Rylander Theatre Marketing & Development Strategies & Tactics

[ RYLANDER THEATRE MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES & TACTICS] Archway Partnership, UGA School of Public and International Affairs Michael Kolzet, Megan Miller, Brent Wetmore

TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary Section 1: Clarify Customer Profile  The Rylander Response Survey o Survey Administration – Audience Members o Survey Administration – Website Users o Data Compilation & Analysis  PRIZM Data Section 2: Marketing Programs  Analysis of Current Marketing Programs  Customer Segmented Marketing Programs o General Marketing Tactics Tactic 1: “Bring a Friend” Promotion and Papering the House Tactic 2: Website Modifications Tactic 3: Increase Product Offerings o Friends of The Rylander Tactic 4: Up-sell Current Friends of the Rylander o New Senior Citizen Clientele Tactic 5: Target Senior Centers & Social Groups o Tourists and Rylander Visitors Tactic 6: SAM Short Rail Excursion Promos Tactic 7: Special Events- Peanut Festival and Others o New Young Adult Patrons Tactic 8: Free Student Night- Expanded Tactic 9: Leverage GSW Partnership Tactic 10: Social Media - Facebook Tactic 11: Cross - Promotions Tactic 12: Local Movie Theatre Advertisements Section 3: Development Strategies and Tactics  Analysis of Current Development Strategies  Answer the Question: “Why should I contribute to the Rylander?” Tactic 13: Illustrate the Rylander’s Contribution with Stories & Stats Tactic 14: Communicate Mission & Impact Consistently and in Multiple Ways Tactic 15: Give the People More Value  Make it Easy for People to Donate Tactic 16: Facilitate Website Donations Tactic 17: Point of Purchase Solicitation Tactic 18: Pre-Performance Enlightenment

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Build Strong Relationships with Donors through Acknowledgment & Communication Tactic 19: Say, “Thank you” Tactic 20: Create a Donor Display Tactic 21: Stay in Touch- Don’t Just Ask for Money Increase Sponsorships, Grants and Other Contributed Support Tactic 22: Go Big or Go Home – Business Sponsorship Tactic 23: Leverage GSW Partnership to Go for Grants

Section 4: Conclusion/Next Steps APPENDIX: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Target Americus Companies Rylander Response Survey Rylander Theatre Background Graduate Assistant Bios

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Rylander Theatre is in a period of transition and is seeking to grow by attracting new patrons while maintaining current supporters. To do so the Rylander must clarify current audience demographics while simultaneously increasing and diversifying its audience and donor base. To achieve these goals, we recommend that the Rylander consider the following strategies: 1. Utilize the provided demographic/psychographic survey to define current audience members, gauge marketing program effectiveness, and tailor future performance seasons to fit audience interests. By creating a baseline marketing metric, the Rylander will find out pertinent information about existing patrons and identify the most effective channels of communication to engage this core audience. Additionally, through social media and online survey tools that encourage new demographics to provide feedback, the Rylander can actively tailor its production schedule and develop marketing tactics geared toward the next generation of audience members. 2. Implement marketing tactics highlighted in this plan which target specific existing and potential customer segments including students, young adults and senior citizens. Many of the marketing tools suggested overlap and therefore “General Marketing Tactics” were identified to focus the next steps of the Rylander. 3. Increase donations by highlighting the ways in which the Rylander contributes to the Americus community, streamlining the donation process, and making more personal connections with individual donors and corporate sponsors. Documenting and measuring the Rylander’s contributions to the community make the Rylander a stronger contender for contributed support from foundations and corporate sponsorships. By streamlining the donation process and creating more incentives for donors, the Rylander can increase donations thus assuring future funding for marketing initiatives and performance series. Implementation of this marketing and development plan will take significant human resources and organizational commitment. By effectively delegating aspects of this plan to interns and volunteers, this plan is actionable and will support the Rylander in navigating through this transitional period. Further, the authors feel that it is important to clarify that this document provides a comprehensive list of generally accepted theatre marketing and developing tactics- that in some instances we have discovered cannot be applied to the Rylander in the current environment. These tactics have been included for the sake of completeness and in the hope of potentially being applicable in the future. We hope them to spur a different viewpoint regarding development during the coming years. We would also like to express that this plan is meant to illustrate the numerous opportunities available via specific tactic recommendations. If a specific recommendation is identified for further in-depth analysis please contact your Archway Professional.

