Matt Lehrman on Audience Building
Do empty seats make you angry? They should! They should make you BOILING MAD. Each empty seat represents a direct cost: the wasted expenditure of advertising, the loss of immediate cash flow, pressure to increase ticket prices and/or spend even more on marketing, a diminished pool of future donors. Each empty seat also carries the indirect cost of the APPEARANCE OF FAILURE to artists, audiences, members & donors, … [Read more...]
The word rolled off his tongue so easily, I almost didn't catch it. Steve Martin is the Managing Director of Childsplay, the renowned professional theatre company here in the Phoenix area whose chosen audience is children. We were discussing the evolving nature of the cause of “audience development” and the various implications of its growing number of metaphors – pathways, on-ramps, entrances, channels, passages, approaches, avenues, … [Read more...]
Crista Cloutier travels the globe teaching her original workshops, The Working Artist, The Working Creative & The Writer’s Life. More than a teacher, Crista is a nurturer, emboldener and coach to career-focused individuals engaged in all sorts of artistic and creative pursuits. Her website is: www.theworkingartist.info. In this interview we explore how the “marketing” and “audience development” challenges of individual … [Read more...]
In this interview, I’m delighted to introduce you to Dr. Stephen Brand, President & Chief Imagination Officer of the New Enterprise Factory. His firm designs, launches and scales revenue-generating, mission-driven ventures. In his words, he “finds the profit in non-profits.” How do you define the word “innovation” for a non-profit organization? Is it synonymous with “risk?” It’s entrepreneurship that is synonymous … [Read more...]
One of the great honors of running an organization dedicated to "audience development" has been the privilege to meet and work in partnership with the dedicated leaders of the Veteran Tickets Foundation - which is best known as VETTIX.org. (And imagine my delight to discover that this national 501c3 non-profit organization is based here in my hometown of Phoenix - less than 3 miles from my office!) Their mission: "Give without … [Read more...]
To claim that Mimi's Cafe "delights the senses with cuisine that has a touch of "Gourmet Francais"" is probably grounds for deep offense among legions of French chefs - and the subject of heated debate among philosophers and physicists alike as to how incredibly small the measure of "a touch" must be. But Mimi's Cafe does something profoundly smart and simple that should serve as a point of inspiration... It's been a while since my … [Read more...]
Imagine two communities: One is widely regarded for its high-quality theaters and museums - but very few of its residents participate, The other is undistinguished nationally for its theaters and museums - except for the fact that very many of its residents participate frequently. I'm not asking in which community you'd rather live or visit. One suspects that the readers of Arts Journal blogs are routinely drawn to communities whose … [Read more...]
It is the obvious nature of politics that each candidate tries to throw their opponent under the bus. But that's not the part of the bus to which arts & cultural marketers should most be paying attention. We should be asking: Why does every Presidential candidate have a campaign bus in the first place? Consider the modern Presidential campaign: Each candidate possesses substantial financial resources and directs them to massive … [Read more...]
“…The bottom is falling out of the way performing arts organizations do business.… People's short-term buying habits have made revenue unpredictable and precarious. This has forced performing arts companies to rethink how they allocate marketing dollars, plan their seasons and approach customer service...” New York Times, October 16, 2002 “You see,” I excitedly exclaimed to my CEO at our regular weekly meeting … [Read more...]
Arizona Republic, October 9, 2011Last weekend, the Arizona Diamondbacks completed an unexpected (but highly entertaining) worst-to-first season transformation. Though they exited in the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs, they left the field with undeniable momentum that will carry their ticket sales strongly into next year. Let's face it, there's real audience development power in being able to combine a full … [Read more...]
As principal of Audience Avenue LLC, Matt helps organizations (as well as entire communities) find creative ways to engage every sort of audience - attendees, visitors, members, users, supporters, donors, subscribers, fans, friends, followers, volunteers, tourists, spectators & stakeholders - in arts & cultural experiences.
Matt Lehrman is a dynamic speaker! His AUDIENCES EVERYWHERE presentations offer thought-provoking & highly-actionable ways to pursue innovation in audience building, based on the latest research in audience participation and cutting-edge developments in technology & social media.
www.AudienceAvenue.com [Read More …]
For too long, arts & cultural marketers have operated under the premise that the key to their organization's success is to "pick the low hanging fruit.” I have come to reject that premise. Fundamental changes in personal interests & … [Read More...]
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