BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FOR ARTISTS OFFERED BY THE CITY OF SANTA FE ARTS COMMISSION

MEDIA RELEASE Date: September 13, 2011 Contact: Brent Hanifl, santafecreativetourism@gmail.com or 608-792-5746

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FOR ARTISTS OFFERED BY THE CITY OF SANTA FE ARTS COMMISSION The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission and Santa Fe Creative Tourism we will be offering a series of evening classes and one-on-one consultations by appointment in the Santa Fe Community Gallery at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy St. The classes will take place September 27th through December 6, 2011. Classes will include overviews on free or inexpensive online marketing tools and will touch on topics including: monitoring your online presence, social networks for business, search engine optimization and more. The classes will include a combination of lectures and demonstrations. The consultation appointments are offered to artists and artisans and craftsmen interested in working with the Creative Tourism program.

Class Schedule: Tuesday September 27th, 2011 – Have no fear: Using social networks for your business Tuesday October 4th, 2011 –Developing content for your website and blog Tuesday October 11th, 2011 - Monitoring your online presence and search engine optimization Tuesday October 25th, 2011 –Setting up Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (for beginners) Tuesday November 15th, 2011 – Vertical Response, Constant Contact, and Mail Chimp – Creating an e-newsletter Tuesday November 29th, 2011 – What are the Arts Commission’s programs for artists and how can I participate?

Tuesday December 6th, 2011 – What is Creative Tourism and how can I participate?

All classes are free and held from 5:30pm -7:00pm Santa Fe Community Gallery 201 West Marcy Street (at the intersection of Marcy and Sheridan) Santa Fe, NM 87501 Please RSVP at santafecreativetourism@gmail.com

One-on-one Consultations: Artists, artisans, and craftsmen who offer workshops and classes for the public within Santa Fe County are invited to sign up for a free consultation on Internet marketing. Consultations on creating websites and blogs, and using social networks and other internet marketing strategies, are being offered free to small businesses interested in finding workshop customers through www.SantaFeCreativeTourism.org. Consultation appointments are available Tuesdays 10 am to 5pm at the Santa Fe Community Gallery. Appointments can be made by contacting Brent Hanifl at santafecreativetourism@gmail.com or 608-792-5746.

The City’s marketing of Creative Tourism is centered on the website santafecreativetourism.org.

Listings are free to local area businesses that offer a hands-on workshop, class or experience.

Those wishing to place a listing should visit the site and see the tab titled “Get Listed.” The website is actively marketed through a blog, a newsletter and other websites. This includes marketing efforts by the businesses listed on the website, creating an even larger reach.

“As a result of listing my workshops on SantaFeCreativeTourism.org and learning about Internet marketing strategies through a free consultation at the Community Gallery, I attracted many new students to my workshops last fall,” says Jakki Kouffman, Santa Fe painter.

The city of Santa Fe is continuing to work with artists and arts businesses to further develop the organization and promotion of workshops that allow visitors to experience Santa Fe in a handson fashion. Partnerships and collaborations with the hospitality industry and other entities are welcomed. This initiative was created as a result of the city of Santa Fe’s 2005 appointment to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and builds upon the successful 2008 International Conference on Creative Tourism held in Santa Fe. ### The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission (SFAC), an agency within the municipal government of the City of Santa Fe, provides leadership by and for City government in supporting arts and cultural affairs. The SFAC also recommends programs and policies that develop, sustain and promote artistic excellence in the community. For more information contact SFAC at (505) 9556707, email artscommission@santafenm.gov or fax (505) 955-6671.