Our Strategic Priorities 2002 were created from a series of member consultations in our 15th anniversary year. In January 2002, we introduced this document, which created a framework for change, yet also reaffirmed our core identity.

Our organization exists to provide leadership to Greater Vancouver's arts and culture community through the following activities:

1. Providing information to and about our sector.

2. Facilitating connections within the arts and with other sectors.

3. Advocating for our sector.

In Strategic Priorities 2002, we outlined actions to help us achieve our priorities in these three areas. This report details our progress to date.

Strategic priority one: providing information to and about our sector

Objective for 2002: To build a foundation of common knowledge and language

2002 Priority Actions

1. Expand our use of electronic communications.
a. Augment Synergy newsletter with information/policy sheets on current issues.

Accomplished in 2002

• Provided 15 issues of Synergy
  
  
• Built newsletter circulation from 328 in August 2001 to 806 at mid-December 2002
  
  
• Provided information updates through Alliance bulletins on gaming; the provincial government's budget; the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services 2002/03–2004/05 service plan; and the civic election
  

Direction for 2003

• Publish Synergy more regularly—the goal is every two weeks
  
  
• Expand newsletter distribution to all levels of government (both elected officials and public servants)
  
  
• Continue building subscription base
  
  
• Prepare information sheets to provide background to members on global cultural diversity movement; employee vs. self-employed status; charities and advocacy law reform; and changes to copyright

b. Build WWW links on the Alliance website into a comprehensive directory of arts and
culture.

and

c. Enlarge the resources section of website to deliver information on arts management, arts
in education, and advocacy material, as well as general information, such as listings of
festivals and venues.

Accomplished in 2002

• Planned and prepared new website content, including Greater Vancouver, BC, Canadian and International links, plus an expanded resources section
  
  
• Website will be launched in February (actual launch: May)
  

Direction for 2003

• Add resources and information to website on ongoing bases
  
  
• Promote website more widely

2. Develop online advocacy kits for use by members in their own advocacy work.

Accomplished in 2002

• Created advocacy kit for civic election
  
  
• Worked on how-to advocacy guide and background material for Culture Matters website

Direction for 2003

• Add material to advocacy section on Alliance website
  
  
• Search for current information, statistics, and research available, which we can request permission to use or to link to from the Alliance website
  

Strategic priority two: facilitating connections within the arts and with other sectors

Objective for 2002: To build better connections with and between members

2002 Priority Actions

1. Facilitate member roundtables to address advocacy and/or management issues, and provide opportunities for members to connect.

Accomplished in 2002

• Brought together a producers' council for the Tickets Tonight booth
  
  
• Facilitated the formation of the Provincial Sectoral Council Steering Committee
  

Direction for 2003

• Continue to meet needs of entry-level staff through professional development workshops
  
  
• Conduct roundtables on sustainable management to focus on the needs of middle- and senior-level management
  
  
• Continue to play a leadership role in human resources issues for the cultural sector
  
  

2. Establish listservs for members to communicate with and provide support to each other where needed.

Accomplished in 2002

• Negotiated to get software for the new website that will incorporate this priority's intention and go much further towards facilitating online communities of interest and practice
  

Direction for 2003

• Educating people to use this new technology to establish active communities of interest around issues, such as human resources, gaming, etc.
  

Additional priority actions for 2003

1. Build Tickets Tonight's profile, sales, and producers—goals for Tickets Tonight moves from advocacy in 2002 to connecting in 2003:

• Increase ticket sales
  
  
• Increase number of producers selling through the booth
  
  
• Increase visibility of booth to the general public and tourism communities
  
  
• Launch new Tickets Tonight website in February
  

2. Change FaxNet to online system

• Move to an online FaxNet to facilitate quicker, more timely communication between members

Strategic priority three: advocating for our sector

Objective for 2002: To build better connections beyond our sector, specifically with tourism, business, government, and media

2002 priority actions

1. Develop our top three advocacy issues for each level of government and create information sheets on these for members to use.

Accomplished in 2002

• Identified top three issues for each level of government and communicated these at the Alliance's annual general meeting. For the most part, these issues were the ongoing focus of our advocacy efforts during 2002:
  
  Municipal
  
  Civic elections—met with several candidates; consulted on the NPA's Cultural Cabinet idea; talked to journalists about culture in the election; distributed a questionnaire on arts issues to the NPA, COPE, and the vcaTEAM parties; created a website election advocacy kit; compiled and posted Culture Matters advocacy material; worked with the Downtown Vancouver Association to have an arts question on the agenda of the mayoralty breakfast; and monitored election coverage in the media
  
  Vancouver civic arts budget—City Council decided on a cost of living increase in arts budget
  
  Cultural tourism coalition—participated in meetings towards this entity, but there is no further progress to report
  
  Winter Olympic bid—worked with the bid committee on the cultural component of the bid, plus represented the interests of the local arts and culture community during this process
  
  Provincial
  
  Culture Matters Coalition—facilitated the formation of this ad hoc coalition of provincial arts, culture, and heritage service organizations; collaborated on creating the coalition's website; involved in planning for public awareness campaign
  
