NG Farrell Blog

Canada Needs Its Culture

2012-03-30T01:59:35Z

Today, the Conservative Government of Canada presented its first budget since winning a majority government in the 2011 general election.

While striving to accomplish many things, it is a budget of reductions, formulated around a goal of achieving ongoing savings of $5.2 billion, or, 6.9% of the overall review base of approximately $75 billion.

Programs everywhere were reviewed, and savings and reductions were required from almost everyone.

Mindful of the drastic savings being requested of the CBC, one key government organization is seeing its current funding maintained: The Canada Council.

This blogger has lived through many budgets, and has interacted with the Canada Council since the early 1980's. Back then, project funding for artists was often as easily earned by merely filling out an application, and sending it in with some audition materials. No other questions were asked. And no final reports were required. Thanks to the Canada Council, I spent a few lovely summers as a young musician in the south of France, where the wood stove pizzas, beer and beaches of the Cote d'Azur all were extra enjoyable, knowing they were being provided courtesy of the Government of Canada.

But things changed. The spending splurge of the Trudeau era finally came to end.

Now skip ahead to 2012: everyone and anything that depends on monies from the federal government needs to work extra hard and diligently to prove that they are worthy of the support of hard-working, Canadian taxpayers.

We're now in the era of getting down to business, getting lean, cutting the fat, and becoming a model of fiscal responsibility. We are poised to be a global leader in stable banking, and progressive social and immigration policies. We promote innovation and sustainable resource management. But doing this, without also ensuring our nation's soul is nurtured, runs the risk of turning us all into dreary, heartless, unimaginative drones.

So kudos to the Canada Council. By having its funding level maintained in a budget characterized by significant and wide-spread cuts, this organization, whose mandate is to nurture Canada's cultural identity, has achieved a coup. You can almost hear the unbridled enthusiasm in the opening paragraph of a media release issued by the Canada Council within an hour of the budget speech today:

"The Canada Council for the Arts is enormously heartened by the positive message sent by the 2012 budget and the support of the government in recognizing the Council's leadership role," said Canada Council Board Chair Joseph L. Rotman. "This vote of confidence in the Council is a clear signal of support for the arts as the creative heart of the nation. This government and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. James Moore, clearly appreciate the sector's positive contribution to the economy and identity of this country. It makes it all the more important that we continue to demonstrate the highest possible standard in our investment of public funds."

In the words of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty himself, "We must avoid falling behind. We must realize the enormous potential of our great country."

Exactly. And the potential of our great country just isn’t in our banking system, or our mines or oil sands. It is in its people. If we want to be a true global leader, Canada needs its culture, now, more than ever.

Vancouver: Meet Marco Polo!

2012-02-02T21:16:07Z

(Editor's note: we are pleased to welcome our marketing assistant intern Hyosang Yoo as a guest blogger. Enjoy!)

Have you noticed how many explorers are in Vancouver these days? I’m sure you’ve seen them, especially downtown. You see them in shops, restaurants, coffee shops, theatres. In fact the local economy in Vancouver gets a lot of fuel from these explorers. But what are they searching for? Why are they here? What riches are found in Vancouver that are drawing them here?

I will confess now that I am one of these explorers. I, like so many others, am a 21st century Marco Polo!

Joking aside. I’m talking about the thousands and thousands of international students who come to Vancouver, and other western cities, each year.

Travelling to other countries is not as easy as you might expect, especially when you are travelling for the primary purpose of achieving a higher learning experience. It costs lost of money, and it often means that you give up on many important things that are happening in your life back home. Nevertheless, tons of young people do not hesitate to volunteer to join this army of global explorers. But why? Again, the answer is not difficult. We want to explore a new world and learn new valuable things. We eagerly want to be pathfinders, even sometimes if it means passing up on opportunities, and the comfort and familiarity of our homes.

As one of these explorers, I’ve enjoyed my Marco Polo times at NG Farrell. Before starting the voyage, I had a really high expectation and eagerly looked forward to learning, experiencing and participating in anything I could while on my journey. Like most international students, my first step to explore was learning English, not only because English is the most commonly used language, but also, language is one of the most important tools required to understand new worlds. Consequently English has become my cornerstone for adventures in a new world.

