MEDIA RELEASE

Te Papa Brings Social Media Workshop To Whakatane

How to promote your museum using online tools workshop
Thursday 15 October 2009, 9am-4pm
Whakatane REAP Centre, 21 Pyne Street, Whakatane

With the growth of the use of social media National Services Te Paerangi, a team at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, has organised a workshop titled ‘How to promote your museum using online tools’ in Whakatane to assist Bay of Plenty museums in their use of digital technologies.

This workshop is an opportunity for representatives from museums, art galleries, heritage organisations, the arts and cultural sector, and iwi organisations to learn useful new skills and share ideas. People will be attending from Whakatane Museum, Tauranga Heritage Collection, Sir James Fletcher Kawerau Museum, Waitaha Raupatu Trust, Taupo Museum, Tauranga Art Gallery and Massey University.

Experienced social marketer Sarah Jones from Boost New Media will lead the day long workshop to be held at the Whakatane REAP Centre on Thursday 15 October.
“International and national museums are successfully utilising the internet and digital technologies to promote themselves and engage with their audiences” according to Jones. “They recognise that the internet and sites like Twitter, Facebook, Bebo and YouTube is becoming the most dynamic communication device of the 21st century.”

Jones has been managing web and multimedia projects for over twelve years. While largely involved within the education sector, her work has included managing New Zealand’s Ministry of Culture and Heritage prominent site NZLive.com. She has also setup and facilitated online communities.

The workshop focuses on social media tools and provides participants with practical skills in applying them to their museum. It explores how museums, both large and small, are using social media. Building the participants’ confidence in using social media is a central aim of the workshop. Whakatane District Council Manager, Arts and Culture Wayne P Marriott welcomes the event to the region, saying today that "new media is now playing a significant role in the way that museums and galleries are successfully engaging with new and more diverse audiences. Attracting and retaining new audiences can be achieved through a minimal low cost approach, which embraces the new generations of social networking sites."

National Services Te Paerangi works in collaboration with local iwi, museums, community, and heritage organisations to provide training opportunities that help with the long term care and preservation of taonga held in the community. The workshop is part of a series of workshops developed for the museum sector by National Services Te Paerangi.

Background
National Services Te Paerangi works with museums, galleries, iwi (tribes) and related organisations to enhance museum services, and support these to become self-sustaining. Our goal is for museums and iwi to be significantly strengthened by increased participation in our programmes, and by working collaboratively at local and national level.

For more information about National Services Te Paerangi and our workshop calendar, visit www.nationservices.tepapa.govt.nz
ENDS