Partner Showcase - Seattle Shakespeare Company

When you think of Shakespeare, you probably don't think of mobile apps.  But Seattle Shakespeare Company does.  For the past two years, they have used their mobile app to connect contemporary audiences with the power and vibrancy of Shakespeare and other classical playwrights.

We recently spoke with Communications Director Jeff Fickes to find out what prompted Seattle Shakespeare Company to pursue their mobile engagement strategy.

Jeff Fickes

Why did you decide to offer a mobile app for your patrons?
When mobile apps first appeared in the marketplace, I knew that I wanted Seattle Shakespeare Company to have one. We had meetings did some research, and then saw that the development was going to be out of our reach since we’re a relatively small company.

But I kept dreaming. I had been doing a lot of reading about the direction of consumer trends and everything I read pointed me in the direction of optimizing for mobile usage. We redesigned our website to be mobile responsive and optimized our email campaigns to be read on mobile devices. I still kept thinking about a mobile app.

Click on image for a closer look.

We’re a theatre company that performs in three different indoor venues, 13 different outdoor venues, and has a tour that performs all over the state. We are a mobile theatre company. I wanted us to be easily accessed where ever our patrons are and to be able to communicate with them whether they’re in a theatre, seeing a park show, or a student seeing Shakespeare for the first time with one of our tours.

Why did you choose InstantEncore’s mobile app solution?
I actually stumbled upon InstantEncore. I was searching around in the App Store to see what other theatre companies were doing in terms of mobile apps, and saw that some of the larger theatre organizations across the country (Guthrie Theatre, Arena Stage, and Berkeley Rep) were using InstantEncore. I immediately requested a demo and got very excited about the prospect of making a long term goal happen.

InstantEncore offers a great deal of flexibility and allows you to tailor the app to your own needs. It worked with our ticketing system and the pricing was within our budget. I didn’t need a lot of convincing. We started devising a plan for how we wanted to use the app and got it set up within a week or so after signing up.

Seattle Shakespeare Company uses
their app's At-The-Venue feature
to engage audiences at performances.
Click on image for a closer look.

How have you promoted your mobile app to your patrons?
We’ve promoted the app through lobby signs, curtain speeches, our website, email notices and program ads. We’ll most likely do a small facebook digital ad campaign in conjunction with our upcoming outdoor shows this summer, as we’ve found it to be very useful for locating which park show is performing where - since the shows are in a different location practically each night.

What are the main benefits of your mobile app for your patrons?
Aside from being able to engage with patrons on a device that many people have a personal attachment to, I believe it’s worked well for us from a branding standpoint. We were one of the first theatre companies in Seattle to have a mobile app.

Just the fact that a theatre company of our size who focuses on classical plays has an app says something about the company. It sort of shakes off the perceived stodginess of classical plays and gives people a digital interaction in addition to the stage experience.

I believe that patrons start to experience the play well before they enter theatre. They’re conceiving of it in their mind through the advertising images and words written about it. If they’re engaging with the play (learning about it and the company) through a mobile device and can do it where ever they may be (on the bus, waiting in line at the store, at home on the couch) we become much more a part of their lives. The perception of the work on stage takes on a different relevance because we’ve engaged with them on their terms, on their time. The art can seem more relevant to a contemporary world because the engagement was digital.

SSC uses push notifications to
send contextually relevant messages
to patrons. Click on image for a
closer look.

Which feature do you like best? Why?
I love the At-The-Venue feature. I believe that if a patron feels informed about the show they’re about to see, that their experience of it is better. We include video welcome messages, things to know, directors notes, cast bios as well as special offers to entice them to buy in our shop or make a purchase of their next ticket.

We’ve also run some very unique sales promotions (including a one day $12 ticket promotion in honor of the Seahawks being in the Super Bowl) that utilized the push notifications and custom tabs.

What’s the feedback on the app been like from your patrons?
We’ve gotten good feedback and have seen the app consistently utilized, especially on show days. I think that adoption has been slow and most of the people regularly using are “super fans.”

What has customer support been like?
Customer support has been great. I like that the product continues to be developed with new features added.

10 Tips for Managing Geofences - Connecting When and Where It Counts

Geofences allow you to create location-based triggers around your venue. Think of it as putting a ring around your theater, concert hall, museum or other venue. When your patrons cross the geofence ring, they receive a customized message on their phone prompting them to open your mobile app.

