Orchestral audiences ‘more loyal’ than other artforms

The research, which drew on box office data from all twelve participating organisations for a period of six years, endeavoured to understand booking behaviour of orchestral audiences across London as a whole, rather than with one organisation or within a single year. In total, the 2,088 events included in the research were attended by people from nearly 350,000 households. The research is the latest of many collaborative projects facilitated by Audiences London, which allow arts organisations to work in cost-effective partnerships to address questions of common relevance. The project was funded by Arts Council England, London, with contributions from the orchestral organisations.

Results show that over the six years 36% of the households represented in the research went to an orchestral performance more than once. This compares to just over 21% of households attending all ticketed artforms in an average year, as represented in the ?Snapshot London Benchmark?(3) of 35 arts venues in the capital. Income from these events totalled £35 million, of which some 70% was generated by people who attended more than once ? demonstrating the significant value of repeat attenders to the orchestral marketplace. The orchestras therefore identified that to improve their long-term position, the opportunity is to convert more first- and second-time audience members into frequent attenders.

The orchestras and venues involved are Barbican Centre, BBC Proms, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Cadogan Hall, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Southbank Centre. This collaborative project allows them to go beyond research to look at ways of increasing audiences and income generation for the group, based on the key findings.

The twelve partners are now looking to pilot a collaborative marketing campaign aimed at re-engaging these ?infrequent? audiences and helping them develop a concert-going habit by navigating the wide range of concerts available to them in London. The campaign will run during 2011.

"We've never had anything as strategic or as open as this consortium for London orchestral promoters before. We got together initially to work out the size of our marketplace, benchmark our own performance and better understand audiences for symphony concerts in London, and it?s been a really exciting journey. We are now moving on to our first collaborative marketing campaign working together in 2011." Karen Cardy, Marketing & LSO St Luke's Centre Director, London Symphony Orchestra

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