Simply posting on the SketchCrawl Forum isn't enough to generate a crowd. After all, it's only visible to people already know it's there; most people don't even know SketchCrawl exists. As proof of concept, the only one who showed up for SketchCrawl 16 was yours truly. Since I can sketch alone any time, the lack of other people for the 'Crawl was a resounding defeat. Sitting at the bar of The Druid Pub with nothing but my art supplies and IPA, the constant thought was "How can this not happen again?"
Register With SketchCrawl
- Go the the SketchCrawl Forum
- Register
- Find the topic for the next 'Crawl (example: "25th World Wide SketchCrawl")
- Once there, search for your city/town/neighborhood (mine is Cambridge MA)
- If there isn't a 'Crawl in your city/town/neighborhood, create a new topic with the name of your city/town/neighborhood
That's it. It's nice to think my qualifications as an artist, professional and teacher got me this powerful position. In truth, however, it goes to the first person who registers. Welcome to open-source.
Tell People You're Alive
So, how do you promote an fun event that doesn't generate a dime? For SketchCrawl 20, I did the following:
- Registered with the Forum
- Created a SketchCrawl landing page on my site
- Posted free listings in the local newspapers (Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Boston Phoenix, Metro Boston)
- Created a Facebook Event
- Sent a massive email to colleagues, friends and family
What did all that promotional effort produce? Seven new artists and an interview with the Boston Phoenix.
My next event was SketchCrawl 22, which had eleven artists. The bottom line: if you want a decent turnout for your public event, tell people.
Labels: Essay
Posted by Dave M! on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 9:48 AM
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