From Holbein to Cambridge Curry Houses, the Alley draws inspiration from all sources.

The Alley Theatre recently took part in a Audience NI training session in Belfast which was all about reaching the student audience. From research it seems that students are certainly having a different experience than maybe students 10 or 15 years ago. The most interesting point, but not totally relevant to arts marketing, is that students take 3 holidays per year....3 holidays on a student loan, how do they manage it?


Anyway the guest speaker on the day covered a number of different points on how to appeal to the student market, however the Alley was already working on a number of projects that he suggested.

He did offer two gems of information however which made the whole trip worthwhile.....


1. When using Facebook, one of the essential sites for students today, always ensure you page is a "fan" site, rather than a "group" page. The main difference being that by running a "Fan site", you can directly post into their newsfeed, while in "groups" page you can only email the member.
Research shows that students on Facebook never really bother opening emails in their Facebook page, meaning students join various interest groups, then never really interact. The opportunity to get into their newsfeed ensures you are constantly reminding them of their membership at the Alley Facebook page and what's coming up, hopefully developing further interaction.

Since we relaunched the Alley Facebook page, not only have we seen a increase in numbers, but also a "better quality" of member. Before I hear a flood of complaints about that comment, what I mean it that gone are all the Alley staff members friends and family who join the site out of loyalty, but now the new site has appealed to a host of people who are seriously interested in receiving and interacting with the Alley. We now have 140 members, 99.9% from Northern Ireland, with a few ex-pats also joining to keep up to date with news back home Strabane.

One small comment about the relaunch..since we did it, other venues copied us within 48 hours! Once again the Alley led the way.




2. Develop Facebook ambassadors.

The world of ambassadors have moved on from the time of Henry VIII and Hans Holbein, however a few things are timeless....the power to influence through letters, words, images and recommendation.

Would Henry had married Anne of Cleeves if he had not received a personal recommendation on her looks from his Ambassadors or a sketch from Holbein? Certainly not.

The same can be said in the 21st century with people now using social networking sites, online friends and Youtube clips to work out what purchases to make, which shows to see or things to do at the weekend. One quick example of this in action was when friend was in Cambridge at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night and wanted a recomendation for a Curry House for a post-pub trip. He put the call out on Facebook and within 2 minutes he had received 3 curry house addresses and indepth personal recomendations. If it can work for a Curry house, it can certainly work in the arts!

Therefore the Alley is working on developing links with key Facebook users in the North West, with the intention of making them our Facebook ambassadors. It's in the early stages of planning and execution, so I think I will give a more detailed desciption on how we intend it to work in a couple of weeks once it is full up and running.

To check out the Alley Facebook page or maybe apply to be our new Facebook Ambassador click here.

BT Sounds Like Summer is set to get Turbulent!

The BT Sounds Like Summer Music Festival is about to hit the Alley Theatre in what should be a far superior competition than last years event. Starting on August 7th, this years final has an abundance of quality entrants, with bands from all over Northern and Southern Ireland applying to be in the final 16 bands. This magical music event is free to attend for people wanting to hear the very best in unsigned talent, thanks to the collaboration with our sponsors BT and NWIPP (thank you!!).

This year we have bands form Derry, Strabane, Fermanagh, Belfast, Donegal, Limavady to name but a few, with all music tastes covered. As I have been marketing the event we have used various tools, from the traditional avenues like our events guide, flyer's and posters, to radio, ticket comps and social network sites like Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, Twitter etc.

One piece of advice I would give any band looking to do well in any festival or within the music industry, make sure you have a good website, nothing too fancy, but something that covers all the bases. From band bio, video clips, free track downloads, press pictures, contact details, gig guide and links, these are the essential items for a band to have available at a moments notice, ready for when the press or music label come calling.

One band which is taking part in the BT Sounds Like Summer Music Festival and ticks all the boxes in being prepared are Turbulent Eddy, whose new website I believe covers all the areas I would be looking for. Check it out by clicking here

Who will win the BT Sounds Like Summer festival and walk off with the top prize of a music video and a CD produced by the Nerve Centre, free broadband for a year and extensive media coverage? Well at the moment I would say all 16 bands are in for a real shout, its that close! For more information on the BT Sounds Like Summer click here.

Happy Birthday Facebook

Strabane’s Alley Theatre is leading the birthday congratulations to one of the worlds largest social networking sites, namely Facebook, who are celebrating their 5th birthday this year. The popular North West arts venue has capitalized on the growth of this fantastic social networking site, developing “The Alley Theatre Facebook page”, which is now officially one of the largest theatre Facebook pages in existence within Northern Ireland.

Facebook is now a world leading company, however it beginnings are far removed from the world of big business. Created in the dorm rooms of Harvard University, student Mark Zuckerberg designed this revolutionary site so he could keep in touch with his friends. From those humble beginnings, Facebook is now a world leader on the internet, with over 150 million users worldwide.

The Facebook “phenomenon” knows no boundaries in its ever increasing presence on the web, and has now even reached Strabane and the patrons of the Alley Theatre Strabane. "Facebook and other social network sites are practically still in their infancy” commented Nathan Flatman, Marketing officer for the Alley Theatre, “In the future, sites like Facebook and Twitter will be essential sites for internet users to visit, allowing them to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues who are based not just regionally, but internationally. I speak to friends in the UK, Australia and Korea at the click of a button via Facebook and we are delighted to see the Alley Face Book Page becoming one of the most successful theatre based pages within Northern Ireland”.

At the end of 2005, Facebook expanded into the UK and Ireland, with the site now translated across 35 languages with another 60 in development. Everyday more than 15 million users update their status to tell their friends what they are doing, showing off photographs, uploading videos, chatting, making like minded friends, meet old ones, join causes, groups, and have fun. For more information on the Alley Theatre’s Facebook page and other Alley related social network sites visit www.alley-theatre.com/about-us/alley-social-network-sites

The Alley Theatre explores Facebook

With over 83% of 16-24 year olds now visiting social network sites, the Alley Theatre, Strabane, is keen to explore all avenues in reaching new markets for our shows.

Therefore the Alley Marketing Department has established a Facebook page, aimed at informing patrons of upcoming shows, ticket offers, looking for show feedback, suggestions to the events programme and to build a Alley online community.

Although still a new Facebook page, the site is gaining new members from across Ireland and the UK. Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=16714089077