Online workshop on marketing for conservation

AIC is pleased to announce a new online course, "Marketing for
Conservation," to meet the needs of conservators who own or manage a
professional conservation business or laboratory.   In this course,
you will encounter readings, case studies, work sheets,
presentations, and exercises to get you thinking and planning for
ways to define what services you offer, and then to connect those
services with customer's needs.  On-line discussion forums allow you
to draw on the combined experience of other participants, the course
facilitator, and select outside experts.  Best of all, "Marketing
for Conservation" comes to you.  All you need is a computer with
Internet access and you are ready to learn.

"Marketing for Conservation" is a four-week course.  Registered
participants will be able to enter the course website on April 27,
2005.  The course will begin on Thursday, April 28 and continue,
with new activities and discussions each week, through May 26.  The
course site will remain available for reference and downloads
through June 24.

What the course will cover:

    *   How to define your business
    *   Advantages and drawbacks of various marketing methods
    *   How to research your environment and potential customer base
    *   Strategies for networking
    *   Principles of effective printed materials
    *   How to track results from marketing efforts
    *   Legal and ethical issues involved in marketing
    *   How to leverage new business from your existing client base

By completing the exercises in this course, participants will
develop many components of a workable strategic marketing plan for
their practice or laboratory.

Time Requirements: Expect to spend at least six hours per week on
the course.  You choose when, according to your own schedule--at
noon during your lunch break, in the evening with a cup of coffee by
your side, or at 6 in the morning in your favorite jammies.
(Although the timing of your participation is flexible, we have
found that participants have difficulty keeping up with the course
during extended trips.)

Technical Requirements: PC or Mac with Internet access.  If using
Microsoft Windows, you will need either MS Internet Explorer 5.0 or
later, or Netscape Navigator 6.2.  If you are using Apple MacIntosh,
you will need Netscape Navigator 6.2, Safari, or Mozilla 1.5 or
later.

Registration: The fee for this course is $120 for AIC members, $180
for non-members.  To register, complete and return the registration
form, which is available on the AIC website:
<URL:http://aic.stanford.edu> or from the AIC office:
epourchot<-a t->aic-faic< . >org or 202-452-9545, ext. 12.  There is also a
link on the website to a short quiz to see if this type of course is
a good match for your learning style. The registration deadline is
April 25, 2005

About the Facilitator: Sarah Lowengard, Ph.D., has more than twenty
years' teaching experience in both formal university classrooms and
informal education programs.  She has developed, taught, or led
courses, workshops, and tutorials in art conservation, collections
care, history, academic research and materials analysis.  A
private-practice art conservator since 1979, she initiated the
Conservation Course Syllabus Web pages for Conservation OnLine and
served on the AIC Education and Training Committee.

About the series: This course joins "Establishing a Conservation
Practice" in AIC's new series on online courses, "Business and
Management Practices for Conservators." Funded by The Getty Grant
Program, the series will introduce and enhance AIC members' basic
business skills, all with a focus on what conservators need to know.
In the coming months, watch for other courses to be added--on
insurance, contracts, supervision and employment, record keeping and
documentation, and other aspects of managing conservation businesses
and departments.

Eric Pourchot, Ph.D.
Program Officer, Professional Development
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
1717 K Street, NW,  Suite 200
Washington, DC  20036
202-452-9545, extension 12
Fax: 202-452-9328


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:42
                  Distributed: Friday, March 11, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-18-42-023
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