Leading the Way with TRG Arts

What if waiting for things to return to normal is the biggest risk facing arts and culture?From rising costs and financial pressure to changing audience behavior and declining subscription loyalty, arts leaders are navigating challenges that may not have short-term solutions.But what if the models we've relied on for decades are no longer enough?In this special episode of Leading the Way, TRG Arts CEO Jill Robinson brings together six arts leaders for a roundtable exploring The Fourth Turning, a theory of historical change that raises important questions about crisis, recovery and what comes next.Click here to watch a video of this episode. Drawing on their experiences across North America, the panel shares different perspectives on the future of arts and culture. From rethinking traditional subscriptions and audience loyalty to investing in growth and creating spaces where communities genuinely want to gather, the conversation challenges leaders to look beyond recovery and consider what they're building for the next generation.A big thank you to our panelists for sharing their experiences, challenging assumptions and offering different perspectives on the future of arts and culture.What's your biggest concern as you look towards 2030 and beyond? We'd love to hear what resonated most and what you're rethinking in your own institution.******Watch more episodes of Leading the Way: https://trgarts.com/leadingthewayExplore TRG Arts insights and resources: https://trgarts.com/industry-resourcesSubscribe to Leading the Way on your preferred podcast platform for more conversations on growing audiences, strengthening revenue and building a thriving future for arts and culture.(00:00) - The Fourth Turning: Are We Waiting for Normal? (02:00) - What History Might Tell Us About the Future (07:43) - Rethinking Who Arts and Culture Are For (11:04) - Recovery vs. Reinvention: What Needs to Change? (14:17) - Choosing Ambition When Others Are Cutting Back (17:21) - Why Relationships Matter More Than Transactions (21:30) - Reinventing the Role of Arts Institutions in Communities (27:07) - Why Great Art Alone Is No Longer Enough (29:30) - The Data: Growing Audiences, Declining Loyalty (36:54) - Are Traditional Subscriptions Still Relevant? (43:31) - New Generations, New Membership Models (47:50) - Building Community and Belonging for the Future

What if your next budget started not with last year's revenue, but with the people who will make next year's revenue possible?Too often, arts and cultural organizations build budgets around financial targets rather than the audience relationships and behaviors needed to achieve them. Revenue projections look backward, costs rise, and the gap becomes someone else's problem to solve.But what changes when we start with people instead of percentages?In this episode of Leading the Way, the TRG Arts team explores how people-based budgeting connects audience behavior, financial planning, and artistic ambition. From understanding the households behind your revenue to treating marketing as an investment, the conversation offers a more strategic approach to planning for sustainable growth.Click here to watch a video of this episode. Key takeaways:Start with people, not percentages. Understand the households and behaviors behind your revenue targets, not just the numbers you hope to achieve.Connect financial planning with audience strategy. Build revenue and expense budgets around the audiences you're trying to reach, retain, and grow.Recognize that every production has a different audience. Tailor marketing investment to each show's mix of new, returning, and reactivated buyers.Treat marketing as an investment. Measure the cost of acquiring and retaining audiences, and the return across productions, channels, and segments.Use relationships to support artistic ambition. Audience intelligence helps leaders make informed decisions, manage risk, and plan beyond a single season.Start small, but start with evidence. Choose one revenue stream and identify the households behind it, separating new buyers from returning ones.For all episodes of Leading the Way, visit: https://trgarts.com/leadingthewayEpisode chapters:(00:00) - Introduction: Why relationships drive revenue (00:45) - The problem with traditional arts budgeting (02:00) - Start with people, not financial targets (04:40) - Connecting marketing, development, and audience relationships (06:15) - Building long-term growth through audience behavior (08:45) - Retention, acquisition, and return on investment (10:00) - Why every production needs its own marketing budget (12:00) - Treating marketing as an investment (13:00) - Measuring the true cost of sale (16:15) - Using audience data to support artistic ambition (19:00) - Overcoming barriers to people-based budgeting (21:00) - Bringing artistic and executive leaders together (23:15) - Where to start: Households and audience segments (25:00) - Turning revenue targets into actionable audience goals (26:45) - Closing thoughts

Most arts organizations know that marketing and development should work together. Very few actually make it happen. The North Carolina Symphony did, and 15 years later, the results speak for themselves: growing earned and contributed revenue, a donor-ready pipeline that converts at twice the industry average, and a culture where every staff member sees themselves as part of the same patron journey.Click here to watch a video of this episode. In this episode, Jill Robinson sits down with Sandi MacDonald, President and CEO; Linda Charlton, VP of Marketing and Audience Development; and Lisa Ransom, VP of Philanthropy. They describe how they broke down departmental silos, built a cross-functional loyalty team, and embedded patron loyalty goals into individual performance reviews. No new department. No added headcount. Just discipline, shared goals, and a weekly rhythm of tracking and accountability.As Sandi puts it, "behind every ticket purchase is the potential for a major donor." It's a mindset that starts at the box office and runs all the way to the programming table, and it's producing real, measurable results.For all episodes of Leading the Way, visit: https://trgarts.com/leadingthewayEpisode chapters:(00:42) - – Building a culture of patron loyalty (05:34) - – Connecting ticket buyers and donors (10:15) - – Breaking down marketing and philanthropy silos (12:21) - – From first-time buyer to donor-ready patron (15:45) - – Making every patron a VIP (18:54) - – What 15 years of loyalty work has taught North Carolina Symphony (21:09) - – The metrics that drive patron loyalty (24:44) - – Turning loyalty into recurring revenue (28:36) - – Where to start: practical first steps (33:38) - – Building board confidence in patron relationships (36:15) - – Programming, stewardship and the patron experience (41:31) - – The real work of relationship building (43:53) - – Why marketing belongs at the programming table

