The Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami hosted its annual cocktail party fund-raiser on Saturday night. The museum partnered with society event Web site SocialMiami.com to promote the Bohemian-themed art benefit, resulting in a spike in advanced ticket sales.
“[SocialMiami] has been a very effective source for getting the word out about our events, so I thought, ‘Why not just have them sponsor?’” said Bonnie Clearwater, director and chief curator at the museum.
The site ran banner display ads and multiple editorial stories during the past month, resulting in advance ticket sales that surpassed last year’s numbers by more than 100 as of Friday. More than 800 people attended overall, roughly the same as last year.
“I think [the Web site] did a lot to spread the buzz, as a lot of people told me they saw the event on SocialMiami,” Clearwater said.
Clearwater also credited the attendance spike to the local connections made by co-chairs Barbara Herzberg, a philanthropist, and Diane and Alan Lieberman, the owners of hotels including Riviera South Beach and the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club.
Though final numbers aren't available yet, the event raised $72,000—$13,000 more than last year—from its online silent auction, which closed Wednesday after being open for two months.
