Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1961)

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I i I I I I I I « 1 I I I I I I I I I I I I ! I I I I ! I I I I I I I date weekend groups with choice blocks of seats — or, in other words, give them two of the major advantages a group enjoys. PERSONAL APPROACH: While initial contact may be made by letter and a follow-up by telephone, sales must be made on a person-to-person basis. \ This personal approach is the only ef/ fective way to encourage and sell theatre parties. In many cases, the picture is partially presold (they know the title) ; and your screening should complete the selling of the product to your prospect. What you are now selling is the idea of a theatre party, and points to stress are that you are selling recreation in a convenient form; also a theatre night is a pleasant and novel addition to any entertainment schedule. MAIL ORDER SALES: With the company’s (or group’s) cooperation, a mail order campaign may be set up within the company. By this we mean that the company will make available to their employes an order coupon, which will be filled out and sent to you with the individual payments, with order coupons addressed to your attention. This latter scheme of course means more detail work on your part as the salesman, but proves an effective method where other arrangements that have been presented have failed to bring the group in. SALES KIT: As a group salesman, you should be equipped with the following: 1. Seating chart of the theatre. 2. Breakdown of discount arrangements and figures. 3. Schedule of performances, times and prices. 4. A supply of souvenir books for key contacts, plus publicity aids, reviews, etc. 5. A file of endorsements, thank you letters, photographs of groups, etc., which can be used to influence new prospects. GENERAL SUGGESTIONS: On all mailing pieces, include mention that you pay special attention to theatre parties. Endeavor to sell out your opening night. Make it a cultural event in the community, as the pi’emiere can establish a mood and importance that can continue throughout the run. Choose a sponsoring organization for your opening night with great care. Make sure that the sponsoring group can attract an audience that is composed of the top social, civic, pi'ofessional and political figures in your town. Be absolutely certain that this is an organization geared to selling and promoting and that they will do a thorough publicity campaign on their own. A black tie premiere is advised: and urge the sponsoring group to scale the tickets at considerably more than the boxoffice prices. Welcome sign — Many organizations and industries have house organs which, ob\ viously, are an excellent publicity outlet * for the theatre and the production. Cater to these papers by dressing up their theatre party night. Have a sign made welcoming their group ; perhaps they will have photographers there to take pictures of their own VIPs in attendance. (The sign BOXOFFICE Showmandiser :: Jan. 2, 1961 mm® mom froa "GROUP SALES" THEATRE PARTY DEPARTMENT UNIVERSITY THEATRE Day of Performance Da to Pitas* hold th« following ticket* until (dato)_ Tins (tl»*)_ Quantity Location Price Total LOCKS 0 A A ORCHESTRA • f. $ BALCONY 0 6 * TOTAL $ Por tho following group's Theatre Party Night i Nano (of Individual] Nano of Organisation Group Sales Representative Famous Players Canadian uses this form which salesmen turn into the boxoffice to indicate the number of tickets to be reserved for specific performances as a result of group sales. you make should have an interchangable insert, of course, for subsequent group sales parties.) Suggestion sign — There should be a “suggestion” sign in the lobby at all times, and the copy should read: “May We Suggest a Theatre Party ... as a social or fund-raising activity. Discuss the advantages of attending in a group with the manager or phone for further in formation.” Supermarket Tieup — When the production has had a long and successful engagement, a supermarket tieup may be arranged to help extend the run even further and help wind it up with a bang. The supermarket does the following: 1. Extensively advertises the production in both its stores, in its large weekly advertisements, and with the hand-to-hand exchange tickets. 2. Offers “exchange” tickets to customers with the purchase of a certain amount of goods. The theatre accepts these “exchange” tickets together with the amount of money agreed upon, in exchange for a reserved seat. (Details will vary locally.) In addition to the publicity mentioned, the supermarket deal by placing tickets directly in the hands of customers creates valuable person-to-person-publicity. Newspaper carrier tieup — In Toronto, The Star paid $999.90 for 1,010 tickets for a single performance of “Ben-Hur.” The newspaper used the performance as the basis for a carrier-boy subscription campaign, offering a free ticket for each three new subscriptions obtained. TECHNIQUES OF APPROACH: Charity and Fund-Raising Organizations— The major point of interest here is that a theatre party is an ideal way to raise funds. The people in effect are treating themselves while at the same time contributing to a good cause. With this kind of prganization, you will find that your contact will be through a central group, and this committee in turn will appoint it/s own sales people for individual sales. J Advantages you can explain to prospec I — 3 — tive fund-raising organizations are: (1) A theatre party is a means of raising funds without soliciting for a straight donation; (2) a theatre party is a social event; (3) by adding an amount of money to the boxoffice price (a contribution”) extra funds may be raised in addition to the revenue obtained by group purchase; (4) compared to the usual fund-raising activities (bake sales, bridges, etc.) , and the time and labor involved, theatre parties offer a high profit for an easy and enjoyable selling effort. Conventions — Your local chamber of commerce will supply you with incoming conventions. Convention groups must be contacted well in advance of their meeting. School and youth groups — These groups should be contacted through the board of education and youth group leaders, and exhibitors should make certain that these contacts are invited to the special advance screening. An effort should be made to obtain their endorsement for direct solicitation to schools and youth groups. A special opening performance (called, for example a Teen Premiere) should be scheduled; provided, of course, that the attraction is of a suitable nature . . . Following the success of special youth performances, these may be followed up by “special request” showings, such as summer holiday youth shows, parks and playgrounds shows, etc., which serve as a summer extension of the school performances. TICKET AGENCIES: A tremendous source of additional revenue can be derived through ticket agencies established away-from-the-theatre. Ticket sales, like the sale of all other commodities, depend on a widespread sales campaign and availability to the prospective patron. Anxious as the exhibitor may be for extra business, he must be discriminating in his choice of locations. If possible, regularly established ticket agencies and hotels should be used. In fringe area cities, in addition to these locations, you can set up agencies with travel agents, our companies, bus companies, and railroads. Department stores — Arrangements can be made so that customers can buy tickets on their regular charge account or on a cash basis. Either way, the boxoffice will settle with the store, preferably on a weekly basis. Hotels — Tickets should be on sale at all leading hotels in order to take advantage of the transient population. Here again, a charge arrangement can be established with a weekly settlement. Tickets for agencies can be controlled in the following manner. A specified number of seats (determined by boxoffice demand, etc.) could be set aside for agency use. Their orders would be placed (by telephone) either as they are received or all at once. The orders should be placed as the boxoffice advocates — either individually or all together, depending on the advance sales. As orders are placed, tickets should be held by the theatre and identified. The agency presents to its patrons an authorized form or voucher which the patrons exchange at the theatre boxoffice at the time of performance for their actual tickets. Depending on the situation, the theatre would set up their own ticket form; or in cases where the agencies normally use a proper form, this could be authorized and used. 3 I