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serv ices will be a strong indicator of progress towards goals. <br />As a community-oriented nonprofit, HAC knows that the arts a driv er <br />of economy and tourism, and when local businesses and residents <br />are thriv ing, more support and resources are av ailable to further <br />artistic mission. Thus, HAC often analyzes economic and v isitation <br />statistics to help determine impact. Statistics collected in 2021 <br />indicate that partnering artists, v enues, and restaurants rely heav ily <br />on HAC programs to hit their monthly goals. Through HAC's Last <br />Fridays & the Art W alk (LFAW ) participating v enue poll at the end of <br />2021, the first full season under HAC's expanded model, local <br />restaurants & bars reported at least 35% av erage increase in sales <br />during LFAW compared to normal Fridays. Many restaurants hav e <br />had to expand outdoor dining and reserv ation times to <br />accommodate the spike in demand they experience during LFAW . <br />Additionally, Art W alk v enues reported up to 80% av erage increase in <br />v isitation during LFAW compared to normal Fridays. <br />HAC’s Gallery & Gift Shop (G&GS) serv es as a year-round point-of- <br />entry for HAC and the Northern Orange County arts community as a <br />whole. During major public programs, the G&GS is an essential <br />information hub and tourism resource. As such, HAC is committed to <br />closely tracking the impact of arts programming on our own brick- <br />and-mortar v enue as well. In 2021, av erage retail sales at the G&GS <br />during LFAW experienced a 277% increase compared to av erage <br />daily sales not occurring during LFAW . Av erage v isitation to the <br />G&GS during the 2021 season of LFAW experienced a 469% increase <br />compared to av erage daily v isitation not occurring during LFAW . <br />Throughout 2021, v isitation and rev enue generated by the G&GS <br />soared, setting records and surpassing stretch goals for the year. <br />The G&GS is currently operating at maximum capacity, representing <br />ov er 55 local artists with new applications receiv ed nearly ev ery <br />week. <br />Results from quantitativ e data tracked through in-person polls, <br />responses to registration forms, and surv eys from partners <br />consistently align with HAC's digital marketing analytics. Since spring <br />2021, when HAC began making significant marketing inv estments <br />and programmatic changes, social media followers hav e increased <br />by at least 20%. Most web traffic is directed from manual input, <br />Google, and social media. HAC has hundreds of Google searches <br />and thousands of profile v iews each month. These positiv e results <br />hav e reassured HAC that inv esting in multiple staff allows for much <br />greater impact and must be prioritized to sustain programs. <br />How do you promote <br />and publicize the <br />work of your <br />organization? <br />HAC’s programs are designed to be accessible, div erse, inclusiv e, <br />and offer something appealing for ev eryone. Hillsborough is a socio- <br />economically, racially, and culturally div erse community with strong <br />rural-agricultural roots, a large population of retired adults, and a <br />growing population of young families and urban professionals. Like <br />many communities in North Carolina, we hav e experienced <br />exponential growth ov er the past decade. HAC’s programming has <br />become essential to Hillsborough’s cultural identity, helping to break <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 0B43D06C-8E1E-4753-BFB2-294143F7C0EE