Situation: Chamber Players International, a Manhattan performing arts organization, revived the Long Island Mozart Festival in 2006 after
nine-year absence.

Goal: Build pre-event awareness to support ticket sales in
tri-state area.

Challenges: The musicians, from France and Russia, were unknown
in this market. Event lacked pre-existing audience, advertising budget, promotional capabilities or mailing list. As for media opportunities, local news outlets rarely covered classical performances.

Strategy: Minus headline performers to promote, ImageQuest emphasized back stories and family-entertainment angle. We played up event’s revival after long hiatus and emphasized unique site history, focusing on estate’s former owners, unusual architectural elements and scheduled house tours during event. The third angle, family entertainment, attracted parents seeking family-friendly cultural event.

Results: Full pre-event coverage appeared in New York Times, Newsday, News12 TV, Parent & Family magazine and local weeklies. In addition, Times and Newsday ran photos and calendar items in Weekend sections; News12 did live stand-up.

Impact: Long Island Mozart Festival sold over 5,000 tickets, exceeding benchmark. The organizers retained us for second year.