We still have some way to go before COVID restrictions completely lift, but it’s not too late to start planning now. And that’s especially important in the performing arts industry, which as we all know is among the hardest hit by COVID lockdowns, and most in need of strategies and innovation to boost attendance and revenues sooner rather than later.
If your venue has survived the COVID era so far, that’s great news! And your reward is…more work!
Because, let’s face it, recovery and rebuilding is going to take a lot of work. And there’s not much time in which to do it.
The Fastest Wins
Ultimate survival is going to be determined by how quickly venue owners can monetize attendance, build and renew their community, and rebuild their revenue streams. And now is the time to start identifying new ways to achieve those objectives.
One ‘out of the box’ concept is the idea of the electronic program book. Instead of a printed, paper-based program book, venue owners can instead create electronic program books that:
- Allow guests to get the program straight to their phone – one less thing for the guest to carry and manage, and one less thing to clean up after they leave.
- Lets guests keep the program in digital format, and refer back to it as needed, without having to carry it with them.
- Don’t have to be printed, stored and recycled. No printing costs, no recycling required.
And, much more importantly to you as a venue owner/manager, using electronic program books allows you to quickly build a much larger patron community and email list than you could achieve through traditional methods, in a much shorter amount of time.
Meet More Of Your Audience
Think about it – most email lists are compiled from people who freely give out their contact information, which accounts for a relatively small number of guests, or those who are prompted for an email address when buying tickets online – better, but still limited.
Electronic program books help venues:
- Gather email addresses for ALL attendees, not just the one who bought the tickets.
- Sell interactive, online advertisements that bring in increase revenue for the program.
- Allow for more targeted marketing, across a much larger email base.
Embracing Technology To Stay Relevant
The reality is – the theater industry is emerging from a historic period that is unlike anything seen in a very long time, and the venues that will survive the COVID era are those that think outside the box and look past the status quo. Electronic program books are one of those ideas. If this is an idea that your venue is ready for, contact us here. We’d love to talk.
