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Buying an arts ticketing and CRM system

Spektrix compared with Tessitura

How to choose between two market leading, unified CRM systems for the arts 

Best for forward-thinking, innovative arts leaders

The modern choice

Spektrix is the contemporary market leader for arts organisations in the UK & Ireland

Easy to use

Built by and for arts professionals, Spektrix is designed to help you achieve more

Adapts to your needs

A single, configurable system provides complete flexibility - without onerous admin

Complete solutions for marketing, ticketing, fundraising and CRM

For many years, Tessitura was viewed as the go-to solution for theatres and performing arts organisations wanting to sell tickets and maintain audience relationships.

But since Spektrix entered the market in 2007, hundreds of venues have seen the benefits of a more contemporary system - with more inviting user interfaces, robust server capacity, and full-featured customer journeys helping them to build efficiencies and grow revenue.

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Streamlined event setup and sales

Spektrix builds efficiencies for box office teams, with intuitive tools to put complex events, offers, merchandise or subscriptions on sale in minutes.

Drive mobile, digital, and counter sales, maintain complete control over your purchase pathway, and create better experience for your audience members and team.

Donation ask during a ticket purchase on tablet

Powerful marketing segmentation and communications

Through Spektrix, dynamic, drag-and-drop email tools are part of the solution - meaning you can tag and segment customers, build lists, and send personalised, high-impact emails from a single, inviting interface. 

Automate customer tags to build dynamic lists based on purchases, donations, and email engagement. And use those attributes to personalise web content, upsells, and automated communications with ease.

workflow depicting spending on a donor profile: seats booked, concession upsell, meeting, $50 donation

A connected donor pipeline

Integrated insights and powerful pipeline management tools make it simple to target asks, share invitations, and accurately forecast, track progress, and manage donors.

And because Spektrix makes it easier to work collaboratively, fundraising goals are shared with other teams - helping you nurture VIPs, flag potential donors, and personalise asks.

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At-a-glance insights, at your fingertips

Whatever you need to know about spending patterns, audience behaviours, or sales trends, it's easy to report on in Spektrix.

On top of a standard suite of 45+ reports, drag-and-drop filters make it simple to segment data and dig deep into reports. And if you need more, get in touch. We'll work with you to design and build custom reports, at no additional cost.

Expert, inclusive support

Both Tessitura and Spektrix offer comprehensive system documentation, training, and 1:1 support. Where they differ is on cost. Where Tessitura users are often charged for assistance or diverted to a user forum, all Spektrix materials are provided as part of our service to you. Hardware advice, webinars, on-demand training, and best-practice guidance are available wherever and whenever you need them. 

If you choose Spektrix over Tessitura, you'll never pay a penny extra for day-to-day support, strategic consultation, training, or events - from regular webinars to in-person gatherings, and a warm welcome to clients popping into our UK-based main office.

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SPEKTRIX - TESSITURA

The key differences, at a glance

Spektrix

Everything you need, at your fingertips

  • All-inclusive pricing, paid as a single, scalable service charge based on the number of tickets you sell. 
  • Cloud-based software run from Microsoft Azure servers, enabling superb system reliability, unlimited server capacity, and daily system updates.
  • The modern market leader in the UK and Ireland, and the fastest growing solution across North America.
  • Open access integration tools allow any suitable software provider to integrate with Spektrix, so users can design their own unique tech stack with impartial advice from Spektrix support.
  • Users love the ease of use, access to support, and unified tools - driving powerful data and personalised communications from a single system.

Tessitura

The veteran of the arts industry

  • Charges based on a flat fee, regardless of the number of tickets sold. Additional fees may be incurred for support, network events, upgrades and system maintenance.
  • Runs from local servers, with the onus on venue teams to manage infrastructure, implement and test upgrades.
  • The stalwart of the sector, with an established client base in North America, Europe and Australia.
  • A Preferred Providers Ecosystem gives users access to an approved list of partner solutions which integrate with Tessitura. Partners may pay a fee to Tessitura for working with shared clients.
  • Users can customise the system to their exact needs, though this creates a complex interface which can be difficult to learn, maintain, and develop.

