ABO advert

[MrGongGong]

How do you get a national newspaper to advertise your event ?


This today

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/news/british-orchestras-are-in-danger-of-losing-top-billing-despite-rising-ticket-sales-9085502.html

Seems to me to be an advert for the ABO conference next week.

and what to make of this ?

“Orchestras are meant to be vibrant contemporary arts organisations. We have to keep up the contemporary alongside the heritage.”

[Beef Oven!]

and what to make of this ?

Well, it reads correctly (meant to be), but it's not what he meant. They keep muttering the mantra, while putting on the same old, same old.

[teamsaint]

Well, it reads correctly (meant to be), but it's not what he meant. They keep muttering the mantra, while putting on the same old, same old.

A Sales professional writes:
"If they endlessly focus on costs, or wringing their hands about public subsidy(which I don't like to see cut incidentally), the results will be inevitable decline.
Fortune favours the brave.
Sales seems to be a dirty word in the arts, whereas marketing is just lovely. Consider this funky website and twitter feed if you will......."
Try adding value to the ticket.

Edit: Arts council funding to the big symphony orchestras is around £2.5m PA each, and has risen by about £50k pa over the last 2 funding rounds, so that source of finance is steady at present.

Oh : and language is easily distorted. Apparently its "only" £5 to Prom. Well of course the ticket price IS great value, but when you can attend big orchestral concerts for £10 at the barbican or RFH, I don't think the market rate for standing at a prom, after commiting a good part an afternoon to queuing, is actually much above £5. So, what is the point of such a statement?

[Petrushka]

Well, both the South Bank Centre and Barbican could start by making their websites more user friendly. The orchestras own sites are pretty good in this regard but both the SBC and Barbican are navigational nightmares and must deter would be concert-goers.

I've lost count of the number of times scare stories about orchestral funding have appeared in the press in the past 30 odd years along with dire predictions of orchestras disbanding but they seem to manage to carry on.

[Honoured Guest]

Oh : and language is easily distorted. Apparently its "only" £5 to Prom. Well of course the ticket price IS great value, but when you can attend big orchestral concerts for £10 at the barbican or RFH, I don't think the market rate for standing at a prom, after commiting a good part an afternoon to queuing, is actually much above £5. So, what is the point of such a statement?

I think that his point is that this promming ticket price has been held at £5 for many years and so this income source has significantly declined in real terms over that period.

[teamsaint]

I think that his point is that this promming ticket price has been held at £5 for many years and so this income source has significantly declined in real terms over that period.

Yes, but that is only part of the story. As I said, language can be used to distort. Ticket sales and prices for seats have been rising. The price of a promming ticket is actually pretty incidental to the cash generated overall, but is being used here to make a different point.

Actually, the point is that the ABO, (quite understandably) want lots more public money. The price of a promming ticket is an irrelevance, but is being used as point scoring device.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I don't mind paying more for a ticket, but object strongly to Ticket Master et al charging me extra, even when there's not realistic alternative.

[Old Grumpy]

Seems to me to be an advert for the ABO conference next week.

I thought this was a conference for blood donors.

[teamsaint]

I thought this was a conference for blood donors.

Negative.