Quad Cities: Through a partnership between the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB) and area performing arts organizations and venues, a new month-long event will be added to the festival and special events calendars of the Quad Cities.
Quad Cities Live Month, April 1-30, 2016, is a brand new celebration to hit the streets of the Quad Cities. Concerts, plays, Broadway, dance, comedy and more can be found at more than 90 events taking place at various venues during the month of April.
“We want people to get out and discover the exciting live entertainment scene in the Quad Cities by experiencing performances by talented musicians, actors, singers, comedians, and dancers,” says Charlotte Doehler-Morrison, VP Marketing & Communications, Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Quad Cities Live Month is a joint effort between an amazing group of people, organizations, and venues that bring wonderful live performances to the stage for all to enjoy.”
Classical music, rock, blues, folk, big band and other musical styles will delight your ears. Comedy and burlesque shows will bring laughter to your evenings, and wonderful plays and a ballet performance will keep you applauding for more. That’s what Quad Cities Live Month promises to attendees, and the hope is that this new celebration will generate greater awareness about the abundance of live performance opportunities that are available all around the Quad Cities, and throughout the year. The group also hopes this will generate new audiences for future performances.
Planning for Quad Cities Live Month started late last summer and was built on the same premise as Quad Cities Museum Week, which was held last June and saw attendance at area museums increase from 5% to over 50% during its week-long run. Plans are already underway for the next Museum Week in June, 2016.
“Just like Museum Week, it’s about people working together as a team to promote one another and each person takes on different responsibilities to help with the effort,” says Doehler-Morrison. “Each participating organization and venue has a stake in the success of the event. It’s all about teamwork and partnering!”
Like Museum Week, no money will be spent on advertising. All marketing will be done virally by each participant. That is the key! Each participant plays a part in promoting the event on their own social media channels, through emails, newsletters, their websites, and by placing posters at their venues and around the Quad Cities. The group is also reaching out to libraries and schools.
Additionally, WVIK will help with the event by recording weekly interviews with the participating groups and announcements about Quad Cities Live Month.
The QCCVB is marketing virally too, and also created the new website for Quad Cities Live Month (www.quadcitieslive.com). The QCCVB will distribute media releases to local and out-of-market media to promote the month-long event as well as their social media channels, website and emails. Currently, the QCCVB website welcomes over 40,000 visitors each month.
The Quad Cities Live website features a downloadable and printable event program that lists all of the live performances, their locations, dates, times, and admissions. The event program also includes a map showing the locations of each performance venue. An (E) next to a listing in the event program indicates “Entertainment for Everyone” or family-friendly performances.
People can also use a searchable calendar on the website to find information on all the performances along with listings for each participating organization and business. The website features as “responsive” design which can be viewed on desktops, tables and phone.
“Quad Cities Live Month and its sister promotion Quad Cities Museum Week are amazing examples of what can be done when organizations and attractions partner together to generate a louder voice,” says Doehler-Morrison. “Teamwork and partnering goes a long way towards creating new and inventive ways to market and promote the wonderful opportunities that the Quad Cities has to offer to residents and visitors. This event also ties in with part of the Quad Cities 2030 Regional Vision for cool places by promoting our cultural amenities.”
Participating groups and venues include: Adler Theatre - Davenport, IA; Ballet Quad Cities - Rock Island, IL; Bucktown Center for the Arts – Davenport, IA; Bucktown Revue - Davenport, IA; Centennial Hall Augustana College – Rock Island, IL; Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse - Rock Island, IL; ComedySportz - Rock Island, IL; Davenport Junior Theatre - Davenport, IA; Davenport Library on Fairmount – Davenport, IA; District Theatre - Rock Island, IL; Establishment Theatre – Rock Island, IL; iWireless Center – Moline, IL; Moline Public Library – Moline, IL; New Ground Theatre Group - Davenport, IA; Nighswander Junior Theatre – Davenport, IA; QC Theatre Workshop—Davenport, IA; Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Series – Rock Island, IL; Quad City Music Guild - Moline, IL; Quad City Symphony Orchestra - Davenport, IA; River Action - Davenport, IA; River Music Experience/Redstone Room - Davenport, IA; Rogalski Center St. Ambrose University - Davenport, IA; The Outing Club – Davenport, IA; The Speakeasy - Rock Island, IL; The Village Theatre – Davenport, IA.
