Marketing and Communications

ColumbusArts.com and GCAC.org

GCAC continues to maintain central Ohio's most comprehensive resource for arts and cultural events, www.ColumbusArts.com. Created and administered by GCAC, the site averaged over 10,000 unique visitors per month and allowed our local arts organizations to enter event, performance and exhibition information directly. Additionally, GCAC sent a monthly e-mail blast campaign to more than 14,000 arts patrons who visited ColumbusArts.com with information about upcoming events.

Central Ohio arts events, performances and exhibitions listed on ColumbusArts.com were automatically entered into www.ArtsinOhio.com, a cooperative marketing partnership developed by the Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland Convention and Visitor Bureaus. Experience Columbus and the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism also utilized the event listings entered into ColumbusArts.com.

GCAC and ColumbusArts.com in partnership with COSI developed an electronic online sales system for 2006's Star Wars exhibition. Online tickets were available throughout the run of the exhibition and were purchased as a timed ticket, allowing buyers to pick the date and time of their visit, thus providing a hassle-free visitor experience. Over 30,000 tickets were purchased online for Star Wars.

The Marketing and Communications department also manages GCAC's www.GCAC.org, which provided our varied constituents with access to information, applications and technical assistance regarding programs and processes for each of GCAC's departments, along with links to staff for further feedback. Over the past year, GCAC developed online registration of volunteers for the Columbus Arts Festival and electronic artists' applications for Operating and Project Support grants.