Re-opening and inviting audience back to our venues
I’m writing in the middle of May 2021 when some of our venues are planning to re-open to the public after another long lockdown. I’ve had lots of conversations with clients who want advice on how best to re-engage with visitors and to encourage them to visit and book. My main advice is always talk to them - find out how they’re feeling, what they want from a visit now, what might stop them or make them uncertain about making that decision.
I do a lot of this talking – or consultation - with the public, whether they are a venue’s existing audience or visitor base, or often a potentially new one. Over the dozens or 100s of discussions and surveys I’ve run, there are similar themes. I’ll share a couple of them here now as they seem pertinent to the times.
Right now, the people who are regular visitors and ticket-bookers want reassurance from venues and to know what to expect. They want consistency from you. And many of them want to be proactively invited back by you, to be assured that you’re open and ready for them and perhaps to feel a bit special to be invited.
I’ve found that those who are less likely to engage with arts and culture, don’t see its relevance to their lives. Some feel that their life is not reflected in your programme, your staffing, your facilities. Many clients address this now by working to co-produce content with the communities they want to target and are under-represented in their audiences. Others refresh the language, images and communications they use. A recent client decided to make some videos to show people what to expect from a visit, not just write it in yet another long block of text.
Whilst some of us (yes, me) are actively seeking out news about what’s on, where to go and what to see next (I have a bit of an addiction to this), many people don’t do this. Visits to heritage sites, going to performances and events may not be on their radar. I often hear people in focus groups or surveys say that they don’t know how to find this information. We need to make it easier, to post information in the places they do frequent, in shops, on digital forums, on social media groups – not just our usual places. And we need to emphasise the experience they can have when they visit or book with us – what it feels like, not just list a series of performances or exhibitions.
This time we’re going through is a real opportunity to try out new things, not to go back wholesale to our old ways of working. Let’s really tempt people, talk their language, whet their appetites and encourage them to share their experiences to get our venues right back on their radar again.