Learning English was the boost my boat needed to make the voyage smoother!

But the first big step in my exploration was to experience global business in the new world. I studied business at Gastown Business College which gave me the skills needed to comprehend how business and corporate cultures work here in Canada, especially in Vancouver. Then, I started to work at NG Farrell. Almost everything I have learned and have done here was my first professional business experience, and that is exactly what I wanted. I now have so many new skills, including how to utilize WordPress, ExpressionEngine websites, Google functions and PhotoShop. I also met new clients, prominent people and joined many interesting meetings. Everything (especially the many, many coffees, haha) was very precious and inspirational to me.

Has everything I learned contributed to making me a better person? Will everything I learned be helpful in my country, Korea? Will my friends and family in Korea recognize how I have changed? I still ardently wish I could continue my voyage, but I am also excited to go back to Korea imagining a more mature me.

Which means the answer is YES.

It cannot be written in few words exactly what I have learned in the new world of Vancouver, but I would like to say I have extremely valuable experiences which will not be forgotten, and my high expectation I had before starting to explore was completely fulfilled. It is time to go back to my sweet home after a one year voyage, and I am very gratified to have been a 21st century Marco Polo.

New adventures will start again when I am back in Korea.

But everything will seem different now.

Project Management Tip - Google Sites!

2012-01-26T22:04:42Z

We at NG Farrell don't generally offer free advertising for big global coporations. Nor do we think there's a cheque with our name on it coming for the plug we're about to give.

But we know what we like when we see it, and we like Google Sites - a lot!

Our team uses many, if not most, of the free services, products and platforms in the Google family.

At last count, everyone in our office uses:

Gmail - to manage a wide range of email accounts
Chrome - a great browser with intuitive keyword search right in your browser navigation window (and a ton of super cool extensions)
Calendar
Documents
Google+ - a profile and networking tool that helps you enhance your online presence
Voice - convenienty make free calls to any telephone number in North America - right from your Gmail window (holding a phone to your ear feels so 20th century once you start making telephone calls from your computer)
Chat
Hangouts - a really fun way to run way to host and run multi-party video conferencing, with the added convenience of being able to simultaneously take notes, access Google docs, and, if you're bored, watch a YouTube video, all within one browser window.
Fusion Tables - still in BETA this tool allows you to visualize data in a few simple steps

But the Google product we're most excited about lately is Sites. With a free Google Apps account, you can start building and sharing a group website in minutes. With a wide range of easy- to-use templates, and some uber-fun plugins such as chat, forums, news etc, Google Sites are a great way to help run projects, especially for project teams that are multi-organizational or have members working from various locations. Not only can you easily add your Google Calendars and Docs, you can use Sites as a central, private repository for those very important project-related files that normally end up as cumbersome email attachments, desktop clutter, and trashbin fillers.

We have been using Sites to help manage projects with our clients for the past half year. They are a great way to keep everyone on the same page, in real time, and (this is big) we have found that they really help mobilize a team and provide an additional level of inspiration and creativity. So many of our client-side users have indicated to us that they learn so much from the experience of using a Google Site with our projects. The site can also be a great, low-pressure training ground for people who are interested in improving their skills and confidence in the area of website management. Most of the templates are very light on design. We tend to use the most basic templates for our group project sites, so that people don't have to worry about "breaking" the site when they are adding content or making updates. Again, the point of these intranet sites is to provide an easy-to-use, central repository of information, news, documents and communications. Accessibility is key for a team that may include users with diverse levels of experience in web publishing.

So check out Google Sites - or - contact us for some free tips and advice on how you can integrate a Google Site into your own marketing or communications project.

Vancouver’s Arts Orgnizations - By Map!

2011-10-28T19:56:38Z

It may seem like we might have nothing better to do, but, being in the midst of civic election madness, we have been spending some time working on voter ID and GOTV maps (if you are unsure what GOTV stands for, click here, but come back here to continue reading this post too please).

So since we are hot-to-trot for maps, we thought it would be a good idea (on a rainy Friday afternoon) to take a look at Vancouver's arts organizations from an aerial and mapping perspective. So without further adieu, we give you Vancouver's arts organizations - by map - with a special thanks to our marketing coordinator intern, Junha Choi for his exceptional work in data collecting and map making!

