Miami’s Performing Arts Center

Background

When our firm joined the Adrienne Arsht Center team in mid-2008, we knew that a

coordinated public relations and inst itutional marketing campaign aimed at communicating the Center’s role in the Miami comm unity  and repositioning the institution would go a long way in generating positive public perception. As a result of our efforts, the media and general public began focusing on the Center’s diverse calendar of programs and events, its role as a catalyst for economic development in downtown Miami, and its leadership in the area of arts education.
Today, the Center is winning international accolades as one of the nation’s most impactful and well-run performing arts centers. Recent headlines have touted patrons packing the seats, budget deficits becoming surpluses, donors contributing in record numbers, breakthrough arts education programming, the Center’s coalition of community support and its standing as an economic engine.

Program Objectives
• Build positive public perception of the institution among targeted regional and national audiences
• Position the organization as an invaluable resource for the South Florida community – a model for civic investment
• Support organizational advancement and development initiatives through a coordinated, institutionally-based publicity campaign

Results
A steady stream of positive news coverage: Since our campaign began in 2008, we havegarnered numerous positive articles, including a Miami Herald cover story titled “It’s a Hit,” a National Public Radio feature on the Center’s 2008 summer season, inclusion in several New York Times articles, a Miami Herald staff editorial speaking to the significance of the Center’s successful programming and fiscal responsibility, and countless others. To date, nearly all of our earned editorial coverage has been positive in tone, marking a dramatic shift from the Center’s earlier days.

National media exposure: Our proactive media relations program has generated news coverage across a range of national outlets, including the New York Times, Associated Press, Hispanic Business, CBS Network News and NBC Network News, among others. Beyond the increased national awareness sparked by this coverage, we have been successful in forging new relationships with key members of the media.

Marketing and social media support: To complement our media relations work, we continually support the Center in developing and orchestrating innovative marketing and social media strategies that engage new audiences and reinforce our campaign themes. In addition, we have successfully nominated the Center for a number of prestigious awards and honors, including the Urban Land Institute’s “Project of the Year” honor and the South Florida Business Journal’s “Business of the Year” award.

Supporting institutional growth: Our public relations and marketing activities have contributed to — and communicated — the Center’s bottom line success. Ticket sales continue to outpace industry averages, attendance numbers have grown, and fundraising initiatives consistently outperform expectations.