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SECTION 1: CLARIFY CUSTOMER PROFILE THE RYLANDER RESPONSE SURVEY At this point in time, it is difficult to make any recommendations for marketing and development initiatives because little data exists that could be used to analyze the effectiveness of current programs. To overcome this hurdle, staff should prioritize the implementation of a customer survey that we have dubbed ‘The Rylander Response Survey’ (see Appendix). Information collected using the survey will provide a snapshot of:   

Current customer demographics The effectiveness of marketing programs Customer satisfaction with and ideas for performance offerings

Survey Administration – Audience Members Administering the Rylander Response Survey at each Presenter’s Series performance and as many Sumter Players’ and private events as possible will provide valuable information about current Rylander customers. The survey may be administered during performances at the Rylander or via e-mail. If the Rylander chooses to administer the survey by e-mail, staff and volunteers should collect contact information including e-mail addresses from Patrons during events. Participation can be incentivized using a free ticket raffle. If the Rylander chooses to administer the survey during events a copy of the survey should be inserted into each playbill so that every audience member gets a portion of the full survey to complete before the performance. Pens or pencils should be on hand for audience members who may need them. Ten minutes prior to curtain, an announcement should be made to point out the surveys, explain their importance and ask audience members to complete them and turn them back in. Audience members should be further informed that in gratitude for their feedback they will be included in a drawing to receive 4 free tickets. Five minutes prior to the show start, an announcement should be made to pass the surveys to the aisles for collection by Rylander staff and to be entered into a drawing for those that choose to participate. The drawing for the 4 free tickets should be made from the stage before the show or during intermission. A concerted effort should be made to collect surveys from every single audience member. Survey Administration – Website Users The Rylander Response Survey can also be made available to patrons on the Rylander website and Facebook page by using SurveyMonkey.com for little or no cost. We recommend moving the survey option to a more visible place on the Rylander home page incentivizing participation by entering survey names into a monthly drawing for 4 free tickets to any Presenter’s Series performance. Web survey results should be kept separate from surveys administered at performances. Data Compilation & Analysis SurveyMonkey.com offers a “Select” annual subscription for $204 which automatically produces graphs and reports. We recommend that the Rylander purchase this subscription to facilitate

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compilation and analysis of survey data. Interns should be used to input survey responses into SurveyMonkey.com for ease of analysis. Once this information has been compiled for the majority of the season (the makeup of theatre attendees will vary based on the show type and may not be representative of all potential Rylander consumers), it should be reviewed to shape future marketing programs. It can also be forwarded to the Athens Archway office where it will be imported into excel and statistical programs (MiniTab or SPSS) for more in-depth analysis and feedback. PRIZM DATA Attempting to conduct a comprehensive demographic study of the area is cost and capacity prohibitive. However, extremely reliable market segmentation information for Sumter & surrounding counties is easily available through PRIZM data. PRIZM information is a combination of all Neilson system collection points used to create specific profiles of customers and community segments based on zip code. PRIZM is an extremely powerful tool that the Rylander can use at no cost to classify consumers once zip code feedback is received from the Rylander Response Survey. More information on PRIZM can be found at:



http://www.claritas.com/MyBestSegments/tutorials/Nielsen_PRIZM/engage.html

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SECTION 2: POTENTIAL MARKETING PROGRAMS ANALYSIS OF CURRENT MARKETING PROGRAMS As stated earlier, it is difficult to make any recommendations regarding current and future marketing expenditures because no baseline has been established to measure the effectiveness of current marketing programs. To address this issue, questions have been incorporated into the Rylander Response Survey that measure patrons’ exposure to the Rylander and the effectiveness of current communication mediums. Additionally, the Rylander Response Survey includes questions designed to create justification for specific marketing actions geared toward customer profile segments. With the information collected through the survey Archway can provide further ideas and insight into targeted marketing programs. Tickets can be purchased on an individual basis, or as part of a membership package. Currently, the Rylander offers the following membership levels and benefits: Understudy

