The Wall Street Journal features the Oregon Symphony (complete with photo of music director Carlos Kalmar, no less) in an article about how arts groups are slashing ticket prices in order to keep audiences filling seats.
The Elaine Calder brainstorm ticket stub cross-promotion was also featured:
To sidestep a potential pricing trap, the major arts presenters in Portland, Ore., formed a temporary coalition to boost attendance citywide. A ticket stub for a February performance at one of eight local groups can be turned in for a deal at any of the other participating groups. For example, if you purchase a ticket for the Oregon Ballet Theatre or the Portland Opera, you can present the stub at the Oregon Symphony and buy two tickets there for the price of one. While there’s no limit to how many stubs can be turned, there are fine-print conditions and blackout performances.
In a city where arts groups have competed fiercely for revenue in the past, it’s the first time such a major cross-promotion has been tried. The idea was hatched by Elaine Calder, president of the Oregon Symphony, who sent an email to her local colleagues last November that detailed her plan to pull in patrons who might be staying home instead of, say, taking a ski vacation.
At the Oregon Symphony, attendance and donations are holding relatively steady, Ms. Calder says, but the company’s endowment has taken a big hit, dropping 30% to below $20 million last year. That puts more pressure on paid attendance.
Ms. Calder says she’s more focused on audience size than margins. “Nobody feels good in a half-empty house. Audiences feel better when their decision is validated by the full seats around them,” she says.
Thanks to PR director Carl Herko at the Oregon Symphony for pointing out this article (and way to go for the good press!).