In STAR TREK, they would be called a “Landing Party”…

Last Wednesday, representatives of Prescott’s arts & cultural community undertook a first-of-its-kind ”expedition” to Phoenix-based media to raise the visibility of Prescott as a premier arts & cultural destination in Arizona and make valuable personal connections.

In a series of candid & highly-informative meetings with the Arizona Republic, KTVK/NewsChannel 3, Arizona Office of Tourism, Echo Magazine, Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, AZ Weekly and bloggers from Locallilly.com and Raising Arizona Kids – the delegation came away with immediately actionable insights about WHO to contact, WHEN to contact them and HOW they preferred to be contacted.

It may not be a surprise – but it was truly delightful to hear EVERY media representative express LOVE for the Prescott community and warmly invite continuing relationships to share knowledge of upcoming events & activities. That’s the power of such a collaborative effort: the major impression left behind wasn’t so much for any individual organization but of GREAT EXCITEMENT for Prescott arts & cultural community as a whole!

Participants were: Cyndi Gresser (Smoki Museum & Prescott Arts & Humanities Council); Mike Lange (Sharlott Hall Museum), Terri New (multi-media producer), Michelle McFadden (playwright), Jon Meyer (Prescott Center for the Arts), Patti Ortiz (Tis Gallery), Tim Graham (Whispering Pines Bed & Breakfast), Kim Villalpando & Edd Kellerman (Phippen Museum), Margo Christensen (Springhill Suites & Alliance for Audience Board Member) & Don Prince (City of Prescott).

The visit was organized by Alliance for Audience (with the very generous assistance of PR maven Steve Carr) - and in very close partnership with Don Prince, the City of Prescott’s Director of Tourism who (on top of everything else) piloted the shuttlecraft (er, drove the van).

Thank you, too, to the Arizona Community Foundation which allowed us the use of their conference room.

This article was reprinted with permission from Alliance for Audience, a non-profit service organization providing marketing and audience development services to the arts and cultural community of Arizona.