EVERY SEAT FILLED

Prepared for
Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce
Dallas, Texas

Prepared By
Richard Brevig
Jerod Brockelman
Ryan Gower
Stephen Wesley Reeves
AT&T Marketing Division
AT&T Inc.

February 25, 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ....................................................................................................... 2
Arts Impact on Local Economy............................................................................................................ 2
Evidence of Decline in Arts Participation........................................................................................... 3
Reasons for Decline ............................................................................................................................... 4
Many Empty Seats ................................................................................................................................. 4
Discount Ticket Providers ..................................................................................................................... 5
Interest from Youth in Arts ................................................................................................................... 5
Youth Not Aware of Discounts ............................................................................................................ 6
RECOMMENDATION .................................................................................................................. 6
IMPLEMENTATION ..................................................................................................................... 7
Create Resource for Youth to Buy Discount Arts Tickets ................................................................ 7
Awareness Strategies for Resource ...................................................................................................... 7
Staffing Requirements to Create Resource ......................................................................................... 8
Budget Necessary to Create Resource ................................................................................................. 8
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 9
WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................... 10
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
1
2
3
4
5
6

AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas .................................................................................... 1

Percent of U.S. Adults Who Attended at Least One of Various Types of Arts Performance
or Visited an Art Museum or Gallery, 19822012 ..................................................................... 3
Decline in Arts by Form, 2002 to 2012 ....................................................................................... 3
Number of Unsold Seats by Event, Last Week of February 2015 ........................................... 4
Percent of Adults Aged 18 - 24 Participating With Arts Using Handheld Device or in
Classrooms ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Project Budget ................................................................................................................................. 8

II

INTRODUCTION
A year after moving AT&Ts corporate headquarters from San Antonio to Dallas in 2008, AT&T
solidified their commitment to the city of Dallas, its local economy, and the arts by gaining
naming rights to the AT&T Performing Arts Center. AT&Ts continued relationship with The
Center has made the Dallas Arts community world renowned for cutting-edge technology. Even
HBOs comedian Bill Maher commented that the AT&T Performing Arts Center, shown in
figure 1, is state of the art (AT&T PAC 4).
Figure 1
AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IN DALLAS

Source: Tim Hursley. The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, designed by Foster +
Partners, at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas
1

AT&T remains committed to Dallas and the local arts. To ensure efforts are fruitful and reflect
properly on their brand, AT&T assembled a taskforce to research the status of the Dallas arts and
recommend how AT&T could improve brand reach, the economy, and the arts.
Though The Center is thriving, with over 9,000 subscribers to the Broadway Series (AT&T PAC
6), the arts are on the decline overall and capacity is far from 100% usage. In the 20-year-period
from 1992 to 2012, arts participation declined 18.5% (How 12).
The decline in arts participation should alarm city officials and economists as a significant
issue. Not only do 49% of all American adults enjoy visual and performing arts on a national
level (National), the arts contribute $322 million in annual activity to the Dallas economy (The
6).
The taskforce discovered seven findings that relate to the declining participation in the arts and
concluded one recommendation. The recommendation seeks immediate improvement to the
decline. Though there are additional actions that could be taken which slowly yield a long-term
solution, the efforts of this immediate recommendation would have long-term effect in
itself. Consequently, this proposal limits itself to these 7 findings and the recommendation for
immediate action.
While researching, the taskforce consulted a variety of sources including government, non-profit,
and academic publications.
This proposal first explores the seven findings of the taskforce, then articulates the
recommendation, and lastly evaluates implementation and the human and financial capital
necessary for the recommendation.

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Arts Impact on Local Economy
The relationship between economic growth and arts and culture growth has been studied in depth
and shows a positive correlation. In 2013 the researchers Peter Pedroni and Stephen Sheppard
from The Center for Community and Creative Development proved a link between short-term
increases in arts spending and long-term growth in local economies (Pedroni 23-24).
Statewide, arts impact Texas by more than $192 billion in annual spending (Perryman 5).
Focusing on just the local Dallas community, according to the most recent Arts & Economic
Prosperity IV report, spending in the local arts supports over $20 million in state government
revenue, over $17 million in local government revenue, and over $320 million in total industry
income. As well, the arts lead to stable continuation of over 11,000 jobs (Arts 6). Arts
participation holds a large impact on both the short- and long-term economic well-being of the
city of Dallas and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Evidence of Decline in Arts Participation

A 2012 survey conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts conclusively reveals that
participation in the arts are on the decline and have been for quite some time. As shown in Figure
2, the arts appear to have peaked in 1992 at 41% and have since decreased in participation rate to
33.4% in 2012.
Figure 2
PERCENT OF U.S. ADULTS WHO ATTENDED AT LEAST ONE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF
ARTS PERFORMANCE OR VISITED AN ART MUSEUM OR GALLERY, 1982-2012
50%
40%