  Online advocacy kit—created and posted civic election information on Alliance website; collaborated on, edited, and posted advocacy kit and materials on Culture Matters website
  
  Gaming—advised members about the new Gaming Control Act and its one-month passage through the Legislature; communicated with Solicitor General Rich Coleman about the impact on charities of a months-long freeze on Direct Access funds; kept members informed about developments in this freeze; monitored the government's review of policies and procedures; communicated with gaming officials and attended meetings about this review and proposed changes to Direct Access; advised members of new Direct Access application forms and new terms and conditions
  
  Federal
  
  Olympic Bid—worked towards having a $50 million endowment in place post-Olympics for cultural development in British Columbia
  
  Tax incentives for giving—recommended the federal government provide more tax incentives for giving at two roundtables held by BC's federal liberals
  
  Cultural labour force study—chaired the communications committee of the national HR Study Steering Committee, which released Face of the Future, A Study of Human Resource Issues in Canada in December 2002. This project was funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and Human Resources Development Canada, and managed by the Cultural Human Resources Council
  

Direction for 2003

• Continue advocacy work, monitor issues on the advocacy radar, plus identify and communicate about new issues to members:
  
  Municipal
  
  Ongoing from last year: the Olympic bid, cultural tourism coalition
  
  On the radar: theatre spaces (COPE campaign promise), Coal Harbour Arts Complex
  
  New issues: new municipal councils' arts policies; increase grants budget
  
  Provincial
  
  Ongoing issues: deepening the Culture Matters collaboration; gaming—maintaining elibility and funding levels, direct access policy and infrastructure change, and use of proceeds
  
  On the radar: Provincial Cultural Sectoral Council; Olympic Arts Fund
  
  New issues: BC Arts Council funding; arts in the schools
  
  Federal
  
  Ongoing issues: Olympic bid, tax incentives for giving, cultural labour force study/regional statistics
  
  On the radar: Censorship (may include artistic merit defence and efforts to narrow this definition); culture in trade agreements and the global cultural treaty; charities and advocacy law reform
  
  New issues: Maintaining level of federal funding; employee vs. self-employed status
  

2. Open a half-price ticket booth in the TouristInfo Centre.

Accomplished in 2002

• Tickets Tonight opened in June 2002
  
  
• In the six months since the opening, the booth has sold 2,393 tickets and returned $155,372 to producers/promoters
  

Direction in 2003

• See Facilitating Connections section for future direction
  

3. Facilitate a collaboration of British Columbia's arts and culture service organizations (ASOs) to develop supportive advocacy and/or management initiatives.

Accomplished in 2002

• Held meeting of ASOs in January 2002
  
  
• Facilitated formation of ad hoc coalition
  
  
• Collaborated on Culture Matters website and planning for public awareness campaign
  
  
• Hosted Culture Matters website and set up coalition listserv
  
  
• Acted as Culture Matters' secretariat
  
  

Direction for 2003

• Continue work on Culture Matters, with the goal of deepening the collaboration and launching a public awareness campaign
  

4. Launch an awards ceremony, preferably televised, to honour the arts and culture sector and the support it receives from business.

Accomplished in 2002

• Formed awards steering committee with CBC, City of Vancouver, and the Alliance for Arts and Culture
  

Direction for 2003

• Work towards producing an awards ceremony in September 2003
  
  
• Bring in more partners, particularly from the business sector
  

5. Undertake research and planning into the establishment of a Business Volunteers for the Arts program in 2003.

Accomplished in 2002

• Set up a charitable society, the Society to Bridge Arts and Community, which will house this program
  
  
• Started research into particular programs to offer
  
  
• Negotiated first program, which offers legal advice for artists and the arts community
  

Direction for 2003

• Broaden connections with business community and general public
  

6. Expand connections with elected officials and government staff, and communicate results to members.

Accomplished in 2002

• Represented the arts and culture sector at meetings with the following government agencies and representatives:
  
  Municipal
  
  City of Vancouver - City Council
  Advance grants, cultural grants, cultural capitals, festivals report, Olympic Bid presentation, Tourism Vancouver business plan
  
  City of Vancouver staff
  Cultural tourism strategy
  
  Provincial
  
  BC Arts Council
  
  BC Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch
  
  Federal
  
  BC Liberal Caucus
  
  Hedy Fry, MP-Vancouver Centre
  
  Government roundtables chaired by Hon. Stephen Owen and Hedy Fry
  
  Canada Council
  
  Canada Customs and Revenue Agency
  
  
• Met with the following groups:
  
  Creative Management
  
  Culture Matters
  
  Arts Resource Group - Winter 2010 Bid
  
  Tourism Vancouver Board
  
  Canadian Conference of the Arts Board
  
  Centre for Cultural Management National Advisory Council
  
  Downtown Vancouver Association for Arts and Culture Committee
  
  Human Resources Study Steering Committee
  
  Sectoral Cultural Inter-provincial Network
  

Direction for 2003

• Build new relationships with new municipal councils