Booker: 2022 is 'Year of Interest' for arts consortium

MOUNT VERNON — After two years of dealing with COVID-19, Martin Booker says the Mount Vernon Arts Consortium is poised to take local entertainment to the next level.

Booker, who started as the consortium’s executive director in April 2021, said MVAC spent the last 10 months creating a vision.

“It was a lot of strategy,” he told the Knox County commissioners on Feb. 15.

Calling 2022 “The Year of Interest,” Booker said MVAC will have a heavy focus on promoting the three venues that make up the consortium: Knox Memorial, Ariel-Foundation Park, and The Woodward Opera House.

MVAC will do this in three ways:

•A strategic marketing campaign

•Partnerships with groups such as Experience Mount Vernon, MTVArts, Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival, and the Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau

•Fine-tuning the nuts and bolts of MVAC’s operations

In July 2021, the commissioners contributed $300,000 in ARPA money (American Rescue Plan Act) to the consortium to help make up for lost revenue due to COVID shutdowns. Booker said that funding allowed MVAC to “elevate” its offerings and rival the entertainment level of larger cities.

“The ARPA money allowed us to make bigger decisions that allowed us to do bigger things,” he said.

The bigger decisions include inventorying and cataloging all technical resources in a new software package. The software creates a way for the three venues to share and check out equipment on an as-needed basis.

Noting that artists’ requirements are pretty extensive, Booker said ARPA funding enables MVAC to bring in the technical capabilities needed at the Woodward and Memorial Theater.

The bigger things include bringing in entertainment such as the upcoming Ace Frehley, Kevin Nealon, and Amy Grant shows. An aerial acrobatic show is slated for June, and a nationally known country act is on tap for September.

MVAC will announce the acrobatic company on March 1 and the country music talent on March 15. Tickets for the events will go on sale March 9 and March 23, respectively.

The consortium will roll out its first packaged weekend during Father’s Day Weekend. Entertainment includes Kevin Nealon on Thursday, June 16, at The Woodward; a free concert by tribute band Reagan Years, Friday, June 17, at Ariel-Foundation Park; and An Acrobatic Adventure Tale on Saturday, June 18, at Knox Memorial.

“This year is heavy in music, but there’s a lot of theater and show available,” Booker said. “I couldn’t be more excited about having the opportunity to show Mount Vernon what we can do.”

Still, he said, “It’s not really about the artists, it’s about Mount Vernon.”

The marketing campaign MVAC will undertake is designed to attract artists to the venues, but it will also promote Mount Vernon. The consortium has contracted with the marketing/communications firm Fahlgren Mortine to grow MVAC’s reach in the Columbus and Cleveland markets as well as with border states.

“The shows are great, but it’s really what the town offers,” Booker said.

The marketing strategy will help drive local business and bed tax revenue. Booker and the consortium also want to provide local businesses with marketing tools to promote both the events and their business offerings during events.

Noting the ripple effect that has throughout the county, Jennifer Odenweller, board president of MVAC, said, “The economic redevelopment of the community — that’s the purpose of ARPA funds.”

In addition to energizing programming, rebuilding audiences and volunteer bases, and building MVAC’s staff, Rescue Plan funds enable MVAC to buy software that enhances seamless scheduling of venues and easy ticket purchase. Additionally, MVAC will buy handheld ticket scanners and ticket printers.

In the area of safety, MVAC is researching security cameras and a keycard entry system for staff access.

“As we move into 2023, the big focus will be how to take what we have and do some really big programming,” Booker said.

MVAC opened an office last week at 214 S. Main St. The office will serve as a central ticketing office in addition to an information and planning office.

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