39.0%

41.0%

39.4%

34.6%

33.4%

2008

2012

30%
20%
10%
0%
1982

1992

2002

Source: How a Nation Engages With Art. National Endowment for the Arts. 2013. 12
Those who attended visual arts festivals and crafts fairs decreased, as shown in Figure 3, from
33.4% in 2002 to 22.4% in 2012 (How 12). When observing musical and non-musical play data,
musical plays experienced a decrease in participation from 17.1% to 15.2%, while non-musical
play participation decreased from 12.3% to 8.3% (How 16). Perhaps the most significant finding
of the survey, among the categories of age, race, gender and ethnicity, almost every category
experienced a decline in arts participation among multiple arts genres. The only consistent
growth in participation within any arts category was observed for those persons ages 75 and
older across all categories (How 20).
Figure 3
DECLINE IN ARTS BY FORM, 2002 TO 2012

Musical Play
Non-Musical Play
Classical Music
Jazz
Dance Other than Ballet
Ballet
Opera

2002
17.1%
12.3%
11.6%
10.8%
6.3%
3.9%
3.2%

2012
15.2%
8.3%
8.8%
8.1%
5.6%
2.8%
2.1%

Percent Change
-11.1%
-32.5%
-24.1%
-25.0%
-11.1%
-28.2%
-34.4%

Source: How a Nation Engages With Art. National Endowment for the Arts. 2013. 16
3

Reasons for Decline

Several factors contribute to the decline of arts participation including recent economic
downturn. Though more important are the longer trends of an aging population of participants
and a decline in arts education.
The Great Recession of 2008 has hurt every industry, but the local arts have taken a large share
of the brunt. With increased unemployment rates, lower wages, decreased tourism and rampant
foreclosures, arts spending has fallen below the previous records from 2005 (Arts 6). Spending in
the arts and almost all other leisure activities has started to recover since 2008 but is still stagnant
compared to the pre-recession era (Arts 6). Compared to 2005, the average spending per
audience member is down over 20% after adjusting for inflation (Arts 6).
Along with the short-term harm of the Great Recession, the aging population also affects the arts.
As each generation participates less than the one before, the average age of the classical music
audience is increasing (Audience 11). A bulk of arts participants are dying and leaving
generations that do not participate as much.
There also exists a decline in the number of children below 18 that are being exposed to the arts
in classrooms. The participation in arts for children has dropped as much as 23 percent over the
past 18 years (Rabkin 44).
Aging patrons combined with declines in arts education creates a damaging trend for the arts.
Many Empty Seats
Nearly every arts performance has empty, unsold seats at the time the curtain rises. The AT&T
marketing taskforce conducted research on February 22 to determine how many seats were going
unfilled at upcoming arts events for the end of February 2015. The survey evaluated events
taking place at The Dallas Symphony, The Kalita Humphrys Theater, Dallas City Performance
Hall, and The AT&T Performing Arts Center. The results are shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4
NUMBER OF UNSOLD SEATS BY EVENT, LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2015
Event Name
Winter Dreams
Men are from Mars
Teamwork
The School for Wives
Gordon Lightfoot
Total

Empty Seats
1502
380
200
292
301
2675

Astonishingly, over 1,500 seats remained unfilled for Winter Dreams by the Dallas Symphony
Orchestra. At the Dee and Charles Wyly Theater, nearly 500 seats were unfilled for the Men are
From Mars, Women are From Venus showing. For other shows Teamwork, School of Wives, and
Gordon Lightfoot, the taskforce found a combined total of nearly 800 seats unfilled. In total,
approximately 2,800 seats remained unfilled for the final week of February. These numbers
represent only one week for each event and at only the major arts venues. Including smaller
regional playhouses would drastically increase the number of empty seats.
Discount Ticket Providers
In response to unsold inventory at arts events, a number of companies have formed to take
economic advantage of the expiring inventory. Nationally, GoldStar, the TKTS Ticket Booths in
New York City, and in Dallas EventAlert provide discounted arts tickets prior to expiration.
GoldStar allows various entertainment venues to liquidate their unsold tickets at a discount
through their website (About Us); however, usually only a fraction of the entire inventory is sold
through the system at a discount. Participating venues are able to list tickets well in advance of
the event, making GoldStar an alternative to traditional ticket sales. Savings are up to 50% of
original ticket price.
The Theater Development Fund operates three TKTS Ticket Booths in New York City, one
being in Times Square. Depending on the booth, purchasers are able to buy full-price, same-day
discounted, and next-day discounted tickets to Broadway shows. Savings are up to 50% of
original ticket price (Same-Day).
In Dallas, a lone patron has organized the EventAlert system. The website is not operational.
Instead, members receive weekly and daily notice of discounted tickets via email
(EventAlert). Similar to GoldStar, venues decide how many tickets to liquidate through
EventAlert. Tickets are generally $15 no matter the original price of the ticket.
Interest from Youth in Arts
While evidence remains indisputable that arts participation is on the decline, there is still
significant interest in the arts by youth. Research by the National Endowment for the Arts, as
shown in Figure 5, reveals that people are consuming arts via their handheld mobile devices. The
18 to 24-year-old age group lead the way with 59.4% using their mobile devices to download,
watch, or listen to music compared to the 39.3% of 35 to 44-year-olds (How 31).
Not only music is being consumed via handheld, but other arts as well. Theater, dance, painting,
sculpture, graphic design and photography are all being consumed on handheld devices. The 18
to 24-year-old age group again leads at 6.6% percent art consumption with respect to theater and
dance while the 25 to 34-year-old group follows up at 4.6% (How 31). The remaining categories
of painting, sculpture, graphic design and photography are consumed by 10.7% of 18 to 24-yearolds (How 31).

