I'm just going to leave this here for discussion.
This little article sums up a lot of the math we did at SDC with regards to the cost of performing in theatres. As we don't own our venue our break even would price us out of our market to the point of costing us substantial amounts to perform
https://www.middleclassartist.com/post/the-post-covid-concert-hall-catastrophe-why-audience-attendance-is-the-least-of-our-problems
Thanks for sharing. One of the comments stuck out to me:
"Computers can handle at least part of the seating problem. Just give the computer the rules: no more than 4 people to a family group, three empty seats between groups or individuals. Let the ticket buyers define the family members. Then there is the challenge of getting people into and out of their seats without violating the distancing rules."
Does anyone know if Tessitura is creating seating algorithms to help with this?
Hi Staci,
We don't have anything under way at the moment but are keeping a close eye on the conversation. Up to this point we've mostly heard that it isn't financially viable for most members to offer socially distanced seating because of the dramatically reduced capacity, and also logistics of ingress, egress, bathrooms and concessions, along with other considerations.
We are closely following this discussion, however, because we are also hearing that it may not be driven by financial viability. It could be a case of just trying to get some cash flow at all, vs profitable cash flow. Curious what others on this thread think? Would you be able to use it if we built it? Or would it not be viable?
Chris Szalaj
Product Owner, Business Facing Products
Tessitura Network
Thanks for the quick reply, Chris! That is where we are at right now as well. Our season doesn't begin until September so we are exploring a myriad of options, including whether it makes sense financially to even have a season.
At the Museum of Fine Arts Boston we are looking at this and have been asked to find anyway to make programs in our performance spaces viable. There is absolutely interest in social distance ticketing and these kinds of rules would be useful. It is a matter of generating any kind of cash flow. For us, these venues are not the main source of revenue, but they provide an important part of the experience we provide. This would be one part of a larger effort to explore all options to generate revenue including online content and controlled access to our gallery spaces.
Chris,
As much as I hate to say it, I sort of agree that while it would be nice to have something like this with all the different variables in play it would not be an easy thing to do.
We have been talking about turning off SYOS for a bit and to manually sit families. It is going to be hard to have large difference in price zones, but something that we are kicking around.
FYI ... Rumor mill on the street is that Ticketmaster has a utility that does this. Not sure of the validity as we are not on Ticketmaster, but thought that I would share.