The New Audience Connection Playbook: How Arts Organizations Can Thrive Online and Off
Join us for “The New Audience Connection Playbook: How Arts Organizations Can Thrive Online,” a 75-minute online session designed for executive directors, marketing leaders, and development managers. If you’ve been struggling to deepen engagement or turn casual followers into loyal supporters, this webinar will help you understand and apply new strategies for building lasting connections.
Led by Nicole Wetzell, Founder of NEW Marketing Solutions, you’ll learn how to:
- Recognize and understand parasocial relationships (PSRs) — the psychological term for when one-sided emotional bonds audiences form
- Leverage PSRs to drive engagement, loyalty, and giving
- Strengthen connections through authentic communication and storytelling
Whether you’re looking to convert first-time attendees into repeat donors, or simply want to create stronger, more meaningful audience relationships, this session will give you practical strategies and real-world examples you can apply right away.
Meet Your Expert:
Nicole Wetzell is the founder of NEW Marketing, which offers strategic consulting and hands-on marketing services built at the intersection of marketing, ticketing, and customer experience — a trifecta she’s lived and led for over 20 years in the arts sector.
Nicole specializes in helping arts and culture organizations grow their audiences, reduce friction in the customer journey, and create emotionally resonant experiences that keep people coming back. Her approach blends behavioral science with hospitality-forward strategy, turning good intentions into implementation with clarity, compassion, and community at the center.
With a background that spans everything from sales and subscriptions to audience development and Tessitura systems, Nicole has led transformative initiatives, including spearheading audience development efforts at the historic Auditorium Theatre. Her work drove a 46% increase in ticket revenue and a 67% rise in subscription sales over three years. By creating targeted campaigns for renowned productions like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Boston Pops Orchestra, consistently delivering results that earn the trust of diverse audiences.
Since founding NEW Marketing Solutions in 2020, Nicole has partnered with small businesses and nonprofits across the nation, including Miami City Ballet, BroadStage, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She has also collaborated with many local nonprofits and businesses such as Oil Lamp Theater, University of Chicago’s Mindworks, and Oak Lawn’s own Complete Vision Care and the Auditorium Theatre. Her work encompasses strategic digital marketing plans, rebrands, website redesigns, and more.
Nicole has a rare ability to zoom out, connect the dots, and deliver bold ideas that are also deeply practical. She blends data with empathy, logic with intuition — and always finds a way forward. She’s known for asking the questions others miss, finding solutions buried in plain sight, and showing up like a steady partner who gets things done.
Nicole serves on the Executive Board of the Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce where she helped to establish the Village’s first Restaurant Week and paid digital advertising program for OakLawnChamber.com. She is an active member of the Chicago Loop Alliance and co-hosts Executive Roundtable Discussions. She holds an MBA in Integrated Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University and a BA in Music Business from Western Illinois University. Residing in Oak Lawn with her husband, Cory, and two cats, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time outdoors when she’s not busy helping clients succeed.