(June 8, 2017) Several dozen representatives from arts and entertainment districts throughout the state were in Berlin Monday for the annual meeting of the Maryland State Arts Council.
The day-long program included a walking tour of the Berlin Arts and Entertainment District, as well as presentations from Maryland State Arts Council Program Director Steven Skerritt-Davis, interim Executive Director Julie Madden and Berlin Mayor Gee Williams.
Skerritt-Davis said 24 arts and entertainment districts were represented and more than 50 people attended.
“This is mainly a professional development day,” he said. “We pick a topic and we bring in speakers who talk specifically about how arts and entertainment districts can market themselves. Today we’re focusing on digital and promoting to travel writers, because the [representatives] are trying to get people to come to their districts. They’re talking about what’s unique about their district and how do you get that message out.”
Ashley Dunn Gatterdam from Capacity Interactive commented on digital marketing priorities, Chris McLeod from CLM Marketing spoke about branding in the digital age, author Fran Severn (“Fran’s Travels”) gave a lecture about pitching to travel writers and bloggers, and Heather Ersts from the Maryland Office of Tourism Development hosted a talk called “Tourism 411.”
Skerritt-Davis said Berlin was selected to host the conference, in part, because it’s a “cute little town.”
“The annual meetings travel around the state because sometimes it’s a little bit difficult to get to one place or another,” he said. “We usually do every other year around the Baltimore or the D.C. area and then go outwards.”
He said he visited Berlin in March for a preview tour.
“Obviously, Berlin has benefited by focusing on and promoting the arts and making it easy for artists to live here and start businesses,” Skerritt-Davis said. “There are economic incentives built into the [arts and entertainment] program.”
That includes property tax incentives and abatements of the amusement and admissions tax for businesses that charge admission to events. For individual artists, the program offers an “income tax subtraction modification.”
“Basically, if an artist lives in the state and sells or performs in any of the arts and entertainment districts, any income derived … they don’t pay taxes on,” he said.
Additionally, Skerritt-Davis said the certification of an arts and entertainment district can open communities up to certain grants and be used as a branding tool for tourism and marketing.
At around noon, Berlin Arts & Entertainment District Chairwoman Heather Layton led a downtown walking tour of areas that included the public mural at the visitor’s center and several stops on Jefferson Street, which is home to the monthly “Maker’s Market” during 2nd Friday art strolls, as well as the Worcester County Arts Council and the artist studios of Wooden Octopus and Jeffery Auxer Designs.
“Last year, I attended the statewide meeting in Baltimore and it was wonderful, so it was a great surprise to find out it was going to be in Berlin this year,” Layton said. “People come from all over to attend.”
Members of the various districts also had an informal dinner on Sunday night at Fin’s Alehouse and Raw Bar, Layton said.
“It was really cool to sit down and talk to people from all over,” she said. “Literally every arts and entertainment committee is set up differently – some are part of Main Streets, some are nonprofits, some are attached to an arts council. So it was very interesting to see how everyone deals with that, plus it was a great networking opportunity.”
During lunch at the Atlantic Hotel, on Monday, Michael Day took the opportunity to make a major announcement.
Day is the former Economic and Community Development Director of Berlin and currently holds that office in Snow Hill. He is also the chairman of the Salisbury Arts and Entertainment District.
“Salisbury is going to host the National Folklife Festival in 2018, 2019 and 2020 – three years in a row,” he said, adding the event was estimated to draw more than 100,000 people each year. “We lobbied against 34 towns and this will be the first time it’s ever held in Maryland.”
Day said Worcester County, as well as many surrounding areas, would almost certainly benefit from Salisbury’s big get.
“When you get that many people in a town just for the weekend – it’s a three-day event – every small town should jump on some kind of notion to add to it,” he said. “All the art and entertainment districts should be looking at how they could market themselves during that festival.”
The day-long program included a walking tour of the Berlin Arts and Entertainment District, as well as presentations from Maryland State Arts Council Program Director Steven Skerritt-Davis, interim Executive Director Julie Madden and Berlin Mayor Gee Williams.
Skerritt-Davis said 24 arts and entertainment districts were represented and more than 50 people attended.
“This is mainly a professional development day,” he said. “We pick a topic and we bring in speakers who talk specifically about how arts and entertainment districts can market themselves. Today we’re focusing on digital and promoting to travel writers, because the [representatives] are trying to get people to come to their districts. They’re talking about what’s unique about their district and how do you get that message out.”
Ashley Dunn Gatterdam from Capacity Interactive commented on digital marketing priorities, Chris McLeod from CLM Marketing spoke about branding in the digital age, author Fran Severn (“Fran’s Travels”) gave a lecture about pitching to travel writers and bloggers, and Heather Ersts from the Maryland Office of Tourism Development hosted a talk called “Tourism 411.”
Skerritt-Davis said Berlin was selected to host the conference, in part, because it’s a “cute little town.”
“The annual meetings travel around the state because sometimes it’s a little bit difficult to get to one place or another,” he said. “We usually do every other year around the Baltimore or the D.C. area and then go outwards.”
He said he visited Berlin in March for a preview tour.
“Obviously, Berlin has benefited by focusing on and promoting the arts and making it easy for artists to live here and start businesses,” Skerritt-Davis said. “There are economic incentives built into the [arts and entertainment] program.”
That includes property tax incentives and abatements of the amusement and admissions tax for businesses that charge admission to events. For individual artists, the program offers an “income tax subtraction modification.”
“Basically, if an artist lives in the state and sells or performs in any of the arts and entertainment districts, any income derived … they don’t pay taxes on,” he said.
Additionally, Skerritt-Davis said the certification of an arts and entertainment district can open communities up to certain grants and be used as a branding tool for tourism and marketing.
At around noon, Berlin Arts & Entertainment District Chairwoman Heather Layton led a downtown walking tour of areas that included the public mural at the visitor’s center and several stops on Jefferson Street, which is home to the monthly “Maker’s Market” during 2nd Friday art strolls, as well as the Worcester County Arts Council and the artist studios of Wooden Octopus and Jeffery Auxer Designs.
“Last year, I attended the statewide meeting in Baltimore and it was wonderful, so it was a great surprise to find out it was going to be in Berlin this year,” Layton said. “People come from all over to attend.”
Members of the various districts also had an informal dinner on Sunday night at Fin’s Alehouse and Raw Bar, Layton said.
“It was really cool to sit down and talk to people from all over,” she said. “Literally every arts and entertainment committee is set up differently – some are part of Main Streets, some are nonprofits, some are attached to an arts council. So it was very interesting to see how everyone deals with that, plus it was a great networking opportunity.”
During lunch at the Atlantic Hotel, on Monday, Michael Day took the opportunity to make a major announcement.
Day is the former Economic and Community Development Director of Berlin and currently holds that office in Snow Hill. He is also the chairman of the Salisbury Arts and Entertainment District.
“Salisbury is going to host the National Folklife Festival in 2018, 2019 and 2020 – three years in a row,” he said, adding the event was estimated to draw more than 100,000 people each year. “We lobbied against 34 towns and this will be the first time it’s ever held in Maryland.”
Day said Worcester County, as well as many surrounding areas, would almost certainly benefit from Salisbury’s big get.
“When you get that many people in a town just for the weekend – it’s a three-day event – every small town should jump on some kind of notion to add to it,” he said. “All the art and entertainment districts should be looking at how they could market themselves during that festival.”