What Churned in Denver?

(Photos: Mark T. Osler/PJeye.com)

View the Powerpoint Presentation from Conference!

Performing Arts organizations have known that long-term audience members are incredibly loyal and generous and have mainly assumed that the challenge was in attracting newcomers to the experience.  It turns out that orchestras are attracting large numbers of newcomers, but are not effectively converting them to long-term customers and supporters.  

For the past year a group of nine senior marketing professionals and Engaged Audiences LLC have been studying this "churn." Last August, the prestigious international management consulting firm Oliver Wyman offered to undertake a multi-million dollar pro-bono study to help arts organizations better understand this phenomenon, how to minimize the impact of churn, and how to retain more of these new customers.

We now know that first-timers make up almost 50% of our customers annually, and that more than 80% of them do not purchase tickets again in the following season, representing a significant opportunity for orchestras and other arts organizations.  And we also now better understand the factors that are important to getting more first-timers to return, including specific offers that are most likely to spur repeat purchase.

Leaders of the Oliver Wyman Audience Growth Initiative shared the key findings at a highly anticipated League Presentation (June 12 and 13) in Denver, Turning First-timers into Life-timers: Understanding and Reducing Churn.

View the Powerpoint Presentation from Conference! 



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Moderators
Russell Jones, vice president for marketing & membership development, League of American Orchestras
Jack McAuliffe, president, Engaged Audiences LLC

Presenters

Martin Kon, head of Oliver Wyman’s General Management Consulting office in NY and leader of the Global Media & Entertainment practice


Edouard Portelette, project manager, Oliver Wyman’s Orchestra Audience Growth Initiative

Respondents
Deborah Card, president, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
David Snead, director of marketing, New York Philharmonic
Mark Volpe, managing director, Boston Symphony Orchestra

OLIVER WYMAN
Orchestra Audience Growth Initiative for Senior Marketing Professionals at Nine Major American Orchestras

Oliver Wyman Project Team

• Martin Kon, Initiative Leader
• Edouard Portelette, Project Manager
• Claire-Marie Andlauer
• Detelina Kalkandjieva
• Norman Leung
• Li Ma

Oliver Wyman Steering Committee

• David Bliss - President and CEO of Oliver Wyman’s Delta Organization & Leadership business
• Andrew Carron - President of NERA Economic Consulting (part of the Oliver Wyman Group)
• Bob Fox - Managing Director of Oliver Wyman’s General Management Consulting business and Head of the Global Communications, Media & Technology practice
• Martin Kon - Head of Oliver Wyman’s General Management Consulting office in NY and Leader of the Global Media & Entertainment practice
• Alan McIntyre - Managing Director of Oliver Wyman’s Financial Services business in North America
• Carlos Rivero – Head of Oliver Wyman’s Delta Organization & Leadership business US operations

Oliver Wyman Orchestra Liaisons

• George Faigen (Atlanta)       
• Bob Fox (Boston)           
• Paul Markowitz (Boston)       
• David Fishbaum (Chicago)          
• Eric Nelsen (Chicago/Milwaukee)
• John Wenstrup (Cleveland)
• Martin Kon (Los Angeles/New York)
• John Senior (Philadelphia)
• Dave Sovie (San Francisco)

Marketing Directors

• Charlie Wade (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
• Kim Noltemy (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
• Kevin Giglinto (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
• Sandi Macdonald/Emily Grimes (The Cleveland Orchestra)
• Joan Cumming/Shana Mathur (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
• Stephen Duncan/Susan Loris (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
• Michael Buckland (The Nashville Symphony)
• David Snead (New York Philharmonic)
• Ed Cambron (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
• Michele Prisk (San Francisco Symphony)

Facilitator
Jack McAuliffe (Engaged Audiences LLC)