3.10. Producing Data with Stakeholders

The fact sheet explores the many ways in which information can be collected from its public and other stakeholders to complement the quantitative data usually collected by public relations and communication teams.

Table of contents

Beyond classic quantitative data, other ways of producing data with stakeholders are possible.

It cannot be repeated enough: understanding the uses, needs, and perceptions of the audience is a key factor in adopting a "user-centric" approach (see sheet 3.02 "Studying audience behaviors to adapt your messaging").

Cultural venues already collect, to varying degrees, usage data from their audiences via the Internet (see sheet 2.4 "What is the role of my ticketing software in my marketing strategy?", sheet 2.09 "What data does my website produce?", sheet 2.08 "What data do social networks produce?"). This data helps determine audience needs and the best ways to address them. However, this data is quantitative and does not provide the full range of information one might want to obtain about the audience and their relationship to the venue.

It is possible to enrich this understanding and move beyond one's own biases by diversifying data collection methods toward more qualitative forms. Besides providing valuable information that is impossible to obtain through usual channels, these methods, closer to the audience, also have the advantage of strengthening the bond between the cultural institution and its community by fully integrating the voices of stakeholders. This sheet offers a quick overview of qualitative methods that can be used to gather additional data from your stakeholders.  

Overview of Qualitative and Participatory Data Collection Methods

Engaging with Stakeholders

Focus Groups

This involves organizing small group discussions to deeply explore public perceptions. These exchanges, led by a neutral facilitator, are especially useful for understanding expectations regarding the spectator experience or testing new cultural offerings. For example, you might test the perception of an individual sponsorship program before launching it or directly question parents who regularly attend family programming to present ideas for services dedicated to children.

Qualitative Interviews

Conducting in-depth individual interviews with spectators, volunteers, or partners provides direct insight into markers of loyalty or belonging. It allows discussion of engagement drivers and helps understand areas for improvement in the services offered to the public.  

Co-constructing with Stakeholders:

Participatory Design Methods to Engage Stakeholders

Involving the public, teams, and partners in designing cultural actions strengthens overall buy-in to the project. It is also an excellent way to create initiatives that better align with the real expectations and needs of the people concerned. For instance, a theater can organize workshops to co-design inclusion projects or adapted welcome services for people with disabilities.

Developing Collaborative Projects

Launching collective projects (e.g., website redesign, creation of a new cultural season) with stakeholders encourages engagement and ownership. For example, a national stage might involve spectators in reflecting on participatory event formats. Moreover, listening to users at the project definition stage helps prevent missing the target or being misled by one's own perception of the audience, which can sometimes diverge from their actual needs.  

Producing Data Through Observation

On-site Observation

As part of reflections on the layout of venues, observing audience behavior in the lobby, the performance hall, or ancillary spaces can prove useful.

User Journeys or Customer Journeys

The term "user journey" refers to a tool that formalizes the various stages a user goes through throughout their relationship with an institution during a service process. It stems from the marketing concept of "customer journey," which more specifically concerns an actual or potential purchase situation of a product or service in a competitive sector. Based on quality user research, the goal is to better visualize both satisfying points (parking accessibility, quality of team welcome, quality of products served at the bar, etc.) and friction points (difficulty navigating the space, lack of ergonomics of the online ticketing system, consistent delays at show start times, etc.) between the institution and the user, in order to identify priority areas for improvement.

"Social Listening"

Social listening, also called social media monitoring, is the process of identifying and evaluating what is said about a company, individual, product, or brand on the Internet. Online conversations produce enormous amounts of unstructured data. For a theater, this allows identifying the perceived image of the institution or its offer and its capacity to generate engagement, loyalty, and appropriation by audiences.  

Sustainable Integration of Data Collection Practices

For these methods to be effective, it is important that they are sustainably integrated into the institution's practices, and that the data from these consultations is truly considered and analyzed. Therefore, it is recommended to use them regularly according to the team's needs.

These methods can also benefit many other teams beyond communication and marketing, for example in the evolution of the cultural and artistic project or in preliminary reflections before renovations.

Finally, it is essential to genuinely take into account the information gathered from these consultations to demonstrate to the teams and stakeholders involved the seriousness of the process.  

To go further

Rubriques

Explorez le sujet en quatre grandes rubriques dédiées au spectacle vivant, depuis la compréhension des enjeux jusqu'au pilotage stratégique.

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