By Sarah Ryals
Shoes and socks. Champagne and caviar. Summer and sunshine. Arts and business.
Wait… what? Arts and business?
At first, the connection may not seem obvious, but a closer look reveals that people—business people and arts people—share a love of community that brings them together in ways that benefit both.
As you enjoy reading through the season guide, you’ve probably noticed that we honor our patrons and corporate sponsors by publishing their names and brands. So many in this community have generously supported the Colorado Springs Philharmonic with their time, ticket purchases, and donations and for all of that, we could not be more grateful. This nearly century-long legacy of community care has sustained the orchestra financially and spiritually.
One of our enduring partners serves as a brilliant example of arts and business coming together. Our Title Sponsor is Pikes Peak National Bank (PPNB) – a local institution that, like the Philharmonic, has been a part of this community for generations. So, what inspired this partnership? Let’s go back six years to when our alliance first began.
The partnership was launched in 2018 under the leadership of the Bank’s new chairman, Antoun Sehnaoui. Educated in international finance at the University of Southern California, he also chairs the Lebanese Bank and Société Général de Banque au Liban (SGBL). His acquisition of PPNB in 2018 was his first in the United States.
In addition to his remarkable talent for finance, Sehnaou also has a passion for the arts. He is internationally known as both a collector of art and a patron of arts. When he assumed his new role with PPNB, one of his first commitments was to drive additional investment in the bank’s relationship with the local arts community. His decision to pursue the Philharmonic partnership was hailed as “remarkable endorsement from a leading financial institution and evidence of the synergies between great performances and great business.”
Sehnaoui commented, “I love this country and believe that the United States is one of the best places in the world to be in business.” Additionally, he believes that businesses thrive when they engage with local institutions such as the Philharmonic.
PPNB president and CEO, Frank DeLay, concurs: “There is mutual gain when businesses and arts team up. For our business, we of course appreciate the brand awareness and community visibility. Beyond that, we aim to inspire our associates, our customers, and other businesses with our participation with local organizations. Our leadership team has also been greatly enriched by the opportunities we’ve had to network with the orchestra and its patrons. It’s a great way to deepen and develop our connection to community … a platform for having meaningful community-focused conversations that don’t happen in our everyday work environment.”
This point of view is echoed by Americans for the Arts, which advocates that “when arts and businesses partner, everyone profits.” The nonprofit has identified several ways arts patronage can support business objectives, including the ability to “set your business apart.” Sponsorship empowers a company to distinguish itself and provides a unique platform for telling its brand story, highlighting company values, and encouraging arts participation by others.
Additionally, more and more companies are recognizing the value of creative thinking in business applications where originating problem-solving ideas means being inventive and thinking outside the box. A study entitled The Arts Boost Employee Engagement found that 59 percent of businesses surveyed said the arts increased employee creativity and growth.
But perhaps the most important aspect of arts-business integration is the positive energy it brings to a community. A healthy, diverse society is an ideal environment for any business and a significant advantage for recruiting employees.
“The bank has served the Pikes Peak region for nearly 70 years,” elaborates DeLay. “We were founded by community members – small business owners – who needed a financial institution. These are the humble roots that bind us not just to our commercial purpose, but to everything that sustains a thriving and vibrant local culture. The health of the bank is tied to the health of the community we serve and we see the arts as a vital component of social wellbeing.”
In a Forbes magazine article entitled, Why It’s Good Business to Support the Arts, the author observed, “The stronger the community is, the better the business opportunities can be for a company. A city with a vibrant artistic and cultural scene often attracts better talent, and a company that is directly involved with that vibrancy is set up to better retain and grow that talent.”
From the perspective of arts organizations, sponsorship support is essential. At a time when arts funding and ticket sales have been under the duress of government cutbacks, macro-economic stress, and pandemic restrictions, corporate support is helping close the financial gap. This creates a win-win-win for business, arts and community.
Arts organizations across the board seek to overcome the donor fatigue brought on by the pandemic disruption, highlighting the ongoing need to expand the donor base and engage younger donors. Business partnerships are an avenue that nonprofits like the Philharmonic can leverage to continue inspiring and cultivating the next- generation donor class – a vital step to keeping classic and pops performances continuing.
“Our partnership with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic has enriched our internal culture and has opened a new channel for us, as a local business, to integrate meaningfully with the arts community,” DeLay concluded. “I hope many other businesses will follow this example and invest in the creative side of the Pikes Peak region. Together, we’re creating an exceptional place to work, live, and play – an environment where any enterprise or any person would aspire to locate.”
Arts and business share an imperative: cultivating relationships. Both types of organization rely on growing healthy connections to sustain their existence. Within a community, there is an overlap between business customers and those who support the arts with their purchases and donations. It is in that human intersection that arts and business can find mutually beneficial common ground and, together, build a vivid, dynamic local culture.
