Another Successful PSL Fishbowl :: Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia

Jun 3, 2009
News

Recap Prepared By: Nicolas Warren, Tapinko

Last month’s Fishbowl stirred up wonderful ideas for our host and will potentially make a great impact on the Philadelphia community.  Please read Karen’s recap of her Fishbowl as she highlights what she took from the roundtable.

Fishbowls have accelerated business development and sparked innovative new ideas for company after company over the past 18 months. If your startup company would like to call upon the brilliance of Philly entrepreneurs and host a fishbowl with PSL, don’t hesitate to contact Nicolas Warren for details at fishbowl@phillystartupleaders.org.

From: Karen Davis, CEO of Philadelphia Arts and Business Council.
Final Comments:

“I’m so impressed with the generosity of the group to spend so much of their personal time with me brainstorming ideas and solutions. I felt tremendously energized after our session and very encouraged by the possibilities. Thank you, thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge, your time and your tremendous enthusiasm with me.”

Philly Startup Leaders Fishbowl Presentation
Karen Davis, President & CEO, Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia
May 20, 2009

Issue:  Currently, the Council’s Technology Connectors® program places technology professionals as volunteers with arts managers to help solve a variety of technology issues within their organizations such as database implementation, developing websites, infrastructure and connectivity issues etc. The program has proved problematic in achieving a high rate of success with arts organizations because of the lack of dedicated staff to IT issues, prioritization of technology among other management issues, inadequate financial resources and/or knowledge of how to obtain services and, an inability to think beyond the immediate technology problem to be fixed, so in constant need of support. The Council would like to re-design how we provide technology assistance to the region’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations to help them operate more effectively and efficiently.

Salient Points from Participants:

  • Consider getting out of the volunteer recruitment and project matching/management business.
  • Do what we do best which is to be a conduit for arts groups to partner with technology businesses whose expertise is delivering technology services and solutions.
  • Consider providing a directory of regional resources that the Council recommends or has established a relationship with to provide discounted services to arts organizations.
  • Focus on strategic technology planning, technology education and awareness; not solving specific problems or providing tactical implementation of technology solutions.
  • Consider a hybrid approach- providing some services such as planning and referral to regional service providers for other issues.

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