activity (including but not limited to dance, drama, sports exhibition, fusion music, world music, local and urban music).  Examples of spend include rehearsal space hire, buying instruments, making costumes, or paying for travel expenses.  Anybody successful in receiving funding must perform on the Hillfields Gala Day, Saturday 21st June, and we encourage then to take part in other events - International Festival of Friendship and Positive Images Multi-cultural Festival in particular.  Applicants do not have to be from Hillfields but must have the aim to perform for, and include where possible, residents of Hillfields.  Workshop activities are particularly encouraged.

2. Event Funding - grants of up to £750 towards an event to be held in or around Hillfields Festival Week - 20th to 29th June.  The event must be held within Hillfields and, within reason, be an activity open to all. 

To request a Grant Pack or for information about the Festival, how to involve the community, or to discuss your project idea before your submit a bid please contact Jessica Pinson on 7678 8500 or <jessica.pinson@coventry.gov.uk>. 

The grant is managed by the Hillfields Events Planning Group, supported by North West Neighbourhood Management and made possible by the European Union's Regional Development Fund.

Monday 19 & Tuesday 20 May, 10.00am - 4.00pm
DanceXchange, Birmingham Hippodrome, Thorp Street, Birmingham, B5 4TB
£35 for both days

A two-day beginner’s course for filmmakers and choreographers who are new to dance for camera, led by dance filmmaker Lucy Cash. Dance for camera is dance made specifically for the camera, for presentation as a single screen film or video and not a recording of a stage dance performance. Working with Lucy, you will explore the basics of creating dance for camera through short practical and theoretical tasks, viewing examples and discussion.

This is an opportunity for filmmakers and choreographers to work together collaboratively to share ideas, work as a team and begin to create dance for camera in a supportive environment. No previous experience is required.

Lucy Cash is an artist and filmmaker whose diverse art practice spans live performance and digital moving image. Beginning her career with a three minute commission from the BFI / FilmFour, her work since then has included artists’ film and video projects for gallery exhibitions and site specific spaces, single screen dance for camera works and music videos. Her work explores a territory between documentary and fiction, whilst continuing to investigate the relationship between sound and image and the choreography of movement within and between frames. She is an associate artist with Artsadmin and an associate member of Goat Island performance company.

Please note: you must be able to attend for both days, this workshop is offered on a first come first served basis, places are limited and booking is essential…

For more information and to register your interest please contact Amy Martin, Professional Development Coordinator on 0121 689 3167 or amy.martin@dancexchange.org.uk