“Most in this region are partial to the Cleveland Orchestra. What they aren’t quite yet is loyal,” writes Zachary Lewis in Thursday’s (9/15) Plain Dealer (Cleveland). “Enter the ‘Members Club,’ a new style of subscription plan announced Thursday, Sept. 15, aimed at converting occasional ticket buyers into bona fide regulars…. The program, now active and deployed through a new smartphone app, is open to all but targets young and middle-aged people…. For a $35 monthly fee, set up with automatic billing, patrons gain membership … and the freedom to purchase a ticket to any orchestra concert at Severance Hall or Blossom Music Center for $10.… For several years now, the group also has offered similar arrangements to college students and young professionals [and] its ongoing ‘Under 18s Free’ offer [allows] adult ticket buyers … to bring along children at no extra cost…. Beyond filling seats and creating new fans, the ‘Members Club’ aims to foster more active long-term engagement with the orchestra and … a greater willingness to attend concerts featuring unfamiliar repertoire…. [Jim Sector, assistant director of loyalty marketing] said a ‘Members Club’ test group tripled its average attendance rate and ventured to several programs it might not have otherwise.”
Posted September 16, 2016