Here are 10 tips for maximizing the effectiveness of your geofences:

Getting Started

Create one single Geofence.

1. Keep it Simple.
There will always be some give and take with determining a user’s location. Especially when considering all of the technologies and factors that go into it. As an example, avoid placing one Geofence around your venue, another around the parking lot next door, and a third one for the coffee shop across the street with which you have a partnership.

Even if a user parks in the lot and grabs a cup of coffee across the street before heading into the event, they might end up receiving the event notification first, then one for the coffee shop, and lastly for the parking lot at which point they’re already in your lobby.

TIP: Use one Geofence to surround everything and then supply parking and coffee shop information as part of the At-The-Venue (ATV) Experience content.

2. Encompass the Entire Venue. And a Little Bit More.
The size of your Geofence is important. The minimum diameter is 200 meters (or about 650 feet) which will cover most small to medium sized venues. Increase the size as needed to cover larger venues. But don’t make it too big as users who have the App might receive a message even though they are not attending the event.

TIP: First, adjust your Geofence so that the entire venue is inside of it. Then expand it to add some buffer room. An extra 50 to 100 meters wouldn’t be unreasonable.

3. Managing Multiple Venues.
A single venue is easy. Create your Geofence, set an Any Time or ATV message, and you’re done! But for our partners who present at different venues, Custom Messages are key.

TIP: You can use these to create time-specific messages at each Geofence for each event. This will help you avoid sending messages to people if they happen to arrive at a location when you don’t have an event going on there. You can also mix-and-match. Setup a main Geofence with an Any Time message and Geofences for special venues with only Custom Messages.

Introducing 4 New Features Now Available for Your Mobile App

InstantEncore is continually improving our mobile solutions platform so that we can deliver maximum benefit to arts organizations and their patrons.  This week, we're releasing four exciting, new features for your mobile app.

1. Automated At-The-Venue Experiences

Creating At-The-Venue Experiences (or ATVs) are a powerful way to connect with your patrons. Your ATV can prompt them to check-in on social media, deliver program information, showcase upcoming events, present them with promotional offers, and more.

And now, it's easier than ever to create an At-The-Venue Experience. Every time you add an event in your account, you automatically generate an ATV for that event, and schedule it to appear in your app on the day of the event.

Managing At-The-Venue content is easier, too.  If you have content that you'd like in all your ATVs, you can set it up once and have it automatically added to any Experiences you create.  You can also copy existing content from other ATVs in your account.

And of course, you retain the ability to add custom content to specific Experiences or create new ATVs from scratch at any time.

Partner Showcase: Dallas Summer Musicals

As the preeminent nonprofit presenter of Broadway theatre in North Texas, Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) produces, presents and promotes excellence in live musical theatre with year-round performances for diverse audiences of all ages.  Since its launch in October 2014, the DSM mobile app has garnered nearly 7,000 downloads from patrons.

We recently talked with DSM's Amanda Farrow, Marketing & Social Media Coordinator, about their mobile app and how their patrons have responded to it.

Amanda Farrow

Why did you decide to offer a mobile app for your patrons?
We were looking for a way to engage our patrons while they're in the theater and give a more in-depth look at the touring shows we bring to the Music Hall. We also wanted an easy point of reference for our patrons to get more information about tickets and a behind-the-scenes look that our website didn’t offer. Additionally, we wanted to send instant alerts and the push notification feature was exactly what we needed.

InstantEncore, Inc. Appoints Chris Montgomery As CEO

San Diego, March 1, 2016 – InstantEncore Inc. has appointed Chris Montgomery as Chief Executive Officer. Montgomery begins his role immediately and will be based in San Diego.

Montgomery brings a wealth of experience across the mobile, digital media and the performing arts sectors. He is keenly aware of the changing dynamics of the mobile and live entertainment experiences and will be responsible for accelerating growth, harnessing innovation and re-defining what the performing arts experience means in the future.

“Chris comes to us with a wealth of experience in both the arts and technology worlds - a truly great fit for InstantEncore. We couldn't be happier to have him on our team, and it bodes well for our future”, said Evan Schumacher, CTO of InstantEncore. “Chris also has strong vision and leadership abilities that will help us further develop our mobile solutions platform and innovate across the performing arts sector.”

