S2:E1 Knowing your audience: lessons from West Kowloon – Kingsley Jayasekera in conversation with Adrian Ellis

Summary:
In this episode, our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Kingsley Jayasekera, former Director of Marketing and Customer Experience, at the West Kowloon Cultural District. They reflect on his near decade-long experience in Hong Kong and discuss the importance of cultivating arts audiences through creating holistic customer experiences – and using social media for outreach and engagement.

After, Adrian is joined by Criena Gehrke to discuss key takeaways. They highlight the challenges of audience development, including the ethical issues of data collection and privacy.

References:

• West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), an integrated arts and cultural quarter in Hong Kong that was first proposed in 1996 – one of the largest cultural projects in the world.
• Sadler’s Wells, a globally-renowned dance organisation and performing arts venue based in London, England.
• Xiqu Centre, a performance venue dedicated to Chinese opera in WKCD – opened in 2019.
• Art Park, a green space in WKCD that welcomes visitors to relax and play.
• M+ Museum, a new museum in WKCD exhibiting twentieth and twenty-first century visual culture encompassing visual art, design and architecture, and moving image – opened in 2021.
• Digital wayfinding at West Kowloon Cultural District: a case study on how digital wayfinding and digital maps are used to elevate visitor experiences at WKCD.
• Hong Kong Palace Museum, a planned museum exhibiting artefacts from Beijing’s Palace Museum in WKCD – expected to open in July 2022.
• High Line, a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side.

Bio:

Kingsley Jayasekera is a communications and marketing professional with extensive experience in both the commercial and subsidised culture and entertainment sectors. Until late 2021, he worked as Director, Marketing & Customer Experience at the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong. He is a regular international speaker on branding and marketing for the arts. He has also served on the board of Audiences London (now the Audience Agency UK), Dance East UK, East London Dance and the Gate Theatre, London and the Advisory Panel for the Ticketing Technology Forum.