Envision 2020, Exploring the Latest Trends in Marketing

It was another sold-out event this past January 22 for the Arts & Business Council of Miami signature program, Miami Arts Marketing Project, Envision 2020 (MAMP). The all-day interactive conference took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. The inviting sounds of PAM Productions featuring Pamir Guanchez greeted guests in the venue’s lobby.

Participants included artists from various creative fields and representatives from non-profits and for-profit organizations gathered to learn the latest trends in marketing. Some were attending for the very first time; others had attended before and were looking forward to further their marketing skills. Daniel Daroca, Music Director from The Opera Atelier, said it was his second year attending the conference. “You get good ideas and techniques on how to reach people. Very good presenters,” said Daroca. Then there was Karyne Bury, owner of Major Scale Music Lessons, who was attending for the first time. She said she was looking to make connections and get a stronger pulse in the arts.

Tim Hall with Colonial Coffee. Image by Keith Spurlock Photography

As guests wander about the room getting to know each other, they enjoyed freshly brewed gourmet coffee courtesy of Colonial Coffee. And, over at the Inspiration and Expo Area they got to interact with this year’s sponsors — Cortada Projects Plan™, Xennial Digital ARTificial Intelligence, Creative Sprint, Display & Coaching Tables, FunClick Photo, Envision 2020, Miami Loves Art, and Share Your Goals.

FunClick Photo Booth, one of the Expo Partners for MAMP 2020. Photo by Keith Spurlock Photography.

Roberta DiPietro from Festivals and Events, a co-sponsor of MAMP says, “She enjoys taking part as it gives her a chance to learn something new that she can share with her organization.”

George Neary, wearing his signature hat, was the master of ceremonies and had everyone’s undivided attention. He opened the conference and introduced the morning’s keynote speaker, Mica Scalin, from Another Limited Rebellion.

George Neary, MC and Mica Scalin, AM Keynote for MAMP 2020. Photo by Keith Spurlock Photography.

Mica’s engaging presentation, Activating Your Audience with Creativity, was inspiring. She said that you need to connect, engage with your audience. “It is not the art that activates the audience, but the audience that activates the art. Collaboration is magic with the keyword being collaboration,” said Scalin. Her advice, “Change your language and it will change your results. Don’t look for a client, look for collaborators. Creativity is a practice, remember to bring it to everything you do. Don’t be afraid, seek unlikely collaborators. You’ll never know who you will make art with.”

Krista Kellogg, from Center Content, touched on how to Power Up Your Brand and the importance of building your brand with integrity and intention to inspire people. These two powerful words, integrity and intention, reflect who you are, your organization. You need to differentiate yourself and tell your story. And it all starts with the “why”. Why you get up every morning and do what you do. The other two will follow the — How and What.

Octavia Yearwood speaking on her experience in the arts. Photo by Keith Spurlock Photography.

Octavia Yearwood, founder of Team Ohhh, an arts educator, motivational speaker, choreographer, and overall entrepreneur, shared with the group her mantra “I do what I do” and how art saved her life. She uses art to bridge the gap between community and academia. She encouraged us to explore all the layers that make-up who we are and to share who we are. “Don’t ask for permission to share who you are” said Yearwood.

Leyden Rodriguez of Fulano at ABCM MAMP Jan 2020. Photo by Keith Spurlock Photography.

Leyden Rodriguez, founder of Fulano, a boutique-style digital design studio, touched on the subjective word “creativity”. What is it? Is creativity important? This got everyone’s attention and got them thinking. Leyden added, “Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed.”

Now, it was time for the first of two interactive sessions — Speed Date Your Brand. Applying what we had just heard, we started working on the Why, How, What, and Who of our brand and shared it with the others at the table. Each Table Leader guided the group through the exercise.

And in a blink of an eye the morning session was over and it was time for lunch and more mingling. Guests selected from an array of sandwiches, courtesy of Darren Sussman of the Institute for Financial Wellness. After lunch, Sussman welcomed the group back and gave a short presentation on how important it is to plan for your financial future.

Pamela Starr with Google at MAMP 2020. Photo by Keith Spurlock Photography

The afternoon keynote speaker was Pamela Starr, from Grow with Google. She gave a lively presentation on how to Reach Your Customers Online with Google. Sharing tips on how to reach your market and using all the tools Google has to offer. She also shared some free tools Google offers to drive more traffic to your website.

John Copeland & George Neary at MAMP 2020. Photo by Keith Spurlock Photography.

John Copeland, from the Greater Miami Convention Center & Visitors Bureau, spoke about digital marketing and introduced two experts in their field. Ann Nuñez, COO of Inreact, an App/Web development and online agency, touched on having a responsive website. She explained that when creating a website the content needs to respond to whatever device you are using — desktop, mobile phone, or tablet. And it needs to load quickly. Next was Giovanni Insignares, founder of Insignia Media. Giovanni addressed the importance of having an active presence on social media; organic and through paid advertising. “You can harness the power of Facebook ads by customizing it to your audience” said Insignares.

ABCM MAMP Jan 2020, building an Instagram Story as part of the PM Session interactive. Photo by Keith Spurlock Photography.

For the interactive afternoon session, we each created a story to post on Instagram about our #MyMAMPMoment. It was another opportunity to share ideas with the folks at the table and have some creative fun with the posts.

As part of their annual MAMP program, the Arts & Business Council invites you to take part in their Lab Series coming up. February 25: Lab 1 Turning Your Assets into Corporate Sponsorship; March 31: Lab 2 Media Marketplace — Connecting with the Media; April 28: Lab 3 Roundtable Roundup. Visit artsbizmiami.org/mamp for more information.