Prior to joining InstantEncore, Montgomery held leadership positions across a number of music and technology related companies. As EVP, Commercial Development for the Royal Conservatory he lead the expansion of the famed music curriculum across North America. As Head of North America and Global VP of Marketing for EMI Classics, he managed the legendary catalogue of EMI Classics recordings and worked with countless recording artists, ensembles and venues around the world. He began his music industry career at BMG Entertainment in Toronto.

Montgomery has also held a number of key international digital media positions. At Diamond Multimedia, he was on the team that launched the first portable mp3 player (Rio) and spinout, RioPort.com. He launched the first on-demand subscription service at MP3.com, and following the acqusition of MP3.com by Vivendi Universal, was appointed SVP, Digital Media based in Paris. He progressed though the organization to CEO, MP3.com Europe. He has also consulted in the areas of digital media and strategy to companies ranging from Target, British Telecom, and Sony. As a recognized expert in the areas of music and digital media, Montgomery has published case studies and has spoken at leading industry conferences.

Montgomery earned an M.B.A from the University of Edinburgh, a B.A. in Education from the University of Toronto and a B.A. in Music from the University of Western Ontario. Montgomery is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh Business School and sits on their International Advisory Board.

About InstantEncore Inc.
InstantEncore is the leading provider of mobile solutions to performing arts organizations around the globe. Our partners use the InstantEncore platform to power their mobile apps, enhance live experiences and create deeper relationships with their audiences. InstantEncore partners include Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Curtis Institute of Music and Dallas Summer Musicals. With Tessitura™ Network, Inc., our partners include the New York Philharmonic, The Shaw Festival and Santa Fe Opera.

For more information, contact:
David Dombrosky, Chief Marketing Officer
david@instantencore.com

Why Should I Download Your App? (and Other Questions to Guide Your App Promotion Strategy)

One of the questions that our partners often ask us is, "How do I get more people to download our app and use it?" Of course, the specific answer to this question varies from partner to partner based on how they promote and utilize their apps.

With a hat tip to the Socratic method, here are three questions you need to answer in order to advance your app promotion strategy.

1. Why should I download your app? 

Every patron expects an answer to this question before they download your app.  It is not enough to simply tell them that you have an app and instruct them to download it.

You need to give them a compelling reason.

At-The-Event Resource Roundup

This is the future of mobile technology in the arts: creating an enhanced event experience for your audience.  At-The-Event gives you the tools for sharing event-specific content, increasing social activity, and encouraging ongoing attendance.

As we approach the start of the 2015-16 season, lets revisit At-The-Event:  what it is, how to set one up, and how to get people's eyes on it. 

Introduction:

• Blog:  Take Your App to the Next Level with "At The Event"
• Slideshow:  At The Event Detailed Walk-through
• Video: Becoming Familiar with At The Event

At-The-Event Setup:

• Video: Adding At The Event Content to a Performance
• Video: Editing At The Event Content for a Performance
• Blog: Enhance Your App's Events with Things To Know
• Blog: Encouraging Your App Subscribers to Get Social
• Blog: Using Your App's Offers Tab to Drive Revenue, Encourage Participation, and More
• Blog: Get URL - A Tool for Enhancing Navigation (useful for adding Custom Actions)

Promotion:

• Blog: Smart App Download URL
• Blog: Tips for Promoting Your Mobile App, Part 1: Encouraging Downloads When Patrons Are Off-Site
• Blog: Tips for Promoting Your Mobile App, Part 2: Encouraging Downloads When Patrons Attend Events

Spotlight from the Field:

• Blog: Partner Spotlight: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Additional Resource:

• Engaging At the Event: Audience Expectations for Live Performance in the Mobile Age - This white paper charts the rise of the mobile audience and their shifting expectations for live performances. It also reveals the results for our At The Event pilot program featuring eight performing arts organizations. The paper concludes with five steps for arts organizations to meet audience expectations head on.

At The Event - Partner Spotlight: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Since 1896, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been enriching the lives of audiences with world-class music.  Now at the start of their 120th season, PSO expands this tradition by utilizing their mobile app's At-The-Event feature to enhance the concert experience for the 21st Century.  Their audiences now have easy access to a variety of event-specific content, social interactions with artists and patrons, and special offers.

