#ICPConcerned: Global Images for Global Crisis, A Pandemic Exhibition

Skills: Strategic Planning, Project Management, Brand Management, Digital Marketing, Internal and External Communications, Editing and Proofreading

Task

In March 2020, as COVID-19 reached New York and cultural institutions began to shutter along with the rest of the city, the International Center of Photography quickly launched an Instagram hashtag, #ICPConcerned, to document life during the pandemic. In the following months, as millions around the world came out of isolation to protest police brutality and march in support of Black lives, the hashtag’s scope expanded, encompassing demonstrations, wildfires, tragedy, and hope worldwide.

As the number of submissions grew, I joined  an interdepartmental team of five tasked with connecting the work showcased via Instagram to an online and on-site exhibition.

Action

As senior manager of marketing and communications, I collaborated with representatives from exhibitions and public programs, as well as our social media manager and chief experience officer, to develop concepts and launch online and on-site experiences for the exhibition, titled #ICPConcerned: Global Images for Global Crisis.

After successfully pitching and receiving budget for a microsite concept, I worked with our manager of exhibitions and collections and a designer to develop an exhibition website that features all of the images in the show. I wrote and organized content, produced wireframes, oversaw branding, provided quality assurance, and facilitated the approval process of the site.

To further support the exhibition, I wrote a media alert and FAQ, edited exhibition texts, selected and produced videos and images for the exhibition page, wrote and produced marketing emails, helped develop a social media strategy, and created a data tracker to compare marketing KPIs throughout the website launch and on-site exhibition opening.

Result

Produced in just under four weeks, the exhibition website featured over 400 images at launch and received more than 5,000 visits in its first week. 

On social media, our posts received thousands of interactions and drove our audience to engage with the exhibition website, listen to the exhibition audio guide, attend virtual public programs, visit the physical space, and continue posting to #ICPConcerned through the US election in November. 

Our renewed our calls for images resulted in nearly 60,000  (and growing) posts to #ICPConcerned on Instagram. The exhibition, which represents each photographer only once, features 700+ images representing 70 countries, and there are more than 100 pieces of photographer commentary in our exhibition audio guide.

Digital channels supported launch and helped to sustain momentum throughout a tough exhibition season, which included the 2020 presidential election and rising COVID-19 cases. Our average ticket price exceeded our goal by 33%, and our total revenue was 52% above projection over the course of the three-month exhibition cycle. Also, we had zero (0) COVID-19 cases reported on-site!