Let’s Not Go Back To The Way We Were
Our doors have been closed for weeks now but we have soldiered on (any fan of the aforementioned Streisand reference will see what I did there) and found new ways to engage our patrons.
We have done things we were hesitant to do before such as offering live streams of performances, creating immersive virtual tours, and transforming education programs into completely virtual experiences. Let’s be honest — in the past, we were afraid that these things would cannibalize our in-person audiences and, believe me, I viscerally understand that hesitance.
However…
Online education programs make it easy for teachers to participate and work those programs into their curriculum. Streams of live or pre-recorded concerts enable people all over the world to experience music, dance, and theatre. Museum tours allow everyone to see and learn about incredible objects in locations they may never be able to visit in person.
As we look at our data, many organizations are seeing expanded engagement; both demographically and geographically. Why? Because online content removes barriers to our art forms.
The Cleveland International Film Festival pivoted to online streaming resulting in more memberships than ever before. Florida Repertory Theatre streamed its annual gala online and raised the same amount of money they had in previous years. There are many more examples like these.