At-The-Event Recap

The At-The-Event Checklist highlights
available content items and provides
one-click access for easy editing.

When setting up At-The-Event,  it is important to provide as many content options as possible.  You don't want to advertise exclusive or event-specific content to your audience without providing them with an experience that lives up to its promise.

At-The-Event has three main content areas:

• The Info screen contains features such as: 
• Check in (This feature doesn't require any setup, it just works!)
• Things to Know
• Program Notes
• Artist Bios
• Custom actions - links to other content tabs or websites.  
• The Social feed aggregates posts from Twitter or Instagram with a defined #hashtag and adds posts made using the In-App form.  
• The Offers area lets you showcase specific deals, promotions, and partnerships to your patrons.

Now, lets take a look at how Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra used each of these areas for their recent concert event - FUSE@PSO: Brahms + Radiohead.

Adjusting Your Mobile App to Facebook's Recent Changes

For those of you who have your mobile app configured to pull content from your Facebook Page into the Buzz area of your app, you may have noticed that your Facebook posts have not been appearing in your app.

What happened

Earlier this summer, Facebook made a major change to how they feed content to other web services by switching from RSS / XML code to JSON.  Correspondingly, the RSS / XML feed link you entered into the Buzz area of the mobile suite is no longer active.

What you can do

The infrastructure for the Buzz area currently relies on RSS / XML code to import content from social media and other sites, so incorporating your Facebook content into the Buzz section of your app is not possible at this time.

While we explore our options for reintegrating the Buzz tab with Facebook, we suggest creating a custom tab in your mobile app linked directly to your Facebook page.

1. From the InstantEncore dashboard, go to Mobile >> Tabs.
2. Scroll down past the list of current tabs to the section labeled "Add a Custom Tab."
3. Enter a text label for the new tab.  You might use "Facebook," "Updates," or "Like us on Facebook."
4. Select the icon to associate with the new tab.  We have included a commonly recognized Facebook icon in our library for you to use, if you like.
5. In the "Content" area, select "Display an existing web page."
6. In the URL box, enter http://m.facebook.com/YourFacebookPageName.
7. Click on the "Create" button.

Your Facebook Page will now appear as a tab within your mobile app. It's that easy!

Enhanced Push Notification Resource Roundup

Enhanced Push Notifications have been available in our Apps for about a month now and, as we prepare for the 2015-16 season, this is the perfect time to make sure your settings are updated and that you're ready with all the tools you need to make Enhanced Push Notifications a part of your successful marketing strategy.

Here is a list of tips, suggestions, and how-to videos that cover every detail of the upgraded push notification system:

Introduction and Overview:

• Blog: Why Should You Use Push Notifications
• Webinar: New & Improved Push Notifications

Enhanced Push Note Setup:

• Blog: A Better Way to Encourage Opt-Ins for App Notifications
• Blog: Push Notification Interest and Category Suggestions
• Blog: 7 Tips for Customizing Your App's Welcome Screen
• Video: Setting Up and Editing Interests
• Video: Adding Categories and Their Options
• Video: Customizing Your Push Notification Welcome Message

Sending an Enhanced Push Note:

• Video: Composing the Push Note Message
• Video: Connecting Push Notes to Content with Tap Actions
• Video: Adding an Interactive Button to Your Push Note
• Video: Targeting the Right Audience for Your Push Note
• Video: Limiting a Push Note to Particular Devices
• Video: Scheduling Your Push Note's Delivery

Setting up a Facebook Call-to-Action Button

The 1.50 update brings some great changes to your Mobile App, both on the surface and under the hood.  One less than obvious update has been the inclusion of what are known as "Deep Links".  These are links that let you direct people to specific tabs in your app from external sources.

Now, Facebook has added a "Call-to-Action" button which allows you to easily add an important task as a button on your Page's banner image.  Lets look at how we can use Deep Links with this button to let your Fans effortlessly access your Mobile App from your Facebook page.

First, go to your Page and find the "Create Call to Action" button.  It is important to note that this is for Pages, and not your personal Timeline.

When you click on this, you will see a pop-up box which has a "Choose a Button" menu.  Open this and select "Use App".

Once you have selected the type of Call-to-Action, there will be a place to enter in two URLs.  One for your website and one for your mobile website.  Because we want to focus people's behavior on using your Mobile App, create a SmartURL (remember those?) for this purpose and add it to both fields.

