2017 Key Metrics for Arts Organizations
•
2 likes•1,294 views
Originally presented at the 2017 NAMP Conference. Have arts leaders increased the loyalty of their patrons in recent years? TRG Arts is the longest-standing aggregator of loyalty metrics in the arts industry and has recently refreshed its aggregated Patron Loyalty Index. In this presentation, we’ll describe the ways patrons are behaving in terms of their recency, frequency, monetary investment and growth over time, across transactions in single tickets, membership, subscription and donation.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (15)
Similar to 2017 Key Metrics for Arts Organizations
Similar to 2017 Key Metrics for Arts Organizations (20)
More from TRG Arts
More from TRG Arts (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
2017 Key Metrics for Arts Organizations
- 1. 2017 Key Metrics for Arts Organizations 2017 NAMP Conference David Seals, Director of Client Development Copyright © 2017 TRG Arts All Rights Reserved
- 3. Who We Are Experienced Team 1. Colorado and London-based 40 team members 2. 22 years, four countries US, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom 3. More than 1,000 arts/cultural clients Scalable products for sustainable patron growth and revenues
- 5. What’s More Important? Acquisition vs. Retention Acquisition 40% Retention 12% Unclear 20% Other 28% 2017 NAMP Sessions Categorized Unscientifically by TRG Arts
- 6. Key Metrics Study 2012-2016 • TRG Art Analytics Group 130 Arts & Culture Organizations • Multiple Genres: Opera, Orchestra, Performing Arts Centers, Theatre, Choral, Dance, Festivals • Five years of verified, complete data 16,963,146 transactions across Single Tickets, Subscription, Flex, Donors and Education
- 7. Key Metrics Study Definitions • New-to-File Patrons who first appeared in the dataset after the 2012 season • Existing A patron with at least one transaction in 2012, the first year of the study • Attrition Patrons who exited the dataset during the study (Last transaction in or before 2014)
- 8. Single Ticket Buyers 2012-2016 New to File 66% Existing 34% 75% Attrition 35% Attrition
- 9. Single Ticket Buyers 2012-2016 62% Attrition
- 10. Flex Buyers 2012-2016 New to File 24% Existing 76% 45% Attrition 21% Attrition
- 12. Subscribers 2012-2016 New to File 12% Existing 88% 38% Attrition 11% Attrition
- 14. Donors 2012-2016 New to File 25% Existing 75% 56% Attrition 15% Attrition
- 16. All Patrons 2012-2016 New to File 58% Existing 42% 74% Attrition 31% Attrition
- 18. Percentage of Attrition Exiting the Dataset? 77% 56% 38% 45% 75% 39% 15% 11% 21% 35% 59% 25% 14% 26% 62% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% All Buyer Types DON SUB FLX STB TRG Arts Key Metrics Analysis Attrition by Buyer Type, 2012-2016 New to File Attrition Existing Patron Attrition Total Attrition
- 19. BUT we’re doing a good job. Photo by Mikerussell via wikimedia (CC) New To File Single Ticket Buyer Attraction Rate
- 20. 75% 2012-2016 Photo by Stefan Powell via flickr (CC BY 2.0) New To File Single Ticket Buyer Attrition Rate
- 21. Leaky Bucket Churn Attrition Oncers First Timers Photo by Tobias Schlitt (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
- 22. CASE STUDY New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, UK Robin Morrissey and cast in The Government Inspector. Photo: Robert Day
- 24. New audiences + lower attrition = GROWTH New single ticket buyer attrition rate New single ticket buyers
- 30. Photo by Jeni Raw
- 31. Results?
