The ADVICE Project Arts Marketing Summit, July 2008

1. The ADVICE ProjectArts Marketing Summit, July 2008 Kim Hanna Manager National Audience Development Merryn Carter National Project Manager, ADVICE

2. The ADVICE project What is ADVICE? audience data and visitor information collection enterprise • an online data gathering and analysis project that will help arts companies and venues gain better insights into their audiences

3. The ADVICE project What will ADVICE do? • deliver regular reports on audience purchase behaviour to assist the marketing, funding, sponsorship and donations development efforts of participating organisations • help arts organisations to implement a strategic marketing approach, to maintain and expand their audiences, based on knowledge from ADVICE data • provide funding agencies with information for policy and advocacy use,to guide future direction and investment at national and state/territory level

4. The ADVICE project What will ADVICE help you to do? • track purchase behaviour of audiences to assist in creation of targeted audience development strategies and marketing campaigns • enable marketing and programming adaptations to the interests/needs of audiences • track and benchmark audience trends across similar organisations or artforms • identify potential for collaborative marketing campaigns/ strategies across similar organisations, artforms or regions

5. The ADVICE project How is ADVICE structured? ADVICE is a joint venture between the state and territory arts funding agencies, the Australia Council for the Arts and AbaF. This collaborative approach throughout Australia will ensure: • consistency of data • sharing of information between regions, between sizes and types of organisations, between and within artforms • capture of touring information • cost-effectiveness

6. The ADVICE project How will it happen? Vital Statistics (Purple Seven, UK) is a software tool for analysing ticketing data using online technology. • Vital Statistics provides a readily available and tested model • is compatible with at least eight ticketing systems, including those most commonly used in Australia (and can be adapted to more) • allows uploading of data spreadsheets generated from non-compatible systems (there are no technical barriers to participation) • enables Australia to compare and share data with colleagues in the UK, New Zealand and North America

7. The ADVICE project Methodology • ticketing data uploaded from each venue/organisation • events are coded to a common artform coding framework • crunched by the Vital Statistics engine • individual organisation reports available on your desktop through ‘VS Essentials’ – when you want them • aggregate reports available through ADVICE, annually or as commissioned

8. The ADVICE project Data extraction • the DDX software (daily data extractor) from P7 is installed on each participating organisations’ ticketing server • the DDX dials up and sends daily ticketing data, which is then stored in P7’s secure servers in the UK • about 18 months’ historical data will be uploaded for each organisation, to give a base for initial analysis and reporting • organisations without compatible ticketing systems can still participate by uploading data in a compatible spreadsheet format

9. The ADVICE project

10. The ADVICE project

11. The ADVICE project Data protection (people) • the Australia Council, state/territory agencies and Purple Seven do not own the data collected, but are simply suppliers providing an analysis service (in the same way that a research or mailing house does) • we will never contact anyone in the data, or pass the data to anyone else (unless under your instruction) • as such there is no need for any data protection flags to be taken into consideration when extracting or analysing data

12. The ADVICE project Data confidentiality (organisations) • the Australia Council will generate and use regional, national and artform benchmark information for various analysis and reporting purposes • will NEVER identify (explicitly or implicitly) your organisation in any external reporting without your express permission • can facilitate consensual comparison of audience figures between venues/organisations by arrangement

13. The ADVICE project Roll out, investment and support • between 2008 and 2010, the project will engage about 150 organisations around Australia to participate, starting with the performing arts • total investment in the project over 3 years is about $2 million, in licensing, support, data collection/storage, training, reporting, analysis and interpretation, and professional development for participants • local client support staff in each state/territorywill be on hand to help each client venue/organisation

14. The ADVICE project Artform coding • collation of ticketing data from numerous ticketing systems around Australia will enable statistics reported on regional, state/territory, national and artform levels • to ensure consistent and accurate categorisation of events across the many organisations involved, the artform coding system will be rigorously applied • a variety of existing categorisations have been surveyed in preparing the artform coding framework • the coding framework will be consistent with ABS classifications to enable comparison of findings

15. The ADVICE project Progress to date • VIC: Geelong Performing Arts Centre, The Capital Bendigo, the Malthouse, Riverlinks Shepparton, Frankston Arts Centre, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Circus Oz signed up, more in the pipeline. Client support: Sam Buckley • NSW: City Recital Hall on board; Sydney Opera House keen • NT: Darwin Entertainment Centre on board; Araluen soon. Client support: Janice McEwen, Top End Arts Marketing • QLD: organisations coming on board in July/August

16. The ADVICE project Progress to date • ACT: coming on board July/August. Client support: Ginny Hoban, based at Canberra Theatre Centre • SA: currently in discussions with BASS and ArtsSA • WA: currently in discussions with ArtsWA • TAS: LIVE Tasmania will formally join the ADVICE team in 2009 and bring with it about 10 organisations. Client support: LIVE Tasmania

17. The ADVICE project The results? • market intelligence – knowledge about audiences • ‘actionable’ knowledge which can be applied to help organisations’ marketing activities become more effective • practical marketing analysis, audience development tools and benchmarks for each participating organisation • where common interests or issues are identified, organisations can build collaborative campaigns, other joint initiatives • ultimate outcome will be to sustain and grow arts audiences

18. The ADVICE project How do you join ADVICE? • potential participants are being jointly identified by both the Australia Council and state/territory arts agencies • primarily arts venues and larger organisations with their own ticketing systems; smaller companies on a case by case basis, e.g. Theatre Alive in VIC • capacity is about 50 organisations joining each year nationally • talk to me