Open minds fill pockets, dudes

We recently posted an online case study about how agency aka is working with the London tourism bodies to stimulate demand for West End theatre. When we tweeted a link to that story, one tweeter replied “dudes, wtf? @ArtsPro how is that not just an advert for a marketing company?” It’s an interesting (if rather crudely made) point: but would the tweeter have been so outraged at our having the temerity to publish such a story if it had been a subsidised marketing agency that was working with a tourism body to promote subsidised theatre? At AP we have always seen our mission as sharing information and good practice among arts professionals and pointing the sector towards useful resources and interesting case studies. And frankly, we’re not fussy where these come from. We take the view that good practice and valuable new ideas are just as likely to emanate from commercial organisations and organisations outside the arts sector as they are from those who rely on arts grants and philanthropy to fulfil their missions. A good idea is a good idea, and worth sharing.

Similarly, some arts professionals may recoil when reading about Arts Ventures. It’s a good idea, but it was conceived outside the subsidised arts sector so will undoubtedly meet more than its fair share of detractors. This scheme potentially offers arts organisations the chance to become more viable and sustainable in the long-term, but it uses ‘dirty’ words such as ‘loan’ and ‘return on investment’, which are sure to set teeth on edge among those who have no tradition or experience of accessing finance beyond writing grant applications and approaching sponsors and donors. If we are in any doubt of its potential we should take heart from the impressive statistics at Cockpit Arts, where commercial investments have generated profit increases of 75% to designer-makers as well as social returns on investment. Geoff Burnand and Margaret Bolton assure us that there are many more private investors who are keen to see their cash generating social returns in the arts, so perhaps now would be a good time to set prejudices aside and start a conversation.