Ruth Eckerd Hall Ushers in An Encore Digital Performance
Ruth Eckerd Hall
Known as one of the nation's top concert halls, Ruth Eckerd Hall (REH) is considered an acoustically perfect venue. The performing arts hall was designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and is home to over 200 performances--ranging from classical to rock, and opera to broadway--each year.
Challenge
Ruth Eckerd Hall's website couldn't keep up with everything the organization offered the community--its arts education programs, the foundation, touring performances and the children's theater had outgrown the website. And while the organization was recognized as a technology leader when it came to its internal IT systems, its website had fallen behind the times. They needed a site that could tell their multifaceted story to audiences of all ages while putting patrons in the driver's seat when it came to purchasing tickets and managing their relationship with the performance hall. Oh, and the new website needed to fit their Tessitura ticketing software like a glove.
Solution
We started by reviewing how REH used Tessitura on a daily basis so that we could make configuration recommendations that would empower the REH team to get the most out of their software and their website. For instance, settings were changed within Tessitura so that every time a new event was added within the ticketing software--a new page with event details and any related media files such as YouTube videos or Flickr pictures that would help sell the event was created on the website. Of course the new Content Management System also made it easy for the REH team to add or edit any page on their website. The most dramatic improvement for patrons came with the custom Select Your Own Seat feature that allowed patrons to see and secure available seats in real-time. Patrons could also print their tickets, renew their REH membership, make a donation and add events to their calendar (whether they use Gmail, iCal or Outlook) along with their ticket purchase.
Result
The REH team has a modern, intuitive website that reflects the caliber of their events and patrons. Features like the search and calendar listings make it easy for new and existing patrons to quickly find REH events and information. Plus, the myREH feature lets patrons manage their REH communications by adding multiple mailing addresses (perfect for Florida snowbirds) and upgrading or renewing their membership so they have access to special member events and promotions. The new website has already garnered over 3,541,361 pageviews and generated a 30% increase in online ticket sales.