Please note that we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the data contained in these maps, nor is this post an endorsement of any organization including in these maps. Should you wish to add an organization to any of these maps, please feel free to contact us.

Vancouver Festivals:

View Vancouver Festivals in a full screen map

Vancouver Art Galleries:

View Vancouver Art Galleries in a full screen map

Vancouver Cultural Associations / Venues / Presenters:

View Vancouver Cultural Associations, Presenters, Venue in a full screen map

Culture Days 2011: Warming up to the 21st Century

2011-09-30T20:12:35Z

Today marks the start of Culture Days 2011. NG Farrell visited the opening day events at CBC HQ in Vancouver. We were delighted to see such a vast range of people and performers lining up to view and participate in the celebrations. Young and old, magically multicultural, with professional and amateur performers alike, all uniting with enthusiasm to collectively celebrate our “culture”.

But what we found interesting is that today also marks the official re-opening of BC Place, after what is being billed as the largest and most expensive retrofit in Canadian history. Compared to the large crowd gathered for Culture Days just two blocks away at CBC, the vicinity around BC Place, (which is surely one of the city’s most popular and recognizable cultural destinations) was near empty, except for the last minute clean-up crews and a handful of workers assembling a small platform, assumedly for an official opening ceremony to be held later in the day.

A quiet and contemplative morning at the Terry Fox Memorial at BC Place.

While BC Place’s main tenants are football and soccer teams, the stadium has and will continue to play host to concerts and large-scale productions for years to come. Of course, many people will (quietly) say that football and soccer aren't “culture”. But try telling the thousands of fans who attend these games that their favourite pastimes aren’t cultural to them. You can imagine the responses.

We believe strongly that the arts, multi-culturalism, media AND sports all equally deserve to be classified as “cultural”. Parametres such as funding and infrastructure requirements might all be very different, but the essence they share speaks to the same core attributes that connect us as a species.

Reflecting sun over statue of Percy Williams, awaiting the re-opening of the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

And so, while the kick-offs for the new BC Place and for Culture Days are happening at the same time on the same day and only two city blocks apart, it seems like both are still worlds apart and without any significant bearing on each other whatsoever.

Well, that is just not true. And it’s an old and silly perspective that only artsies love the arts, and only jocks like sports. To us, this archaic attitude is the primary reason why both arts and sports organizations often find it difficult to expand audience bases and enhance organizational development.

We offer our sincerest thank you and best wishes for continued success to the organizers and participants of Culture Days 2011, and a heartfelt congratulations to the staff, tenants and fans of BC Place on their beautiful new home. But we also wish and hope that all will soon realize that the time is now to embrace a more holistic, 21st century definition of what is culture, who creates it, and for whom it is intended.

CBC personalities warming up the crowds for Culture Days 2011 kick-off.

Photos: Chito Yoro

Vancouver is still a fun city - despite its Vision.

2011-06-30T19:17:59Z

The 2011 Vancouver Riot was the final act of bad behaviour by a wide range of Metro Vancouver residents that escalated throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. But the flames that burned the night of June 15th were fanned by municipal political leaders under the Vision Vancouver moniker who are trying too hard to have city residents embrace their political philosophy, and by a misguided (perhaps sometimes duped) city administration that cannot see that it is our culture as a city that already makes Vancouver truly "fun".

The events leading up to and including the riots of June 15^th have been well documented, as have the tough questions now being asked. Questions including how could the City and specifically Mayor Gregor Robertson not have known that some kind of catastrophic event would happen by inviting too many people into a confined space, at the culmination of a major international sporting event, without proper levels of security and volunteer support, all within a known culture of over-consumption of alcohol?

Answers will soon be forthcoming from the official external and internal reviews taking place, but I would like to propose an alternative perspective.

The question I would like to ask is this: when else do riots and mob violence occur, other than during wars, political upheavals and….sporting events?

Rarely, if ever.

