Pollstar (03/21/25) Pearl, Wendy

Being located between larger markets makes attracting concert tours a challenge for smaller towns with big city entertainment dreams. Some see Dayton, Ohio, as the model to follow in this regard. Having a highly engaged arts organization at the reins, a strong partnership between the city and downtown businesses and a customer-first mission has made all the difference for this small city 70 miles from Columbus and almost 55 miles from Cincinnati. Nonprofit Dayton Live owns and operates historic venues throughout the city, most notably the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, The Victoria Theatre and the PNC Arts Annex. Collectively, its venues attract over 400,000 patrons to 400-plus events annually. Indeed, relationships with the city, local businesses, live industry stakeholders and the fan base are core to their success. Sue Stevens, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Dayton Live, remarks, "Our challenge in a tertiary market is largely about programming. Here in Dayton, we are sometimes challenged with booking the kind of programming that we know will do well because of our proximity to Cincinnati or Columbus. And we have worked very strategically for the past six to eight years to prove ourselves to the booking agents and promoters that you can successfully play Dayton … and Cincinnati and Columbus.”

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