When Denise Bateman Asker says they can help plan "anything," she means it.
Asker is the director of a new program through the Cultural Alliance for Southeastern Michigan called the Cultural Concierge. Just like the person who can hook you up with anything from a toothbrush to directions to the nearest toothbrush museum at a hotel, the Cultural Concierge is meant to help give people greater access to what arts programs in the region have to offer.
"If you think of a concierge at a hotel you could be talking to them about securing tickets or where is the nearest ice cream parlor," Asker says. " I have the unabashed mission of helping to drive interest and business to our region's nonprofit cultural event organizations."
Asker serves institutions in seven counties, including Oakland. People can ask for help planning for business groups, private parties, field trips, or entertainment experiences. The best part: Her services are free, thanks to the Cultural Alliance's funders.
Can Asker help you plan a wedding at the Detroit Zoo? No problem. A Red Hat Society outing at Cranbrook? Sure thing. A corporate golf outing and tiki party at Meadowbrook? Done.
Say you just want to have a retirement party in Oakland County, perhaps someplace different. Call Asker. "I would look at all of our Oakland County resources and come back with a written proposal of what is possible," she says.
Well, maybe this is actually the best part: She makes all the calls for you. Give her a budget and an idea of what you want, and she'll work with the venues to see if they can meet your needs, and come back with offers. "I try to find you a venue that speaks to your audience and your mission," she says. "I help you negotiate to make it a win-win," she says. In other words, you save time and headaches, and the cultural institutions win your business.
About 30 venues and organizations participate region-wide in the concierge program. In Oakland County, those include: the Holocaust Memorial Center, Detroit Chamber Winds, Paint Creek Center for the Arts, Meadowbrook, Cranbrook, the Detroit Zoological Society, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.
Right now Asker is working with two brides to find venues for their wedding celebrations. "This one bride did want to do something different and wasn't quite sure what different was," Asker says. "I knew that they were animal lovers. I suggested the Detroit Zoo, and she booked at the zoo. We found her the perfect venue."
Other events she has worked on recently include a lunch for Southeastern Michigan Police chiefs for 60 people, a very high-end function for an Oakland County corporation, and a behind the scenes art tour for a local business and networking group.
"We are getting a lot of interest from pre-existing groups -- Inforum, or book club, or home schooling moms or Red Hat ladies," she says. "When they find out that we can come alongside them to book not just one event but their whole season of events, they are very excited."
Part of the Cultural Concierge's job is to really get to know the institutions. She says there are a lot of services and facilities the cultural organizations offer that many people don't know about. For instance, she says a lot of people recognize Cranbrook as a school or a museum, but few know the ins and outs of the place. "People may not know how Cranbrook can be a solution to their particular event," she says. It could be a place for a company picnic, a fancy tea party, a business meeting, or a Girl Scout outing.
Asker says she realizes her venues compete with a lot of for-profit sites, but she says even if a client chooses another place for their party, sometimes there still is room for the Cultural Concierge's services. Many cultural organizations offer "entertainment to go" experiences. Often performers, exhibits or activities offered by the Cultural Alliance organizations can be brought in for other venues' events, such as Mosaic Youth singers.
In fact, she says it's the partnerships, spirit of collaboration, and innovative ideas that have made this program an early success. When the Cultural Alliance created the Concierge program, Asker says they asked, "How do we harness the entire community to make a program that makes sense for all?"
"What has really been exciting is this industry coming together for a program like this," she says. "Just the added collaboration and spirit of working together -- if a piece of business doesn't work for venue X, everyone is excited for venue Y to get it."
To reach the Cultural Concierge, go to www.theculturalconcierge.org, or call or e-mail Denise Bateman Asker at (248) 766-5599 or denise@culturalalliancesemi.org.