Marketing Excellence Awards: Art Night

Hickok Cole Architects (Georgetown, DC) is taking home first place in Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards in the Special Event category for its social marketing event – Art Night. Every October, HCA transforms its four-floor offices into a huge art gallery to produce Art Night – HCA’s social marketing event where the proceeds from the sale of artwork are split between the nonprofit organization Washington Project for the Arts and local, participating artists. HCA absorbs all costs. The goal of Art Night 2014, which had about 780 attendees, was to support the Washington, D.C. arts community by raising $100,000 through art sold and donations, and to garner press coverage equal to at least $10,000 worth of advertising and exposure. Art Night 2014 surpassed the firm’s goals by generating more than $120,000 in artwork sales – a 14-year record. Sponsors – called Art Angels – generated a record $70,000 in advance artwork sales. HCA was able to distribute $60,000 to artists and $60,000 to the WPA, exceeding the year’s goal by 20 percent. Coverage from post Art Night press releases combined with photos featuring prominent members of the real estate community exceeded initial goals. Coverage of the event in “Multi Housing News” magazine, “The Washington Business Journal,” and online newsletter “Real Estate Bisnow on Business” equated to more than $50,000 worth of ad placement – five times the original goal. For more info on the Marketing Excellence Awards click here. The 2016 Marketing Excellence Awards are open for registration! Click here to register your firm.