Attracting an audience Options

[mwl1]

I am in charge of organising fundraising concerts at my church, which is a large Anglo-Catholic edifice in an impoverished Urban Priority Area of a major city. This is the first year that we have had a concert season and there has been a variety of performers each month since April, continuing until September. Indeed, Celeste and I are performing this month!

My problem thus far is that I have been struggling to attract audiences to the events. The April one didn't quite reach 20, the May one (an organ recital by a well-respected local organist) reached only 10, and the June one (featuring a large choir) had 21 in the audience. The organ recitalist was not upset that there were not more people present and the April and June ensembles were not overly upset either, but I don't feel that this low level of attendance is particularly respectable, nor indeed viable if we are paying performers (most performers this time have gladly played without fee). This could be due to a number of factors and I am wondering about my strategy.

To start with, why did we want a concert series in the first place? Well, primarily to raise funds - the church is in a vulnerable financial position and there is a great deal of housing clearance taking place in the parish. Thus, the population surrounding the church has plummeted in recent times and those who remain are not greatly enticed by the prospect of an evening's cultural activity, particularly when it costs money. However, there is also a strong argument that there is no provision for musical spectacles in this part of the city and that those locals who might appreciate such events would be jolly pleased to see someone taking the initiative to organise them. Of course, the more events a church holds, the higher its profile is raised in its locality and beyond.

So what am I up against? When I started arranging the concert season (something, I hasten to add, I was asked to do by the church - this was not entirely my own foolish idea), I received (and continue to receive) a great deal of scepticism from ivory-towered individuals living in wealthy areas and attending thriving churches with no financial problems. "Ha! Who on earth do you think is going to want to go to concerts there?" they would scoff, making me feel embarrassed of my perceived attempts to flog dead horses. I gingerly start to explain that there is no arts facility in the area and that local people might appreciate such a thing, before getting the "Yeah, right..." lecture about why the whole thing is doomed from the start. In addition to this attitude from many I speak to outside the area, there is indeed a compatibility issue with the current population of the area - it is a very transient community that does not identify itself with the area, staying for only a few months before moving onto elsewhere. Many do not speak much English. Unlike places with settled residents, there is no sense of loyalty to the church (although there would be much upset if it were not there for Sunday use). There is then the exaggerated fear on the part of many of setting foot in the area, perceiving that the chances of being stabbed once crossing the parish boundary are hysterically high. They are not. There is also clearly a degree of ill-perception regarding the location of the church. I was told only last week by someone who has visited before that it is "out of the way", yet it is within walking distance of the city centre (and thus the main railway and bus stations) and taxis for the faint-hearted, those who don't feel up to the walk or those travelling after dark are inexpensive. I would in fact argue that its location is one of its strengths - while obviously not at the advantage of a city-centre venue, it is close enough to the city centre for access to be fairly simple. An additional issue is that there are insufficient people at the church willing to commit to helping with events, but we have just enough for now and I do not wish to stray from the point!

So why did I think the whole business would be a success? Well, even if there was little support from the locals, the building is close enough to the city centre to attract people from further afield, who would be travelling towards the nucleus of the city rather than an obscure backwater, and for those travelling by public transport. Also, advertising in the city centre and with city organisations is plausible. The church itself boasts one of the most spectacular interiors for miles, and an additional selling point is that there is the opportunity to see inside the building (it is kept locked between services). It is a wonderful performance space, the seating can be moved to suit the occasion and the acoustics are excellent. Indeed, every event that has been held thus far has been excellent, and the performers themselves have said that they would be delighted to return - it's just that most people missed out on hearing them! The only issue with the building is that it is large and cold, but the temperature is not an issue during the summer months when the concerts are being held! The budget for heating (and everything else) is somewhat miniscule.

Format: Perhaps my format is not working? There is one concert per month between April and September. Admission is ?6, and ?5 for children, students and local residents. All concerts are on Saturdays at 7pm. There has been an emphasis this year on the choral / organ side of things (though the choirs have been very different) but I intend to vary it a bit more next year.