And at risk of sounding anti-sport or snobbish (I am neither), I would like to suggest that it is not large crowds per se that create riots and violence, it is crowds that have gathered in a spirit of hyper competitiveness that spark violence. Crowds that have assembled in the singular and sanctioned spirit of an “us versus them” mentality, crowds that have no alternative but to react with extreme emotion to a 50/50 chance of a big loss, crowds that have the fuel and the spark for a communicable, explosive reaction to stimuli, are what give us problems.

And not just the problems that we saw during the recent Stanley Cup playoffs, but problems that occur every Friday and Saturday night on Granville Street in the entertainment district. I challenge everyone who hasn’t done so in a few years to go for a stroll on Granville on a Saturday night at 2am, and you will be dismayed to see the exact same rowdy, drunken behaviour that occurred during the play offs - most likely by many of the same people who were out smashing store windows on June 15th!

Dear readers, we have near riots every weekend in downtown Vancouver. Check it out if you are brave. You will also see the same “meet and greet” tactic of the VPD with police personnel on orders to only intervene in extreme cases, but otherwise turning a blind eye to violent, crude behaviour that doesn't even meet minimum entry requirements for membership in a civilized society.

We’ve let the bar drop to a dangerously low level. And when something like a Stanley Cup playoff comes to town, we don’t have far to fall before we lose complete control and start behaving like rabid animals.

Even the annual fireworks competition (emphasis mine) generally brings a certain unsavoury element to the crowds, including aggressive and violent behaviour, public drunkenness, property destruction, and extreme littering.

But, when was the last time you heard of a riot occurring at an outdoor cultural event? Does the City ever feel compelled to employ and pay for a vast amount of additional security for outdoor music or cultural festivals? During the major, annual, summer jazz festival that attracts thousands and thousands of people to outdoor venues, are riot police ever assembled nearby, waiting for orders to deploy tear gas?

Of course not. And here's why:

Culture and cultural events, by their very nature, are designed to bring people together in a way that makes them want to co-exist as one. There is no “do or die” mentality amongst audiences, people do not wail in the streets if a performer flubs a phrase, nor do the fans of bands or music ensembles representing different musical genres generally conspire to bash each other's heads in or trash their own downtown core.

Vancouverites enjoy literally hundreds of out door, cultural-based events every year. The list is impressive, and includes classical, popular and alternative music, dance and film festivals, an outdoor Shakespearean festival, ethnic cultural street festivals, Canada Day celebrations, GLBT parades and parties, etc. etc.

These are the types of events that our political leaders should promote, nurture and support.

Cultural events appeal to people from all walks of life. They attract real tourism dollars from outside of our own vicinity, and have programs and offerings that nurture the mind and the soul, rather than overly catering to the base, tribal and uncouth that exists in all of us.

In fact, cultural events are...fun!

So let’s not stop at just pointing fingers over what went wrong during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Let's take what we learn from this even further. While putting up bigger fences and having the riot police ready earlier next time might reduce the risks of harm, they are not going to eliminate the problem.

In short, let's stop beating ourselves up over hockey.

Instead, let’s make sure our political leaders stop trying to score political points by irrationally latching onto commercial sporting events at the risk of the lives and property of citizens and business owners. Let’s insist that they develop and adhere to new “fun city” strategies, by creating and investing in culture and cultural events - events big and small, high brow and low brow alike - that serve one purpose: creating and nurturing peace, beauty, civilization, and the advancement of human kind.

NG Farrell Announces New Management Personnel and a Renewed Corporate Focus

2011-06-07T17:10:31Z

NG Farrell is pleased to announce a new management structure and a renewed focus on delivering marketing services to clients in the cultural sector.

We welcome Chito Yoro, NG Farrell Creative Director, as a new managing partner at our agency. Chito is the creative drive behind all our work, and now as a partner at our agency he will also infuse his creative perspective into business and marketing strategies for our clients and for our own organization. We congratulate Chito on his new role, and hope to personally introduce him to our clients and network over the coming weeks and months.