A GROWING COMMUNITY

Who's made the switch from Tessitura to Spektrix?

Nottingham_Playhouse_Logo Pitlochry Festival Theatre logo National Theatre Wales logo, with the letters NTW forming a modern, stylised shape Donmar Warehouse logo Live Theatre Newcastle logo, with the word Live in a handwritten font Logo of Lakeside Arts in Nottingham Theatre by the Lake logo, with text on a shape like a pull-down banner Logo showing the name Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama or Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru Royal Exchange Theatre logo Greenwich Theatre London logo, with gold lettering on a purple rectangle Logo for JW3, the Jewish Community Centre London, with its initials set in square blocks Logo of Opera Holland Park, resembling a marquee

Built by and for the arts

Tessitura Network was launched in 1998 by the Metropolitan Opera, New York, in search of a better ticketing and fundraising system.

Nine years later in Cambridge, England, software and lighting designer Michael Nabarro saw a similar gap in provision of high-quality software for the arts.

Today, Michael continues to lead Spektrix in line with its original values - with a mission to widen access to the arts, and contribute to a flourishing cultural sector.

Spektrix is the only unified ticketing and CRM platform to be certified as a B Corporation. We use business as a force for good, with the needs of our users and their audiences at the centre of every decision.

Matthew Koon in Merlin by Northern Ballet. Credit Guy Farrow.

USER REVIEWS

What do arts professionals say about Tessitura and Spektrix?

“What we had to do before we had Spektrix was so hard, and so labor intensive, because the data that TRG Arts wanted from us was impossible to get out of our previous system. We just got to a point where we could not continue to function. Now we can get the data we want at our fingertips.”
Angela Cassette, Music Theatre Wichita
“Spektrix have been incredibly flexible and responsive, working as a partner rather than a supplier, which is a much needed approach.”
Sheralee Lockhart, Royal Exchange Theatre
switched to Spektrix in 2020
“We’re going to test out some different types of subscriptions or season passes, and this system makes that really helpful. There’s room for more innovation in this system, which at this time when we’re trying to rebuild subscriptions is really key.”
Jeanna Vella, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
“We've got some really key users of the system now in departments that weren't using it so much before. The Head of Production has a login these days, which is fantastic. It is definitely being used by more people, earlier on in their journey with us... It's not just a box office task, now. It's not just the sales team who are responsible for everything. It's very much been embraced by many, many more people.”
Rich Surgay, Nottingham Playhouse
switched to Spektrix in 2020
“The amount of time that everyone at Spektrix has been willing to take with us, to troubleshoot problems or explain things that we don’t understand, has been phenomenal. We’ve been so happy with everything.”
Michelle Blanchard, Grand Opera House Iowa

A pricing plan to inspire innovation

The benefits of an all-inclusive service charge

 

Spektrix quotes a single service charge, based on a percentage of the tickets you sell, and inclusive of all key requirements - software features, support and community events, emails, maintenance, upgrades, and more.

With no unexpected extras, it's easy to budget. And with every new feature at your fingertips, you're free to experiment and explore.

 

Upfront costs v annual service charge
How to measure value
What's included?

System upgrades, testing and server maintenance.
No need for in-house administration, and it's cost-free to try new features.

Support, training and events
Consider us part of your team. We'll never charge extra to help you succeed.

Implementation and data migration
No upfront costs for setup or installation - and an expert team on hand to ensure your data's transferred securely.

Unlimited users 
Every member of your team can maintain records, access data, and explore opportunities - with tiered access privileges to help you retain control.

Ready to find out how Spektrix could help your arts organisation work better?

Give us a few details, and we'll get in touch to learn what you need from your CRM software.