- Case Study -
Edinburgh International Festival
Improving audience relationship management and automating supporter journeys at one of the world’s most celebrated arts festivals
IN BRIEF
• Ticketing, marketing and fundraising teams will use automated segmentation, system prompts and integrated emails to create more targeted audience campaigns.
• A pause in your events can be an opportunity to review systems and implement change - but we can work with you to plan implementation around your schedule, no matter how much else you have going on.
• Expect honesty and transparency from any new partner - they should care as much as you do about managing the relationship to meet your unique needs.
Get every department working on the same page
About Edinburgh International Festival:
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An annual, citywide celebration of performing arts
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Year round learning, engagement and professional development activities
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Extensive database of international supporters, audiences and members
Seamless Segmentation
Marketing and fundraising teams at Edinburgh International Festival used to rely on separate, manual reporting to identify targets, and a significant proportion of time was dedicated to pulling lists and manually scrutinising data. When the festival tendered for a new CRM system in early 2020, the ability to better manage customer journeys across teams was central to their decision making. After a comprehensive assessment of potential platforms, they went live with Spektrix.
The switch was driven by the potential to develop seamless, automated customer journeys. By recording customer engagement, booking and giving against the same, comprehensive record, and automatically tagging prospects based on those behaviours, they knew it would be easier to identify, understand and improve communications with distinct segments of their audience.
The festival’s specific objectives include building its list of returning attendees, growing memberships and establishing a legacy giving programme. Automated segmentation, alongside smooth system integrations with key tools like the website and email provider help to free up staff time to concentrate on achieving these goals.
360° vision
Tina Walsberger, Director of Marketing and Communications, outlined a simplified model for triggering alerts in Spektrix as the International Festival team begin working more smoothly across departments, in order to maximise revenue from every audience member.
"So far everything we've done in Spektrix has been very responsive."
Tina Walsberger
Director of Marketing & Communications
Why it's the right time
As soon as they began to understand the impact of coronavirus on their events and finances, the festival team began a tender process. More than ever, it was vital to choose a ticketing partner who would help them to recover and whose costs would map to their future success.
They began managing memberships with Spektrix in March 2021, making it easier to manage access to tailored content and digital events. Members are a vital source of revenue and support when organisations face challenging times.
Better access control and a more responsive system mean more secure events and increased agility to adapt to change. Tina knows that she’ll be able to reach out to a team of Support and Training Consultants, whenever they need help creating new seating plans or adjusting to last minute challenges.
For Edinburgh International Festival, the enforced pause offered a unique chance to implement radical change in time for a fully-fledged season to resume. For many other organisations, the support we offer through implementation makes it possible to make the switch with just a day or so of downtime - moving systems mid-season becomes possible, with a team to take care of project management, data migration, and more.
They’ll see an immediate impact when they begin managing memberships with Spektrix, making it easier to manage access to tailored content and digital events. Members are a vital source of revenue and support when organisations face challenging times.
Absolute transparency
A change of CRM system represents a huge decision for any organisation, and perhaps especially so with the profile and weight of expectation attached to Edinburgh International Festival. Following a tender process, the Spektrix team spent entire days demonstrating system tools and running a series of workshops exploring specific use cases relevant to the festival.
The communications team was soon convinced, but the board, conscious of the potential for the crisis to affect everyone in the sector, was concerned about the risk of any move. When they approached Spektrix for reassurance, the festival’s leadership team was impressed by the openness and transparency of that conversation, setting the standard for a genuine partnership and allowing them to move forward with their ambitions of dynamic business transformation.