1"

City of Santa Fe Creative Tourism

2012/2013 Report

Prepared by

The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission &

B.E. Hanifl and Associates

The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission 120 S. Federal Place Room 323

P.O. Box 909 Santa Fe, NM 87504 Ph: (505) 955-6707

http://santafecreativetourism.org/

2"

The Origin of Santa Fe Creative Tourism Santa Fe Creative Tourism (SFCT), a program of the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission, works with artists and arts businesses to develop and promote workshops which provide visitors with a hands-on immersive experience in Santa Fe’s unique culture. The program seeks partnerships and collaborations with the hospitality industry and other entities throughout the community. Created as a result of the City of Santa Fe’s 2005 appointment to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the program builds upon the successful 2008 International Conference on Creative Tourism held in Santa Fe by supporting the development of a creative tourism “infrastructure.” Santa Fe Creative Tourism Today Creative Tourism, as defined by UNESCO, is “travel directed toward an engaged and authentic experience, with participative learning in the arts, heritage, or special character of a place.” Since its inception, SFCT has been connecting artists and businesses with tourists using digital media marketing as well as more traditional forms of promotion. Through the development of workshops, classes, and experiences, SFCT provides artists and businesses with skills to grow their share of the market. Economic Impact:

Year Reported Income Percentage of Participants Reporting

2010 $30,594

2011 $40,790 17.0%

2012 $62,782 21.5%

In 2012, the program generated $62,782 in direct economic benefit for artists, up from $40,790 in 2011. In total, the program has generated $134,166 in reported income for participants since 2010. As of 2011, over 300 people have participated in business development classes and/or received personalized consultation to develop creative tourism experiences. Curriculum has included project management, website and blog

3"

development, content development, building online visibility, developing social media presence, and improving visitor engagement skills. Artists and arts businesses that provide creative tourism experiences submit listings to SFCT’s project managers for inclusion on the website, social media postings, calendar listings, and other forms of online and traditional marketing. The number of offerings by participating artists has grown by nearly 600%, from 40 workshop activities in 2009 to over 235 ongoing workshops in 2013. Through the business development program, artists become acquainted with Santa Fe’s numerous arts and business networks while acquiring the skills necessary to build engagement with potential visitors. This increases their ability to identify and cultivate new business relationships and develop revenue streams. Artists have gone from offering workshops infrequently, or never, to adding multiple workshops each month. Finally, direct queries to the webmaster indicate that individuals from all 50 states and around the world are inquiring about and planning travel to Santa Fe specifically to participate in these creative tourism experiences. Hotel partners and artists report that visitors are staying at Santa Fe hotels, eating at local restaurants, and shopping at the various art supply stores. According to artist reports, workshop participants have stayed at Ten Thousand Waves, Hotel Santa Fe, Inn of the Anasazi, The Inn and Spa at Loretto, the Eldorado Hotel, La Fonda, Garrett's Desert Inn, and Dancing Ground of the Sun Bed and Breakfast. Part 1 – SantaFeCreativeTourism.org / Making the connection 4 Part 2 – Business Class Series for Artists / Learning to make the connection 5 Part 3 – Hospitality Participation 7 Part 4 – International Participation / UNESCO Creative Cities Network 8 Part 5 – Artist Survey 9 Part 7 – Graphs, Testimonials and Supplementary Data 10

4"

Part 1 – The Website / SantaFeCreativeTourism.org / Making the connection

SFCT’s website (www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org), originally created for the 2008 Santa Fe International Conference on Creative Tourism, has now being utilized as a platform for creating direct connections between visitors and artists. Since fall 2009, www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org has been directly linked to generating $134,166 dollars in workshops sales, artwork sold, and room nights at participating lodging properties. SFCT promotes creative tourism experiences through web-based marketing, including link building, content creation, calendar listings and utilizing social media platforms. As of July 1, 2013, there were 235 participating artists and organizations catalogued on the website, up from 40 in October 2009. Creative-experience offerings range from the performance arts of theatre, dance, and music to visual arts, such as assemblage, collage, and book arts. Class prices vary by medium and duration, ranging from $59 to over $2,000. All class reservations are booked directly with the artist. The website has seen an increase in visitors as well as workshop connections. From 2012 to 2013 alone, participating artists have reported $62,782 in direct economic benefit,

5"

based on 21.5% of participants reporting. This total includes the annual month-long event, “DIY Santa Fe,” which took place in March 2013 (see Part 3 – Hospitality Participation). Table 1 – Workshop and art sale earnings, number of individual and organizations listed on website, and website traffic, by month.

