Training Toolkit

Info Session Presentations – A PowerPoint presentation of general NEFA and New England programs, including Creative Economy. Staff then present a live demo of CreativeGround, highlighting its value as a promotional tool, search engine, and tie-ins with NEFA’s grant programs. Attendees are walked through the front and back end of a profile and given tips for ways to make their profile stand out. Length ranges between 45 minutes and 120 minutes. Pre-event registration strongly encouraged. We prioritize groups of 30-40 people but will not limit a session to this number. Additionally, we are open to (even prefer) to split the meeting time with other agenda items for our host organization so that the meeting attracts a broad audience. 

Office hours – These events offer hands-on individual assistance with creating and updating profiles. Depending on event length, it may begin with a PowerPoint presentation of a brief history and overview of the site before breaking out into dedicated time for updating profiles. Attendees register in advance to ensure adequate staffing for individual attention. Attendees sign up for a time slot of thirty minutes to an hour. Attendees are reminded to bring materials – such as images or descriptive text – on a flash drive or saved to cloud storage. We recommend up to three staff members per five attendees simultaneously for dedicated assistance in navigating user accounts and profiles. Generally, NEFA allows five Office Hour times per workshop day to permit time for set up, clean up, lunch, and a 15-minute reset between time slots. 

Webinars – These online workshops are between 20 and 45 minutes long and focus on a specific feature of or approach to using the site (ex. as a specific kind of artist, etc.). Pre-registration is encouraged. The digital community members in attendance can be in contact with each other and with the CreativeGround host with questions, comments, and feedback. Webinars are recorded and saved for future user reference - a library of these will updated with the new CreativeGround interface over 2022. This live event is less reliant on a community partner or venue host, though CreativeGround is appreciative of cohort outreach and inspirations for webinar topics. 

Panel presentations – members of CreativeGround staff are happy to share knowledge of CreativeGround, the creative economy, and NEFA’s research at relevant convenings. 

Event exhibiting – CreativeGround staff register and table at relevant conferences and events. Staff provide information on CreativeGround as well as NEFA’s other programs, especially programs and grants that require CreativeGround profiles for applicants. Access to electricity is preferred as we like to feature a PC with the CreativeGround sited loaded to engage attendees at the conference to explore the directory. When possible, CreativeGround staff will incorporate live demo(s) of the site throughout the day or at breakout workshop sessions. 

CreativeGround has product-based swag for most live events to promote the platform.