Every quarter, Barrow Properties fill the Oxford & Glenhove precinct with art. We replaced email-and-spreadsheet artist submissions with an online application form that fed the whole team accurate details, and marketed the event across the precinct to grow the crowd it draws.
A quarterly art event under an oak tree
There is an old oak tree in the Oxford & Glenhove precinct in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and every quarter Barrow Properties fill the space beneath it with art. It has become a staple of the precinct community, an event people genuinely look forward to. Our job, at ThinkStory, was the event marketing in Johannesburg that brings the crowd, and the quiet machinery behind the scenes that lets a whole team run the day off accurate information. Two jobs, really: get people there, and get everyone the details they need.
Artist applications arriving by email, with no reliable way to manage them
Caterers, set-up crews and planners all needing the same accurate details
A quarterly event that had to be promoted fresh across the precinct every time
A night under the oak tree
A look inside the quarterly art event we help Barrow Properties run in the Oxford & Glenhove precinct.
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Managing the artist applications
The heart of the event is the open call, so we started there. We replaced email-and-spreadsheet submissions with a proper online application form, giving artists one simple way in and giving the team one place to see every artist, every piece and every deadline. That one change turned a scramble into a routine the team could trust. Artists are busy, and a fiddly process quietly costs you the best work, so the form had to be easy to complete and complete in what it collected: names, artworks, sizes, and everything the team downstream would need.
One form, feeding the whole team
The form was never only about tracking artists. The information it gathered had to reach several stakeholders at once: caterers planning quantities, the crew setting up the art, and the people planning the event itself. It was important that everyone worked off the same up-to-date, accurate picture, so each part of the team could do its job properly. Get the information right at the source and the whole day runs on it, from the catering to the way the art is hung.
Marketing the event around the precinct
Getting people there was the other half of the job. We promoted each event across the precinct and beyond: through the Barrow newsletter, across the digital channels, and with printed posters placed around Oxford & Glenhove so anyone walking through would see it coming. A poster by the coffee spot does work a social post cannot, and the two together did the most. The aim was simple, to scale attendance and bring as much engagement as the event could hold, every quarter, and that is what happened.
An event the precinct looks forward to
Quarter by quarter, the art event under the oak tree has become part of what the Oxford & Glenhove precinct is: a reason to come back, not just offices around a courtyard. Managing the applications on one side and the marketing on the other means each event builds on the last rather than starting from scratch. Four events a year is a lot to run on goodwill alone, and the system carries the load. The admin runs itself and the promotion does the rest, so the day can simply be about the art, and the crowd it draws keeps growing.
Quarter after quarter
Each event brings new artists, new work and a crowd that keeps coming back to the oak tree.
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Common questions.
How do you manage artist applications for a community art event?
Give artists one simple online application form, and make that form feed the whole team. For Barrow Properties' quarterly art event the form we built collected every artist and artwork detail, then supplied caterers, set-up crews and planners with the same accurate information.
How do you market a recurring community event?
Make it easy to find, every time. For the Barrow Properties art event in the Oxford & Glenhove precinct we promoted each edition through the newsletter, the digital channels and printed posters around the precinct, to scale attendance and engagement quarter after quarter.
Why does artist information matter for event planning?
Because the whole team runs on it. For the Barrow Properties art event, accurate submission details let caterers plan quantities, crews set up the artworks and organisers plan the day, all from one up-to-date source.
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It gives me great pleasure to write a reference for ThinkStory. We have been working with Matt and his team for the last 4 years and in that time we have developed a strong working relationship. They have provided a very important service to our business, which was previously not being adequately looked after.
We have been most impressed with their ability to listen and evaluate, and then execute in the most appropriate way. They do not just take instruction but add real value in terms of what is in the best interest of our business.
The work is then done in a most professional manner and is always delivered within an agreed time frame. They are prepared to go beyond the immediate call of duty and are happy to go to great lengths to ensure that the final product is of the highest standard.
We decided a while ago to bring ThinkStory on as a permanent partner and have not regretted it for a moment. We have no hesitation in recommending them to any other business.
Paul BarrowDirector of PropertiesBarrow Group
It’s been an absolute pleasure working with ThinkStory from a Barrow Properties and Barrow Construction perspective. Their ability to understand our unusual and sometimes complicated family structure has been unique.
We appreciate their efficient, hands on approach, and look forward to working with their team for many years to come. ThinkStory is playing a vital role in building our brand in our 125th year.
John BarrowGroup DirectorBarrow Group
Working with the ThinkStory team on the Barrow Art Events has been such a rewarding and inspiring journey. From the very beginning, it felt like a true partnership. They took the time to understand our vision and worked alongside us to bring it to life in the most thoughtful and creative way.
One of the things we've really valued is how responsive and flexible they are. Any time we needed to tweak something or try a new approach, the team was quick to jump in and make it happen, always with a positive, can-do attitude.
Beyond the incredible execution, their advice and insights have been invaluable. They genuinely care about the work and its impact, and that passion is evident in everything they do.
The end result has been something we're really proud of. The art events have brought so much life and energy to our precinct, and have created meaningful moments for our community. It's been such a pleasure working with Matt and the ThinkStory Team, and we're truly excited for what's still to come.
Tarryn NagoorooBespoke Property ManagerBarrow Group
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