$

50.00

Rylander decal and magnet

Chorus

$ 125.00

1 ticket to each Presenter’s Series production

Playwright

$ 250.00

2 tickets to each Presenter’s Series production

Director

$ 500.00


Producer

$1,000.00+


CUSTOMER SEGMENTED MARKETING PROGRAMS The marketing strategies that follow are designed to target specific customer segments and profiles. The goal of each of these programs is to improve attendance and/or overall revenue for the Rylander. Targeted customer segments are as follows:      

General Marketing Tactics Friends of The Rylander – Current Patrons New Senior Citizen Clientele Tourists and Rylander Visitors New Young Adult Patrons New Young Families

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General Marketing Tactics The following tactics can be used across market segments. We highly recommend that you implement the following: Tactic 1: “Bring a Friend” Promotion and Papering the House  The Rylander house can hold over 600 people and does not usually sell out. Since performances occur regardless of the number of patrons in the audience, giving away seats as a promotional tool is strongly suggested. One of the ways to fill excess capacity is a 2-for-1, “Bring a friend” promotion. Ideally this would be for a less popular show where empty seats are anticipated.  The Rylander could also paper the house by giving tickets away to select businesses (see Appendix), retirement centers, social clubs, etc. to help create relationships, foster partnerships, and encourage first time guests and/or reward loyal patrons. Tactic 2: Website Modifications  A website is a living entity that must constantly be upgraded. Although an investment was recently made to upgrade the organization’s website, we recommend that the Rylander consider the following additional changes. The webmaster may be able make these upgrades at no additional charge or Archway may be able to assist. o Streamline the home page to make it easy to locate objects with minimal scrolling. Limit detailed information on the homepage by using links to other pages; focus attention on upcoming events and promotions. o Increase font size and move Facebook and Twitter links to top of page to encourage people to connect to the Rylander in multiple ways. o Streamline the online ticket purchasing process:  Update the seating chart on the website and allow patrons to select their individual or “premium section” seats for a small additional fee. o Make the Rylander Response Survey and Americus & Rylander (see appendix) overview available on website. o Make it possible to donate through the website (see tactic 15). o Link website blog and Facebook discussion boards to create an interaction space between the fans (there are over 1,000 likes) and the Rylander. o Include a page on your website which highlights your mission, impact and partnerships (see Development Strategies and Tactics and Appendix). o Benchmark the Springer Opera House website for their concise and effective presentation of performance offerings on the home page. http://www.springeroperahouse.org/plaintext/home/home.aspx.  Use blogs consistently and strategically. Ideally, this task is delegated to someone who can regularly post and interact with supporters.  Keep the calendar up-to-date. Send reminders for upcoming events through Twitter and to everyone who “likes” the Rylander on Facebook and the information will pop up on their newsfeed.  Continue to use the website to promote upcoming events and promotions (e.g. Free Student Night, etc.).

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Tactic 3: Increase Product Offerings  The Rylander currently hosts a variety of performances throughout the season including those presented by the Friends of the Rylander, YIPPIE, Sumter Players and other parties. Consider working with these partners to package performances into subscription series that will appeal to targeted market segments. For example: o Family Fun Subscription Package of kid-friendly performances o Comic Relief Package geared toward young adults o Local Heritage geared toward community supporters

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Friends of the Rylander – Current Patrons Based on anecdotal evidence, Friends of the Rylander are core senior citizen audience members who are aware of and attend Presenter’s Series performances. Select members of this group volunteer as ushers and contribute to the Friends of the Rylander to help off-set the cost of the Presenter’s Series. Tactic 4: Up-sell Current Friends of the Rylander  Create incentives that justify the producer level price premium and up-sell director and other lower level patrons. Possible incentives include: o Free drink and/or popcorn with producer level ticket stub o Special parking o Choice of individual or “premium section” seating reserved for Producer Level patrons o Pre-show/post-show events (e.g. meet the cast, etc.)  Expand higher-priced ticket offerings to this customer segment. Currently, Producer Level tickets are only available to events in the Presenter’s Series not performances of the Sumter Players. New Senior Citizen Clientele Anecdotally, this demographic makes up the core group of patrons that currently attend the Rylander Theatre performances. Marketing targeted toward this group has the potential to increase audience, donor and volunteer involvement with the Rylander. Tactic 5: Target Senior Centers & Social Groups  Identify and contact senior centers and social clubs. The Americus Chamber of Commerce should be able to provide a partial list of social organizations such as Americus Senior Center, Rotary club, Elk’s and Moose Lodges, bridge clubs, bingo clubs, book clubs, etc. Have interns call local social clubs to offer discounted group rates and/or other promotions.  Establish partnerships with assisted living and retirement centers (e.g. Magnolia Manner, Perfect Care, Hidden Pines and Americus Senior Center) to promote Rylander performances. Speak with the center activities coordinator and explore: o the possibility of developing a special rate for center residents o options for marketing to relatives visiting residents who may want to attend the theatre as part of a special outing with their loved one in care o transportation alternatives for residents including buses provided by the center or the Rylander itself

