Pierce County’s market segmentation indicates our customers are a strong Do It Yourself (DIY) and Maker audience who want hands-on learning experiences. To help fill this underserved need in our service area, we targeted different market segments, enlisted community based DIY exhibitors, and collaborated with community groups to provide a forum for sharing expertise and informal learning among participants and exhibitors. Exhibitors conducted hands-on demonstrations and activities as a public service. PCLS coordinated the event across library service areas to meet the unique interests of the specific Tapestry marketing segments. The Library served as a coordinator, facilitator, and connector for the community, bringing together groups, organizing and coordinating events and demonstrations led by community organizations to support experiential learning for all ages.

There were two key shifts in how the Library conceived, planned and implemented this project:

1. Using marketing segmentation analysis to drive content and location of programming to fill gaps in meeting customers’ needs and interests and building targeted customer base.
2. Shifting role as presenter of a program to connector, facilitator and coordinator of a community event utilizing community organizations and groups to provide content. Engaging and partnering with more informal community based organizations to provide content was critical to the delivery of project and yielded new community relationships and collaborations not leveraged before.

The event brought nearly 500 community members together to talk with local authors, exhibitors and Library staff about all things DIY. Forty-one of the forty-seven attendees who completed the survey indicated the Library should hold this event again. All exhibitors completed a survey and said that they liked the non-commercial feel of the event, felt it was valuable to them and would participate in the event again. Additionally, both exhibitors and staff indicated the DIY Fest appealed to the intended audience and encouraged future events. The project engaged staff across libraries, yielding a high performance team who efficiently and effectively coordinated and managed a large event. The Library also strengthened community partnerships and identified potential new collaborators. Lessons learned from holding this event included the importance of securing a large, appropriately-sized venue needed and adding specific marketing promotions to reach new customers.