AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: September 20, 2022
Item Number:
To: Honorable Mayor & City Council
From: Jenny Rogers, Director of Community Services
Magdalena Davis, Community Services Manager
Dana Beesen, Communications & Marketing Coordinator
Subject: REBRANDING OF BEVERLY HILLS ART SHOW OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND;
APPROVAL OF A GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATION OF $26,109
Attachments: 1. Rebranding Design for Beverly Hills Art Show
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council move to approve a rebranding of Beverly Hills Art Show outreach and community engagement, including, but not limited to streetpole banners, signage, advertisements, and elevator clings and approve an appropriation request of $26,109 from the General Fund to cover the associated costs.
INTRODUCTION
The Community Services Department organizes a biannual Beverly Hills Art Show each spring and fall that features over 230 established and emerging local, regional & national fine artists, live entertainment, food trucks, food and beverage areas, kids’ activities and workshops, attracting approximately 40,000 guests over each weekend.
Approaching its 50th anniversary in 2023, a rebranding of the materials used for outreach and community engagement is recommended to be approved. Additional funding for a marketing campaign that includes streetpole banners, signage, elevator clings, print and online advertisements is requested in total $26,109.
DISCUSSION
Beverly Hills Art Show was established in 1973 and has become a signature event of the Community Services Department, showcasing the City’s Art and Culture with the biannual events taking place each spring and fall. Over the last few years, due to effects of the pandemic, the Art Shows have been conducted in a variety of modified ways:
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Meeting Date: September 20, 2022
virtually when live events were prohibited and in-person gatherings were forced with cancellation, and then later in a reduced capacity with strict guidelines and limited attendance at Greystone with a handful of artists and small-pod workshops. The previous two shows cautiously returned to two block footprint with 100 artists in October 2021, and three block footprint with 150 artists in May 2022, both with no eating/seating areas or kids’ booths, instead of the traditional four blocks event layout, with 225-250 artists.
The Fall Art Show will occur on Saturday and Sunday, October 15 and 16, 2022 in Beverly Gardens Park, leading up to the 50th anniversary in 2023 for the Spring Art Show on May 20 & 21, 2023, and the Fall Art Show on October 14 & 15, 2023. The Fall event will feature 235 artists, Additional outreach resulted in the acceptance of 14 Beverly Hills’ resident artists and 77 brand new artists from Southern California and across the nation. The elevated nature of the Fall Art Show brings the event back to its original grandeur, and will include a “Save the Date” with teaser promotional materials to be debuted to create a buzz around the upcoming 50th anniversary.
The current branding of marketing material has been in place for over 7 years, and has been featured on a variety of media, advertising, and collateral such as streetpole banners. The typical “lifespan” of banners that are hung for a month or more at one time is approximately 3-5 years; the current banners have been utilized for over 10 years.
The Department is currently in the process of evaluating its special events marketing thanks to the new hire of a new full-time graphic designer, and has prioritized redesign of all Art Show marketing as a timely rebranding in anticipation of the 50th Anniversary and in celebration of this treasured events return to full health and vibrancy as we emerge from Covid.
The rebranding art for streetpole banners, print and online advertisements and social media can be found in Attachment 1. In total, 39 banners would be fabricated and installed: 26 banners in the new rebranding that can be reused, with an additional 13 limited-edition 50th anniversary banners. With the lifespan of streetpole banners, we anticipate the 26 newly designed banners that are not designated for the 50th anniversary to be able to be reused, and would not need to bring subsequent funding requests for banners back to Council.
The Art Show has always been advertised to attract a large local and regional audience, with an average of 40,000 guests attending over each 2-day show in recent years, historically with a total advertising budget of approximately $25,000. Prior to 2017, the full budget spend of approximately $25,000 was used for media advertising alone per event, with no funding for banners or additional outreach. This media amount was since cut in half utilizing more digital advertising, and subscriber email blasts, which allows for physical outreach methods like streetpole banners. In FY 2017/2018, the Department reduced the advertising portion of the marketing budget for the Art Show, in order to allow for streetpole banners, and that banner design has been used since. The department-wide budget cut during the pandemic left a large reduction across many sections, including marketing and community outreach, as events changed to be virtual or reduced in 2020-2021, so the Art Show marketing budget was reduced in scale, to the current $60,000 annual marketing budget for Arts and Culture.
With the return of a robust and full-scale Art Show across four blocks of Beverly Gardens Park to accommodate the crowds that are expected, a request for funds in the amount of $26,109 is proposed. The Department’s current marketing budget for FY22-23 is $95,700 for all annual programming. For Arts & Culture events that amount is $60,000 Meeting Date: September 20, 2022
and includes 8 large signature events, such as Pride, Doggy Daze 90210 and Holidays at Greystone; at least 6 smaller public events, such as Music in the Mansion; and all other Arts and Culture programming, such as monthly Art Walks. The remaining budget of $35,700 for marketing is utilized for other Divisions, including Recreation and Parks, Library, and Human Services. Were the total $26,109 amount taken out of the current budget for rebranding, there would be inadequate funds for the remainder of annual special events as the City returns to a full and robust schedule of in-person events and programming.
Without additional funding the department could reuse old banners for another year, replacing the date only as an overlay, which with installation would be a cost of $4,356.
There could be some media advertising as well, likely in a reduced amount of publications due to the budget constraints. The current Community Services budget can accommodate some in-house printed materials, such as postcards and physical easel or valet-stand signage to be placed around Civic Center.
No amendment to the City’s current agreement with the vendor for the 39 total streetpole banners A3 Visuals is required, as the FY 22-23 contracted amount between Community Services, Public Works and Policy & Management has enough to cover the additional funding request to Council, with an allotment of monies from Public Works’ amount to Community Services.
FISCAL IMPACT
Community Services requests an appropriation of $26,109 from the General Fund for a communication and marketing plan that includes media advertisements, print and online, elevator clings, streetpole banners and community outreach.
The requests for funding a rebrand of Art Show outreach and community engagement are as follows:
Type of Outreach Cost for Rebrand
Media Advertising (14 Print & Online Outlets) $13,582
26 Newly Designed Streetpole Banners (3-5 year lifespan) $6,552 13 Additional Limited-Edition 50th Anniversary Streetpole Banners (39 total with the 26 Banners above) $2,300
10 Elevator Clings $3,675
Total $26,109
Jeff S. Muir
Director of Finance
Jenny Rogers,
Director of Community Services
Approved By Approved By
Attachment 1
Rebranded Art Show Designs 2022
Streetpole Banners
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Rebranded Art Show
Designs 2022
Social Media
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Exceptional Art in its 49th Year
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Rebranded Art Show Designs 2022
Printed Postcards
PRESENTED BY THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS COMMUNITY SERVICES Beverly Hills
Art Show
OCTOBER 15 & 16, 2022 I l 0 AM TO 5 PM I A FREE EVENT
Exceptional Art in its 49h Year I Food Trucks I Wine & Beer Garden 225 artists on 4 blocks in Beverly Gardens Park
1300 Park Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
310285 6830 ] beverlyhills.org/artshow
#bhartshow #bhartsandculture
The Beverly Hills
artSHOW
Oct 19&20
beverlyhills.org/artshow
310-285-6830
Community Services Department