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Americus Tourists and Rylander Visitors Americus has the potential to attract tourists throughout the season due to its location on the train line and proximity to Plains, GA. The Rylander should leverage these opportunities to connect with visitors to the area and make the theatre a tourist destination. Tactic 6: SAM Short Rail Excursion Promos  Each afternoon the SAM brings tourists to downtown Americus. The Theatre is in close proximity to one of the stops and currently offers regular tours of the facility and sells memorabilia to tourists. We recommend that the Rylander work with Sumter Players to create a short theatre piece that highlights the theatre and community which could be performed immediately following the tour. Tourists would pay $5 for a 15-20 minute show with children under 5 attending at no cost. This promotion would generate additional revenue and give the patrons the opportunity to see a live performance in the historic theatre.  Offer a special promotion to audience members with SAM ticket stubs. Patrons with SAM ticket stubs could get half priced or 2-for-1 tickets to performances, thus encouraging tourists to spend a night in Americus.  All specials promotions which involve SAM tourists should be advertised in collaboration with the SAM. Tactic 7: Special Events - Peanut Festival and Others  Use guerrilla marketing tactics such as flash mobs, street theatre skits highlighting local history (e.g. story of Koinonia) or a President Carter look-alike contest to promote upcoming shows during high traffic weekends.  Ensure that performances are in fact scheduled around major festivals and events and that tours and performances at the Rylander are included in the schedule of events.  Consider offering a discount to festival visitors to encourage attendance at upcoming performances.

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New Young Adult Patrons The Rylander has access to a relatively large population of potential young adult patrons due to its proximity to Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) and South Georgia Technical College. By marketing to this customer segment and developing a performance series that appeals to younger audiences the Rylander can ensure a customer base for years to come. Tactic 8: Free Student Night - Expanded  Attract younger audience members with a free or discounted student night that builds on the existing relationship with GSW student base and expands to include South Georgia Technical College and Americus High School.  Distribute fliers on campus and promote the event through school and Rylander Facebook pages. Interns could be used to create flash mobs, or to distribute promotional materials in costume on campus. In promotional materials targeting college students, highlight the fact that the Rylander serves alcohol to theatre patrons. Tactic 9: Leverage GSW Partnership  Build on the existing partnership with Georgia Southwestern State University to crosspromote programs and performances. GSW Dramatic Arts currently has two web-pages which could serve to highlight the program’s relationship with the Rylander. The Rylander’s website could also provide information on the partnership and a link to the GSW Dramatic Arts homepage: o http://gsw.edu/~finearts/Dramatic_Arts/CommunityPartnership.shtml o http://gsw.edu/~finearts/Dramatic_Arts/Events.shtml  Survey GSW students using a version of the Rylander Response Survey and build a season around their feedback geared toward young adult audiences.  Explore ways to work with the GSW Dramatic Arts program to create a performance series that will appeal to young adults audiences (e.g. contemporary drama, comedy and musical theatre or improv). Tactic 10: Social Media - Facebook  Make the Rylander Facebook page more intuitive by enabling searches for “Rylander” and “Rylander Theatre” as well as “The Rylander Theatre”.  Use GSW interns to get more Facebook and Twitter followers and to establish stronger web connections with GSW Dramatic Arts and the University in general.  Promote all events through Facebook, whether they are part of the Presenter’s Series, the Sumter Players’ season or when the Theatre is rented out by a third party. Consistent postings about events at the Theatre create a “buzz”.  Develop a plan, implemented by interns, to consistently use discussion boards. Ideally link the Rylander Response Survey to the Facebook page in order to get more input from young adults.

