EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine February 2019 | Page 18

people want to see so it can adjust its programming accordingly.
“We have to constantly reevaluate the community that we
live in,” Berman said. “As things keep changing, it’s important to
know who the potential customer base is.”
The feedback has led to improvements to the venue, more
family-friendly programming, and a greater focus on marketing
the array of ticket prices.
“There is a wide variety of things to do from every single
price point,” she said “People need to realize that the arts and
culture offered here are not a luxury item.”
KIDS FOR ART
London Philharmonic. Photo credit DBSS/Phil Klem
“The community and the area is trying to rebuild something
that existed, and that is a challenge,” said Berman. “We have
to reeducate people that even though the London Symphony
Orchestra is not here anymore, there is still great art and culture
in the community. You don’t need to get on a plane or go to
another community. It is right here.”
Another push is to encourage youngsters to come to the
theater. In 2017, the foundation launched “Youth + Art =
Success!” as an annual arts education outreach program for low-
income youth. It’s also toying with a summer workshop program
such as a theater camp, taking advantage of times when the
auditorium is empty.
“If families are not bringing our youth into the theater, we’re
at least giving them a first taste,” so that the arts can become an
“ongoing” part of their lives, Berman said.
Sandra Gosch, president of the Daytona Beach Symphony
Society, which has been bringing world-class acts to the Peabody
since 1951, said the youth programs are breaking stereotypes.
On a recent visit by elementary schoolchildren to the Peabody,
she said some of them expressed surprise that a pianist was so
young — and beautiful, not the old men in tuxedos they may
have expected.
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
Is the pitch working? The 2,521-seat auditorium often sells out
shows, attracting more than 100,000 residents and visitors a year
for its 200 or so performances.
Still, it’s not easy to promote the auditorium when consumers
are hard up and public funding is scant.
To contend, the foundation is taking steps to become
more agile and diversified in its marketing of the century-old
attraction, which is run on an annual budget of $3.4 million.
“You are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel in terms of
educating people about the Peabody and the importance of arts
and culture,” Berman said. “And then you have to try it again.”
Its latest efforts include working closer with Volusia’s bustling
tourism industry on promotion and with the city to find out what
“Our biggest goal now is to attract a younger audience,”
she said. “We don’t want classical music to fade away. We want
children to grow up loving music.”
BOLSTERING THE ECONOMY
The Volusia government is aware of the importance of the
arts. Robert Redd, cultural coordinator for Volusia County, said
cultivating an arts scene is good for the economy. This not only
brings “new businesses, increased opportunities and a richer
lifestyle” to Volusia, but the more the attendance, the more
vibrant the county and the more people want to call it home,
he said.
According to a 2017 study by Americans for the Arts, a
Washington, D.C.-based group, the nonprofit arts and culture
sector generates $48.7 million in total economic activity per year
in Volusia, about a quarter of which is spending by nonprofit arts
and cultural organizations and the rest event-related spending by
audiences. The sector supports 1,472 full-time jobs, creating $32.4
million in household income for local residents and $7 million in
local and state government revenue, the study found.
The Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, for
| 18 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE