Whenever an artist is invited to present work at a venue, there's an opportunity on the part of the presenter for making someone feel special with very little effort. To some presenters this comes naturally. To others, not so much. Here, in random order, are some of the things I feel every presenter, curator, producer or host ought to think about before they invite us to screen, perform, talk or appear.
1. Make sure your visiting artist doesn't have to:
a) buy a ticket
b) pay for parking
c) wait out in the cold for doors to open
-or-
d) all of the above
2. Check and double-check the spelling (and pronunciation) of the name(s) of whoever is appearing or sharing work with your audiences.
3. Provide your front-of-house and box office staff with information about the event so that questions from potential audience members (either over the phone or in person) don't yield confused mutterings or blank stares which do not do much to inspire confidence in someone weighing whether or not to drop $15 - $100 on a bit of culture.
4. Prominently display all the publicity materials that were sent ahead of time in your lobby early so that passersby might actually learn about (and attend) something they had not heard of elsewhere.
5. Make the promises you can keep and save the rest for another time. There's nothing more disheartening than empty promises of press release mailings, e-blasts, cocktail parties, etc. when none of it actually materializes. Better to have promised very little and delivered a bit more than the opposite.
6. Remember why you have brought this artist and his/her work to your venue and keep it in the forefront of your mind whenever you are called upon to speak with or visit with him or her. Remind your staff of the value of the work being presented and of the overall mission of the venue frequently, lest a lazy cynicism take root which can swiftly transform them into anti-ads for everything your organization is supposed to be about.
7. Go out of your way to personalize the experience of your visiting artist guest(s). Make them feel like guests. Know their names. Know their schedules. Don't appear surprised when they appear on your doorstep. Welcome them in with open arms. You are a host at a venue. Consider it your home. Invite everyone in -- artists and audiences alike. Make us all feel equally welcome.
8. Take out the trash and refill the toilet paper in the rest rooms. Take pride in the physical appearance of a space you're hoping people will want to spend some time in... more than once! For more on this last point, see my ancient post: Please! Take Out the Garbage!