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Tactic 11: Cross - Promotions  Partner with local restaurants to cross-promote. For example, work with Monroe’s, the popular hot dog spot located next door to the Rylander, to develop a promotion where patrons who present a Rylander ticket stub or a coupon printed in the playbill get a free drink with the purchase of a hotdog. Tactic 12: Local Movie Theatre Advertisements  Explore airing a paid commercial during the previews at near-by movie theatres: o Carmike Cinemas Americus Cinema 2 (0.6 miles away) o Spotlight Theatres Cordele Square Stadium 5 - Cordele (25 miles away)

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SECTION 3: DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND TACTICS ANALYSIS OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS Currently, little data exists to paint a picture of current donor trends. Anecdotally, most donors to Friends of the Rylander (the non-profit entity which sponsors the Presenter’s Series) are senior citizens who actively attend performances, volunteer and otherwise contribute to the Rylander. Moving forward, the Rylander should collect basic demographic as well as contact information from donors. Most donors support the Rylander through the Friends of the Rylander organization at one of the following membership levels: Understudy

$

50.00

Rylander decal and magnet

Chorus

$ 125.00

1 ticket to each Presenter’s Series production

Playwright

$ 250.00


Director

$ 500.00


Producer

$1,000.00+


The following strategies and tactics serve to build and expand on this current structure.

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ANSWER THE QUESTION “Why should I contribute to the Rylander?” The Foundation of any Development plan is building the case for why people and organizations should support a given effort. The current website does little to clarify the mission of the Rylander and the positive impact the Theatre has on the community of Americus while the Fox Theatre Institute website has the following to say: “As an educational resource the [Rylander Theatre] has contributed to the realization of community-based programs and enrichment activities for area schools, as well as serving as a venue for touring productions by nationally acclaimed artists. These offerings simply would not have been available for this under-served population without the existence of the Rylander Theatre.” The Rylander makes a significant difference by:  Bringing high-quality performing arts performances to the people of Americus through the relationship with Friend’s of the Rylander  Providing a beautiful and historic venue for local events including community theatre performances with the Sumter Players, student band concerts and dance recitals  Engaging students with live performance through YIPPIE that deepens their understanding of language arts and socials studies concepts and content Tactic 13: Illustrate the Rylander’s Contribution with Stories & Stats  Collect stories or quotes from renters, teachers, students, performers and audience members and use their words to build the case for supporting the Rylander; Use the website photo gallery to bring these stories to life. For best practices on storytelling as a development strategy visit www.agoodmanonline.com.  Compile statistics that quantify the impact the Rylander has on the community. Suggestions include: o Number of community groups who rent the theatre each season o Number of audience members who attend performances each year o Number of students who attend YIPPIE productions Tactic 14: Communicate Mission & Impact Consistently and in Multiple Ways  Communicate the Rylander’s mission, supporting stories and statistics consistently in order to build the case that the Theatre is a local gem. Suggestions for communicating this information include: o Add a “case” page to the Rylander website and update it periodically to keep it fresh o Include in playbills for all performances staged at the Rylander o Ensure that a blurb with highlights is included in all press releases and marketing materials o Create an eye-catching display in the lobby with pertinent information o Develop a Rylander elevator speech, and train all staff & volunteers to deliver their personalized version of the speech o Verbally communicate this information in an engaging and inspiring way during pre-show “enlightenment” (see below)

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Tactic 15: Give the People More Value  The Rylander incentivizes membership to the Friends of the Rylander by offering tickets to donors at tiered levels. Many donors would probably purchase tickets regardless, and attendance at performances in and of itself does not foster the kind of relationship building needed to increase donor support. The Rylander must incentivize donations with more than just tickets and engage donors to ensure continued support. Possible tactics include: o Post-show Reception/ Afterglow where donors and Theatre staff or performers have a chance to mix and mingle o Post-show Discussions which give the audience a chance to ask questions of performers and reflect on the performance they have just experienced o Producer’s Name in Lights recognizes supporters using a lobby display and through the website (donors should have the option to opt out as well)

