With subscriptions declining 27% compared to pre-pandemic levels and arts buyers increasingly hesitant to plan far in advance, does your existing subscription/membership model meet your audience’s evolving needs?
In the session, Sara Villagio, CMO of Carnegie Hall, will lead a transparent conversation with arts marketers adapting to this new landscape. While we don’t have all the answers, the goal is to highlight experimentation, new perspectives, and innovation as we take an honest look at the future of audience development.
In a time of declining subscriptions for most organizations, Sara Billmann, Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the University Musical Society (UMS), will share how the organization has acquired over 500 new subscriber households, seeing positive trends over pre-pandemic numbers. She’ll discuss setting reasonable benchmarks and collaborating with their programming team to create a marketable season.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company started experimenting with flexible memberships in 2014, and now, the team is heading into another iteration phase to keep up with evolving audiences. PennyMaria Jackson, Director of Marketing and Communications, and Allan Waite, Interim Ticketing and Sales Director, will share how Steppenwolf is taking a data-informed approach to determine the right balance of pricing and benefits.
Phoenix Symphony completely reimagined its subscription offerings for the 2022–2023 season, eliminating fixed packages and focusing on a choose-your-own (CYO) structure. Jack Wright, Interim VP of Audience Engagement, will discuss early learnings from this bold experiment and how the shift has positively impacted subscription rates.
