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Backstage with EPC's Sheila Braun · Backstage at The EPC's Podcast

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to Backstage at the EPC.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: Today we're talking with Sheila Brown, our director of patron services here at the Effingham Performance Center.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Sheila.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Hey there, how's it going?
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's going.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so glad that you're finally on the podcast.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: And um she is, like I said, the director of patron services.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure our audience is like, what is that?
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: So basically it means I just do everything that no one else wants to do.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: It falls on me.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: But but seriously, my favorite part of the job is working with our our patrons.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: And what that really means is, you know, anything that has to do with the box office, I kind of oversee that and take care of our staff in the box office, make sure things are running well.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and uh above and beyond that, uh, our donors are a huge uh portion of my responsibility.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, so the Effinghair Performance Center is ran by the Arts Connection of Central Illinois, which is a not-for-profit, right?
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: So we are we are a not-for-profit organization.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um so as part of that we need donors.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I tell you what, we have the best donors.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh every year I'm just overwhelmed by the support of the direct community, but also just the central Illinois region.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we have donors that expand, you know, 120 plus miles from Effingham, which is so incredible, and it speaks to um what people are you know understanding about what what this facility is doing for for culture and arts in the area of central Illinois.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: And we like I said, our donors are amazing, uh but as a big performing arts center, we have lots of costs.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: It you know takes a lot to kind of run this place, and so we can always use more donors.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: We we can't keep doing what we do without our donors.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, without them, we wouldn't we wouldn't be able to do it.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: It helps us um bring great artists to the stage, it helps us keep costs affordable for for ticket prices.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um and one thing that many people don't really see or realize that we do is our theater camp.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, firsthand, my own children have benefited from that program so much.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it's something that I feel like until you have a child that does benefit from it, you can't understand um how important the program is to our area.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we have so many kids that are able to participate in sports at the at the schools, but then um there's kids that aren't interested in sports, and when they have an opportunity to do theater with our summer camps here, it it just adds so much value and it helps them, you know, improve their craft.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, the schools do have play, but it's such a small season, it's such a quick time for them.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: So to offer that in the summer here is incredible.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, the nine days, I always call it Fast and Furious Theater Camp because it's it is so fast, but they accomplish so much.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, it is such an amazing program.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: We we just kind of wrapped that up this summer.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, let's talk about some of the benefits that the donors receive.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: So, of course, supporters of the EPC.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, you know, you can don't donate because it's a great cause.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that's that's the best reason to donate, of course.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, support what our mission of what we're doing.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: But there are other benefits as well.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as a donor, that sweet spot is really a thousand dollars plus if you're able to contribute that much.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you can contribute that much, I said that wrong, but if you can contribute that much, that's awesome.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And what you get with that level of donation is direct concierge services through me.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: So you get to bypass the box office.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you call up Sheila and you're like, hey, I want tickets to this show.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it's you know, the box office can be busy.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes there's lines.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, dealing with me directly is as simple as just sending me a little email and placing, you know, a ticket order.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: So that's really great.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then beyond that, um, we have so many different, several different levels of pre-sales, uh, but the donors are the top level that no one's ever gonna be able to purchase before the donors.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Rights to tickets.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so if they if you donate at the correct time of the season during our donation drive, um, you'll actually get assigned same seats.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: So that period for this season has passed.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: We've already gone on sale, so I can't promise anybody same seats.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: But if you would donate um during, you know, the that period of that window, you'll get assigned same seats that you would have the first rights at purchasing.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a really cool benefit.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we have a donor's lounge.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that donor's lounge is it's amazing.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's a separate, um, like right.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Our lobby.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Our main lobby holds, you know, sometimes we can have 1,200 plus people in that main lobby, all sharing the same restrooms.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it's super nice to have that private donor's lounge where only the donors are allowed.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: And there's parking that, you know, is right next to the donor lounge doors.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: You have separate doors you come in, um, and then free popcorn?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Free popcorn.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: Free soda.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a lot.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great perk of being a donor.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Is did we say separate restrooms?
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: No, no long lines for the restrooms, free popcorn, free soda, um, private donors lounge.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And um, if you want to stick around after the show and have a cocktail at our bar, because we do have a full cash bar in the donor's lounge, you are welcome to do that.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we we ask everybody else to make their way to their next destination.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: But our donors, we welcome them to stay and you know, talk about the show with us afterwards, let the parking lot clear out a little bit.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: So um that's also a fun privilege of being a donor.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: And then at season announce time, we've already done that for the year, but um Haley and I throw a pretty fun party.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: So uh that's called our preview party.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: And as a donor, um, you would get invited to that preview party.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: So you come, we have you know some food and uh cocktails, and then we invite the donors to come into our auditorium and we play a video that previews all the year's upcoming shows, which is very fun.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: I love that video because it gives everyone a great idea of what the shows really are.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think you know, we do as as good of a job as what we can with our with our brochure that, you know, yeah, but a picture only says so much.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Right, and a paragraph but like the little clip is just um so much more than just a picture and this paragraph that that Haley puts together for us.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: So um I think that that video is worth so much, and we we see the benefits of it.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, yeah, our donors show up and they see that video and they're like, I had no idea I wanted to go see Lee Rocker and the Stray Cats, but absolutely I I do.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: So um Yeah, that night the donors fell out, they can fill out a form and leave that with Sheila on like what tickets they want.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so they don't have to come back and stand in line.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: They go home with a form, they either leave it with me that night or they bring it back to me within like two weeks, and then I pull all their tickets together, I pull all their donor lounge passes together, they just swing back by at their convenience and pick them up.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: So our donors love the ease, and I hear that all the time like I'm buying more tickets because you make it so easy.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: So um that's you know a great part of being a thousand plus donor.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're able to do that, you know, that's definitely something to look into.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: It is, you know, tax deductible, and um you can just give me a call, ask to talk to me at the theater, and we can get you enrolled now, or you know, if you want to come at become enrolled and experience all of the benefits, um, late spring is is the time to to do we roll that out.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, yeah.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: So if you know you can't necessarily maybe make that financial contribution separate, we do have other ways to be involved.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: There's so many ways um to be involved is the season ticket holder program that we have, right?
