ARTS FESTIVALS OVERVIEWARTS FESTIVALS OVERVIEW

About the project

Initiated and led by Theatre ForumFunded by Arts Council and Failte IrelandSixth year59 venues and festivals– 9 first timers including 4 festivals– 16 festivals– 8 venues with more than 600 seats– 35 venues with under 500 seats

Festivals Scope

41,000 ticket buyers194,000 tickets worth €3.7 million1,733 performances

HOW ARE WE DOING?HOW ARE WE DOING?

Festivals: Average number of events

2010: 1332009: 164

Festivals Large scale Under 500

Ticket Sales: number of tickets

43 organisations provided data in 2010 & 2009One third sold more tickets in 2010Two thirds sold fewer tickets

Out of eight festivals:On average 15% fewer ticketsOne sold more tickets

Festivals Large scale Under 500

Festival ticket sales: % capacity

2010: 49%19%

72%

Ticket sales: % capacity

2010: 49%14%

80%

Festivals Large scale Under 500

Comparison with 2009

Festivals Large scale Under 500

EVENTS

FEWER MORE

HIGHER

LOWER

% CAPACITY

EVENTS

FEWER MORE

HIGHER

LOWER

% CAPACITY

Spread the audience more thinly

EVENTS

FEWER MORE

HIGHER

LOWER

% CAPACITY

Spread the audience more thinly

Concentrate the audience

EVENTS

FEWER MORE

HIGHER

LOWER

% CAPACITY

Spread the audience more thinly

Concentrate the audience

Increased impact

EVENTS

FEWER MORE

HIGHER

LOWER

% CAPACITY

Spread the audience more thinly

Concentrate the audience

Increased impact

Reduced impact

Concentrate the audience

Increased impact

Spread the audience more thinlyReduced

impact

Trend organisations

Consistent cluster of 17 organisations involved in the project from the beginning

Means we can compare year on year

ARE WE MAXIMISING ARE WE MAXIMISING OUR INCOME?OUR INCOME?

Festivals:% of tickets sold at full price

2010: 73%14%

100%

Complimentary tickets

All comps: 12%Excluding ‘paid for’: 10%

Ticket prices: Festivals

Offer price: €18.76Ticket yield: €19.33

ABOUT AUDIENCESABOUT AUDIENCES

HOW GOOD IS THE DATA?HOW GOOD IS THE DATA?

Capturing names and addresses

Absolute minimum: 75%OK: 85% or moreExcellent: 90% or more

Festivals: Data capture rates

2010: 90%71%

100%

Data capture rates

2010: 89%25%

100%

HOW MUCH DO THEY HOW MUCH DO THEY LOVE US?LOVE US?

Six + events

Festivals

Six + events

Three + events

Six + events

Three + events

Two events

Six + events

Three + events

Two events

One event

Festivals: Average number of events in 2010

2010: 1.91.3

3.6

Festivals Large scale Under 500

2009

2010

2009

2010

2009

2010

Continuing

New

Deficit

Continuing

New

Reactivated

Keeping first time ticket buyers

Percentage of first time ticket buyers at festivals in 2009 who also bought tickets in 2010

18%

Continuing

New

Reactivated

Continuing

New

Reactivated

ARE THEY BOOKING ARE THEY BOOKING LATER?LATER?

IS OUR MARKETING IS OUR MARKETING WORKING?WORKING?

Marketing spend per seat put on saleincluding staff costs

Average for Festivals: €10.22 €3.57

€25.17

Festivals Large scale Under 500

Festivals Large scale Under 500

RETURN ON INVESTMENTRETURN ON INVESTMENT

RoI including staff costs

Average for Festivals: €2.06 €0.35

€9.87

Festivals Large scale Under 500

Website visits (000s)

“International” Festivals: 85K 10k

160k

Increase in traffic to festival websites

Six festivals supplied data in 2009 and 2010

+45%

Online marketing effectiveness

Page views per visit upBounce rates down from 50% to 42%Websites referring the most traffic:– www.dublinevents.com– www.visitdublin.com– www.entertainment.ie– www.whazon.com

Overseas visitors

Website visits from outside Ireland

34%

Overseas visitors

Website visits by country (000s):UK: 312kUSA: 305kGermany: 55kNetherlands: 30kFrance: 23kCanada: 18kSpain: 15k

Emailing response rates

Average for Festivals: 7% 1%

24%

Facebook referrals (% of all visits)

Average for Festivals: 4% 1%

13%

Pay Per Click Advertising (000s)

Ave no of impressions: 1,000k 1k

4,000kFestivals

Pay Per Click Advertising

Ave click through rate: Festivals 3% 0.04%

17%

Summary

The picture is very mixed with some of us doing much better than others– Doing more/less– Selling more/less– Marketing more/less

It’s not about type of organisationHuge differences in marketing effectivenessNot about spend but about strategies