Since we opened in 2009, our agency has grown leaps and bounds. We've had incredible experiences working with many awesome clients. Along the way we've been able to flex our muscles and really get to know the exact areas in which we excel. But to do so means to be able to recognize what needs to change for continued success. This is why we have new management, and why we are re-launching as a marketing agency that works exclusively with cultural sector clients. During our first year and a half we focused on clients in the sports and arts sectors. But we've discovered that our efforts have been most successful with client organizations that create or enhance culture - either societal culture, or a culture unique to a specific audience or cultural demographic.

Whether they be a professional association with a very defined membership, or a performing arts organization, or a political organization, or a non-profit organization, our client focus now is on organizations born out of a singular premise and vision, or simply stated, organizations whose mission it is to give something back to society.

The NG Farrell perspective works best with organizations that do not merely provide services to consumers, but who see their audiences as active participants in a defined culture. We understand that the relationships between our clients and their audiences are dynamic and integrated, rather than a one-way process of supply and demand. Our clients do not make "contributions" merely to satisfy a marketing strategy. Our clients’ contributions are their raisons d’êtres. We understand this, and the NG Farrell cultural marketing approach is what stands us apart from other marketing agencies.

We are proud of all the relationships that we have developed over the first year and half of our existence. And as we now focus on a more cohesive vision, we look forward to establishing new relationships with many more wonderful new client teams, with whom we hope to share the honour of making our world a little bit better, every step of the way.

For more information on recent developments at NG Farrell, or to receive information on how we can be of service to your organization, please contact us.

The Top 5 Musical Reasons Why It is Awesome to be Alive

2011-06-03T20:36:06Z

Even at my advancing age, I still enjoy moments of pure rapture from certain pieces of music that I have loved for a lifetime. And then to heighten those moments, there are performances by specific artists, which overwhelmingly remind me why it is just simply awesome to be alive.

So as a way of welcoming in the new year, I'd like to share my top five pieces of music, as performed by five of my all-time favourite artists. Note that as a former pianist, my preference does lean towards keyboard music. And vocal music. Toss in some ballet, and I'm happy. Make it mostly from the 20th century? Pure bliss.

This listing isn't in any particular order, but I do hope you can take the time to enjoy each and every one!

1. America's jewel, Jessye Norman singing....anything. But here is her awesome interpretation of "Beim Schlafengehen", from the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss.

2. The late Canadian icon Glenn Gould performing J.S. Bach's "Goldberg Variations". Regardless of his seemingly oafish manner, he had an unsurpassed musical vision and capacity that was captured in this video of his second recording of Bach's masterpiece for keyboard. When I was learning this piece as a teenager, his first recording of it from the 1950's was my muse.

3. Here are ballet legends Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nurejev performing Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet". I could watch, or just listen to this over and over...

4. Dawn Upshaw performing Gorecki's "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs". Written in 1976, Dawn Upshaw's 1992 recording of this then-obscure piece - by an equally obscure Polish composer - ended up selling more than 1 million copies worldwide. Here's why:

5. In his heyday, he was always controversial. And then, still a young man, he disappeared for several years after his wife passed away. But I always thought Ivo Pogorelich's austere physical style of performing only helped accentuate his musicality and awe-inspiring technique. Here he is playing "Scarbo", from Maurice Ravel's "Gaspard de la nuit" - considered to be one of the most difficult solo piano pieces ever composed, due to its technical difficulty and profound musical structure. But watch how easy - and mesmerizing - Pogorelich made it all seem back in 1983.

Meet Bart: NG Farrell’s Most Excellent Intern

2011-01-27T17:38:30Z

Hello. My name is Bart, the first ever intern at NG Farrell. I am originally from Korea and I came to Vancouver, Canada to achieve my dream. Many people ask me why I came to Canada and what I wanted to achieve here. I had always planned to study abroad and gain experience, as my dream is to become a public relations account executive and I wanted to get Canadian experience.

When I was looking for a job, I found an interesting looking company named NG Farrell. Once I saw their website, I called to get a opportunity to meet with the company. I started to work here on December 6, as part of my practicum at Gastown Business College, and I have worked with Sean, Callum, Chito and Davis. I worked to review client backgrounders and project profiles for the first week, and then I researched companies and worked on developing contact databases for companies that could be approached for sponsorships. In addition, I joined photo shoots, supported a press conference and helped with some fund raising activities. Furthermore I learned a lot about social media, and did a lot of audience development for clients on Twitter.

