Our DiD venue in Rio de Janeiro closed its doors and turned on its lights on September 27, after having postponed its closing for a month due to the high demand from visitors.
Nevertheless, DiD Rio left us with some very positive points.
This was the second edition of Dialogue in the Dark in Rio de Janeiro produced by our partners in Brazil, Luiz and Andrea Calina. This second edition was presented in the same venue where it was presented the first time, National Historical Museum, so it speaks of the positive impact this exhibition left.
Secondly, this was one of the few exhibitions in the world that offered free admission at the express request of its sponsor, Meta. This speaks to the real interest of some large companies in supporting the issue of disability inclusion.
And thirdly, Rio innovated with its marketing strategy by turning influencers into incluencers. For this edition, marketing resources were not invested in traditional marketing such as television or radio, not even in classic social media campaigns. Luiz and Andrea Calina decided to use the convening power of Brazilian influencers on the message of inclusion.
And the strategy worked. The visits and recommendations of these now-incluencers provoked so many visits that during the last days of the exhibition, dozens of visitors had to return home without experiencing Dialogue in the Dark.
This is a closing that, knowing the resilience of our partners in Brazil, instead of leaving us sad, leaves us hopeful and grateful.