The chairs in the Walter Cronkite School’s First Amendment Forum were lined up, facing the stage for the Nov. 15 Discover Phoenix series. Kathryn Blake, director of education at the Phoenix Art Museum, was slated to speak.
However, including Blake’s and Cronkite School Event Coordinator Rebeca Castillo’s, only four of the 24 seats were occupied.
“Well, I guess we’ll have a personal and informal conversation,” Blake said, after waiting five minutes past 7 p.m.
Blake was the second-to-last presenter in the weekly Discover Phoenix series that started Sept. 6.
The lack of attendees did not deter her presentation.
“I anticipated a small turnout,” Blake said in an email. “I’ll talk to any size group and hope that I provide them with a worthwhile experience.”
Discover Phoenix is a program intended to “bring the city to the students and the students to the city,” said Liz Smith, outreach director for the Cronkite School.
The goal for the program was to have students learn about an aspect related to downtown Phoenix from a community leader every Tuesday. The series has dealt with low attendance since starting, although no attendance numbers have been recorded.
According to Smith, the marketing process for the series began late. This meant there was not enough time to expose students to Discover Phoenix before the series started.
Due to the poor marketing, many downtown students didn’t know the series existed. Another theorized idea that contributed to the low turnout was that extra credit was not given for attending Discover Phoenix events.
“I had no idea what it was,” journalism freshman Lucas Machado said. “I think it’s a good idea though, especially for out-of-state students who don’t know the area very well.”
Machado, a Tucson native, said he would consider going to a session next year because he would like to learn more about downtown Phoenix.
Those students who did attend sessions were able to learn more about the Phoenix community.
Theatre senior Sam Keller discovered the Phoenix Symphony offers a cheap season pass to college students during its final event, which was held Tuesday. He said he thought the series should be marketed to all campuses.
“I hope (Discover Phoenix) continues; I hope the light turnout doesn’t stop the program,” Keller said. “This is a great resource to learn about the great and upcoming cultural environment.”
Maria Thompson, a freshman journalism student, attended and enjoyed a Discover Phoenix event in September in which students went to the Herberger Theatre.
“Theatre was my life before college, and it was exciting to see what opportunities there are for students,” Thompson said. “I applaud ASU for engaging students in different ways. The resources down here are endless.”
Castillo, who hosted most of the events, expressed hope that more students come to future events to learn about Phoenix.
“I hope they get a sense of community and do not feel downtown Phoenix does not have anything to offer,” Castillo said. “We hear that this isn’t like Tempe…but there’s so much here to enjoy, and it’s right in our backyard.”
For next year, Smith and the marketing team plan on “paying greater attention to the market.”
Cronkite School Dean and ASU Vice Provost Christopher Callahan agreed that marketing started a semester later than most of the journalism school’s events. He admits he wasn’t expecting high turnouts because students did not have enough time to “build it into their schedules.”
Even so, Callahan, who conceptualized the entire series, said he does not regret starting the program.
“I thought it was important, and I’m glad we did it,” he said. “All things here bring great value to the downtown experience, and it’s our job to make students aware of it.”
Callahan, Smith and the marketing team will meet within the next couple weeks to discuss whether or not Discover Phoenix will continue next semester or remain strictly a fall event. They will also decide marketing strategies to raise awareness for the program.
Contact the reporter at alicia.m.canales@asu.edu