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MAKE IT EASY TO DONATE Donors are likely to be people who actively attend performances at the Rylander; while they are at the theatre they should be asked to contribute. This action should be viewed with the premise of “nothing is too small” and “every bit helps”. After clearly articulating the mission and impact of the Rylander audience members, website visitors and other potential donors should have a quick and simple way to contribute. Tactic 16: Facilitate Website Donations  Strategically place a DONATE NOW button on your website so that users can easily click to make a contribution. The more user-friendly and fast this option is the more successful it will be.  Collect contact information for all online donors so that thank you letters can be mailed later on.  Link contact and donation information to a donor database. Tactic 17: Point of Purchase Solicitation  Give people buying tickets the opportunity to donate a small amount on top of their tickets purchase. Whenever tickets are purchased, either online or at the box office, customers should be queried, “would you like to donate $_____ amount to the Rylander?”.  To be effective, this should be an option included in the final steps of online purchases and should be integrated into the box office ticket purchasing process. Tactic 18: Pre-Performance Enlightenment  Create and deliver a pre-show speech that brings home the fact that the Rylander can only operate with the support of the community.  Develop a short comedic script to use in place of a pre-show speech that encourages patrons to make a donation before they walk out the door in an entertaining way. o For example: a high flying acrobat jumps expecting a soft trapeze net but lands instead in a child-sized pool due to budget constraints. Use the child-sized pool in the lobby to collect donations and bring home your message with humor.  Give audience members a clear action step after the pre-show speech. This could include passing a donation basket through the house (like in church) after the speech or directing audience members to a display with a donation box in the lobby.

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BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH DONORS THROUGH ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & COMMUNICATION Tactic 19: Say, “Thank you.”  All donors and volunteers should be acknowledged for their contribution within one week of receipt. Consider sending thank you cards, and using volunteers to hold an annual telephone thank-a-thon to personally acknowledge Rylander supporters. Tactic 20: Create a Donor Display.  Acknowledge donors using a visual display. This could be something as simple as posting colorful slips of paper with donor names around your merchandise display, or a more formal display of donors at different levels that includes a picture or personal statement about why they chose to donate. Ideally displays are created in the lobby of the Theatre as well as on the website.  The Rylander could also list donors in playbills and/or place an ad in the local newspaper once a season thanking contributors for their support. Tactic 21: Stay in Touch - Don’t Just Ask for Money.  Sending out regular e-newsletters can be a way to keep donors informed about developments at the theatre including productions, community events and school outreach programs. The Rylander should cultivate relationships with donors so that they feel connected and invested in the mission and impact of the organization so that when it comes time to ask for financial support, there is a foundation upon which to build.

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INCREASE SPONSORSHIPs, GRANTS AND OTHER CONTRIBUTED SUPPORT Tactic 22: Go Big or Go Home – Business Sponsorship  Approach the major employers located in Sumter and surrounding counties (see Appendix for a proposed target list) and offer these entities discounted ticket packages for their employees in exchange for different levels of sponsorship. o For instance, Habitat for Humanity could sponsor a production or series in exchange for playbill and website recognition and a number of tickets for employees. If tickets are normally $20, offering even 100 tickets to be used over the course of the season for $1,000 provides a discount of over $1,000 for Habitat, which nevertheless creates an additional $1,000 of revenue for the Rylander, and has the ability to reach new consumers, and increase exposure.  Pitch businesses on the opportunity to create a fun, family environment for employees by utilizing the Rylander as an asset base. The Rylander can offer discounted group rates that employees can purchase for their families through the relationship with their employer. Additionally, the Rylander can propose a “Company XYZ Night” to larger employers in the community where all employees and their families attend a performance together – creating an out-of-office opportunity to create goodwill. Tactic 23: Leverage GSW Partnership to Go for Grants  Research grants which could support the development or expansion of season offerings. Many foundations are focusing their grant dollars on education these days. With Y.I.P.P.I.E. the Rylander has an opportunity to pursue grant dollars which link performance to education outcomes. Possible funders include the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Education Foundation as well as local funding sources.