Note: “Workshop Sales” represents reporting by 40 artists and businesses listed on www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org, representing 21.5% of 236 current listings. Information was collected on a volunteer basis. Part 2 – Business Class Series for Artists / Learning to make the connection The SFCT initiative includes free business-development education for artists through a series of evening classes and one-on-one consultations at the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission’s Community Gallery. This series attracted 189 total attendees (104 unique) for the fall 2012 and spring 2013 series. Classes include instruction in free or low-cost online marketing tools. Content is presented using a combination of lectures and demonstrations. One-on-one consultation appointments are offered to complement the class series, allowing artists to focus on specific areas of professional and business development. Business Series Overview / Fall 2012 & Spring 2013

6"

● Two 10-week series of classes and one-on-one consultations ● 189 attendees

Workshops presented by Chris Nierman, SFCT Curriculum Consultant: ● “Creating and Distributing Press Releases” ● “Participating in DIY Santa Fe, March 2013” ● “How to Participate in Creative Tourism” ● “Basic Websites Through Blogging” ● “Email Marketing with Constant Contact, Vertical Response, Mail Chimp, and

Others” ● “Harnessing Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google Plus” ● “Slide Show 2.0: Promoting Your Work with Digital Video”

Guest presenters: ● “Dead on the Web? ™ Ignite your site!,” Hope Kiah, Santa Fe Web Design ● “Artist Website Q&A,” Hope Kiah, Santa Fe Web Design ● “Reality Check and Tips for Artists,” Bette Bradbury, WESST ● “Artists are Businesses, Too,” Steve Stephenson, Small Business Development

Center ● “Santa Fe Studio Tour,” Dave and Teena Robinson, Shutter and Brush Fine Art ● “Photographing Your Artwork,” Dave Robinson, Shutter and Brush Fine Art ● “Ready for Success,” Darlene McElroy, mixed media and assemblage artist ● “City of Santa Fe Arts Commission: How Can I Participate,” Debra Garcia y

Griego ● “Press Releases and Public Relations,” Jim Luttjohan, Executive Director, City of

Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Staci Golar, Market Coordinator, Santa Fe International Folk Art Market ● “Pricing Your Work from a Reality-Based Perspective,” Bette Bradbury, WESST ● “Basic Professional Development 101,” Rod Lambert, Community Gallery

Manager, City of Santa Fe Arts Commission ● “Creative Approach to the Business of Marketing Art,” Sara Eyestone, Artist and

Curator

7"

Websites created by artists and business during one-on-one consultation:

● Olana Carol Clarke, Painter / http://clarkefineart.net ● Lisa de St. Croix, Painter / http://lisadestcroix.com ● Deanna Kovacs, Painter / http://deannakovacs.com ● Liane Brown, Spinner and Textile Artist / http://santafehomespunyarn.com ● Old Abiquiu Bed & Breakfast / http://oldabiquiu.com

Business series testimonials: “I really appreciated you class last night. You did an excellent job and I can hardly wait to use Movie Maker. Thank you Chris.” -Jennie Cooley “I want to acknowledge you, The Arts Commission and Santa Fe Creative Tourism for the business development program for artists.” -Maureen Freyne “Once again; a big thank you to you and Santa Fe Creative Tourism for the assistance with my web site. I am thrilled with it.” -Lisa de St. Croix Part 3 – Hospitality Participation Taking place in March 2012 and March 2013, “DIY: A Creative Tourism Journey” gives groups, multi-generational families, couples, and individuals the chance to spend all or part of a vacation taking workshops from experienced artists and artisans. Workshops have included: Sharon Candelario teaching a day of traditional tin work in the Village of Chimayo; glass bead-making at Donna Nova Design; a four-day photographic exploration of the northern New Mexico people, landscape, and architecture with photographer Craig Varjabedian; Japanese paper-making; intricate egg-decorating in Southwestern motifs; spinning wool; silk-painting; abstract painting; and printmaking. Participating artists offer workshops and classes at their homes or studios, with over 220 participating venues throughout March. DIY visitors enjoyed special rates on accommodation at select locations, including: The Lodge at Santa Fe; Hotel St. Francis; Hotel Chimayo; Casa Cuma Bed and Breakfast; Two Casitas Vacation Rentals; The Inn and Spa at Loretto; Bishops Lodge; and various guesthouse rentals. In 2013, a special a social media-driven photography contest helped to promote DIY events. The winning entry received a four-night, art-inspired getaway to Santa Fe. Since its inception, this March event has contributed a total of $40,862 in earned revenue for artists and

8"

participating accommodations ($20,763 in 2012; $20,099 in 2013), more than 30% of SFCT’s total reported economic impact since 2009. Part 4 – International Participation / UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Participation in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network has increased the visibility of Santa Fe, affording it the opportunity to make presentations at international conferences, resulting not only in increased interest in Santa Fe’s cultural sector, but also in tourism benefits such as reaching new group-travel markets in Taiwan. This summer, Santa Fe was honored to welcome the “I-Walker” film crew, who shot a three-hour documentary of New Mexico’s unique creative and cultural tourism offerings. In addition, Santa Fe’s membership in the Network has fostered opportunities for participation in exhibitions and festivals around the world. Partnerships with Korea have been particularly fruitful, including contributions to the exhibition at the 2011 annual meeting in Seoul, as well as the World Ceramics Biennale and annual International Sculpture Symposium, both in Icheon. Membership in the Network has created opportunities to participate in professional- development exchanges that benefit our local economy. Elected officials, civil servants, curators and artists have traveled to other cities to take part in conferences and festivals including Arts Commission Michael Namingha representing the City at a design symposium in Kobe, Japan; new media presentation at the Seoul, Korea, Creative Cities Network conference, and artist exchanges with Icheon, Korea. Joint economic-development opportunities for Santa Fe and Icheon, Korea, have included Icheon master artist Mr. Han Sug Bong participating in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market and at Gebert Contemporary Gallery in Santa Fe, as well as Santa Fe artists such as Rose Simpson, Heidi Loewen, and Todd Lovato participating in exchanges to Korea. To date, there have been exchange visits with Korea, China, and Japan. Most importantly, membership in the Network has provided Santa Fe the opportunity to become a leader in the evolution of Creative Tourism. In just four years, SFCT has