What happens after someone says yes? The next yes is where patron loyalty starts to deepen, and its value starts to grow.In this episode, the TRG team looks at what we call Buyers: the relatively small group of people who do more than one thing, more than once. A ticket and another ticket. A subscription and a gift. A membership and more frequent attendance.That repeated behavior, the “magic of and”, is one of the clearest signals that a relationship is deepening.But those relationships are still fragile. Organizations put enormous energy into securing the first transaction, subscription, membership or gift, and often much less into making sure it happens again. Yet once someone renews that commitment, their likelihood of renewing again can double or triple. The opportunity is to turn a moment in time into a behavior.The challenge is that these people often sit between teams. Marketing is focused on attendance. Development is focused on giving. Both may be working with the same person, but toward different goals.The answer isn’t necessarily more people or a new structure. Start smaller: one shared behavior, one shared measure, and one season of working on it together.Click here to watch a video of this episode. Key Takeaways:Why repeat engagement tells you more about loyalty than a single large purchase.Why the second commitment matters so much.How the “magic of and” helps identify your most promising relationships.Why shared measures matter more than coordinated calendars.Where to start when your team is already stretched.******View all past episodes here: https://trgarts.com/leadingthewayExplore all our other resources, tools and insights here: https://trgarts.com/industry-resources

Lift the lid on most arts organizations' databases and here's what you'll find: no future visit booked. Nothing on the calendar and no plan to come back. In this episode, the TRG team talks about Recency, a word the field rarely uses but can't afford to ignore. A full house feels like success, but a house full of first-timers is a very different business than a house full of loyal patrons who keep coming back. That difference never shows up in your capacity-sold number.We make the case that this isn't really a numbers problem, it's a relationship problem: selling out a house and building loyalty are two different jobs, and “capacity sold” only measures one of them. In its place: something simpler and more critical to repeatable revenue: what percentage of your patrons have a future visit on the books?We walk through why recency is the gateway to frequency, why frequency is what turns ticket buyers into subscribers, members, and donors, and why moving someone from a 12-month habit to a 6-month habit can be worth more than winning a brand-new customer (at a lower cost, too). It’s also a leadership challenge: resisting the pull toward short-term revenue and building the discipline to invite people back on purpose, at the right moment, over and over. Press play to hear why "who" matters just as much as "how many," and the one number every leader should go look up in their database this week.  Key takeawaysWhy "who" is in the room matters more than "how many", and why capacity sold (the number most teams are judged on) often can't tell the difference.Why Recency, not capacity sold, is the real measure of whether a relationship is actually growing.What percentage of your database has a future engagement booked, and why almost no leader can answer that off the top of their head.Why recency is the gateway to frequency, and frequency is what turns ticket buyers into subscribers, members and donors.How moving a patron from a 12-month to a 6-month cycle can be worth more than winning a brand-new customer, at a lower cost.

Look at almost any arts and cultural database and one segment towers over the rest. At TRG, we call them Tryers: people who came once and never came back.  This group makes up more than 90% of most databases, regardless of region or business model. As the team puts it, that's the hole at the bottom of the bucket. You can pour new audiences in all year, but if they keep flowing straight out, you never get ahead. Acquiring a first-time attender is expensive, yet our field has historically focused far more on attracting new audiences than keeping them. In this episode, the TRG team explores why retention starts long before the curtain rises, how small moments before and after a visit shape future behavior, and why timely invitations, thoughtful loyalty strategies, and early offers are far more effective than last-minute discounts. Underneath it all is a bigger leadership question. Arts organizations need renewable, "count-on-able" income to support artists, staff, and their mission year after year. That doesn't come from constantly replacing first-time attenders, it comes from building stronger relationships with the people who have already said “yes.” What you'll take away: Who Tryers are, why they make up more than 90% of most databases, and why most never return. Why acquiring new audiences won't solve your long-term revenue challenge. Why 75–85% of first-timers never come back, and why most organizations don't know if it's happening to them. Why audience retention starts the moment someone books, not after they attend. The one audience metric every leadership team should be tracking.