Publicity: I have made a Facebook page for the concerts, and each one has its own Facebook event page. I sometimes wonder if an endless list of people saying "sorry - I happen to be going to visit Beijing that weekend" (for example) almost can count as negative publicity when there are no positive responses to counteract? The 'Going' list on Facebook is always miniscule, although I know this doesn't always mean anything one way or the other and that many other events experience similar results. I put posters in local churches and shops, and in places like the city library and local music colleges. Admittedly the posters can be intermittent as places often get bogged down with posters and it is hard for me to cover the entire city by myself! I also advertise on a city forum and on certain 'what's on' type websites.

So to sum up - fine concert venue putting on fine concerts, but only a small audience and a lot of sceptical people to convince! I would appreciate any suggestions of how I can turn the situation around. Surely other people have been in a similar position!

Oh, and if anyone would like to hear Fiona and me perform... Saturday 14th July at 7pm. PM for details! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Thanks! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Scooby Doo]

Maybe your timing is an issue - Saturday at 7pm - I'm guessing you've got competition with other things going on/early evening TV etc

How about trying 'coffee concerts' mid morning, lunch or tea-time?

Lovely idea, and good luck. No doubt the audience you did get were appreciative?!

[Maizie]

With all your posters, facebook pages, etc...I would put on an indication of proximity, like "Only five minutes walk from Main Railway Station". If you are struggling with the perception you are out of the way, then make sure people know you aren't.
A little diagramatic map might be useful, depending on how obvious or not your location is.
Any bus routes too might be handy...

[ExpressYourself]

I put on 3 public concerts a year and rarely get anyone coming who doesn't know someone performing.

So I would say get loads of people performing in each one and persuade them to sell tickets to their friends and family.

[Norway]

Hi there! What you are doing is really worthwhile. Many people are not Christians and so may not feel/ know that they can visit a church for a concert/recital (you mention a transient community and non-English speakers). I reckon approaching community groups would be a good idea, and above all, putting on hot drinks and cakes - universally popular - you can't miss! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Benjy]

A few suggestions (from my considerable experience in trying to promote community concerts)

1 - promote the whole series as a package and offer subscriptions. The total series will tend to look more attractive than individual concerts, because of the variety, and high-profile press is always easier to secure when you are promoting something substantial like a season rather than individual concerts. Get your audiences signed up early and maybe offer a discount for the series. This will involve a bit of admin, but it's worthwhile.

2 - I know this is a venue-based venture, but is the church sufficiently attractive as a concert venue? People who don't know the venue might think it's a cold place with hard seats like the churches they went to when they were children. Make sure that the seating is comfy, refreshments are available, and that people know that it's a nice place to visit.

3 - Target your publicity at the likely audience. I have tried all sorts of ways of getting young audiences in to classical concerts, by jazzing up the programmes, facebook etc, giving away tickets (all with limited success), and I have had to conclude that the harsh reality is that my audiences will largely be on the mature side. It may seem like terrible stereotying, but get your posters in the places where your audiences hang out - you already do libraries, so also consider post-offices, cafes, stations, charity shops.

4 - Make sure that you are contactable as promoter. If you don't do so already, make sure there is a contact number (I put my own mobile number on plenty of publicity and it's never been a problem). It adds credibility to the operation, even if people don't use it.

5 - Word of mouth always works best. Get lots of reviews out and about. It doesn't matter if you write them yourself..

6 - Ask your audiences what they want. It is likely that your untapped audiences will want similar things. Your audiences can also give useful information about where they heard about you etc. The offer of a bottle of plonk in a draw is usually enough to get lots of audience survey forms in, and you can then get hold of people's direct contact details (used only with their permission of course!)

7 - Be persistent but patient. With everything else going on, these sorts of things can take a while to take off.

I can think of lots of other things but my boss is looking over my shoulder. Let me know if I can offer any more insights.

I wish you the very best.

Jon

[Chris H]

Our local music society puts on concerts with top classical performers, and even then I think they sometimes struggle to get large audiences. The largest audience they had recently was for a jazz band with RNCM graduates. I like to go to the concerts there, but often am too busy to go - I really wish I could go more often. Your concerts, Matthew, are quite a drive for us, and at the moment we just have too much on. If you could get a classical saxophonist to play, we'd definitely make the effort to go!

[notmusimum]

We recently went to one of a series of concerts in a church that was packed out.

The organisor is probably in a better position to encourage attendance and is likely to be able to access pro/semi pro musicians.

