Part
I of II
There is generally a lot of discussion about how giant screen (GS)
films can be linked to education or exhibit programming. There has not been as
much discussion of how the theater can link to other endeavors of its host
institution—specifically with the development (fundraising) and membership
units. It was my experience at Pacific Science Center in Seattle that there was
a wonderfully symbiotic relationship among these groups. I was fortunate to
have colleagues who understood and valued our IMAX® theaters and how they could
be an asset for their objectives. The outreach by these units to key
stakeholders for the theaters, in addition to general marketing, was a significant
benefit to the theater. As marketing budgets have become smaller, it is more
important than ever to leverage all available resources to support the success
of any institutional GS theater, including periodic capital upgrades.
When the Science Center first established a donor club, I was
fortunate to have been put in charge of member events. This happened in part because
the theater was seen as an asset that could easily provide a series of donor events
throughout the year in a highly efficient manner. As the donor program grew, I
no longer managed the event program, but I remained a key partner and was involved
in the event planning strategy.
For example, when I was planning on programming the film Living in the Age of Airplanes, I pitched
the film to the VP of Development, Erik Pihl, as the program theme for the
annual gala. He embraced the idea and thought it a perfect match for a gala
sponsorship by Alaska Airlines and The Boeing Company. (Boeing was already an
ongoing supporter of the gala.) Initially, we were told that the CEO of Alaska
Airlines would probably not attend. However, not only did he attend, but we sat Brian Terwilliger,
the film’s director, with him and it was a wonderful pairing. I was also seated
at their table and was able to talk about the film with Alaska Airlines staff.
This event was after the initial launch of the film, so it garnered additional
visibility, including a photo of the three of us in the theater for a local
magazine feature on the gala.
Below is a perspective from Erik Pihl, the former VP of Development at Pacific Science Center, with whom
I worked for nine years. He currently heads Community Engagement for the new
National Nordic Museum in Seattle.
“During my service as VP for Development at Pacific Science
Center, we used the Science Center’s robust IMAX film program
(two screens) as an important donor and prospective donor engagement tool.
Donors who become closer to an institution are more likely to
support it and remain supporters for an extended time period, if not life-long.
The IMAX film program adds
another program dimension in which donors can become more engaged. Most science
centers/museums change their special exhibitions three times per year. Films
change much more frequently, expanding the opportunities for engagement.
On top of the sheer number of films shown in a year is the
diversity of giant screen film content: environmental,
engineering, animals, conservation, adventure, etc. This wide variety of
programming increases the opportunity that donors will find programs that are aligned
with their values and interests—the more a program aligns with a donor’s
interests, the deeper the engagement.
We frequently leveraged further opportunities to bring
filmmakers and film talent to Seattle for the launch of a new film. This
provided opportunities to organize small dinners for donors to meet the
cast and crew of a film, making donors feel important and privileged to have
access to the talent and/or thought leaders.
We provided all members free admission to documentary films. We also
provided complete access to all films, including
features, to
the Center’s leading donors (those making gifts of $1,000 or more). We
regularly monitored usage and found that donors did not abuse these special
privileges. Rather, those who attended the IMAX theaters perceived that the
institution valued their relationship and their support.
Using the IMAX theaters as an engagement tool
led to funding for two major theater remodels, with seven-figure
contributions for each project. They also led to
increased support for the Museum’s operating budget and membership at higher
levels.
While giving away free tickets may seem counter-intuitive to
an institution’s theater business model, our
experience was that the institution yielded far greater philanthropic support (including
membership) and
still achieved its financial goals from tickets purchased by the general public.
There’s a marketing side to this too. With more
than 24,000 member
households, the Science Center had a strong following that could influence the
market through word of mouth. Providing free tickets to members
and donors helped get the word out about a new film and created a buzz in the
community about it.
An IMAX theater definitely can be a
compelling and helpful tool for institutions to grow and sustain their
membership and philanthropy programs.” — Erik
Pihl, Former VP Development, Pacific Science Center
"Member previews of documentaries were some of our top attended
member events. In my experience, our IMAX theater was always, and should
always be, a
major factor in membership strategy.”
Erik had been at the Seattle Art Museum before joining Pacific
Science Center, and he brought with him a strong membership engagement
approach. One aspect of this was to have exhibit previews for members—and by
extension we also added previews for our IMAX documentary films—in addition to the
reception-based events for our higher-level donors.
