Atlanta

International Dance Festival Public Relations Plan Of Action

November 1, 2016 November 1, 2017

I.
Overview

Founded in 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, the Atlanta International Dance Festival is a two week
long dance performance series showcasing dance companies and choreographers from
across the globe. By creating AIDF, we hope to fill the void of international dance
companies that perform in Atlanta and establish the city as an international destination for
dance. In addition to exposing Atlanta to international concert dance performance, AIDF
also aims to provide opportunities for dance education and artistic growth for members of
Atlantas dance community.

II.
Plans for Growth

This is the first year of the Atlanta International Dance Festival. Our major initiative will be
raising awareness of the festival. In the month and a half before the inaugural festival, we
are focusing on word of mouth and Internet campaigns. Throughout the next year however,
we aim to spread word of the festival throughout the Southeast and beyond, drawing in
patrons from outside of the Atlanta metropolitan area.

III. Mission Statement

The Atlanta International Dance Festival aims to provide the Atlanta metropolitan area
with access to the worlds most innovative dance artists in order to broaden the cultural
and artistic perspectives of Atlantas residents.

IV.
Audiences
A. Metro Atlanta area dancers and existing dance performance patrons
B. Supporters and patrons of other arts such as theatre, music, and visual art
C. Atlanta residents with no prior history of arts patronage

V.
Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics
A. Gain local awareness of the festival
a. Set up appearances with local media and news outlets
i. Have five of the dance companies performing at the festival
present a live preview of their performance on morning news
channels.

ii. Get a front-page article in the arts section of the Atlanta JournalConstitution by offering an exclusive interview with artistic
director Cara Collier regarding the inaugural year of the festival.
b. Establish partnerships with local arts organizations
i. Offer free advertisement in AIDFs programs to local art groups in
exchange for free advertising space in their performance
programs.
ii. Extend opportunity for local college dance programs to take part
in free master classes from participating dance companies and
choreographers.
B. Increase volume of ticket sales for 2017 season
a. Promote returning patronage
i. Offer season ticket packages that provide extra perks for returning
patrons such as first choice of seating for performances,
discounted ticket pricing, and free date exchange.
ii. Send out monthly online newsletters to existing patrons keeping
them informed of the next seasons lineup, ticket pricing, master
class schedule, critic and audience reviews of the season, donation
information, and other important updates.
b. Grow new patronage
i. Stimulate national awareness of AIDF by pitching stories to dance
and arts writers at major arts publications across the country and
hiring New York and Los Angeles press representatives.
ii. Focus on potential local patrons unfamiliar with the arts scene by
having pop-up performances at local hot spots such as Ponce City
Market, Krog Street Market, the Beltline, and Piedmont Park.
C. Expand festival for second season
a. Acquire more funding
i. Gain corporate sponsorship by promising visibility and
recognition on all AIDF marketing materials, complimentary
tickets, and invitations to the festivals opening and closing galas
and post-performance cast parties.
ii. Make an initiative to gain more individual donors by offering
perks such as donor mixers with artistic director Cara Collier,
invitations to the festivals opening and closing galas, and access to
a pre-performance VIP room at performance venues.
iii. Apply for federal and private grants geared towards the arts and
performance.
b. Cultivate more untraditional performance opportunities
i. Establish an amateur dance for camera festival to inspire the next
generation of dancers and filmmakers and challenge peoples
perspective of dance through the integration of technology.
ii. Hold a week long Choreolab featuring three international
choreographers and challenging them to create a work in a week
using dancers selected from a local audition with hold a
performance at the end of the week.

VI.
Online Presence

AIDF will maintain a regularly updated blog on its main website featuring topics such as:
- Interviews with executives and staff
- Chronicled account of participating choreographers artistic processes
- Behind the scenes descriptions from production staff
- Insider reviews of performances
AIDF will also keep up with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, providing social
media users with:
- Updated festival lineup information
- Ticket pricing and seasonal package information
- Highlights from critic reviews
- Professional performance pictures
- Dancer/Choreographer Takeover Days
- Master class opportunities

VII. Conclusion

By crafting this strategic plan for the next year, the Atlanta International Dance Festival will
gain exposure and support in order to continue to grow its presence as a major institution
in the local, national, and international dance community. Not only will this plan of action
assist AIDF in spreading its reach during its inaugural year, it will also establish a
foundation for future years to continue to build upon through increased financial support
and establishment of loyal patronage. These strategies and tactics for growth follow a
direct path to achieving AIDFs mission to broaden the cultural and artistic perspectives of
Atlantas residents.