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that I just feel like it grows so much every year.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's overwhelming the support and the number of season ticket holders that we have.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so to be a season ticket holder, you purchase three or more shows and at the same transaction.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of the um sweet spot there is that it has to be done at the same transaction.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: And um what's the date for that?
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: You you shouldn't have is it September 25th that we have in to do that?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, September 25th is the deadline to become a season ticket holder.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: I do have it memorized.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: So um by September 25th, if you purchase three or more shows, you'll be considered a season ticket holder.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: And what that means is that anything for the rest of the season that we add on, we'll have some add-on shows you'll get to purchase during the season ticket holder presale.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then and receive a 5% discount on right.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Add on shows, you'll get a 5% discount as a season ticket holder.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then for the following year, you'll get to purchase during our season ticket holder presale.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: And we did do things a little bit differently this year.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Our season ticket holder program, as I mentioned, has grown so much.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we're trying to divide it up into two.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Just revamp it a little bit.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in the past, all of our season ticket holders are put into one pot, I guess you would say.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so then they all come that first day for pre-sale.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's kind of hard for us to keep up with the sales that day, which is a great problem to have.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: We only have so many computers, we have so much trained staff, so it is it is harder.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: So we're splitting them, right?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: So we have a gold level season ticket holder this year and a silver level.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: So it has nothing to do with what you purchased in the past except for three or more shows.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: But going forward, if you purchase six or more shows, you're considered the gold level and you get 15% off, which that 15% off, we've had that before, but we just kind of renamed that as the gold level.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that is truly the first season ticket holder pre-sale that you'll get to shop during the pre-sale.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so the six plus, the gold level, we'll get an extra pre-sale day next season.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: What that means is that for our season ticket holders, um, you'll have two levels of pre-sale.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: You'll have the gold level and the silver level.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you buy six or more shows, you'll be a gold member.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: And next year, when we go on sale, you'll have one additional day, then the silver members to purchase your tickets.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: So when we sell tickets, you'll have our donor sales go first, then you'll have our gold level sales, then you'll have our silver level sales the following day.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: So gold members that purchase six or more shows get one extra day to purchase tickets.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: You can still become a season ticket holder, like we said, up until September 25th.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: So just stop in the box office.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: And if you purchase the the three or more, they're gonna mark your account.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: It needs to be three or more shows in a single transaction only through the box office.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: By the 25th of September.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Let's move on to show sponsorships.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's another way you can kind of support our season.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um each of our shows, we uh get a sponsor, and the sponsor gets their like name in the book and their logo.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Lots of marketing, lots of marketing with the advertising that that we do.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: And um, at this point, I do still have some shows that need show some sponsors, so that would be a great way for a business or even a couple to um support us.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're interested in finding out, you know, what we have available, the details, you could just reach out to me again.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I have about five shows that I'm still looking for a sponsor for, and with that sponsorship, you get six free tickets to the show, six good tickets to the show.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: So if there's something that you know you're wanting to see, um obviously you'll be able to get like third row seats for that show and tickets to the donor's lounge.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: And if that artist would offer any meet and greets, I'll definitely try to get a meet and greet for you for that artist.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: So that is a great way to support um for a show sponsorship.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then um another great way for a business to get involved is to do a business membership.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: We have a lot of businesses that like to support that way, and you know, they'll they'll buy the business membership, which includes two tickets to every single show throughout the season.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, that's a perfect way to um reward your employees, to offer that to your customers.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they they pass out tickets, they raffle them off, or you know, we have people that, like I said, award their their their employees for doing a good job buying free tickets to to a show.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: So um business memberships come with two tickets to every show, parking passes, and then donor lounge passes as well.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: So they'll get into the donor's lounge.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: And kind of piggybacking with that business membership is our lobby boxes.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever been in either one of our lobbies, you've noticed that we have advertising throughout the top of the building.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: It is a lighted sign with um, you know, personalized marketing um content of your choice.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um if you get a business membership, then you get a good deal on the lobby box.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of a great way to show your support and show that you're um invested in the EPC as well.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we have so many ways for you guys to get involved.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: So you're if you're interested at all, um contact Sheila.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, just reach out.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: She's your person.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we'll um you can call the box office and ask for Sheila.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: They'll they'll pass it on um and Sheila will be sure to get a hold of you.
• 15:14
  unknown: Yeah.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much for joining me today.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure you will be back on for we'll talk about interactive movies, which is right around the corner.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: That's our favorite thing.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Ready to get planning on that.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so before we go, on deck at the EPC is Shanandoa on Sunday, August 23rd, the Happy Together Tour on Wednesday, August 26th, Who's Live Anyway on September 13th, and Jamie Johnson on September 19th.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: For a full list of upcoming shows, visit our website at theepc.org.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: As always, you can purchase tickets through our box office Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: to 2 p.m., or on show days from 10 a.m.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: to show time.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: You can always purchase tickets online through ticketmaster.com slash epc.