In Part 1 of our Demand series, Before We Talk About Ticket Prices, Let’s Talk About Demand, we explored what creates demand in the first place. Now comes the fun part. Once demand exists, how do you actually manage it?The team begins with one metric most organizations overlook: per capita revenue. More than almost any other number, it reveals how audiences are valuing an event and whether demand is strengthening, stagnating, or slipping away. The trend matters more than the number itself, making it one of the earliest indicators of where revenue opportunities exist.From there, the conversation gets practical, moving to scale plans, pricing structures, and the patterns hidden inside a seating map. Why do some houses fill in ways that leave money on the table? Why can a declining average ticket price signal a problem? And why does dynamic pricing work best? Get your foundation solid, then let pricing do its job.The episode closes with a challenge for leaders, and maybe the most freeing idea of all: you don't have to chase every show equally. The TRG team makes a simple case for putting your oxygen mask on first. Give your high-demand shows the attention they deserve, to earn every bit of revenue they can, and use that strength to support the rest.  Key Takeaways:Per capita revenue is one of the clearest indicators of audience demand.A smart scale plan comes first; dynamic pricing is the cherry on top, not the foundation."Little and often" pricing changes protect both your revenue and your loyal patrons.The right software frees your team to do what people do best: build relationships.Demand is a team sport; run it through weekly revenue pacing meetings to identify and respond to signals early. 

When revenue goals aren't being met, it's natural to look at pricing. Should tickets cost more? How high is too high? Should we discount more often? Are ticket prices driving audiences away?   But what if price isn't the place to start? In Part 1 of this two-part conversation on demand, we step back to explore one of the most important questions facing arts organizations today: What actually drives demand? Join the TRG team as they examine the difference between demand and pricing, challenge some common assumptions about audience behavior, and discuss why organizations often spend too much time focused on ticket prices and not enough time understanding what makes people want to attend in the first place. Along the way, you'll hear practical insights about audience perception, the role of value and relevance, and why strong demand is built long before someone reaches the purchase page. This episode lays the foundation for the conversation ahead. Before organizations can influence demand, they need to understand how it works, what shapes it, and why it plays such a critical role in long-term revenue growth. In Part 2, we'll take the next step, exploring how organizations can identify demand signals, evaluate performance throughout the sales cycle, and make more intentional decisions about pricing, pacing, and revenue strategy. Key Takeaways: • Why demand and pricing are not the same thing, and why the distinction matters. • How audience interest, perception, and relevance influence attendance long before price enters the conversation. • Why pricing often responds to demand rather than creating it. • The role audience behavior plays in shaping revenue outcomes. • How perceptions of value and success influence purchasing decisions. • Why discounting isn't always the answer to revenue challenges. • What arts leaders should understand about demand before making pricing decisions. • The foundation organizations need in place before they can actively manage and influence demand. 

Most arts organizations can tell you their revenue targets. Fewer can clearly identify the relationships that will deliver them. As financial pressure continues across the sector, many organizations focus on short-term income. But as this episode explores, revenue doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s built through strengthening audience relationships over time. This conversation introduces TRG’s core relationship framework: Tryers, Buyers, and Advocates. It explores how organizations can better understand the behaviors already inside their CRM systems and use those insights to build stronger loyalty and more sustainable revenue. The TRG team also introduces four strategic focus areas that shape the season ahead: Recency, Demand, People, and Discipline — practical ways organizations can strengthen audience engagement and improve long-term financial stability. At the center of the conversation is a simple idea: organizations that focus intentionally on relationships are better positioned to navigate uncertainty, grow loyalty, and build sustainable revenue. Key Takeaways to Put Into Action: Revenue is built through relationships: Tickets, donations, memberships and subscriptions are outcomes of audience behavior over time. Your future revenue is rooted in past behavior: The people most likely to return may already be in your database. Not all relationships need the same approach: Tryers, Buyers, and Advocates each require different strategies and levels of investment. Frequency starts with recency: The sooner audiences re-engage, the more sustainable loyalty becomes. People-based planning creates clarity: Understanding audience behavior helps organizations forecast more accurately and prioritize resources more effectively. Discipline drives results: Sustainable growth requires consistent focus, accountability, and action. 

Arts leaders are under increasing pressure: financial, operational, and cultural. So, what does it look like to respond differently? In this bonus episode of Leading the Way, Jill Robinson speaks with Christina Littlejohn, CEO of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, about choosing growth when contraction might seem like the safer option. Facing a significant financial gap, Christina made a deliberate decision to invest in audiences, accessibility, and experience rather than scale back. That choice helped build momentum, expand audiences, increase revenue, and strengthen long-term sustainability.  At the center of the conversation is a clear idea: What happens inside the concert hall drives everything else. From fuller feeling houses to stronger donor confidence, Christina shares how audience experience, frequency, and belonging connect directly to revenue and philanthropy.  The episode also explores: Why an abundance mindset matters in moments of pressure  How membership and accessibility increase engagement and loyalty  The role of data, pricing, and segmentation in shaping behavior  Why investing in teams and skills is critical to execution  This is a practical example of entrepreneurial leadership in action where consistent, people-focused decisions compound over time to change outcomes. Listen to our related episode: Leading Through Disruption: The Entrepreneurial Mindset Arts Organizations Need NowFor more insights, all past episodes, and to sign up for our newsletter, visit trgarts.com/leadingtheway Contact Info:  Email [email protected]