Film producer Shaun MacGillivray with three generations of a Pacific Science Center donor family at a special donor screening of National Parks Adventure
I had a great partnership
with the membership team, and comments from the last membership manager are
below:
“In my four-year experience
working in membership at our city's Science Center, our IMAX theater was a
consistent and crucial factor in membership sales and member satisfaction. In member
surveys and in data collected through A/B testing, additional IMAX feature
movie passes were one of our top-performing incentives for renewal and
acquisition campaigns, even outperforming reduced cost in some tests. On top of
this, I've found that the perceived value of IMAX passes always far exceeded
their usage rate. Aside from movie passes, we found a number of other unique
ways to boost engagement, exclusivity, and value around our IMAX theater.
Member previews of documentaries were some of our top attended member events,
free concessions provided an extremely low-cost-high-value perk, and we've run
several successful upgrade campaigns with an IMAX movie as the primary call to
action. In my experience, our IMAX theater was always, and should always be, a
major factor in membership strategy.” — Lucas
Moser, Former Membership Manager, Pacific Science Center
Members are increasingly important to cultural organizations. They
are stakeholders and key for word-of-mouth marketing. At the end of this piece
there is a link to an article from Colleen Dilenschneider’s Know Your Own Bone website that
addresses the financial value of members for cultural institutions, especially
as attendance is in decline at many organizations. But most importantly, below
are comments from long-time members of Pacific Science Center who shared
comments about their theater experiences:
“What IMAX movies mean to me: Best
documentaries—intriguing subjects, inspirational accounts, educational stories,
far-flung places. These are thoughts that come to mind and reasons that I love
and enjoy IMAX films. They are well written, creatively shot and beautifully
narrated. It is a fun family event that you know IMAX films can be enjoyed by
young, old, and everybody else in between. Young children can be inspired by
the astronauts, engineers, climbers or anything they dared to dream from
watching IMAX films. It is an added bonus to meet award-winning
directors/producers of IMAX films. I was able to pick their brains on a one-on-one
basis over private lunch or dinner were privileges that Diane afforded me.”
— Elaine W.
“IMAX has
offered my family and me a basket of amazing films over the years. From Beavers when I was a child to Everest as a young adult to the more
recent A Beautiful Planet. We have seen
dozens and dozens of IMAX programs, and they never disappoint. As a long-time
donor to Pacific Science Center, I am truly grateful to the opportunities we
have had to meet the key people in making IMAX programs. From the late Toni
Myers from A Beautiful Planet, to Greg
MacGillivray, who has directed so many loved IMAX movies. Being a member and
donor at our local science center has been a gold opportunity for our family.” — Julie
B.
“Discovery Circle membership has allowed me the
privilege to enjoy IMAX documentaries with special guests such as astronauts
and directors. These individuals have added a lot of depth to my understanding
of how these films were created and puts me in the shoes of the individuals on
the big screen at these family friendly events. I especially enjoyed the IMAX Superpower Dogs film,
which put us in the perspective of various dogs and their human partners as
they aid in making society a better place.” — Nathan W.
"I grew up watching IMAX
movies at the Pacific Science Center, and now I'm studying film at Vassar
College: those treasured nights spent gazing up at the new Harry Potter movie definitely
influenced my choice of studies." — Anna
B.
"I'm very grateful for the many opportunities to
attend IMAX events ever since I was a child. I attended these events with my
parents and grandparents and always felt that these events and films appealed
to audiences of all ages. These films are always engaging and capture touching
stories that showed me other aspects of the world that I wasn't aware of. As a
young adult now, I still enjoy attending these events with my family.”
— Macey W.
Members
and donors are a strategic stakeholder group, and it is beneficial to the
institution as a whole for them to have a special relationship with the GS theater
that transcends the transactional act of buying a ticket.
This is a snapshot from colleagues whom I partnered with directly
to mutually support each other’s objectives and from the members and donors who
value giant screen film programming as an important part of their science center experience. Working
collaboratively across an organization with ample lead time and creativity
benefits not only the theater unit but the organization as a whole. For me, an
added personal benefit of working closely with the Development Division at
Pacific Science Center was wonderful ongoing relationships with many donors. Members
and donors are a strategic stakeholder group, and it is beneficial to the
institution as a whole for them to have a special relationship with the GS theater
that transcends the transactional act of buying a ticket.
This is the first part of a two-part story of successful internal
partnering across divisions that breeds a cycle of success for the theater, the
organization, and the broader industry. In Part II specific examples of success
will be presented that include programming and fundraising. I welcome examples
of success stories about local film and theater sponsorships. Please submit to
my email address below.
Diane Carlson
President Giant Screen Cinema Consulting
Giant Screen Cinema Association Board Member
Former VP Guest Services and Theaters at
Pacific Science Center with a 35+ year tenure.
dianecarlsongscc@gmail.com
Reference: Know Your Own Bone
article about the value of members to cultural organizations:
https://www.colleendilen.com/2019/04/09/crunching-the-numbers-just-how-valuable-are-your-members-data/
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