Union Theater commits to ‘going green’ with new Web site

How to stay current in a fast-changing world, remain relevant to the student body, adjust to a world where subscriptions are becoming a thing of the past (and last-minute ticket buying more and more prominent), go green and save money? And do these all at once?

These were questions the Wisconsin Union Theater staff mulled for a while. Soon it became clear that some tools can be used to address all of them at once, such as a new, powerful, content-rich Web site.

The theater looked at sites of other performance arts centers, discussed what its needs were and included its student committee in the discussion.

The Wisconsin Union Theater serves multiple audiences. UW–Madison students are one audience, faculty and staff another. World music enthusiasts, jazz lovers, classical music connoisseurs and those who’ve been coming to the Travel Adventure Film Series for 20 or more years are each a distinct group, though many are interested in more than one of the theater’s genres. The Union Theater realized that a Web site couldn’t target all of them, at least not equally, which freed it to create a site that would appeal to certain sections of its audience.

As the theater looks to the future, it envisions a more flexible season, one that it can add to throughout the year. This gives the theater financial benefits as well as more relevant programs, especially for the student audience. Many groups do not plan tours more than several months in advance. Creating a “one-and-done” season brochure limits the ability to take advantage of later bookings. If theater patrons get used to looking at the always-changeable Web site to find out what the theater is doing, it can book artists later.

The Union Theater also wanted to go green and use as little paper as possible. That, of course, also saves money. Theater staff let patrons know, through a number of means, that they wanted patrons to switch from a paper brochure to the Web. To entice patrons, theater staff promised a content-rich Web site which would have much more about the artists than could ever be crammed into a brochure. Staff also told patrons that it would be a good way to find out about changes and additions.

Working with the Union’s marketing department and the Division of Information Technology, that Web site was created in about nine months at a cost of about $3,600. Theater staff love the way it looks and the availability of videos, audio, articles, interview, reviews and more for each artist. The ability to add information at any time has proved priceless. It’s easy to buy tickets from any of the site’s pages. There are a number of ways to navigate, and visitors can also subscribe to a monthly e-newsletter, read breaking news or enjoy the student committee blog. The new site also allows theater staff to better promote the events of theater customers, which take place in and out of the theater.

Here’s what theater staff know so far: They sent thousands fewer season brochures, saving money and doing their bit to help the planet. The average daily Internet sales revenue has gone up from roughly $500 per day last season to $1,250 per day this season. A few events have current sales in which half or more of the tickets were purchased online. Students buy tickets almost exclusively online.

The theater hopes to stop producing a paper brochure altogether within a few years, although research indicates it can’t be done yet. Staff will continue to book acts later in the year and uses various methods, such as the e-newsletter, to let patrons know.