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NEXT STEPS The marketing programs outlined above rely heavily on the Rylander’s ability to successfully profile customers and measure the effectiveness of marketing initiatives. Without such data we are unable to draw definitive conclusions on the effectiveness of television and magazine advertising. Nevertheless, we recommend prioritizing the implementation of the following “quick wins” as they will provide the greatest return and require few marketing metrics to be successful:

1. Use interns to administer and compile data from the Rylander Response Survey (section 1)

2. Collect and compile anecdotes and statistics that illustrate the Rylander’s contribution to the community (tactic 18)

3. Contact local businesses, senior centers and social groups to create relationships and build partnerships (tactics 5 and 23). Strategically paper the house to facilitate the development of these relationships (tactic 3)

4. Ask people to donate to the Rylander at point of purchase (tactic 18)

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APPENDIX 1: TARGET AMERICUS COMPANIES

County Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Sumter Crisp Crisp Crisp Dooly Lee

Employer Sumter County Schools Cooper Lighting Habitat for Humanity Wal-Mart Phoebe Sumter Medical Center Magnolia Manor Georgia Southwestern State University Southern Star Community Services Sumter County City of Americus Downtown Business District South Georgia Technical College Sumter County Board of Commissioners Mulcoa Regional Hospital, Inc Harris Waste Management Group, Inc Wal-mart Tyson Food, Inc Oxford Construction Company

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APPENDIX 2: RYLANDER RESPONSE SURVEY Thank you for completing and returning this survey! Your feedback helps us to better serve patrons and other supporters of the Rylander Theatre. Please return your survey by intermission to be entered into the drawing for 4 free tickets!!! What performance did you attend/ are you planning to attend? List Presenter’s Series Titles

Sumter Players

Other

Please tell us a little about yourself by circling all that apply. Gender: MALE FEMALE Age:

25 or younger

26 - 40

41-60

61 years and over

What is the highest level of education you have attained? High School Some College Associates Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate Degree Children under 18:

1

2

3

more than three

In which county do you live? Are you employed by any of the following organizations? Sumter County Schools GSW South Georgia Technical College Phoebe Sumter Medical Center Habitat for Humanity Magnolia Manor Cooper Lighting City of Americus Fuller Center for Housing Sumter County Board of Commissioners Other: __________________________________ Where have you heard about the Rylander? Where else do you think the Rylander should advertise? ___________________________________________________________________

Continued on back

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Please tell us a little about your experience with the Rylander. How many times have you been to a performance at the Rylander this year? 1 2 3 4 5 6 more than 6 Please rate your interest in the following kinds of performances at the Rylander: 1 (Not interested) 2 (Somewhat Interested) 3 (Highly interested) Musical Theatre 1 2 3 Classical Theatre 1 2 3 Drama 1 2 3 Comedy 1 2 3 Live Music 1 2 3 Dance 1 2 3 Children’s Productions 1 2 3 Community Theatre 1 2 3 Improv/ Stand-Up Comedy 1 2 3 Please assess the Rylander Theatre on the following scale: 1 (Poor) 2 (Somewhat Poor) 3 (Reasonable) How satisfied are you with our performances? 1

4 (High) 2

3

5 (Exceptional) 4 5

Please provide the following if you would like to be added to our mail or e-mail list: NAME: _________________________________________________ ADDRESS: _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ EMAIL: _________________________________________________ Please remember to submit your survey by intermission of this performance in order to be entered into the drawing for 4 free tickets to ANY show in our Performance Series!!!

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APPENDIX 3: RYLANDER THEATRE BACKGROUND http://www.rylander.org/ Rylander Overview The Rylander Theatre is a classic playhouse, open year round with most performances occurring September through May. The Rylander does not currently have a resident theatre company, thus the Theatre must book touring acts for their Presenter’s Series each season. The Presenter’s Series of 4-5 shows is sponsored by the Friends of the Rylander. The Theatre rents space each year to the Sumter Players, the local community theatre group, which presents its own annual season of performances. In addition, twelve to fifteen individual or group renters lease the space for events from talent shows to dance recitals. The Theatre is run by a small, dedicated staff and volunteers including:  Managing Director (FT)  Administrative Assistant (FT)  Box Office Manager (PT)  Housekeeper (PT)  College Interns from GSW who assist in the box office and with production elements Revenue The Rylander has several revenue streams including:  Ticket sales (100% from Presenter’s Series and a percentage of box office sales from the Sumter Player’s season)  Theatre Rentals including Sumter Players and approximately 15-20 other groups each season  Contributed support from the Charles L Mix Foundation  A portion of the General Fund from the City of Americus provides operational support to the theatre (see below)  The Rylander was a past recipient of a bricks and mortar grant from the Fox Theatre Institute (http://www.foxtheatreinstitute.org/tap/participants/rylander/) Government Relationship Analysis of the city financials reveals the following relationship:  The City levees a 7% Hotel/Motel lodging tax, of this, 2 % is allocated to the ‘Theatre Authority Fund’. The Theatre Authority Fund is one of five proprietary funds used to source the operations of the Rylander

