COVID-19 Update from the Board Chair for Arts & Business Council of Miami

COVID19 UPDATE FROM BOARD CHAIR, STEPHEN BELTH

Pivoting to Minimize Challenges, Maximize Opportunities for the Arts

The Arts & Business Council team has been working remotely for 3 plus weeks. I know the staff misses physically connecting with colleagues, meeting with friends and participating at live arts events but they have been working diligently in the virtual world without disruption. In addition, ABC’s Board of Directors has been meeting regularly online to keep the wheels of our progress in motion. I am confident the creative ecosystem will rebound from our current limitations. Whatever the new normal turns out to be, people will want to be together again and be part of LIVE cultural experiences. In the past few weeks, Our CEO, Laura Bruney, has told me that her optimism has been buoyed by conversations and Zoom meetings with artists and arts professionals mobilizing to keep culture alive. She and I are in awe of the innovative and dynamic virtual arts experiences our community is showcasing.

We are living in a world turned upside down by the COVID19 virus. The Arts & Business Council has pivoted its programming and events in an effort to support and empower the creative and cultural communities during this unprecedented time. We are here to help and to provide vital resources. Here are some highlights:

MAMP LAB Online: Virtual Arts Activations: Turning Isolating Into Creative Connecting

Join us April 28th for our Miami Arts Marketing Project LAB to discover opportunities to engage and inspire your audience with standout digital experiences during social distancing. Take a deep dive into how to reach new arts enthusiasts as well as discuss how to grow your outreach and increase visibility with memorable speakers, enhanced Q&A and group dialogue. As a sign of the times, MAMP is changing shape but not substance. Participate in the webinar from the comfort of your own home or office. Space is limited. Register www.artsbizmiami.org/events

Arts Connection: The Virtual Edition

Our monthly e-newsletter delivered to over 18,000 arts enthusiasts is now focused on virtual activations. We are showcasing arts events, books, film, virtual creative happy hours and hands-on creativity. Make sure to send your events and programs to Ana@artsbizmiami.org so we can include your programs.

Virtual Business Volunteers

Business professionals are eager to share their skills. We are collaborating with New Tropic and LinkedIN to promote virtual volunteering opportunities. We are hosting virtual coaching sessions on Zoom each week through the month of June, 2020. Spend 30 minutes with a marketing or business professional in a small group, topic driven, hands on program. Great opportunity to connect with the experts for guidance and tips. Open to our partner groups and MAMP participants. Visit our website at artsbizmiami.org/events for information.

Arts Board Match

Now more than ever, you need a strong board. Arts Board Match is an engaging interactive website designed to help arts organizations recruit new board members. If your group is not featured on the site, now is the time. We are planning a 90-minute Building a Better Board webinar for early May that will give you all the info you need to manage and amplify your board. Email Jean@artsbizmiami.org if you are interested in participating in the webinar.

Amplifying Arts & Business Activations

The arts mean business. Innovation, growth, creativity, and inspiration happen when arts and business collaborate. This will be especially true when the COVID epidemic is abated. The needs in our community are wide and deep. We plan to be at the forefont as the arts and businesses sectors move forward to help each other and Miami-Dade County. A strong cultural community is essential for business. Working with local chambers and business groups, we will continue to educate and inspire the corporate sector about the vital opportunities to support and partner with the cultural community.

smART Strategies

Maybe you’ve got a great idea you’ve been waiting to make real. This might be your first chance to think about what’s next. Use that gift wisely. Our MAMP Breakfast Club cohort is participating in Zoom roundtables to explore and share what the new normal will look like and how we can leverage the resources we have discovered during isolating and working from home. smART Strategies are featured in informative blog posts.

pARTner Resources

Our e-newsletter for arts professionals and artists is now sent weekly. It’s delivered to your in-box filled with funding ideas, webinars, tools and tips; it’s the resource you don’t want to miss. We also feature a section on “Inspiration and fun” because during these crazy COVID times, we need those resources as well!

Revitalize and Refresh

Let’s put smART to work. Now is the time to start thinking about what we are going to do after we get the “all clear.” Hope is not a strategy and some changes will need to take place when we relaunch. We are developing the “Revitalize and Refresh” series to help your group manage your resources with a customized cost-benefit analysis and help you design plans to maximize your resources, create efficiencies and rework programming. Stay tuned for dates.

MAMP LAB: Fundraising in the Time of COVID

Our webinar lab in May features a curated panel discussion with invited development experts and donors. Is it too early to start or keep fundraising? What is the best messaging and how do the arts proceed to get the donations we need to get back up to speed.

Connect With Us

All of our webinars, LABS, events and resources are featured on our website and promoted through curated emails and on our platforms. If you are not getting our info in your inbox, make sure to visit www.artsbizmiami.org to sign up. Follow ArtsBizMiami on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and tag us in some of your posts so we can cross promote. Link with our page on LinkedIn.

As the premier organization serving the arts and creatives in Miami-Dade, we remain focused on our mission to support, empower and leverage. The Arts & Business Council is doing everything it can to ensure that the arts will return more creatively and stronger than ever. We are at the forefront of re-engaging business leaders and business professionals to keep the arts in business. The arts in Miami-Dade are resilient and resourceful. I am confident we will not only survive but thrive.