I always enjoyed attending brainstorming meetings, and liked how we created briefs for projects. Helping to edit videos from events we were managing was a lot of fun, especially since we often had to get them online really fast to make sure that our clients were getting the notice they deserved. It was good timing to be at NG Farrell, as I also got to learn a bit about poliltical campaigns, and have seen first hand how much work goes into integrating all the available communications channels that can be tapped into as resources, especially social media.

I could go on forever about the things I learned here, but I will probably remember most the excitement of helping to put on big press conferences and live web streaming events. Through my internship, I feel that a dream was reached and I now have enough courage to continue working to achieve my goals. After going back to Korea, I will miss everything about NG Farrell especially Sean, Callum, Chito and Davis.I really appreciate your kindness. It was the best time of my life. I hope you'll all come to see me in Korea when I have my own agency. Keep your eyes open for me, like I have kept mine on you!! ha ha.

Broadcast Your Event Live Online: It’s Easy, Inexpensive…and Fun!

2011-01-16T22:54:33Z

These days it can be a challenge to get your members and target audiences out to events. People are busy, travel is increasingly a nuisance, and everyone is looking for ways to cut back on budgets for hosting or travelling to events. The solution? Broadcast your event sessions live online!

To do so, all you need is a camera and a live connection to the Internet. There are a number of superb hosted solutions that allow you to easily make the connection between your live event and your audiences. Moreover, if you have an easy-to-use web publishing system powering your website (e.g. WordPress, Drupal etc.) you can also easily embed your webcast right on your site. If you know how to embed video from YouTube, then you already know what to do!

Two well-known streaming services are UStream.com and Justin.tv. Now, if you don’t mind having the occasional commercial broadcast along with your event, then you can use these services for free. If that isn’t your taste, or you have sponsorship commitments, there are services with inexpensive pay-as-you-go, or subscription packages that are based on viewer hours. Most services now also have amazing Social Media plug-ins that will easily allow you to promote your broadcast on Twitter, Facebook etc.

Here is a quick list of what you’ll need, and what you’ll need to watch for, as you prepare for your live streaming webcast:

Know your audience. Will they watch an event online or not?
Choose your date and time, and consider those people who might be in different time zones.
Understand what technology services your venue has or can offer you. You’ll want to have a dedicated hardwire Internet for your webcast. We suggest you do a test before you go live to make sure you’re not sharing your Internet connection with 100 hotel guests!
Make sure your video camera is the right kind. Read up on it to make sure it can handle streaming video. There are lots of online forums that describe the camera models that support streaming video. If you don’t have one, don’t despair, most cities have camera rental shops and for around $50 you can rent a camera for a day.
Decide if you are going to be broadcasting solely on your streaming provider, or also on your website. You will need to know in advance the URL of your show, in order to promote it to your audience and members. If you are going to embed your broadcast on your website, get your page set up in advance, so that you can properly test it. We suggest also creating a test page, in addition to the webpage you will be promoting for the event, so that you can play around with your test broadcast, without worrying that people will be watching and listening (and laughing) while you experiment!
Do a full test in your venue. Like any kind of event, you’ll want to decide on your production values for the event, like the stage setup, lighting, sound etc. So just include your webcast on your main checklist of things to take care in your room or venue, and then you won’t have to worry about it as an afterthought.
Most hosted streaming services also provide a live chat feature, which is a great way to get people engaged with your event or presenter. But you’ll want a trusted person to act as moderator, in case the chat starts going in an unwanted direction.
If you pay or subscribe to your streaming service, you’ll also be able to record live to that service, and later download your broadcasted event as video. This is great way to kill two birds with one stone, and you’ll have top quality video and audio to repurpose and possibly resell after the event!

We hope you find these tips helpful, and we would love to hear from you if you have any other streaming webcast tips to share, or if you would like to know more about how you can get your event into the offices, homes or mobile devices of people you need to reach.

Arts and Sports Sponsorship 101

2010-11-02T00:45:06Z

Today’s blog post is primarily intended for our corporate followers. In it, we will try to explain why sponsoring arts and sports organizations is a good thing. But here is the premise: sponsoring arts and sports allows you to reach that customized marketplace which eludes you in other marketing channels.

