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Matt Lehrman on Customer Engagement & Audience Development

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Engagement Beyond Mere “Customer Service”

June 30, 2018 by Matt Lehrman

The basics of "customer service" include patience, attentiveness, knowledge, responsiveness, and consistency. So, here's a simply beautiful example of one company's practice that far exceeds those basics - courtesy of a friend who discovered this letter in her hotel room at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC: Hello my name is Lichi & I am your room Stylist (A.K.A. Housekeeper).  While you are here in Washington, D.C., I hope you get … [Read more...]

Can you be Optimistic for just 90 Minutes?

January 26, 2017 by Matt Lehrman

How will the world be different in 5 years? That's the question I'll ask leaders of arts & cultural organizations in a series of FutureCast exercises I'll be facilitating around the country starting next month.*    When the program was conceived last Spring, its intention felt timely, refreshing, and productive - to study the trajectories of demographics, technology, and the economy (and more!) and imagine the exciting opportunities ahead … [Read more...]

Art Is As Art Does

January 16, 2017 by Matt Lehrman

A recent dinner conversation with friends rolled around to the question:  "What is art?" A long conversation ensued.  Someone offered up Wikipedia's definition:  "Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts, expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power." This group of arts administrators was unsatisfied.  As … [Read more...]

7 Audience Development Resolutions for 2017

January 1, 2017 by Matt Lehrman

“Your beliefs become your thoughts; Your thoughts become your words; Your words become your actions; Your actions become your habits; Your habits become your values; Your values become your destiny.” - Mahatma Gandhi Together, let's make these resolutions for 2017: I BELIEVE:  Arts & cultural experiences are an essential public good, critical to a healthy and truly democratic society, and invaluable as a source of personal enrichment … [Read more...]

75 Days to Decide: Is Your Organization Part of the Solution – or Part of the Problem

November 11, 2016 by Matt Lehrman

In her Jumper blog, Diane Ragsdale delivers a stirring message for the dawn of the Trump Presidential era that deserves to be shared and contemplated with the staff, management and Board of every arts & cultural organization: "...those working in nonprofit professional cultural organizations across the US—we in the so-called Creative Class—are, without a doubt, among those who did not understand our country, its culture, or its values. If we … [Read more...]

Chatting with Playwright Rich Orloff… on Relevance.

May 17, 2016 by Matt Lehrman

What is the value of relevance? As an arts marketer, I believe that relevance is the mandatory price of admission to an audience's attention. That which is irrelevant is routinely ignored or discarded.  And for artists and arts organizations, relevance is the essential fuel of viability - the spark that ignites recognition, appreciation, attendance, support, discussion and opportunities for advancement. Nobody aspires to irrelevance. But … [Read more...]

How Relevant is My Arts Organization? Take this Self-Test!

March 27, 2016 by Matt Lehrman

Arts administrators worry. We worry about cash flow.  We worry about achieving and sustaining consensus.  We worry about attracting and retaining quality staff team.  We worry about logistics.  We worry about outstanding grant applications and whether last year's donors will continue their support this year.  We worry about deadlines and opening nights.  We worry about why ticket sales are underperforming budget expectations.  We worry about … [Read more...]

A Small Detail, A Big Idea & Why You Should Care

November 12, 2015 by Matt Lehrman

Let's marvel at a small detail that reveals a big idea... Here's the opening sentence of a just-received press release from the City of Mesa (AZ)... Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SC, “Santander Consumer USA”), a consumer finance company focused on vehicle finance, third-party servicing and delivering superior service to more than 2.5 million customers across the full credit spectrum, announced it will expand its operations to … [Read more...]

The 4 Types of Audiences

November 8, 2015 by Matt Lehrman

You want to attract, grow, diversify and sustain your audience? Great!  But the biggest mistake you can make is to think of that audience as a single entity.  True, "your audience" converged at some point - whether for a particular night's performance, during the run of a production or exhibition, into your venue, or some other way onto your mailing list.  But the happenstance of their intersection doesn't mean they share the same motivations, … [Read more...]

What is Audience Engagement? (Part 3)

November 5, 2015 by Matt Lehrman

This is SUCH a great thought-provoking conversation, I'm thrilled for it to continue… Again, delighted (and grateful) to share the wisdom of respected friends and colleagues on the question: What is the meaning of the word “engagement”?  And how does an arts organization know if it is succeeding? ————- Bob Booker – Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts When two people make a statement of love, support, and promise to … [Read more...]

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Matt Lehrman

A passion for loyalty and customer engagement runs through Matt Lehrman’s 30-year career in corporate sales and marketing, non-profit management, and as a champion for audience development in the arts and cultural sector. [Read More …]

About Audience Wanted

Audiences, they're not just for arts & cultural organizations anymore. My favorite part of any show or concert takes place precisely when the houselights dim and the curtain rises.  It's at that remarkable moment that an assembly of individuals … [Read More...]

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