PR for Exhibitions, Performances & Premieres

Making Projects Visible—from the First Announcement to the Public Response

An exhibition, a premiere, a performance, or a new programme is often the result of long, intensive work. Weeks, months — sometimes years—go into conception, rehearsals, production, coordination, and installation.

And then comes the moment when everything opens up:

• The curtain rises.
• The exhibition doors open.
• The new programme begins.

This is exactly where it’s decided not only how many people attend, but also how the work is perceived and remembered.

PR for exhibitions, performances, and premieres is the art of accompanying these pivotal moments in your work so that they receive the visibility they deserve—in the media, the professional field, and the public.

Why Project-Based PR Is So Important

Even established artists and institutions experience this time and again:
a project is strong in content, but “not much happens” publicly.

The reasons are rarely a lack of quality, but rather:

• communication that starts too late (“We urgently need to send something out…”)
• a lack of clarity about target audiences and key messages
• no structured materials for the media
• no dedicated contact person who actively considers and supports PR work

Project-based PR addresses exactly this point:
it integrates communication from the very beginning—not as an add-on, but as part of the artistic and programmatic work.

What PR for Exhibitions & Performances Actually Does

Good PR supports a project before, during, and after the event.

• Before:
  Announcement, invitations, media outreach, context, and anticipation.
• During:
  Documentation, social media coverage, media presence, conversations.
• After:
  Follow-up coverage, press reviews, references, archiving, and continuation.

This turns an “event” into a coherent arc of communication:

• People hear about it in good time.
• The media has time to engage with it.
• Impressions are documented.
• The project continues to resonate beyond the day or evening itself.

Especially in the cultural sector, where many formats are only visible for a short time, this extension is often crucial.

Key Questions at the Start of Project-Based PR

Before the first text is written, it’s worth taking a brief shift in perspective:

• Who should hear about this project?
  The audience? The professional field? The media? Funders? Colleagues? International partners?
• What is the central message?
  What should stay with someone after they’ve seen a notice, an article, or a poster?
• What is the occasion?
  A premiere, world premiere, new series, one-off format, collaboration, festival context?
• Which level is particularly important?
  Local, regional, national, field-specific, international?
• Which materials do we need?
  Texts, photos, possibly video, statements, background information, technical details?

These questions help you see PR not as a “mandatory task,” but as a conscious decision:
we want to share this project with the world—how, and with whom?

PR for Exhibitions

With exhibitions, it’s not just about “getting people to come.” It’s about communicating a curatorial or artistic concept.

PR for exhibitions can include, for example:

• a clear, well-written exhibition description
• the contextual framing of the theme (contemporary, historical, social, formal)
• the presentation of the participating artists
• special features of the exhibition design, spaces, and formats (guided tours, talks, workshops)
• visual material that presents the spaces and artworks in a respectful and professional manner
• invitations for the press, exhibition openings, and professional audiences
• cooperations with local and national media outlets
• documentation for the website, catalogue, archive, and funders

Exhibitions often carry a high level of conceptual depth that needs to be translated for the public. Here, PR is less about “promotion” and more about mediation.

PR for Performances & Premieres

With stage productions, concerts, performances, or premieres, timing plays an even greater role.

Here, it’s about:

• Premiere announcements & press releases
• Communication through-lines within a season programme or festival context
• Focus on direction, choreography, concept, cast, music, and the dialogue with the material or theme
• Inviting media representatives, critics, and professional audiences
• Providing production stills, rehearsal images, and soundbites
• Follow-up coverage, reviews, quotes, and excerpts

A premiere is a point of concentration. Good PR ensures that this moment doesn’t simply pass by on the calendar, but leaves a lasting trace:

• in articles,
• in reviews,
• in conversations,
• in future collaborations.

PR for Programmes & Series

Alongside individual projects, there are ongoing formats:

• concert series
• Workshop-Programme
• summer schools
• Labs & Residencies
• educational tracks for children, young people, and adults
• neighbourhood or community projects

Here, PR is less focused on a single date and more on an overarching narrative:

• Why this programme?
• Who is it intended for?
• What impact does it have?
• How does it develop over time?

Communication here can be built over a longer period of time —
for example through social media series, newsletters, press conversations, and collaborations with local media and partners.

Common Pitfalls in Project-Based PR

Many artists and institutions encounter similar challenges:

• PR starts too late — communication feels rushed.
• Texts remain inward-looking and are difficult for outsiders to understand.
• There is no suitable, press-quality visual material available.
• Media contacts are unclear.
• Communication is either not sent out at all — or distributed too broadly to “everyone.”
• Successes (coverage, reviews, mentions) are not collected or reused.

All of this is understandable. But it can be changed when PR is considered an integrated part of the project.

How We Support Project-Based PR at Favori Media

In our work with artists, ensembles, institutions, and projects,
we make sure that PR is aligned with the process — not just with the date.

This can look, for example, like this:

1. Early coordination
   We take a joint look at the project, timeline, target audiences, and media levels.
2. Material development
   Profile, project text, press release, EPK elements, image concept.
3. Media strategy
   Which media outlets make sense? Local, national, field-specific, international?
   Which formats are appropriate—announcement, feature, interview, profile?
4. Distribution & Contacts
   Distribution of press materials, personal outreach, and invitation management.
5. Support around the premiere / opening
   Providing visual material, handling follow-up questions, and being available for the media.
6. Follow-up & Documentation
   Press reviews, quotes, usage rights, integration into the website, dossiers, and funding reports.

This turns PR into a guiding thread that not only announces projects, but anchors them in people’s memory.

PR, Management & Systems — Everything Works Together

Project-based PR becomes even more effective when it is connected to other layers:

• A clear artist or institution profile for recognition and consistency.
• An EPK that media and partners can refer to when interest arises.
• A website that presents information in a clear, structured way.
• Newsletters & social media that reinforce and complement PR.
• A system like Favori Flow, where contacts, mailing lists, responses, and inquiries are well organized.

In the FAVORI Visibility & Flow Program, we develop exactly these connections:
artistic and programmatic work retains its freedom while being structured in a way that makes it distinctive, accessible, and visible.

Next Step: Supporting the Visibility of Your Next Premiere

If you’re planning an upcoming exhibition, performance, premiere, or new programme—and feel that your current communication channels aren’t sufficient, or that you’d like to approach PR more systematically going forward:

We support you in anchoring your projects in the media and the public sphere in a way that does justice to their substance.

👉 Learn more about PR & Project Support with Favori Media

More topics on PR & artist management for arts & culture:
View the content overview