9"

become a flagship Creative Tourism initiative in the U.S., and continues to present its model in such countries such as Canada, China, Korea, Taiwan and Brazil. Part 5 – Artist Survey The SFCT program is constantly seeking new ways of supporting artists, craftspeople, and organizations. An artist survey was created to help the City of Santa Fe and its creative tourism consultants assess the needs of artists and business. The final survey results will guide the development the courses and other SFCT offering with the goal of continuing to build cultural and creative tourism experiences in Santa Fe. As of July 20, 2013, 34 SFCT artists have taken this survey. Below is a summary of the demographic results and responses regarding desired business skills opportunities and marketing. The complete survey may be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SFCT2013. A copy of the survey data can be requested by email at: behanifl@gmail.com. The typical workshop participant is a female between 45 and 65 years old and is a repeat customer. The majority of participants come from New Mexico and the neighboring states of Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Texas. The media of the top three workshop offered are assemblage, mixed media, and painting. Fifty three percent of artists have offered workshops for fewer than five years. The typical workshop has between two and five participants and costs $76 to $300. Most classes are taught in home studios. The majority of workshops are offered six to twelve times per year, depending on market demand. The majority of respondents utilize the following advertising methods (in order of importance): 1. Word of mouth 2. Artist’s newsletters 3. Membership websites, eg.guilds, alliances, associations 4. Santa Fe Creative Tourism: www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org Artists expressed interest in business services focusing on branding, advertising and selling classes, assistance in booking, managing customer services, and support in growing workshops as an income stream.

10"

Part VI - Graphs, Testimonials and Supplementary Data

Graph 1 – Top ten states with visitors to www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org during 2012/2013. Users from all 50 states and 2 territories visited the site throughout the year.

11"

Graph 2 - Top ten countries with visitors to www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org during 2012/2013. Visitors from 169 countries used the site throughout the year.

12"

Testimonials

“Participating in Santa Fe Creative Tourism provides the visitor with a true hands on experience of Santa Fe cultural flavor. As for myself (a spinner/weaver), it links the gallery/museum visit to the ‘Origin of Craft.’” -Liane Brown, artist “Santa Fe Creative Tourism programs and promotions are an incredible boost to my creativity workshops. It is wonderful to have this supportive partnership. All of my participants have been happy for this deeper experience of Santa Fe and I am grateful for the connection.” -Shirley Crow, artist “This is a wonderful service to the community! I certainly would have attended every single class offered if I had not had a conflict with my weekly schedule. Although not every class was useful for my particular purpose and situation I very much appreciated the learning experience. Please keep offering such great variety of topics presented by such good speakers!” -Anonymous

“I really appreciated the availability of private sessions for tutoring, it made all of the difference in the world to what I was trying to accomplish. I hope that this is offered again. It was a huge fulcrum to help me meet some of my goals.” -Anonymous

I can’t thank you enough for the breadth and depth of help you offer to the art community through Creative Tourism. The Creative Tourism programs have helped me as a professional artist through information on the business end of the arts, web building, social media, taxes and recordkeeping to name but a few. It has been a boon in so many ways. Here is but one brief example. After an informative session by Creative Tourism on PR, I shared this information with Santa Fe Studio Tour 2013. As a result, instead of just local news announcements, the SFST expanded our PR to include all of New Mexico’s surrounding states plus California. Next year we will expand our PR even farther. Additionally, now that I have learned about email newsletter services from a SFCT presentation, next year we also plan to set up Santa Fe Studio Tour hotel specials and target travel agents and travel editors all over the US.

13"

The Creative Tourism programs and consulting is one reason why Santa Fe maintains its status as one of the premier world-class meccas for the arts. Thank you for supporting this invaluable program. Thank you also for understanding the importance of the many ways that SFCT benefits our City Different. - Carol Horigan, artist

I have been growing my intuitive painting and creativity coaching business in Santa Fe for over four years; and in the last year and a half that I have been part of Santa Fe Creative Tourism my business has finally become financially sustainable and successful. My painting workshops are often half full of people who have discovered me via the SF Creative Tourism website. Some of these participants make it a point to work with me seasonally and repeatedly, having found what they were looking for in Santa Fe as a creative experience. I regularly bring in more than $500/month and at times over $1000 in a month due to SF Creative Tourism. Along with tourists, I have newly relocated Santa Feans finding me and my classes in this way as well. Currently a big part of my business plan now includes marketing through Santa Fe Creative Tourism. I feel I have found my niche market in this way: people looking to live bigger more creative lives who have the income to spend on individual coaching sessions, and group workshops. -Julie Claire, artist, creativity coach