As with organizations, funders have a critical role in helping and supporting individual artists with more than discrete project needs. This session explores financial well-being and individual artists, and how funders can expand their funding guidelines to help artists survive unexpected challenges and have the capital to take risks in their creative processes. Ben Cameron from the Doris Duke Foundation will share lessons learned from its comprehensive recent assessment of its nine support programs for individual artists and the creation and execution of the Doris Duke Artists Awards Program, a hybrid approach offering multi-year support to select artists in jazz, dance and theatre. Kristen Madsen will share how the safety net assistance that MusiCares provides to music people helps prevent the sector from losing its creative talent and why non-project support to artists is critical for the overall health of the arts eco-system.

Since 2006, Ben Cameron has been program director for the Arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in New York, NY, supervising a $15 million grants program focusing on organizations and artists in the theatre, contemporary dance, jazz and presenting fields.  He has previous served as the executive director of Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the nonprofit professional theatre. 

A 25-year veteran of the music and arts industries, Kristen Madsen is currently serving as the director of Creative Sonoma, a new entity is designed to support and encourage the creative enterprises in the county through programs and innovative partnerships.  She began her career in the arts management field working at the Utah Arts Council, where she acted as consultant to nonprofit organizations, and at the California Assembly of Local Arts Agencies. 

Access Granted: Visitor Experience in the Digital Age

Join fellow visitor experience professionals for a day of discussion, sharing, and learning.  Where is the visitor experience field headed?  Where do you want it to go?  How can technology help you take it there?  Through speakers, panels, and round-tables, the Philadelphia Visitor Experience Conference will provide a picture of the current state of the field and a glimpse into its future.

Peter Shankman joins us as our Keynote Speaker and will present on customer loyalty in the age of social media. Peter is a customer experience consultant and marketing pundit for several national and international news channels including CNN and MSNBC.  He has been called by the New York Times, "a public relations all-star who knows everything about new media and then some.”  Peter is a well-known author and his latest book is Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans.

Alisa Martin will also be sharing her thoughts and experiences as our Signature Session speaker.  Alisa is Vice Director, Brand Management and Visitor Services at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.  With corporate and arts marketing experience and a consulting background in research design, organizational development, and service quality delivery, Alisa leads branding initiatives that enable Brooklyn Museum staff to deliver relevant, welcoming and informative experiences to Brooklyn Museum audiences.

Please visit visitorexperienceconference.com  for information on additional speakers and panelists as well as other networking/development opportunities to take place on Sunday, October 11 and Tuesday, October 13.