January 21, 2022 – JCA Arts Marketing, a division of JCA that helps arts & cultural organizations leverage data-driven insights to grow audiences and revenue, recently released a new study on Trends in Audience Behavior: Reopening Sales Trends.

As performing arts organizations reopened and performances resumed in late 2021, the top question on the minds of marketing decision-makers and executives were how ticket sales trends would change relative to pre-pandemic sales. Additional questions included how sales volume would change, what segments of the audience would return, when they would buy tickets, and at what price. Thus, JCA Arts Marketing set out to analyze sales trends of resumed performances to answer these questions and provide insight on what strategic choices organizations should make as a result of changing sales trends.

The resulting study focuses on sales trends for performances across the U.S. in Fall 2021, using data from seven performing arts organizations across the U.S. Key findings include:

• Overall ticket sales for Fall 2021 were down by 27% relative to Fall 2018 and 2019. Subscription ticket sales were down 34%.
• Price sensitivity has not increased post-reopening. Average prices and yield remain similar to pre-pandemic sales and discount ticket sales have decreased.
• Audiences are booking closer to the performances. 45% of audiences booked within two weeks of the performances, compared to 36% pre-pandemic.

“This is just the beginning of understanding how the pandemic has affected sales trends of performing arts organizations,” said Jamie Alexander, Director of JCA Arts Marketing and co-author of the study. “Our hope is that this study provides a baseline of data for measuring ongoing change, and helps organizations make educated decisions for their programming and marketing efforts to reengage audiences in this new era.”

The full study can be found here.

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JCA is the go-to nonprofit consulting firm for organizations who are building a brighter future. As the first and foremost independent consulting firm dedicated solely to the technical and operational needs of nonprofits, we strengthen organizations from the inside out by helping you increase revenue, optimize operations, improve your technology, and build lasting relationships with your target audience. Learn more at jcainc.com.

JCA Arts Marketing, a division of JCA, uses data-driven insights to help cultural institutions increase revenue, boost attendance, and grow patron value. Institutions served include museums, dance companies, opera companies, performing arts centers, symphonies, and theatres. Learn more at jcainc.com/arts-marketing.