Sponsorship of arts and sports can be a valuable way for companies to engage with the public, and develop strategic positioning. Businesses interested in developing this kind of marketing tactic will benefit from knowing that as public funding for non-profit arts and sports organizations continues to fracture, these organizations present ripe opportunities for companies who wish to look outside of traditional marketing and advertising vehicles - and at great value!

In its most basic form, sponsorship is an arrangement between a corporation and an event, organization or venue through which the corporation will promote a product or itself. A sponsorship arrangement provides support through financial contributions, in-kind services, or merchandising. In return, corporations gain rights and privileges to connect intimately with the arts or sports organization, and ultimately their members or audiences.

Faced with the increasing cost and reduced effectiveness of traditional advertising, corporations of all sizes can now truly start to consider the sponsorship vehicle to reach target consumers with meaningful messages. Whether it is with a sporting event, performing arts company, or umbrella organization like a Provincial Sport Organization (PSO), sponsorships reach a clearly defined consumer and create a positive impression of the corporation as supporting the lifestyle activities, tastes and values of their customers.

Businesses that are refining their positioning, sharpening their image or facing new competition for market share are missing out by not considering sponsorships as a key component of their marketing plans. However, companies who do include sponsorship in their plans will be investing in a relationship that goes beyond the traditional reach of display advertising, but garnering the same benefits.

The ROI businesses can expect from sponsoring the arts and sports is evaluated alongside PR and brand awareness. However, the 10:1 rule is considered to be optimal. That is, for every $1,000 spent, a sponsor should expect at least $10,000 worth of publicity and/or direct sales. Corporations should be confident that this is a highly cost-effective ratio, especially if one compares the expected ROI on $50,000 of traditional media (not much), versus the return you will receive on a $50,000 sponsorship of a high profile, broadcast sport tournament, that puts you directly in front of tens of thousands of customers, their families, fans and TV viewers.

In short, sponsoring the arts and sports can and should be an integral component of the marketing of any kind of business, large or small. There are organizations and events of all sizes, scope, reach and segment to get involved with. Canada is full of lean, ambitious, and well-organized arts and sports organizations that are willing to go the extra mile and work alongside your marketing team to create a sponsorship relationship that will endure and create a win-win situation for all parties.

The Melody of The Dali Universe

2010-09-15T17:22:47Z

I have always had a fascination with dance. It combines some of the finest capabilities of the human form. Not only this, but these combinations give rise to a special synergy. Even the most accomplished writer would have trouble assigning words to those synergies. Power and grace. Agility and stage charisma. Fitness and presence of mind. It’s incredible.

The Dali Universe features another layer of collaboration. This time, dance is accompanied by a thought-provoking theatre piece, woven into the storyline and produced with an impressive collection of stage effects. And of course, there is music.

I can’t say more than that. You’ll have to see the show to witness the melody of dance, theatre and effects.

What can be reiterated is that in life there are moments when the human senses are able to take in something so special that it can’t really be explained. These moments, the images, sounds, are available in many arenas. An eternal sporting moment. A fantastical piece of music. And of course dance.

This NG Farrell partner is happy to know this prevailing truth and looking forward to cherishing a moment much the same when The Dali Universe opens this Thursday.

The Dali Universe is a production of Vancouver City Dance Theatre, and hits the Vancouver Playhouse stage this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (2 shows). Tickets available at the door or Ticketmaster.

For more information please visit: www.vancouvercitydancetheatre.com

Vancouver Celebrates International Dance Day

2010-04-26T19:41:25Z

International Dance Day is celebrated on April 29, as promoted by the International Dance Council, an umbrella organization for all types of dance, at UNESCO.

The holiday was introduced in 1982 to commemorate the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, regarded as the founder of modern ballet.

The goals of International Dance Day are to increase the awareness of the importance of dance among the general public, as well as to persuade governments everywhere to provide a proper place for dance in all systems of education, at all levels.

