Would you like to grow the audiences in your venue?
How about bring in people who have never been before?
Or diversify the types of people who regularly attend?
REACH: Strategic Audience Development is a workshop driven, project-based training programme for independent film exhibitors who want to learn from experts about how to strategically grow audiences.
The course is designed to help you deliver real change in the audiences for your cinema or film festival. Taught by experts in audience development, you will learn effective strategies to grow and diversify audiences.
The course is delivered over six months with one workshop in Bristol in September 2017 and another in London in March 2018. We are delighted to be in partnership with the BFI Film Audience Network for this project.
Applications for this course have now closed.
What does the course cover?
The programme has been designed especially for independent film exhibitors (including cinemas, film festivals and community screens), looking closely at:
- How to understand, research and build audiences
- Delivering practical projects that deliver clear results
- Bringing new audiences to a wider range of films
- Engaging audiences from diverse backgrounds
- Encouraging public participation
- Making use of your resources to achieve goals
I didn’t want it to end! It’s been a great motivator and provided me with a lot of support
REACH 2016 participant
Programme structure
Module 1 – Audience Development Forum (12 – 14 September, Bristol)
Three days of workshops, presentations and case studies will help participants develop a greater understanding of their organisation and the current cinema audience landscape. Participants will be encouraged to use pioneering and proven audience development success stories as the springboard for their own projects. This section is led by experts with a proven track record of working with venues facing all kinds of audience challenges and with high aspirations.
Module 2 – Pilot Projects (October 2017 – March 2018, in your venues)
Having designed an Audience Development Pilot Project, participants will be matched to an expert advisor to help them implement their plans.
Module 3 – Seminar Day and Exit Sessions (5 – 6 March 2018, London)
Participants will present their projects to the cohort, with feedback workshops and discussion groups formed from these findings. Participants will have a final advisory session with their matched advisor and case studies will be posted online.
Who is the course for?
The project is designed for 18 participants working in independent film exhibition venues and film festivals (including community venues and local film clubs and societies). Participants may be Directors, Programming, Fundraising or Marketing Managers with the ability to affect change and have the authority to undertake a project, or have agreed sign off from senior management in their venues or festivals to instigate their audience development project in their venue.
Speakers
Innovative experts from the film industry
Catharine Des Forges
Director, ICO
Catharine has worked as a freelance programmer, arts consultant and in roles at BFI and Arts Council England before founding the ICO in 2003.
David Sin
Head of Cinemas
David has over 25 years experience in independent film as a programmer, distributor and consultant.