Caroline Stevens is the executive director of the nonprofit Doors Open Rhode Island, which held a festival in Providence Sept. 23 that drew several thousand people to the “hidden gems” and secret spaces of the city. The inaugural event, which was free, included open hours at facilities such as Providence City Hall, the Rhode Island State House and the Columbus Theater. Stevens spoke to the Providence Business News about the response to the event.
PBN: How many people attended Doors Open Rhode Island? Without ticket sales, did you have a way to keep track?
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
STEVENS: I’m saying between 4,000 to 5,000 people. We’re tracking attendance at each site. Of course, people go to multiple sites. [The organizers have used digital and paper surveys to determine how many people attended at each location.] We have a huge, huge stack of paper surveys and that’s going to take some time to go through. Based on [the events held in] other locations, people have gone to an average of three and a half sites per person.
PBN: Did this exceed your expectations for the event?
STEVENS: Yes, I was thinking anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 people. It far exceeded our expectations. I started the day at Atlantic Mills, and I thought that maybe would get 100 people. It’s a little out of the way. [Once it started], there was a large, constant flow of people going into that building. I knew then it was going to be a hit. They ended up getting about 875 people.
PBN: What do you think was the reason for the popularity of it, was it the selection of sites?
STEVENS: We were promising something kind of unique, to give the keys of the city over to the people.
PBN: What kind of feedback did you get from the host sites?
STEVENS: Every single site was overwhelmed with visitors and really eager to participate again. [She later provided specific site results: the Benefit Street Arsenal had 2,047 visitors. Providence City Hall, which featured stops in the mayor’s office and in the attic, had 1,550 visitors. Barnaby Castle had 1,552. The Rhode Island State House attracted 1,451 people.] We’ve had a huge number of requests to do it again.
PBN: Are you planning to offer the tours next year? Or perhaps add other locations in Rhode Island?
STEVENS: There’s already been considerable interest in our making this festival an annual event. We’ve heard this enthusiasm and are exploring opportunities to make our festival an annual or a biannual event. In the meantime, we look forward to continuing our other programs throughout the year.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