Vancouver will be celebrating International Dance Day with a series of events held at our own crown jewel of dance resource centres - the Scotiabank Dance Centre. Free events include open rehearsals, classes and performances from a tremendous range of organizations and different styles, including flamenco, salsa/merengue, sound and movement artists, and contemporary dance. Scotiabank Dance Centre’s lobby will also host a new photo exhibit by Lola Dance, in honour of the late choreographer Lola MacLaughlin who passed away last year.

As BC continues to deal with the aftershocks and huge implications of recent declines in government funding, it is important that we also reflect on, and help celebrate, our many success stories. For the dance community, having such an invaluable asset such as the Dance Centre – a result of the combined hard work and resources of the dance community, multiple levels of government and the private sector – has significantly and positively impacted the thriving dance performance scene that Vancouverites and British Columbians enjoy.

For a complete schedule and to read more about the impressive work of the Dance Centre, please visit www.thedancecentre.ca

BC Arts and Culture Week 2010

2010-04-14T22:55:25Z

Now in its 11th year, BC Arts and Culture Week, April 18-24, shines a spotlight on the vital impact that arts and culture make on our society, our communities and our individual lives. Arts and culture in all forms - music, film, dance, publishing, theatre and visual arts - are part of daily life, and have a lasting influence.

Arts and culture also fuel our economies and bring positive attention to our province. This in turn helps attract tourists, educated and skilled new residents, investment and trade.

Paying attention to the work of our artists and performers makes sense. For all the right reasons.

That’s why NG Farrell is keen to help promote BC Arts and Culture Week and the awesome array of events that are occurring throughout the province next week. We encourage readers to visit the event website to see what is happening in your local community.

And showing your support does not necessarily mean that you have to buy tickets to an expensive show or concert. We understand that for some, the price of those types of events can at times be prohibitive. But it doesn’t cost much to do things such as buy BC-published magazines in your local convenience store, or visit a local art gallery on your lunch break to become acquainted with emerging new artists. Vancouver has some great and innovative film festivals that present internationally-acclaimed films, for really reasonable admission fees. And it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life to volunteer on the board of an arts organization or even just help out at performances of your local theatre or symphony orchestra. And for those who like to dine, dance and mingle, there are themed-fundraising events that provide both entertainment and the satisfaction of giving.

Of course, what would make BC Arts and Culture Week 2010 all the more special would be some good news regarding funding. We have heard from a reliable source that information regarding the new 2010 Legacies Fund will be released next week. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open, and invite you to give us a call or send us an email, so we can then help disseminate information on the fund as soon as it becomes available.

In the meanwhile – enjoy BC’s fabulous arts and culture scene. It’s vibrant, it’s exciting and it needs you!

2010 Sports and Arts Legacy: Common Ground in a New Funding Structure

2010-03-10T00:02:20Z

Sitting here in the NG Farrell offices, we often wonder aloud about a number of wonderful and fantastical things. No doubt a great many of these fantasies are inspired by the passion and commitment we see from our clients.

But sometimes, it comes out of nowhere, and we begin imagining incredible things that are interesting enough to blog about.

And so here we are now, talking about the day in Canada when sports and the arts will truly unite, and create the ultimate synergy of society-bettering, community building, fun-loving goodness.

What would be so wrong with pairing a little WHL hockey, with, oh, I don’t know, the opera? Or getting a discount on your subscription to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra when you buy your Vancouver Canadians seasons tickets.

At first glance, these are fairly dissimilar activities, either to take part in or observe. There’s not much akin between throwing a baseball and playing a bassoon. Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Nat Bailey, with the popcorn and scattered crowds is, well, different from the Orpheum’s organized performances.

But what is so different? Last week, Budget 2010 came down from the provincial government. Hang on, don’t leave yet, this is not dry government talk it’s actually relevant.

2010 Sports and Arts Legacy. It’s not a mistake why these two words share the same sentence and the same funding structure.

They are:

Both equally relevant to a flourishing society
Featuring needing “practitioners”, artists and athletes
They are both engaging, interesting and honest expressions of the human form and spirit
They are important

Who’s to say that these two industries shouldn’t try to find some common ground, and common audiences?

I love opera, but I'm also a hockey fan. Would I be happy supporting both if the opportunity presented itself? You bet. Doesn’t mean everyone else might, but it’s a thought.