Pricing strategies can have great impact on deals and revenue for both agents and presenters. In the middle of this mix is the audience and their behavior that either creates demand for your performances, or leaves you with a lot of empty seats. Pricing and audience guru Jill Robinson of TRG Arts, Jackie Knobbe of APA Agency, Jeremy Ganter of Mondavi Center, UC Davis, and Joan Squires of Omaha Performing Arts discussed the ins and outs of maximizing revenue and developing audiences through pricing and scaling in this session, presented at the 2015 APAP conference in New York City.

1. TIME TO CHANGE?
PRICING, DEALS &
STRATEGY
Joan Squires,
Omaha Performing Arts
Jill Robinson,
TRG Arts
Copyright © 2015 TRG Arts
All Rights Reserved
Jeremy Ganter,
The Mondavi Center, UC Davis
Jackie Knobbe,
APA Agency

2. Yo Yo Ma at Holland Performing Arts Center, 2010. Photo by Herb Thompson.

3. Holland Performing Arts Center, exterior.
Photo by Tom Kessler.

5. Demand Management
Pricing

6. political
reactive
Pricing is emotional

7. political
reactive
Pricing is emotional

8. Pricing should drive
patron behavior.

9. music Broadway comedy
family dance
Different genres,
different expectations

10. Price points &
dynamic
pricing
Discounting Retention
Scale of hall Technology
Inventory
management
The issues

11. Donors and
consummate
loyalists
The magic
of “and”
From 1st time to
second or last time
to NOW
VIP access
& pricing
Better access,
Incentives for
upgrades, adds
Least attractive
access, incentives
to upgrade
All Viewed Thru A-B-T
Sustainable Income: Integration of
Loyalty & Demand Management

13. PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Managing the seated event business for
sustainable loyalty and revenues

14. Organizational
Demand Strategy
• Increased Income
• Perception of Success
• Loyalty Management

15. How?
Demand strategy
1. Understand the impact of demand on
revenue, loyalty
2. Build the infrastructure for success
3. Manage it. Together.

16. Demand factors
Day of weekSeasonality
Time of day
Programming
Opening &
closing dates
Real Estate
Icons via the Noun Project under CC BY 3.0
Credit: Aditya Dipankar

17. Build the infrastructure for success
Develop a scale plan that works
• Manage perception and
maximize income
• Is your scale optimal?
• Does the house naturally
dress?
• Are areas selling out?
• In the right order?
• As a performance succeeds,
does per capita revenue rise?

18. MANAGE IT. TOGETHER.
Pacing Meetings

19. What does this look like in
practice?

20. DATA-DRIVEN PRICING:
Scale, inventory, and dynamic pricing

26. DYNAMIC PRICING
Data-informed

28. WHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S
WORKING
The changing landscape of deals

29. Pricing should drive
patron behavior.

30. THE ARTIST VIEWPOINT:
Agents, artists, and negotiations
Price points &
dynamic
pricing
Discounting Retention
Scale of hall Technology
Inventory
management

34. WHAT SHOULD CHANGE?
Challenges and opportunities

35. Radio City at Orpheum Theater, 2014. Photo by Jodi Hauptman Drannen.

36. Holland Performing Arts Center, Kiewit Concert Hall.
Photo by Tom Kessler.

37. Price points &
dynamic
pricing
Discounting Retention
Scale of hall Technology
Inventory
management
The issues

38. WHAT’S NEXT?
Conclusions and takeaways

39. Questions

40. TIME TO CHANGE?
PRICING, DEALS &
STRATEGY
Joan Squires,
Omaha Performing Arts
Jill Robinson,
TRG Arts
Copyright © 2015 TRG Arts
All Rights Reserved
Jeremy Ganter,
The Mondavi Center, UC Davis
Jackie Knobbe,
APA Agency