Ballyhoo (Jan 1961)

ad Aj £ —= (NOTE ADDED: Original is Boxoffice, 2 Jan 1961, Showmandiser pp. 2-3) E : Acca * ; ag Ta) tk sy Dae C2 ax A ee li oD ENE ——— stata SO) we ans cn ous war To Sta RCIAS I Group Sales Bring Crowds to Theatre . . Promote Theatre Via Bus Show Tours... Old Techniques Refined GROUP SALES IN Make Theatregoing a Special Event” ARD-TICKET WORLD Famous Players Canadian Issues a Guide on New Ways to Reach the Patron Old techniques of selling special shows are being expanded and refined these days, as more and more theatres turn to hardticket, reserved-seat engagements of important cinema fare. Selling the special show has now become the technique of Group Sales, and many new techniques have been developed to reach out for new patrons who will attend motion picture performances in groups. Famous Players Canadian, which has been successfully merchandising its hard-ticket attractions, has published a brochure of suggestions and procedures for Group Sales, which can be helpful to theatremen turning to the reserved-seat motion picture for the first time, and which can be adapted by exhibitors for selling to groups on pictures which do not play on a hard-ticket basis. The brochure was prepared by the circuit’s experts in this field—Harold Meyers, director of group sales, and Michael King, who as manager of the Imperial Theatre inaugurated many of the circuit’s innovations in group sales, who were assisted on the project by George Dixon of the group sales department. GROUP SALES PHILOSOPHY: This is an attempt to translate that phrase Group Sales into language that will mean something to exhibitors still new to the idea and the operation. Group sales basically means two things, and in some way, they have an almost equal importance, (1) Tickets sold (tangible boxoffice results), and (2) Publicity for the attraction and the theatre. The two cannot be easily separated. A successful group sales campaign should be considered a part of any hardticket engagement, and if well-planned and successfully carried out, will do these things: 1. Increase boxoffice receipts. 2. Lengthen the engagement. 3. Focus attention on your theatre, with all the attendant publicity value. SALE OF BLOCKS OF TICKETS TO ORGANIZED GROUPS: All theatre managers, at one time or another, have probably sold out a performance or sold tickets to a performance to a local store or organization. Group sales is basically an extension and an elaboration of this. This kind of selling is sometimes mistakenly thought of as a big-city activity only. This is not true; all our efforts can be reduced or enlarged in scope and made applicable to any size community. Any project must have a beginning or an end, and the beginning of Group Sales is a salesman. He could be an outside man whose major responsibility is the Group Sales campaign, or in smaller situations he could be you, a theatre manager. Whoever the man, he must be energetic and personable; he must possess a thorough knowledge of the city and fringe area; be conscious of transportation facilities, local conditions, etc. He will be meeting people in all walks of life—businessmen, school principals, teachers, recreation officers, people interested in philanthropy, etc. A salesman should start his activities well ahead of the projected opening date. His first job is to compile a comprehensive list of groups and schools to be contacted. Your local chamber of commerce, for in *Chariton Heston, ,star of ‘Ben-Hur,’ visits the University Theatre, Toronto, and inspects a lobby sign recommending theatre parties for the film. stance, should be able to provide you with lists of social, civic, professional and fraternal organizations. City directories and telephone books, etc. are sources of information also. Your list when complete should include: Union and employe organizations, industrial and business firms (noting personnel directors), fraternal organizations, service clubs, professional groups, women’s clubs, auxiliary youth groups such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc., school and church organizations. When this list has been completed it should be transferred to index cards, so that pertinent individual information can be added. Then the first step is to contact the key personnel through mail and by meetings and telephone calls. The second step is to arrange an invitational screening for them. In many cases this can be a joint press-radio-TV screening. Remember —every member of your audience for this screening is an important opinion maker. These opinion makers represent your potential customers, and therefore are your future publicity agents. GROUP SALES INDUCEMENTS: When you attempt to sell to groups, these are the inducements offered them: (1) A group rate, (2) privilege and opportunity of sitting together in a group, (3) convenience of purchase. Your group sales should be channelled into the Monday-Thursday period, a policy which will, in turn, increase demand for any tickets remaining for this period, and also stimulate week-end trade. Remember, too, that nothing sells like success. If it is hard to get to—then you're in a “sell-out” situation, and those are magic words. Also, remember that you can accommo