Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 1997-98

Marketing and Business Development Program During 1997-98, the Marketing and Business Development Program undertook a range of initiatives to promote the Gallery's activities, develop new markets and better serve our visitors. These included: t the enhancement of the Gallery's general promotions, as well as a focus on target markets including tourists, seniors, young professionals and the corporate function sector; t the launch of Spectrum, a program of activities for young professionals. Spectrum was launched in October with a gala ball called 'The Eighth Deadly Sin'; t enhanced cooperative marketing with the South Bank precinct which has resulted in the development of an integrated South Bank attractions brochure, a regular South Bank events flyer and special school holiday promotions; t the appointment of a new caterer to operate the Gallery Bistro, special exhibition cafes, openings and corporate functions. Southbank Catering was appointed following a national tender process which attracted thirty-six registrations of interest and involved detailed evaluations of the tenderers' financial, corporate, catering and marketing capabilities; t the development of a cross-disciplinary team to identify ways in which the Gallery can better serve its visitors. Related projects during the year included telephone training for front-of-house staff and volunteers, and the development of an ongoing program of visitor research. Promotions The Gallery's Promotions team focused on raising the profile of exhibitions, education programs, commercial services and the Collection through publicity, advertising and other promotional material. During 1997-98, Promotions coordinated a publicity campaign for a number of major exhibitions. This included print, radio and television campaigns, exhibition brochures and posters, and special promotional events for each exhibition. The Gallery-initiated exhibitions 'Francesco Conz' and 'Emily Kame Kngwarreye' also involved national and international promotion, and received widespread media coverage. The 'Emily Kame Kngwarreye' exhibition is part of the 1998 Olympic Arts Festival, 'A Sea Change', being coordinated by the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. Promotions also worked on a number of travelling exhibitions during the year, including 'Still Life: Reworking the Tradition 1650-1994' and 'Contemporary Vessels and Jewels: Australian Fine Metalwork'. One of the new promotional initiatives during the year was the introduction of a weekly advertisement in The Courier-Mai/. This space has been used to promote exhibitions, events and the Education program. The Gallery's promotional material was updated during 1997-98 to provide a more contemporary and streamlined presentation. This included renaming the quarterly What's On as PreVIEW, and developing a simpler format for the publication. Each quarter, 40 000 copies of PreVIEW are produced and distributed throughout Queensland and northern New South Wales. The Gallery's valued relationship with Network Ten was formalised during the year with the development of a Sponsorship Agreement. This will further enhance the arrangement between the two organisations and significantly contribute to the promotion of Gallery events. In the latter part of the year, the Promotions team coordinated a public Focus Day to unveil the New Installation of the Gallery Collection. This day included a range of Collection tours, lectures, music and a live radio broadcast, and attracted extensive publicity from the local media. Audience Development A number of initiatives were undertaken during the year to diversify the Gallery's audience and attract new visitors to the Gallery. These initiatives targeted tourists, seniors and young professionals. Projects in the tourism sector included promoting the Gallery to backpackers, who represent a growing part of Queensland's tourism base, and developing Artlovers Weekend packages which combine the visual arts, the performing arts and weekend accommodation. Thirty thousand Art/overs brochures were distributed throughout Queensland and New South Wales. Another project was participation in a joint Brisbane delegation to the Australian Incentives, Meetings and Exhibition trade show in Melbourne. This is the major trade show in Australia for the meetings market, and aims to link visitors and venue hirers with attractions. In addition, special briefings for tourism operators, bus companies, taxi drivers and hotel concierges were carried out to familiarise members of the tourism industry with the Gallery. Activities targeted at seniors included the development of a lecture series for the University of the Third Age, ongoing presentations at retirement villages, and a number of special seniors' tours. Spectrum activities have proved popular in attracting Queensland's young professionals to its functions. This year's program included the inaugural ball, behind-the-scenes tours and special exhibition previews. 30 EISHI, Hosoda Japan 1756-1829 A standing beauty above a woman bathing a boy c 1788 C0Iour woodblucK print on paper ~16x216c,· 3· 6x21.6cm (crnp.l Purchdsed 1997 w1• fund, _m the lriterra-:. ondl Exhlbi>ons t>rogrdm