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  

Every year, this 2% is added to the fund. As of 2009, the fund held $2,446,657. The 2008 operating costs of the Rylander were $ 447,145 The Rylander pools around $75,000 from ‘Grants/Contributions” The Rylander receives a yearly operational budget that is roughly between $450 – $480,000 over the past five years

Friends of the Rylander The Friends of the Rylander, a non-profit affiliated with the theatre, raises money to bring in 4-5 touring performances for the “Presenter’s Series”. The Theatre covers 40% of the cost to bring the out-of-town acts in to perform. All ticket revenues go back into the Rylander Theatre Operating Budget. This year’s Presenter’s Season includes:  Atlanta Opera  Hitchcock Film Festival  A Christmas Carol  January Beach Party featuring Sons of Sailors  Drinkin’, Singin’ and Swingin’ a Salute to Frank Sinatra, Sammie Davis Jr., and Dean Martin Sumter Players The Sumter Players, the local community theatre group, is nominally responsible for all of its own marketing but has developed a symbiotic relationship with the Rylander over time. Each year it brings together amateur casts from the community to perform on the Rylander stage. This year’s season includes:  Crimes of the Heart  Chicago  Charlotte’s Web  Blithe Spirit Youth in Plays and Performances Infused with Education (YIPPIE) The Rylander brings several touring youth productions to Americus and partners with the Theatre Department at Georgia Southwestern State University to present additional youth productions each season as part of YIPPIE. Performances are linked with academic guidelines and Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) to encourage school participation.

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APPENDIX 4: GRADUATE ASSISTANT BIOS Michael Kolzet Michael Kolzet graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2005 with a degree in Marketing and is currently attending the University of Georgia and an MBA Candidate in the Terry College of Business. As former Consumer Marketing Manager and Assistant Project Manager at one of the big five consulting firms, Michael has experience with project management and leading multinational product and brand marketing campaigns. Notably, Michael conducted primary research with local businesses and hospitals to gauge the benefits of fiber-optic conduits in underserved and economically deprived communities in North Carolina. His findings and recommendations became the foundation for a campaign to secure support and funding for a regional fiber-optic initiative by the University of North Carolina and the Golden Leaf Organization- responsible for promoting social welfare in historically tobacco-dependent regions. On August 18th, 2010 State and Federal TARP funds committed over $130MM towards fiber-optic infrastructure in eastern North Carolina. Megan Miller Megan Miller is a graduate of Oberlin College and a first year Master of Public Administration (MPA) candidate at the University of Georgia. Megan recently moved to Georgia with her family from Detroit, Michigan where she served as the Director of Programs at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit. Mosaic is an internationally acclaimed youth development organization that has performed with artists such as Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and the Temptations for audiences in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Kennedy Center. While at Mosaic, Megan grew satellite program participation from 230 to more than 1000 youth served each year, and represented Mosaic in an inter-agency collaboration recognized as a model for collaborative youth arts programming. In 2009 Megan was selected to represent Mosaic as the organization’s Emerging Leader at a nine-month Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Program sponsored by the Bank of America Foundation. Brent Wetmore Brent Wetmore, who earned his BBA from Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia in 2005, will be graduating from Terry with his MBA in 2012. Between his degrees, he spent five years working in CPG brand management with some of the world’s largest beer and liquor suppliers in regional roles across multiple international markets. Adept at understanding sales, distribution, marketing, logistics and international relationship functions as they relate to business in the competitive and governmental landscape, Brent is proud to be putting his expertise to use at the Archway Partnership.

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