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Take part in 400+ free events during the Culture Days weekend


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bitions, and workshops will take place across Manitoba on September 29, 30 and October 1. Twenty-five rural cities, towns and communities will be


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putting on Culture Days events, including Flin Flon, Portage La Prairie, Dauphin, and Virden. “We’re excited to have an increase in events this year, but


more importantly, many of the events have more hands- on activities, demonstrations or workshops,“ says Melissa Courcelles, Project Manager for Culture Days Manitoba and Nuit Blanche Winnipeg. “While experiencing art and culture is one thing, being able to participate means a richer experience for everyone.” Culture Days Manitoba will be kicking off the weekend


on Friday, September 29, with Student Day and Storytelling Day at Te Forks. “Te Forks will be a hub for activities during Culture Days,


including Storytelling Day and Student Day. We’re expect- ing 900 students from the Winnipeg School Division to come together, participate in dozens of free activities, and with the help of Artspark and the Winnipeg School Division #1 to assemble a 120-piece puzzle, the size of a football field,” says Courcelles. Teachers, educators, and students are encouraged to par-


ticipate in free workshops and tours by Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre, the Canadian Museum for Hu- man Right, Film Training Manitoba, Manitoba Children’s Museum, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, K.I.D.S. Initiative, Freeze Frame and Graffiti Art Programming. Nuit Blanche Winnipeg, produced by Culture Days Mani-


toba and the Winnipeg Arts Council, has over 100 events for attendees to choose from during the dusk-till-dawn contemporary art celebration in Winnipeg’s Downtown, St.


ulture Days Manitoba is coming into its 8th year with a record-breaking number of events. Over 400 free participatory arts and cultural activities, exhi-


Boulevard of Books - Les Éditions du Blé. Photo by Claire Paetkau.


Boniface and Exchange District on September 30. Khan Lee’s Red, Green and Blue, an interactive light and


water installation, will give Nuit Blanche attendees an op- portunity to walk on water and experience wind. Khan Lee is a Vancouver based, South Korean artist and this year’s feature artist. “We are so proud to host Khan’s beautiful installation in Winnipeg this year,” says Monica Lowe, Co-Chair of


Social media and the musician E


Chris Brown


very band I know uses social media to some extent, but few seem to know how to use it to it’s full potential.


Social media takes time to build a follow-


ing so you need to be grabbing your audi- ence’s attention with interesting little vi- gnettes of your musical lives starting today. Facebook - is the perfect platform for


bands because it is all about telling stories. Twitter - is about news and information Instagram - the story is told in beautiful


photos Snapchat - the story appears and seconds


later it is gone forever. It really is a shoulder tap. Most of your fans do not live a musicians


life and what you see as normal - to them is exceptional. Te average fan works a typical 8-hour job every day, sees mostly the same people, travels a few times each year and has


never been on stage, backstage at a festival, or in a recording studio. Tey view your life as glamorous, crea-


tive, exciting and something they can only dream of. You have the power to give them a glimpse into your world, to lift the curtain on a life they can only dream of. So, tell them a story, make it in a few parts, make them want to see the conclusion and they will be hooked on you and the band. What I see far too often is an artist beg-


ging for fans to come to a show. I get a Fa- cebook shout out usually eight hours before showtime saying something like this: “Hey, gang we are playing at “Club X” tonight who’s coming?” No images, no story, no incentives …


nothing … just a feeble plea to attend. Maybe it is a Tuesday night and the show starts at 9:00 pm and the band comes on at midnight. Do you expect anyone to come or care… Really? Who can drop everything they have


Nuit Blanche Winnipeg. "One of the best things about Nuit Blanche is exposing people to contemporary art and areas of the city that they may not be familiar with. It truly is a celebration of art and community and I am so excited to see it come to life.” Culture Days Manitoba and Nuit Blanche Winnipeg


organizers are expecting 50,000 attendees over the three days of Culture Days weekend.


planned and run out to a club, only to get home at 2 am and be ready for work the next morning? So, what should you be Tweeting? Well, as Gary Veynerchuck points out in


his great social media book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook,” you should be jabbing rather than trying for that knock-out punch each and every time. What’s a Jab you ask? A jab is a tap on


your fan’s shoulder, it’s a sharing of some- thing interesting, different and cool. Maybe a band you admire just released a killer single. Tell your fans, thats a jab. What is the playlist on the drive to the


next gig? Tat’s a jab. You just found the coolest guitar in a


pawn shop in Winnipeg, take a photo and share, Jab. Get it? A jab is your way of staying close


to your fans, to let them into your life a little and slowly they begin to believe they know you and love you even more. After dozens of jabs along comes a show


that most folks living regular 9-5 lives could make. It’s on a Saturday afternoon in a lo- cal park at a community festival. It’s time to throw the Right Hook. Begin your story. Share the weather channels post of the


temp and conditions if it’s going to be glo- rious and hot. Ask them to share a photo of the cute/oddest/crazy outfit they plan to wear to the show. Tell them what each band member likes to drink (super good, if it happens to be one of the festival sponsors beers) and enquire what they are planning to drink at the show and take a poll of what is their favourite cocktail. It is practically guaranteed somebody will buy you your fa- vourite beverage and deliver it to the stage. Offer to sign a copy of your CD/LP and


pose for photos with fans after each show. Ask them to take photos of the band


performing then send them to you and the best-of-the-best will appear on the bands website/Instagram account. Ask them to live stream that nights per-


formance on Facebook Live or Periscope. Give them a mission and let them in on being a part of the show. Tey are going to do it anyway, why not make it seem like it was your idea.


12 Smart Biz www.smartbizwpg.com


Finally ask them to buy a ticket and come


to the festival. Show photos of the band loading gear,


arriving at the park, the drummer with a hotdog, some friendly dog, the view from the stage, the backstage area as you meet and great other acts. There is your story. No money paid to advertise, your fans are entertained and intrigued and best of all no BEGGING. If you have band merchandise motivate


them with FREE stuff. Best cool sunglasses photo with email ad-


dress gets a T-shirt. Add their photos to the band’s Instagram. Remind them about the contest on twitter


every few hours prior to the show. Collect those emails for later use. First ten people to buy a ticket get a free


poster. Twitter material for sure. Te take away here is that there are people


out here that love you. Tey believe you live the lives they can only dream of and are happy to receive social media jabs from you that reinforce their beliefs. Share the day- to-day, keep it light and positive. Commit to doing a post every other day and a few more just before shows or events. Try to wedge yourself into their shoes. What do they want to see as they sit behind their computer at the office? What will make them smile? What will extend the band’s ongoing story? What can you do that they wish they could be doing? Maybe it’s as simple as a scarf in the wind


as the band van rolls along the highway. You are selling freedom, a life with friends, travel, adventure, music making and mystery. Give it to them in regular little jabs and when it’s time they will respond to your Right Hook that asks them to do something for you like buy a ticket to a cool show, buy your music, look to stream you on Spotify or Apple Music, help you raise money to crowd fund your next record, buy a new T-Shirt or support a cause you believe in. Engagement is the key to social media


success. You need regular posts, you need to showcase what you believe in, you need to let them into your life in a careful and controlled fashion, you need to build your story one post at a time. No begging required.


October 2017


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