The next screen will let you setup your iOS Deep Link.  Use the format instantencoreCID://deeplink/#home where CID is the same value used in the SmartURL.  The Backup Destination will be automatically filled in from the website field.

The Android Deep Link setup is similar, but you will also need your Android Package Name. To find this, just go to your main control panel, copy the link for the Android App, and use the end of the URL that starts with "com.instantencore".

So, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instantencore.bcsd2go_5109242 becomes just com.instantencore.bcsd2go_5109242.  Again, the Backup Destination will be automatically added.

Click the final Create button and you will be all set.  Your Facebook fans will now have easy access to your Mobile Apps!

• If they already have your app installed, it will immediately open it.  
• If they don't yet have your app, the SmartURL will intelligently direct them to the proper platform.  
• If the button is clicked on a desktop or laptop computer, it will give them links to both.

Finally,  if you have a campaign going on for a specific event or initiative, you can go back to edit the "Use App" button and update the App Links to go to a specific content item or tab in the App.  Just replace the #home at the end of the Deep Link with a different "In-app Link" using InstantEncore's App URL Builder, available at the bottom of your list of Tabs in the Control Panel.

BONUS: Facebook offers some insights on how many times the button has been clicked.  Just look for the "This Week" box to the right and click on where it says "Use App"

7 Tips for Customizing Your App's Welcome Screen

As we mentioned in a previous post, the Welcome Screen for your app is a great tool for encouraging new app users to stay connected via notifications.

To get you started with this tool, we have provided you with a default message:

Enhance your <app name> experience with personal notifications.

We will only send you relevant messages with insider info, special deals and pertinent updates.

We encourage you to adopt, edit, and add to it so that the message is unique to you and appeals specifically to your app users.

7 Tips for Customizing Your Welcome Screen's Message

1.  Thank your patrons for downloading your app.  Many patrons will visit your website on their mobile devices.  Those who download your mobile app are interested enough in your work that they want to give you a presence on the most personal of their devices.  It's always a good idea to thank them for that.

2.  Use special formatting to draw the user's eye to parts of the message you wish to emphasize.

3.  Affirm for your app subscriber's that your messages will meet their wants and needs.

4.  Let them know that they can customize their information and interests to tailor the notifications they will receive. It can also be reassuring to let them know that they can change their selections at any time.

5.  If you have specific types of notifications you will be sending out, let them know.  There are a few options listed in the default message, but feel free to include other types that apply to your app.

6.  Encourage them to help you give them the most relevant notifications by answering some questions.

7.  Add simple instructions for customizing notifications both now and later.

No matter how many adjustments you make to the Welcome Screen's message, be sure to:

• Encourage app users to maintain a deep connection with you
• Assure them that you will not spam them with irrelevant messages
• Let them know that they can control which notifications they receive

Questions?  Contact us at support@instantencore.com. 

Push Notification Interest and Category Suggestions

Setting up your Interests and Categories is a crucial step in activating the power and flexibility of Enhanced Push Notifications. It is also important to have them setup before your App is published, so that when your users open it for the first time they are greeted with the personalized notification settings they are expecting.

Which do you think looks better?

Quick Tips

• Interests are topics that an audience member should be able to opt in to as many as they wish.
• Categories should only have one possible answer that an audience member can give such as their age range or location.
• We recommend having 10 or fewer Interests and Categories total to avoid overwhelming users.
• Use short Category labels so that the entire label can be seen.
• Don't get TOO personal with your Category options, as many people value their privacy online.

If you haven't yet set them, here are some suggestions that might make filling these out a little easier.  Keep in mind that the goal is to not copy over ALL of these, but to pick and choose ones that would be relevant to your performances and to your audience.

