Delivering the UK Dance Showcase

Delivering the UK Dance Showcase

In May 2019, Pavilion Dance South West presented the first ever UK Dance Showcase. Part of Surf the Wave, an ambitious 3 year project aiming to create a step change in the way dance is toured in the UK, the Showcase was a four day event for programmers interested in presenting dance in their context.

Although it was only one part of a three phase project, the Showcase was a huge undertaking. A total of 43 artists and companies performed to over 200 delegates across multiple venues in Bournemouth and Poole. These venues included theatres, studio spaces, a church, a night club and a car park among others. A programme of talks, pitching sessions and networking opportunities was also on offer over the four days, alongside sponsored drinks receptions and an outdoor programme.

As Marketing Manager for Surf the Wave, my first priority was to get as many programmers and presenters to book delegate tickets as possible. To do this, I planned an integrated campaign utilising different channels such as direct mail, telesales, social media and advertising. A launch party was planned for February to announce the programme. The event, held at London’s V&A Museum of Childhood featured guest speakers and a performance by Made by Katie Green, who creates site specific work for museums.

My second priority was to make sure the Showcase was well documented. I recruited Hello Content to be our video and photography creators during the event. They filmed highlights, editing as they went so we had a video to release at the end of each day. They also photographed the event, focusing on atmosphere and delegate experience rather than show related material. A longer documentary video will be released in the coming weeks.

The event was an overwhelming success. We received a huge amount of positive feedback from delegates and artists alike on how the event was organised and run.

Feedback from Twitter:

We’re now in the process of putting together a piece of documentation detailing everything we did to make the Showcase such a success. The hope is that there will be another Showcase in the future but when and where that will be remains to be determined. I feel deeply privileged to have been part of this event and very much hope that it has a future.