Maaspoort is always looking for ways to make the theater even more valuable to the region. The theater is also curious about technology. Linda: “Where possible, we use AI to streamline processes, make things easier, and assist us in our work. This allows us to invest more energy in tasks that require human effort. I’ve been working here for sixteen years now, and I’m not planning to do anything else anytime soon. It remains an inspiring place because it’s constantly reinventing itself.”
Comparison with Other Theaters
Linda had been searching for a way to work with national personas for some time, especially to enable comparisons with other theaters. “The Cultural Target Group Model meets that need, especially as more and more theaters are embracing the model, and hopefully, it will soon be integrated into DIP. This way, you can see how your audience compares to that of another theater. Moreover, while drafting our new policy vision, we were curious about who we already know and reach well, as well as about underrepresented target groups. That’s where opportunities lie.”
“Opportunities lie with underrepresented target groups”
Valuable Insights
In the summer of 2024, Maaspoort conducted a baseline measurement. “Some findings confirmed what we already suspected, but we also learned, for example, that ‘Tasting Suburbanites’ visit our theater above average, while we underperform with ‘Local Leisure Enjoyers’ and ‘Emerging Culture Explorers.’ We probably don’t offer the right programming for them, or our tone of voice doesn’t resonate. These kinds of valuable insights are really helpful for your strategy. I’m very optimistic about the pilot with DIP to explore whether the Cultural Target Group Model can be made accessible for the entire theater sector.”
Afternoon Theater Preference
The ‘Local Leisure Enjoyer’ is a promising group, often older individuals who are generally open to theater but still encounter barriers. “This group is large in Venlo and is growing rapidly due to the above-average aging compared to the Randstad. We’re now exploring what we can program specifically for this target group and what’s needed to communicate with them. A student has chosen this topic as their graduation project. A survey and a series of interviews with older non-theatergoers provided super interesting insights. For example, it emerged that this target group prefers to visit the theater on Wednesday or Thursday afternoons. Next year, we’ll test this with a special program line tailored to their wishes: Good Afternoon Maaspoort. We’ll also use different communication tools, such as flyers in community centers.”
Youths Want Something Special
When it comes to the ‘Emerging Culture Explorer,’ we’re talking about almost or recently graduated individuals who want to see and experience everything. During workshops by Kim van den Brink, Linda and programmer Wieke Vrijhoef started thinking from the customer journey perspective. “What challenges do these young people face, what are the barriers? These include things like formal branding or the marble floor at the entrance. That doesn’t suit this target group. They prefer something that’s tailored specifically for them. We’re addressing this with ‘The Backstage’; our smaller hall will have its own entrance opposite the pop venue. The interior will resemble a cabaret café, and we’ll develop a special program, including experimental theater or a cabaret late night. We’re testing this in the new season, with technical adjustments and a revamped interior to follow later.”
Golden Tip
Linda immediately shares her golden tip for everyone in the cultural sector: just get started with a project! “Try things out, see if the target group embraces it. We always seek advice from people within the target group itself. This makes it sometimes more complex but also easier. You immediately have a foot in the door with that target group. Measure and evaluate what worked and what didn’t, then adjust accordingly. I believe you shouldn’t overthink everything until it’s perfect. By then, it might already be outdated. Yes, sometimes you’ll fail... but you’ll learn from it!”
Personalization: Digital and Print
In addition to targeting new audiences, Maaspoort certainly doesn’t lose sight of its existing visitors. “We still see opportunities and firmly believe in personalization. Just like major retailers do: using AI to show a personalized offering. Not just digitally, but also in print. I think we’re the only theater that distributes personalized printed materials with tips based on the visitor profile. We developed this together with a company from Cologne and Canon Production Printing here in the city. We can still optimize this personal approach further.”
Further Developing Personas
After attending the workshop, there’s been a more conscious effort to use the right tools for each target group. “We’ve assigned our focus target groups to colleagues, so every target group has a voice within the team when we work on new campaigns. We also want to take the personas we developed during the workshop to the next level. We want to roll them out further within the organization because, for now, they’re mostly limited to marketing and programming. We’d like them to become more embedded in other parts of the organization. The names of the Cultural Target Groups are quite difficult; we think embracing them will be easier if, for example, one target group is called Maarten Poortman.”
“Don’t overthink everything until it’s perfect, just get started!”
Standardization at EU Level
According to Lene, standardization is the most important topic that should be on the EU agenda. “Then we can truly start making comparisons. Begin, for example, with surveys. Agree on what you want to ask and how: that can already be a first step because now everyone does this in their own way.” Standardization makes sense on many levels, Maaike adds. “Definitions are very important. But also methodology or infrastructure. Education and inspiration can be handled by each country individually, but I think standardization should really be an EU task. That would make the work of APPLAUS, DEN, and individual cultural institutions much easier.”
Vision on Culture
In addition, it would also be good to formulate a new vision of culture, as what do we actually understand by it nowadays? Maaike: “It’s broadening. There are more democratic ways of culture, where boundaries between artists and audiences blur. Digital and physical are combined. Amateurs and professionals collaborate. The distinction between ‘low’ and ‘high’ culture is thankfully fading more and more.” In Denmark, a survey asked about cultural activities over the past year, and the result was surprising. “As many as 95% of respondents indicated they had been culturally active. They could specify how, and you clearly see the difference compared to thirty or forty years ago. Back then, it was normal to go to the theater three times a year and read the newspaper daily. Now, part of life takes place online; that’s where you follow the news, read books, listen to music, and watch Netflix. That’s the new reality, and we must embrace it!”
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