Interests

Notifications:
General Information
News and Reviews
Concert Announcements
Music and Video Recordings
Deals and Offers
Behind-the-Scenes
Exclusive Content
Weather Alerts
Live Broadcast
Miscellaneous

Genres:
Classical
Opera
Early Music
New Music
Jazz
Blues
Rock
Pop
Country
Gospel
World
Musical Theatre
Broadway
Ballet
Dance
Theatre
Plays
Drama
Comedy
Family
Film

Formats:
Full Ensemble
A Cappella
Vocal
Instrumental
Chamber Music
Recitals
Fully Staged
Semi Staged
Dress Rehearsal

Series:
Main Season
Weekend Concerts
Matinee
Lunch Time Concerts
Summer Festival
Holiday
Special Events

Participate:
Educational
Online Classes
Workshops
Masterclasses
Lectures
Q&A
Auditions
Volunteer

Categories

Age (option 1)
  65 and over
  55 to 64
  45 to 54
  35 to 44
  25 to 34
  15 to 24
  14 and under

Age (option 2)
  60 and over
  50 to 59
  40 to 49
  30 to 39
  20 to 29
  19 and under

Birth Month
  January
  February
  March
  April
  May
  June
  July
  August
  September
  October
  November
  December

Location (local ensemble/performer)
  Home City
  State/Province (outside City)
  Country (outside State/Province)
  World (outside Country)

Location (touring ensemble/performer)
  North America
  South America
  Europe
  Asia
  Africa
  Australia

Patronage
  Season Ticket Holder
  General
  Senior
  Student
  New Patron

Favorite
  Bach
  Beethoven
  Mozart
  Schubert
  Debussy
  Stravinsky
  Brahms
  Verdi
  Wagner
  Bartok
  Other

A Better Way to Encourage Opt-Ins for App Notifications

In the previous post, we talked about the benefits of using push notifications to communicate with your patrons.

The challenge with push notifications is persuading people to opt-in for them. Many people opt-out of receiving an app's notifications because they think they'll be bombarded with an endless series of sales pitches. But, what if you could alleviate their fears and empower them to choose the types of messages they want to receive?

InstantEncore's new enhancements to our mobile service allow you to do just that. Let's take a look at what's changing and how you can leverage those changes to strengthen your connection with mobile patrons.

What's Changing?

For most apps available on the market today:

• Android users are automatically subscribed to notifications.
• Apple users are presented with a notification opt-in screen immediately upon opening the app for the first time. 

For Android users, receiving the first notification can be disruptive. Why am I getting this message? When did I give them permission to send me this?  This disruption can trigger an Android user's fear of spam and prompt them to manually turn off notifications.

For Apple users, receiving the required opt-in screen immediately upon opening the app for the first time is like asking someone for a second date before you've gone on the first one.  Since Apple uses the same default opt-in screen, it comes off as generic and can predispose a user to tap "Don't Allow" out of habit.

So, how can we change this process to be less disruptive, less presumptuous, and more unique to the app experience?

With this month's update, your app's notifications opt-in process will feature three new elements designed to alleviate users' fear of spam, help you get the right message to the right patrons, and increase the likelihood that a user will elect to receive your notifications.

Welcome Screen

When someone opens your app for the first time, they will see your Loading screen followed by a Welcome screen.

The purpose of the Welcome screen is to prompt the user to stay connected with you, communicate the value of your notifications, and reassure them that you will not spam them with irrelevant messages.

We have prepopulated your Welcome screen with default text, but we encourage you to edit the text so that it is more specific to your app and the types of messages you will send to patrons.

Information Categories

When a patron taps on "Next" at the bottom of the Welcome screen, they are taken to an area where they can enter personal information and indicate their messaging interests.

You create the information categories and their possible answers. App users are intuitively prompted to select the answer which best applies to them.

When you create your categories, focus on information that will help you target the most relevant patrons and provide them with content they value.

We recommend limiting yourself to two or three categories, so that you don't overwhelm the user.

In the example above, we created the category Patronage. How might we use this category to send targeted messages?  Here are a few possibilities:

• Send special messages with behind-the-scenes content as a season subscription benefit.
• Create a subscription campaign focused on app users who frequently attend events but are not subscribers.
• Invite occasional attendees to return with targeted ticket specials.

Remember, app users are prompted to select the answer which best applies to them. So generate your list of possible answers with that in mind.

Interests

In addition to providing personal information, app users can also select the interest areas for which they want to receive notifications.

When generating your list of interest areas, focus on the types of messages you will send. Here are some possibilities:

• Behind-the-scenes
• Artistic genres or disciplines
• Specific performance series
• Educational offerings
• Ticket specials
• Volunteering

By default, app users are selected to receive notifications from all interest categories. They can deselect any categories which do not interest them.

Again, consider limiting yourself to a handful of interest areas so as not to overwhelm users.

