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A Radical New Revenue Model for Orchestras

Goodbye Earned and Contributed Income; Hello Lifelong Interactive Revenue Relationship with Patron Households

A Radical New Revenue Model for Orchestras Presentation Now Online!

Saturday, June 23, 9:00am-12:30pm
Location to be advised

Led by Bruce Coppock, president and CEO of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Larry Tamburri of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and moderated by consultant Paul Boulian, this workshop will challenge conventional industry thinking by rejecting the distinction between earned and contributed income.

Over the last 20 years orchestras have generally experienced reduced numbers of subscribers, an increase in single ticket sales, increases in subscriber "flexibility," significant ticket price increases, smaller subscription packages, and increasing demand on a smaller and smaller group of donors. Sound familiar? Sound scary? Sound inevitable? It doesn’t have to be. At the same time, annual funds and endowment campaigns ebb or flow, depending on the economy. Right? WRONG. There is a fundamental economic relationship between what is happening in your concert hall and what is happening with your fundraising.

Attendees will

• Explore the unintended consequences of thinking in term of "donors" and "subscribers" as separate groups.
• Examine why the drive to flexibility and single ticket sales is a short-term revenue solution which may undermine the long-term health of our organizations.

This workshop will present a new way of thinking about the relationship of the orchestral organization to households and propose some new strategies. Attendees will learn to

• Develop a concept of mutual long-term investment between a household and the orchestra organization.
• Focus on long-term patron relationships.
• Understand and manage the intertwined relationship between attendance, audience experience and patron loyalty.