Blumenthal Arts’ Post

'But the big question is: do these altruistic “pay what you can” models actually work for performing arts companies? To what extent do they boost companies’ audience reach and their bottom lines?' A great piece by my ArtsHub friend and colleague, Jo Pickup, exploring the question of whether now is the time to explore new ticketing models in light of the financial pressures facing so many Australians. https://lnkd.in/grpzMz2s

Ticket pricing was a hot topic at the Ticketing Australia conference this year. Are prices too high? Are we discounting too much? How can we build distribution models? Headlines like this can be good click bait and drive a false narrative. As my good friend Patrick Gracey says in here - "last year... theatergoers paid an average £54 ...to see a West End show" Yes - there are some eye-watering top price tickets in London, New York and Australia, but there is also a swathe of affordable prices and incentives in the market. Marketers and productions need to build a ferocious and influential counternarrative that proves theatre is affordable and a welcome place for different people (both of which, I acknowledge, are highly subjective terms). While some companies and producers are trying some exciting new tools, the entire system needs an urgent evolution. https://lnkd.in/gN2Xre7v

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal explains that interest in U.S. movie theaters stands is a solution for experiential retail in unorthodox real estate spaces. The cost and complexity of retrofitting theaters into other traditional retail formats often leads landlords to reduce rent to maintain occupancy. Many movie theater operators are embracing unique enhancements to reinvigorate the cinema-going experience. Investments in giant screens, playgrounds for children, and cocktail lounges for adults aim to differentiate from the convenience of streaming services and the comfort of home viewing. By prioritizing experiential enhancements and adopting flexible lease structures, theater operators are revitalizing their venues and forging a path toward sustainable growth in an increasingly competitive market. Read the full piece below:

Americans were on track to spend about $95 billion this year on tickets to spectator amusements, including movies, live entertainment, and sporting events, according to August data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That is up 23% from last year,  12.5% higher than the $84.4 billion spent on the same entertainment in 2019, the previous year before the pandemic shut down most spectator events. Spending at theme parks, campgrounds, and related services is on track to hit $79.9 billion this year, up 3.4% from 2022 and 6.2% from 2019. 

Everything About Season Passes and Memberships for Theaters and Sports: Setting up, Selling, Redeeming This article and video show you everything about season passes and memberships commonly used by theaters, community theaters, sports, film festivals, museums, theme parks, and many other industries. This video shows you how to set up season passes, sell them, the buyer experience, and redeeming the passes to buy tickets, both by the buyer and by your sales staff at the point of sale. Season passes and memberships are one of the more complex features in ticketing. Each event organizer may have a different definition for season passes and memberships. Most ticketing systems either don’t offer season passes at all or offer a very limited solution. Click here to continue reading... https://lnkd.in/gZSAruDQ #events #eventplatform #eventsoftware #eventticketing #FormalEvent #EventManagementSoftware #virtualevents #hybridevent #EventSolutions #Ticketor #eventprofs #eventtech #eventplanning #eventplanner #onsiteregistration #eventmarketing #eventmanagement #eventregistration #eventmeeting #tickets #music #concert #ticket #livemusic #live #show #entertainment #party #festival #theatre

Everything About Season Passes and Memberships for Theaters and Sports: Setting up, Selling, Redeeming This article and video show you everything about season passes and memberships commonly used by theaters, community theaters, sports, film festivals, museums, theme parks, and many other industries. This video shows you how to set up season passes, sell them, the buyer experience, and redeeming the passes to buy tickets, both by the buyer and by your sales staff at the point of sale. Season passes and memberships are one of the more complex features in ticketing. Each event organizer may have a different definition for season passes and memberships. Most ticketing systems either don’t offer season passes at all or offer a very limited solution. Click here to continue reading... https://lnkd.in/gwXb_GZM #events #eventplatform #eventsoftware #eventticketing #FormalEvent #EventManagementSoftware #virtualevents #hybridevent #EventSolutions #Ticketor #eventprofs #eventtech #eventplanning #eventplanner #onsiteregistration #eventmarketing #eventmanagement #eventregistration #eventmeeting #tickets #music #concert #ticket #livemusic #live #show #entertainment #party #festival #theatre

#Funflation is the #WOTD. Prices for live #entertainment events (#sports, #concerts, #theme parks, etc) “rose at a startling rate” this year. So much so that “nearly 60% of US #consumers said they have had to cut back on live #entertainment this year because of rising costs.” And more than a fourth of consumers have opted out altogether. For the #brands (and #bands) who drive up the costs, be forewarned that there’s a fine line between profit maximization and pissing off your fans. Many consumers are still in a post-pandemic euphoria when it comes to live events and social gatherings, so demand is staying strong despite rising prices. At some point, the #buzz will wear off and/or be killed off by sticker shock. And recovering from that will take years. Or as one person explained “going to concerts regularly was an essential part of .. a lower-middle-class upbringing. It didn’t break the bank to see #BonJovi.” #NiceAlliteration. https://lnkd.in/erpWWEtx

Funflation. A data analysis from Facteus for the Journal that examined credit-card spending at 16 common entertainment vendors, including Ticketmaster, StubHub, Vivid Seats and a host of theme parks and cinema chains from early 2019 through July, found that the share of consumer spending going to ticketed entertainment has essentially recovered to prepandemic levels. The percentage of cardholders who buy tickets to live events, however, has fallen more than 10%, suggesting that fewer people are spending on in-person events than in the prepandemic period.