Then, what?

Once the app user has provided some personal information and indicated their messaging interests, they tap on "Get Started" at the bottom of the screen.

Android users will immediately begin using the app.  By providing them with the opportunity to opt-in and adjust their message preferences, your Android subscribers will no longer find notifications to be disruptive and unsolicited.

Apple users will now be presented with the required opt-in screen. By waiting until this point in the process to present the required screen, Apple users are more invested in staying connected and more likely to opt-in for notifications.

Highlighting Sponsors, Funders and Partners in Your Mobile App

Highlighting Sponsors, Funders and External Partners in Your Mobile App from InstantEncore

Using Your App's Offers Tab to Drive Revenue, Encourage Participation, and More

At-The-Event's Offers tab is a powerful tool help drive revenue in creative ways.  From discounts to merchandise to upgrades, the Offers tab can present deals to your audience which are specifically relevant to that day's event.

Lets look at a few general categories of Offers:

Discounts

Discounts are perhaps the most straight forward Offer you can provide.  These include a percentage-based or fixed amount reduction on ticket sales, gift shop merchandise, concession items, etc.  You might even explore partnering with a local restaurant to provide discounts on meals to help drive customers to both businesses.

Alabama Dance Festival: 15% off Tickets

Detroit Symphony: 10% off Food & 10% off Gifts

Berkeley Rep: Free cookie with drink purchase

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: Dinner and a Show

Merchandise

Let your audience know about new recordings, apparel, or other fun souvenirs that they can purchase.

Bach Collegium San Diego: New CD Release

SFJAZZ: 'A Love Supreme' 50th Anniversary Shirts

Activities

You can also use the Offers tab to make your audience aware of fun activities such as parties, receptions, or artist signings.

UMKC: Pre-concert reception

SFJAZZ: 'A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album' Book signing

Special Access

The Offers tab can be used in creative ways such as giving your audience access to special opportunities exclusively through the app.  Making tickets available for pre-sale, upgrading your seat, turning a single ticket into a season subscription, and music downloads are just a few of the endless possibilities.

Dallas Summer Musicals: Pre-sale Tickets & Seat Upgrades

Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra: Turn your Ticket into a Subscription

CYSO: Music Download

Enter to Win!

Use the Offers area to promote competitions,  raffles, or other sweepstakes that audience members can enter by posting in the Social tab or filling out a form linked as a custom action in the Info tab.

The School of Theatre at Florida State University: Win Free Tickets

Encouraging Your App Subscribers to Get Social

The Social screen in your mobile app's At-The-Event module enables your app subscribers to post photos and text messages about the event and respond to each other's content.  The Social screen aggegates posts from the In-app form as well as posts to Instagram and Twitter featuring the event's hashtag.

To post to the Social screen, the app subscriber taps on the pencil icon and selects the platform they would like to use to share their content.

Example: The Social screen for Berkeley Repertory Theatre's production of Party People.

Simply providing the tool, however, does not mean that your app subscribers will use it.  So how can you encourage your audience to engage via social media when they are at your performance?

Put Your Patrons in the Picture 

Culture Track 2014 recently surveyed patrons to determine how they use their mobile devices while attending cultural events.  The most popular activities among respondents were taking photos (66%) and sharing photos (47%).  Some arts organizations are rightfully concerned about copyright issues and the potential for disrupting a performance.  So, here are some ideas for encouraging photo taking and sharing while simultaneously protecting copyright and the integrity of the live performance.

• Selfie Campaigns - "Selfies" are photographs that mobile users take of themselves and their friends using their smartphones or tablets. Selfie campaigns have emerged among arts organizations as a way to galvanize social media participation among audiences.  Selfie campaigns encourage patrons to take photos of themselves and their friends at your event and post it to social media with a corresponding hashtag.
• Both Twitter and Instagram allow mobile users to post pictures from their devices, which makes it easy for your app subscribers to post photos to the Social screen.
• Promote the selfie campaign on-site with signage in public spaces and a mention in your printed program  
• Promote the selfie campaign within the app by (1) using the Spotlight Text area on the Info screen, (2) including it as one of the items in Things to Know (see the example below), and/or (3) linking from the Info screen to a custom tab describing the campaign.
• Consider incentivizing selfie campaigns by offering participants a chance to win a backstage tour, a chance to meet the artists, tickets to upcoming shows, etc.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra incentivized participation in their selfie campaign by offering
participants the chance to win a VIP table for 4 at an upcoming event.

