“Miami-Dade has grown by leaps and bounds, especially in the last 25 years. “It has been a fantastic development and welcomed by residents and visitors alike,” said Director Copeland.
With almost three million inhabitants and more than 27 million visitors a year, The 305 is among the most desired and visited destinations in the country.
Rent and affordable housing can be a problem, and they are, but in addition to beaches, skyscrapers, shopping centers and international restaurants, Miami-Dade has an arts calendar that stimulates life and the economy
Miami Art Week and the Art Basel fair stand out internationally, but the city offers an important cultural program throughout the year.
“We are on a trajectory of great growth. “It is immense growth,” he said.
We just need to compare what Miami-Dade was 40 years ago. Today, the cultural baggage accumulated by immigration, from the Cubans in the 1960s to the continuous and more recent arrivals of Hispanics and citizens from the north of the country; denotes the artistic and social diversity that defines Miami society: from music and musicals to plays, art exhibitions, literary talks, fairs and festivals. The vast majority of these demonstrations are presented by non-profit organizations. Many struggle to survive due to lack of funds.
“We have hundreds of arts organizations, all growing and thriving in our community, and people moving here, new businesses and corporations making this place their new headquarters. And all of this contributes to creating a very healthy economy and very ideal market conditions for arts and culture to thrive,” he noted.
Figures
According to the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study by Americans for the Arts, economic artistic activity in Miami-Dade helped support 31,515 jobs and generated $2.1 billion in 2023. 21.4% of those who attended artistic activities came from outside the Miami-Dade County, including abroad, which boosted the local business economy.
“That is evidence of growth. We employ over 30,000 people in the nonprofit arts world here in Miami-Dade. And we also see increases in our audience. They are spending more money; They are attending more shows and events. And art is attracting more visitors to Miami-Dade,” said director Copeland.
However, the high cost of operations, maintenance and presentations threatens the health of the arts.
Both Miami-Dade County and some of the municipalities that make up the county region try to stimulate the arts with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the annual budget, but there is still much to do, such as reducing bureaucratic expenses and encouraging public attendance. with special promotions and encourage private companies to grant funds.
Calendar
In addition to big events like the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, Miami City Ballet, New World Symphony, and the Adrian Arsh Center for the Performing Arts calendar, there’s plenty of arts that come from the Hispanic community: the Miami International Hispanic Theater Festival, the Miami International Ballet Festival, the Monologue Festival, as well as occasional plays and comedy, music concerts, author talks and book presentations that They keep the artistic calendar very active.
“Our events calendar at MiamiAndMiamiBeach.com is packed with artsy activities year-round. “They all contribute to an artistic and cultural activity that takes place all year round, which is significantly fantastic,” he added.
Aside from social media, promoting a cultural event can be expensive, and the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau tries to support arts activity through articles and listings on its website.
“We publish reports and promote culture among residents and visitors,” said director Copeland.
“We do this through our website and our social media channels at VisitMiami. And these are ways in which we can encourage people to go to the theater, to fairs, exhibitions, to come to Miami to discover a wonderful artistic and cultural destination,” he highlighted.
“It’s free to any of the nonprofit arts organizations. We invite everyone to contact us to participate in Miami Arts, Culture and Heritage Month,” from December 1 to January 31, a two-month celebration that invites locals and visitors to discover and experience the flow culture of Greater Miami.
Promotions
During the months of December and January, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes deals and offers special added value “so visitors and residents can take advantage of reduced ticket prices, such as buy one get one free activity, as well as incentives additional benefits to facilitate attendance at artistic and cultural events,” he added.
Another notable example is the Art of Black Miami programming, which features artists, exhibitions and art initiatives with important works inspired by Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and more.
Miami Art Week and Art Basel “are formidable celebrations that stimulate the economy and highlight Miami-Dade on the international map, but we also have art and culture throughout the year,” reaffirmed director Copeland.
On the other hand, the president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, David Whitaker, confirmed during his annual presentation on the state of the travel and tourism industry: “Tourism magnifies the vitality of the cultures inherent to our diverse neighborhoods while supporting essential programs that improve the lives of residents across the county. “We know that when tourism flourishes, our communities prosper.”
The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau is an independent, accredited, nonprofit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami and Miami Beach.
Visit MiamiAndBeaches.com for more information, available in eight languages including English and Spanish.
