Training and mentoring for Centro Stabile di Cultura

CSC – Centro Stabile di Cultura is a non-profit cultural association that has been operating since 1990. It organises concerts, workshops, thematic reviews and screenings, operating solely in the music sector. It is run by a group of volunteers and was one of the winners of the Funder35 tender, which provided it with a major opportunity for growth. It was within this context that CSC contacted BAM! for mentoring and consultancy services in the field of communication.

CSC organises a cultural season every year, holding weekly events (concerts, workshops, thematic reviews, screenings) from September to May, with an average of around 30–40 concerts at its headquarters in San Vito in Leguzzano (VI).

It stands out for the fact that its programme embraces the most diverse music genres, drawing in a very broad and varied audience, which differs in terms of age, interests and provenance. Its number of members is also constantly growing.

This is an added value, but also presents a major challenge when it comes to communication, which aims to reach highly specific segments in a targeted fashion.

BAM! worked alongside the Centro Stabile di Cultural during different phases, with the ultimate objective of providing the association with tools that could be used independently in the future, by all members of staff.

The process began with a one-day workshop devoted to existing and potential audience analysis and clustering, accompanying certain concepts from audience development theory with hands-on activities such as analysing the existing context and drawing up an audience map.

BAM! used the workshop results to write a report that can be used to develop guidelines for future CSC communication. Lastly, during a final meeting, BAM! provided the association staff with training in proper social media campaign planning and investment optimisation for Facebook and Instagram ads, the two main channels used by the Centro Stabile di Cultura to communicate with its online audience.

And then?

CSC has implemented the guidelines developed by BAM! for the 2019/20 season, already showing the first outcomes: a new offer of electronic dance nights that attracted new audiences – younger on average, the offer of a subscription package and a “warmer” digital communication, based on relationships and people that live CSC. These last two elements created fertile ground when, during the difficult period of the lockdown, the Centro launched a crowdfunding campaign, which ended with success and with a renewed sense of community between the audience and CSC.

It is useful to remember how strategic planning can help cultural organizations to face difficult times, also exploiting – why not – the crisis itself to innovate. 

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