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The Primary Purpose of a Visit to a Cultural Organization (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
Here’s what visitors say was the primary purpose of their visit to exhibit-based and performing arts organizations – and why understanding these motivations matters for cultural leaders. One of the best parts about meeting people who work in cultural organizations is to hear how special their work is to them. In those conversations, we often hear stories of what we call “spark moments,” those formative experiences that spurred someone’s interest in doing the work that they do. Whether it was coming face to face with dinosaur bones for the first time, hearing the orchestra sound the opening notes in a
Headwinds and Tailwinds for Cultural Organizations (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
What advantages are working in cultural organizations’ favor – and what challenges must they work to overcome? Here’s the data on headwinds and tailwinds for aquariums, art museums, botanical gardens, children’s museums, history museums, natural history museums, science centers and museums, zoos, theaters, symphonies and orchestras, and other performing arts. Cultural organizations do not exist in a vacuum, and the perceptions that people have about a certain type of organization – or even more broadly about cultural organizations in general – will affect their expectations of a visit and potentially influence their experiences while onsite. For individual organizations, these perceptions
Negative Substitution: Are Cultural Organizations Expanding Their Audiences? (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
Cultural organizations need to expand their audiences to sustain long-term attendance. But just how urgent is this need? Here’s the data for eleven different cultural organization types. Why do cultural organizations need to consider expanding their audiences? It’s not only a question of diversity and inclusion but also a business imperative. As the population of the United States continues to evolve and shift, fewer people match the historic profile of an active cultural organization visitor – meaning that if cultural organizations aren’t able to expand their respective visitor profiles, there is a risk of diminished visitation over time. We last
2025 & 2026 Market Potential: Expected Attendance for Eleven Cultural Organization Types (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
What might cultural organizations expect in terms of attendance in 2025 and 2026? Here’s the data. Read on for the expected attendance levels for 2025 and 2026, quantified individually by organization type for aquariums, art museums, botanical gardens, children’s museums, history museums, natural history museums, science museums, zoos, orchestras, theaters, and other performing arts entities. Though the tumult of the 2024 election cycle is finally behind us, the unforeseen happenings of 2025 didn’t waste any time getting started. From waiting with baited breath for what thankfully turned out to be a comparatively routine January 6th to mourning Jimmy Carter as
Our Top Ten Most Popular Articles for Cultural Executives in 2024 - Colleen Dilenschneider
From data on optimal admission pricing to marketing budgets to creating a welcoming guest experience, here are the most discussed and referenced articles from IMPACTS Experience in 2024. It’s that time of year, folks! This annual countdown has been a pre-New Year’s tradition on Know Your Own Bone for thirteen years. (That’s bananas!) As we all get ready to put 2024 behind us and bring new hopes and plans into 2025, our team at IMPACTS Experience has stopped to take stock of the articles cultural executives found most valuable this year. It’s been a big year over here! We’ve completed a trip and
Four Trends We're Watching in 2025 for Cultural Organizations (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
We’ll be keeping a close eye on these findings in the coming year. 2024 was a big year with a major election, and 2025 will be even more critical as the coming change in administration and its associated policies and sentiments potentially begins to affect guests’ priorities and behaviors. Rest assured, we at IMPACTS Experience will continue to monitor the ongoing pulse of cultural organizations and the metrics many of you have come to rely upon. However, there are four important trends we already see emerging as we head into 2025, from international travel to member and subscriber renewals to
What Percentage of Guests Have Disabilities Impacting Their Visit? (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
It may be more than you think. Here’s the data segmented for eleven types of cultural organizations, and what institutions need to know about these valuable audiences and the factors impacting their planning processes and decisions. At IMPACTS Experience, we are in market on an ongoing basis to understand the top reasons why some people with an interest in attending cultural organizations do not actually visit. Cultural organizations tend to know a great deal about the people who already attend, but what about those valuable inactive visitors who do not? Access challenges – “the hassle” of visiting certain cultural organizations
Cost and Value: Are Museum & Performing Arts Tickets Worth It? (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
Here are the percentage of people who describe various cultural experiences as expensive – and how much these perceptions matter. The research is segmented individually for art museums, aquariums, botanic gardens, children's museums, history museums and sites, natural history museums, science museums and centers, zoos, live theater, orchestras, and other live performing arts. Hold on to your data-loving seats, folks, because we are publishing a full batch of new research today on a particularly popular topic: the perceived value of admission to museums and performing arts organizations. Making sure that an organization is optimally priced is a smart practice. This
Do School Group Visits Correlate With Adulthood Attendance to Cultural Entities? It’s Not What You Think. (DATA) - Colleen Dilenschneider
Are people who visit museums or performing arts organizations as children more likely to grow up to be cultural organization attendees than those who do not visit at all? It depends on how and with whom they visit. Unfortunately, research shows that cultivating cultural supporters is not as straightforward as simply getting kids in the door. These data outcomes might make you uncomfortable – but they also have a potentially valuable lesson for how to cultivate the next generation of cultural organization devotees. Did you know that over 62% of adult visitors to exhibit-based organizations (e.g., museums, zoos, aquariums, gardens,
Differentiated, Variable, and Dynamic Pricing? What Cultural Entities Need to Know - Colleen Dilenschneider
What are the differences between these pricing models? How is the market responding to them for cultural organizations? What is working well, and what is backfiring? Let’s talk about it – with data. Pricing models are currently dominating a lot of management discussions in cultural organizations. And it makes sense: Business disruptions relating to the pandemic remain fresh in many executives’ brains and underscore the need for organizations to think strategically about their business models. And recent financial challenges have motivated boards of trustees and leadership teams alike to critically evaluate engagement strategies, revenue models, access program efficacy, and community