*This project is contingent on funding and is a joint initiative between CAPACOA, Orchestras Canada, PACT, and the National Arts Centre.
Performing arts organizations around the globe are struggling to achieve sustainability in a shifting marketplace. In Canada, these challenges include changes in audience behaviours, engagement patterns, and purchasing trends.
In November 2024, Orchestras Canada, PACT, the National Arts Centre, and CAPACOA brought together representatives from across the country to explore innovative approaches to fostering audience loyalty. This meeting marked the launch of the Re-imagining Customer Relationships project — a collaborative effort aimed at strengthening the resilience and dependability of Canadian audiences in the post-COVID era.
Structured as a multi-year, national open-access research initiative, the project is supported by a university-linked postgraduate course at HEC Montréal and builds on recent findings from WolfBrown and David Maggs (George Cedric Metcalf Foundation). The strategies explored in this project are primarily broken down into field studies.
Read WolfBrown’s report on the gathering here as well as CAPACOA’s, Orchestras Canada’s, and PACT’s response to the report here.
Goal of Project
To design and test new strategies to deepen loyalty among regular arts goers and develop affiliation among occasional arts goers.
Supporting Initiators Field Study
The Supporting Initiators field study examines the role of initiators (individuals who organize outings to cultural events for their friends and family) through qualitative interviews and experiments.
Its key objectives are to:
- Understand how performing arts organizations identify and engage initiators
- Explore the motivations and goals of cultural outing organizers
- Identify challenges and opportunities in building relationships with initiators
- Develop strategies to enhance initiator engagement, strengthening their loyalty and that of their networks
In addition, the study will produce practical recommendations to help performing arts organizations more effectively involve initiators in their coordination and purchasing processes.
Trialing Membership Offers Field Study
The Trialing Membership Offers field study investigates how membership programs can foster loyalty and affiliation through qualitative interviews and experiments.
Its key objectives are to:
- Explore the successes and challenges of membership models
- Examine the balance between transactional and relational approaches
- Assess how these programs create value for members
- Evaluate their effectiveness in fostering loyalty
The study will also generate practical recommendations for membership models that performing arts organizations can test in real-world contexts.
More Information
Webinars & Information Sessions
- Re-imagining Customer Relationships: Reflections & Project Launch
- Re-imagining Customer Relationships: Supporting Initiators Field Study Launch
- Re-imagining Customer Relationships: Project Update Webinar (October 1, 2025)
- Loyalty Labs Information Session (November 13, 2025)
Background
Want to learn more about the research that inspired this project? Check out the following readings:
WolfBrown’s research for the National Arts Centre:
- Research briefing: Loyalty Concept Exploration, webinar with special guest, Shannon Urie, from the National Arts Centre, January 2024 (available in English only)
- Loyalty Concept Exploration, Part 2: Analysis of Experiments with New Customer Relationships report (available in English only)
- The Atomization of Loyalty and the Future of Customer Relationships in the Performing Arts blog post
David Maggs’ writings for the George Cedric Metcalf Foundation:
CAPACOA’s Publications:
- Diversity and Drivers of Arts Attendance (2019)
- Blog posts about attendance trends
Partners
Supporting Foundations