One thing they did which you could also do was hold a pre-concert showcasing talented local musicians. I think they may try and get young players of similar instruments to the main concert. I'm sure the local music service or school would have people who wanted to participate. They bring their family and that boosts the audience numbers.

They also do really cheap family and child tickets. I don't want to say much more on open forum but if you want to have a look at the website send me a PM and I'll let you have more info.

[balu114]

Hello!

A number of points came into my head:

1. If you are unsure if it's the ticket price is the reason, try to do an one-off free event. If the number of people attending your concert dramatically increases then you may want to reduce the ticket price or make it free but make the visitors spend money during intervals (raffles, soft drinks, programme notes etc). Sort of like "Upselling".

A local music shop in my town has 30 min concerts. Usually on a Thursday at 6:30 pm and yet the whole shop gets filled with people (sometimes even 80 people!). Because it's free and they give free drinks and snacks!

2. In addition to your usual program, give a 15 min slot to local school orchestra, band, ensemble or choir.

Surely, their mums and dads would want to attend their little ones performing... and a good way to extend your coverage.

3. I don't think Facebook might be the right medium. What I find is that majority of audience for these events are 50/60+ and facebook has low penetration on that demographic group.

Try the good old way of posters, pamphlets etc.

Good luck!

[maggiemay]

You make assumptions about facebook users, Balu!

[mwl1]

Thank you for all your replies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I had wondered about the ticket price but I thought about it for a long time before deciding on ?6, and faced a dilemma. On the one hand, a lot of local people do not have much money but may not be interested anyway, while the well-heeled classical music audience (without meaning to generalise too much!) often perceive a cheap event to be unworthy of their attendance. It would certainly be worth experimenting with a retiring collection instead of a fee...

[soccermom]

Can you contact the heads of music at local secondary schools? They might be interested in taking GCSE or A level students to the concerts - or at least making them aware of it.

[julio]

Thank you for all your replies (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I had wondered about the ticket price but I thought about it for a long time before deciding on ?6, and faced a dilemma. On the one hand, a lot of local people do not have much money but may not be interested anyway, while the well-heeled classical music audience (without meaning to generalise too much!) often perceive a cheap event to be unworthy of their attendance. It would certainly be worth experimenting with a retiring collection instead of a fee...

We have found at our church that we make far more money if we ask for donations rather than setting a ticket price. Just a thought.....

[Tenor Viol]

I've got no time for people who put down those attempting to move the world forwards. I concluded years ago this type of thing is usually jealousy in disguise.

Perennial problem this. I've got a lot of experience as chairman of a couple of choirs. In no particular order:

• Any young audience is a bonus - I'd assume bulk of audience will be mature
• Notwithstanding a comment au contraire, Facebook is likely to have limited penetration - there will be exceptions, but generally older audiences don't use Facebook (I don't)
• A web site might help
• Use local press as much as posisble, try to get a photo and a feature article - remember that weeklies will have a lead time so get in two or three weeks ahead. Go on about 'wonderful venue', 'comfortable', 'stunnign acoustics' etc
• Get DL and A5 sized flyers scattered where they'll do some good
• I think your ticket prices are probably OK
• Can you get an A frame outside the venue, or a big notice board, with an A3 or A2 poster on it?
• Use local parish mags and community freebies/advetisers to advertise - some are free, some aren't
• You'll be lucky to get any support from local schools - we've never managed it
• If you involve say a school choir/band for part of a concert (we do at Christmas), offer one free ticket per performer, free to U16. You'll get some parents, grannies, grandads, aunts and uncles in to support them and therefore your event
• 7pm is an early start. We are usually 7.30. Depending on the church, 3pm Sunday? Midweek lunchtimes can work.
• Depending on your audience, "retiring collection" to cover costs and proceeds to church may work?

Good luck

[owainsutton]

We have found at our church that we make far more money if we ask for donations rather than setting a ticket price. Just a thought.....

I definitely recommend experimenting with this idea. Even if the income is the same but the audience is larger, that's still an improvement! Somebody does have to stand up at the beginning and/or the end and make it very clear who the collection is for.

Local radio (I'm thinking BBC) can be very effective for advertising events, and sometimes will even let you plug it directly yourselves. Being free-with-contribution can only help on this front.