Orange County Increases Focus on Arts in 2012

CHAPEL HILL, NC -- (January 13, 2012) – The Orange County Arts Commission and the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau have partnered to launch a new events marketing network designed to help increase tourism throughout the county and enhance visibility for Orange County’s artists and art-related events. 

The Arts Calendar in Orange County is now active at www.explorechapelhillarts.com.  Visitors can also access the calendar through the www.visitchapelhill.organd the www.artsorange.orgsite by clicking on events calendar or the explore arts logo.

Both the Arts Commission and the Visitors Bureau have conducted significant data entry and design work and have also trained local events organizers on how to customize their information moving forward.  Local individuals and organizations are encouraged to use the calendar to promote their events and activities to visitors coming to Orange County, as well as to local residents.

“This new calendar is a way to promote your concert, lecture, art opening, play, food event, sporting event and more taking place in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and the county,” says Martha Shannon, Director of the Orange County Arts Commission.   “You can add photos and links back your website to highlight your event and venue.  Just register at the top of the explorechapelhillarts website to get started,” adds Shannon.  For more information, there is a free calendar user’s guide on www.artsorange.org.

The network, owned by Pursuit of Happiness and branded as EverWondr, is custom-branded for its users and is currently the events web engine for more than 16 Arts Councils, 18 Convention and Visitor Bureaus, 14 Chambers of Commerce, 8 Universities, two media outlets and more than 195 attractions and venues throughout North Carolina.

The new www.explorechapelhillarts.comsite includes:

Events:The events section features an easily searchable listing of all events and activities within key areas. My Planner: Registered users receive a free, customized events planning calendar through which they are able to track events of interest to them.  Events may be “snagged” for posting on social media pages (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, etc.).  Gallery: The Gallery features individual portfolio pages for artists, musicians, educators and other individuals to showcase their work.  Art Market: The Art Market gives artists “store fronts” from which to sell work. Similar to other online art fairs (e.g. Etsy); this area of the website enhances the visibility and commerce of individual artists or co-ops. There is a nominal charge for “store fronts” in this section of the site.

Triangle Wide Outreach

In addition to a new on-line arts campaign, the three Triangle visitor bureaus, including Orange County, Durham and Wake Counties have teamed to launch a Triangle wide arts collaboration that promotes visitation within the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina. The new website portal www.artsinthetriangle.comwill be displayed on all local visitors’ bureau websites and link to local arts calendars, including Orange County’s new comprehensive calendar. 

“When the CHOCVB and Orange County Arts Commission joined offices in 2010, we knew we would focus on greater collaboration between the arts and tourism,” said Laurie Paolicelli, executive director of CHOCVB.

The site works to highlight the many cultural experiences to be had throughout the region, proving that travelers don’t have to go far to begin a new arts adventure. Day-trip visitation—often taking place within a 50-mile radius—is an important part of a destination’s overall marketing strategy, as it helps maintain or increase visitor levels on a year-round basis.

Collectively, there are six major art museums in the Research Triangle Region, including Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and North Carolina Central University Art Museum in Durham and CAM Raleigh, the N.C. Museum of Art and the Gregg Museum of Art & Design in Wake County. There are also more than two dozen major performing arts organizations in the three counties.