Live painting sessions, art classes, pop-ups, meetups, readings, creative shows, gallery openings, concerts and performances, and vendor fairs are important parts of a working artist’s or creative organization’s event repertoire. Yet, with so many events happening all of the time, how can you be sure that people will see your events let alone come to them?
There’s an easy answer to this: put your events in as many places as possible.
But how do you do that? And where are the most effective places to have your events listed as a North Shore artist?
We’ve got some ideas for you.
Creative County Initiative Website (Free with registration)
As the host of the largest pan-regional events calendar in Merrimack Valley with free listings, the Creative County Initiative (CCI) Website is your best bet for getting your events seen by the people who will be attending these events. Once you sign up (it’s free!) and create a profile, submitting your events for circulation is easy.
Plus, if you come to the monthly virtual CCI Meetups (every second Wednesday at 9am), you can tell attendees about your events in person for inclusion in the CCI Bulletin.
Click here to submit your event to CCI.
Visit MA (Free)
The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) is the state agency dedicated to promoting Massachusetts as a leisure-travel destination. An integral part of the state’s economy, tourism generates $1.5 billion in state and local taxes and $22.9 billion in travel-related expenditures, supporting 149,400 in-state jobs.
This site is state wide and is a great option if you want to get the word out broadly
Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau (Free)
Based in Lowell, MA The Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMVCVB) is the official destination marketing organization for the Greater Merrimack Valley – as designated by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT).
Click here to submit your event.
Creative North Shore (Free listings with membership)
Members of Creative Collective, MA get access to event calendar postings on the Creative North Shore website. Click here to learn more about membership at Creative Collective. These events then get pushed out to their 3,000+ email subscribers and across their social media channels.
North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau
The North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, Inc. (NBCVB) is a private, nonprofit, membership-based organization responsible for the promotion of Essex County as a travel destination. Established by legislation as one of the state’s 16 regional tourism councils, NBCVB is the official liaison between the North of Boston region and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. The NBCVB has been in existence since 1955 and is located in Salisbury at the Maria Miles Visitor Center on I-95 South. The NBCVB is managed by a professional staff with the Executive Director responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency. The overall mission of the NBCVB is to develop and implement effective marketing strategies to increase the number of overnight visitors to Massachusetts.
Patch Massachusetts (Free with paid options)
Patch Massachusetts has a wide readership covering regions across Merrimack Valley and an events calendar specific to each of those communities. Adding your event to the Patch Community Calendar will help you boost attendance and keep a different audience informed. You can also pay to promote it as “Featured” across the region for $2 per day per community.
Click here to post your event on Patch
Salem and Beverly Specific Sites
If you’re an artist working in Salem or Beverly or hosting an event in one of those two locations, then there are a few additional options for where you can submit your events for posting.
- Destination Salem: submit your events to info@salem.org for consideration for inclusion.
- Things to Do in Salem (paid promotions): submit your events to info@thingstodoinsalem.com for consideration for inclusion.
- Salem News: Submit a calendar item
- Beverly Main Streets: submit your events to info@beverlymainstreets.org for consideration for inclusion.
Cape Ann Cosmos
Cape Ann COSMOS covers Greater Cape Ann’s universe of culture with a free biweekly events newsletter and a feature-rich website. To submit your events for consideration for inclusion, send an email to capeanncosmos@gmail.com. For guaranteed promotions, consider sponsoring an ad.
Regional Chamber Websites (Free listings with membership)
Members of local chambers get automatic access to event postings on Chamber websites, but some Chambers of Commerce allow for public submissions as well. Click here to find your local chamber of commerce.
Facebook (Free with paid options)
Facebook is an old standby for event postings. Both free and easy to use, Facebook allows users to create events that are visible across the platforms and via Google Search. Click here to learn how to create an event on Facebook.
Plus, regional community groups also offer the opportunity to post your events to be seen by members of that group. Click here to learn more about Facebook Groups.
Eventbrite (Free with paid options)
Eventbrite users can easily add events to Eventbrite to help spread the word. It’s also a great way to sell tickets to your events. Here’s how you can set up an event listing in Eventbrite.
We know this list isn’t exhaustive so please let us know if there are any that we missed that you find effective!
Some other reading and options on places to post online
Promote your event for free in 30 places
EVVNT – Distribute your event to over 80 sites
How to promote your event on social media