• Selfie Stations - Take your selfie campaign to the next level by setting up "selfie stations" where patrons are encouraged to take pictures of themselves and their friends with artists, background images, or props featured in the event.
  
  Example: For their production of A Christmas Story, The Musical, Dallas Summer Musicals created a selfie station with a cardboard cut-out of the character Ralphie and the show's iconic leg-shaped lamp.  The station also featured a background with DSM's logo.

Audience members took pictures with a cardboard cut-out of the main character and an iconic
prop at the Dallas Summer Musical's production of A Christmas Story, The Musical.

• Volunteer Selfie Takers - Sometimes, it's difficult to get a great photo when you have to hold the camera yourself.  Help your patrons get the best possible photo at your event by providing volunteer selfie takers.  
• They are responsible for offering to take pictures of patrons using the audience member's mobile device and encouraging patrons to post their photos to Twitter or Instagram with the events hashtag.
• Position volunteers at selfie stations, near iconic artwork in the venue, or roaming throughout public areas before the performance, during intermission, and after the show.
• Provide volunteers with buttons, T-shirts, hats, or some other item clearly marking them as a "Volunteer Selfie Taker."
• By using a term like "selfie taker" or "photo taker," you reduce any expection  for the volunteers to be professional photographers.

Let the Audience Guide the Conversation

• Invite Questions - For most live performances, the audience does not have an opportunity to directly engage with the artists.  The Social screen can serve to facilitate conversation between artists and your patrons by inviting app subscribers to submit questions for artists to answer. 
• The questions may be answered directly by the artist within the app or during a live post-performance Q&A session.
• Use signage in public spaces and a mention in the printed program to invite patrons to download your app and submit their questions.
• Within the app, use the Spotlight Text area on the Info screen or an item in Things to Know to invite your app subscribers to submit their questions.

Austin Symphony Orchestra displays slides on digital screens in the lobby to invite patrons
to download the ASO app to chat with Maestro Bay and musicians.

A second slide provides instructions for downloading the app and using the Social screen.

During intermission, Maestro Bay answers questions directly within the ASO app.

• Tweet Seats - In recent years, many performing arts organizations have experimented with "tweat seats" - a section of the audience (usually the back row or upper balcony) where audience members are encouraged to converse with one another during the performance via social media.  The Social screen is a great tool for facilitating this form of interactive engagement.
• Some organizations set aside tweet seats for each performance. Others restrict tweet seats to specific performances.  
• Still other organizations like Opera Omaha offer tweet seats to the final dress rehearsal for a production.
• If you are interested in trying tweet seats at your events, the Arts Management & Technology Lab published an article earlier this year highlighting lessons learned from their experiment with Carnegie Mellon University's School of Music.

Give Them a Chance to Win

• Incentives - One tactic for spurring more participation in the Social area of your app is to include an incentive for patrons.  With an incentive, the patron becomes eligible for a reward by simply engaging in the desired behavior. 
• For example: In exchange for sharing a selfie or submitting a question, participants become eligible to win two tickets to an upcoming show.  
• Tickets are one possible incentive, but not the only viable one.  You could offer a chance to win a backstage tour, a free drink from the concession stand, , etc. Get creative!
• Reward recipients are often chosen by pulling participant names from a hat or a similarly randomized process.
• Another variation is to provide the reward to all participants.  For example: Everyone who submits questions to the event's hashtag is invited to a reception with the artist after the post-performance Q&A session.

• Contests - Take things up a notch by including a contest in the Social area.  Contests differ from incentives in that they include a competitive element.  Contests may be formal or informal in structure.  
• An informal contest has a subjective judging process.  For example: Audience members stop by the selfie station in the lobby before the performance and during intermission to take pictures of themselves with a violin.  Guest artist Joshua Bell selects his favorite selfie at the end of the night, and the winner receives dinner for two from a local partner restaurant.
• A formal contest has more objective criteria for determining a winner.  For example: Patrons are invited to download the app and take part in a trivia contest during intermission. A staff member posts a series of trivia questions on the Social screen. For each question, the first app user to post the correct answer wins an invitation to a backstage tour after the show.