Authors! Authors! features Matt Groening, GloriaSteinem, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more, all award-winning creators who team with the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library to bring relevant speakers to the Ohio area. In 2016, Authors! Authors! celebrates 20 years, proving that brand connectivity can stem from small, localized events that leverage public space to promote writers and the creative arts.

The Program

This season, Authors! Authors! serves attendees with a six part speakers series from September 2015 through May 2016. Each event offers an hour-long creative speech from the featured author(s), followed by a Q/A session. Direct discussion, while relatively unique in the marketing world, isn’t necessarily unheard of in publishing. Similar to a press conference, Authors! Authors! seeks to destabilize the natural barriers of communication existent between consumers and creators.

Authors! Authors! is a powerful platform for launching books—available for purchase at Barnes & Noble soon after the event’s completion. The event serves consumers directly, heightening awareness of old and new titles from modern writers, while raising the profile of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library as a cultural hub.

Because mobile marketing continues to heighten in popularity, the event’s focus on mobile ticketing isn’t a surprise. Attendees are urged to utilize their mobile devices to receive tickets, furthering connection with the library and the authors through pre-specified ticket hosting sites and the event’s supported website.

The world of experiential marketing is constantly evolving, but Authors! Authors! proves that brand outreach and interaction can still rely on local events that raise audience awareness to spark involvement.