“Performing arts organizations have long recognized the need to attract younger audiences that will someday support them financially,” writes Monica Smart in Thursday’s (5/24) Dallas Observer. “In addition to retaining their current audiences, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Opera, Dallas Theater Center and WaterTower Theatre target two distinct demographics to expand their audiences: millennials and children. About 71 million young people [in the U.S.] fall into the group commonly referred to as millennials…. A study by agency M&C Saatchi called ‘Risk, Realism & Ritalin’ reports that millennials are a ‘more risk-averse and pragmatic generation than those that have gone immediately before them.’ Kim Noltemy, president and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, has observed this trend. ‘They do their research, and they aren’t coming without knowing exactly what they are getting into,’ she says…. Noltemy says getting millennials to arts events is a long-term process that requires consistency. ‘You put all this time and money into developing the audience of the future, and the financial payoff can be years down the road.… It’s really a philosophical question: Are [arts groups] thinking about right now or are they thinking about the future?’ ”
Posted May 24, 2018