- 33. Key Metrics Study Take-Aways • Growth requires both retention & acquisition Stop the revolving door & find new patrons • Track and set goals on loyalty, not just revenue It’s not enough to fill the seats—are they filled with return buyers? Leverage loyalists to fund more challenging work. • Empower/hold your team accountable Build loyalty into your operational practice
- 34. David Seals Director of Client Development LetsTalk@trgarts.com
Editor's Notes
- TRG Arts is a consulting firm dedicated to the arts and entertainment field. We use data to develop strategies that help clients achieve results. TRG Arts was founded in 1995 by our late founder, Rick Lester. Our firm has grown over two decades on pioneering strategies focused on patrons and ways to develop pricing and loyalty that today have achieved results for our clients. We are based in Colorado Springs, Colorado with 30 team members, each skilled in providing guidance and solutions that are patron-based for sustainable loyalty of patrons and sustainable revenue from those patrons. At TRG, we use the word “patron” for any PERSON engaged with an organization—visitors, ticket buyers, members, donors, event attendee) So know that when you hear us say “patron”, know that I mean any PERSON engaged with any type of arts and entertainment organization—visual or performing arts; seated event or general admission. CLICK
- Our role as marketer's. In 2017…we’re pressure to expand our patron base—and more than ever that expansion is geared toward diversity…seeking a young, diverse and NEW audience. In spreading the word amongst a more diverse pool and with competing media sources, our limited marketing dollars have to go further than ever before. All this with growth in mind.
- TRG’s runs an Analysis Group comprised of 130 organizations within the TRG database representing eight genres of performing art and cultural organizations, each having at least 5 years of donor, single ticket, and subscription data. The eight genres are: opera, orchestra, performing arts centers, theaters, choral, dance, festival, and instrumental. The Analysis Group is a carefully considered and statistically evaluated group of organizations. We are constantly looking at this data set and learning from what it tells us and comparing our clients data against the analysis group. And here’s the good news that research illuminates. You’re doing a good job! In the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, arts organizations across all genres enjoyed 59 new audience members out of every 100 single ticket buyers. Comparatively, from 2012 to 2016, 66 out of every 100 single ticket buyers were new. Your marketing is working! You’re attracting more new audience members.
- Yet, as new audiences grow, so does attrition. In the study period starting nine years ago, we lost 63% of the new single ticket buyers. Comparatively, in the study period starting six years ago we lost 75% of the new single ticket buyers.
- We’ve talked about this for a long time? Is it groundbreaking? We’re concerned this could be on the rise. We’re doing such a great job of attracting new audiences all time BUT we under-retain. We’re so focused on getting new audiences in that they forget that they need to keep them once they’ve got them. When you’re trying to build a sustainable organisation which relies on engaged, fanatical audiences, this is really bad news. You’re going to end up spending all kinds of time and energy filling and re-filling a leaky bucket. When you start focusing on loyalty and retention, you can begin to focus on patching up the holes instead.
- How can we as arts marketers make this research actionable? Let’s look at a case study by the New Wolsey Theatre—one of TRG’s clients in the UK.
- In 2014-15 nearly 5,000 households made their first visit. Perfectly aligned with the cross-genre research, 75% of the New Wolsey new-to-file single ticket buyers didn’t return again that season or in the following year…
- The team at New Wolsey knew they had to change their mindset. Growth was no longer measured solely by the amount of new audience members, but also by turning those new audience members into repeat ticket buyers—thus lowering attrition rates.
- How did New Wolsey orient their whole team around loyalty – specifically to start on this one big task – to plug the leaky bucket? They integrated the planning process and the departmental empowerment…the key word here being integration.
- They created a loyalty pack…
- Moves plan – what types of NTF patrons are there…and what is the ‘and’ for every customer…
- Always take the perspective of the patron…we equipped them with the tools…
- The trained and oriented their whole team around best practice… using data to make informed decisions
- Look at this guy on the right—what emotion do you see in his face? Isn’t it evident that he feels empowered as an ambassador for the arts as he welcomes people to the performance? Marketers—WE make a difference! In person and behind the scenes. (click) Also seen here, New Wolsey is following up with new to file single ticket buyers—reminding them of their great experience at the performance and asking them back soon. It’s critical we talk to our patrons like we know them, because we do! In 2017 we have the most advance CRMs/databases ever—let’s use those systems to our advantage to provide personal touches!
- So what are the results for New Wolsey’s efforts to integrate process and departments, with a new loyalty-oriented mindset?
- Within a two year period, they moved new-to-file single ticket buyer attrition rates from 75% to 63%. (click) That’s 12 patrons out of every 100 that are returning!