Figure 5
PERCENT OF ADULTS AGED 18-24 PARTICIPATING WITH ARTS
USING HANDHELD DEVICES
Art Genre Downloaded, Watched, or Viewed
Music
Theater or Dance Performances
Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Design, or Photography

Percent
59.4%
6.6%
10.7%

Source: How a Nation Engages With Art. National Endowment for the Arts. 2013. 16
Whether in a classroom or not, youth choose to study art when given the chance. 58.7% of 18 to
24-year-olds, 51.3% of 24 to 34-year-olds, and 49% of 35 to 44-year-olds say that they have
taken some sort of arts related class or lesson in their lifetime (How 36). At the University of
Texas at Dallas alone, more than 7,000 students are enrolled in arts classes or classes related to
the arts (UT Dallas). Though arts participation has been on the decline the evidence shown
suggests that youth are indeed interested in the arts.
Youth Not Aware of Discounts
From a survey of 30 college students in Dallas conducted by the marketing taskforce, 57% are
unaware of the arts discounts available to them (Brevig). As noted in the previous section, there
is a large amount of interest in the arts among high school and college students. Indeed, of those
surveyed, 88% responded that they would attend arts events if heavily discounted (Brevig).
Bringing awareness to this uninformed group has the potential to generate much income and
increase arts participation.
RECOMMENDATION
The decline in arts participation in the Dallas area is causing a large economic deficit that must
be addressed. Students interested in the arts are unaware of major discounts on tickets and
therefore inclined not to participate.
The arts should be more accessible to the large number of interested youth. By working with arts
organizations in the Dallas area, discounted tickets may be provided to high school and college
students via an easy to access phone app and website.
At $5 each, these heavily discounted tickets will help fill any empty seats left at events. For those
under 18, parents and guardians may also purchase tickets at the discounted price.
The Fort Worth Opera discounts their tickets to $5 for student rush compared to $25 for the
Dallas Opera. In contrast, Fort Worth-Arlington has the highest level of per capita non-profit
arts activity in Texas at $1,890, which is about 55% higher than Dallas at $1,219 per capita

(Perryman iv). Charging less for discounted youth tickets has worked for the Fort Worth
community.
Not only does providing discounted tickets to youth fill current unsold inventory left by aging
populations, but it creates a young dedicated patron generation that will continue to support the
arts financially as they grow older. This is a critical point to consider. Currently the only age
groups that are showing consistent growth in participation rates across all arts categories are
those ages 65 to 74 and persons 75 and older. Contrary to this, age groups ranging from 18 to
64-years-old have shown consistent decreases in participation with only few exceptions in some
categories (How 13-22).
Creating an easy to access phone app and website allows for an immediate method to reach
young people. It will help fill seats at Dallas arts venues while at the same time helping to create
awareness and eliminate the continued decline in arts participation among young people.
IMPLEMENTATION
Create Resource for Youth to Buy Discount Arts Tickets
An AT&T development team will build a website and smartphone application to allow high
school and college students to purchase discounted tickets to arts events. The application will be
programmed in the commonly used programming language PHP (Hypertext pre-processor), and
will feature an easy-to-use GUI (Graphical User Interface).
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) will allow the application and website to communicate
with popular arts ticketing software systems, such as Tessitura and Vivendi, making adoption
and interfacing with current systems expedient.
The application will also be available on smartphones running Apples iOS or Googles Android
operating systems. The website and smartphone applications will all provide ticket purchasing
capabilities. The website will be accessible from any modern internet browser, including Google
Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsofts Internet Explorer.
Users that order tickets using either the smartphone or website applications will receive a receipt
via email, but must receive their tickets at the Will Call of their event and show their student
identification.
Awareness Strategies for Resource
Awareness for the resource will be through promotional efforts aimed towards high schools,
colleges, and universities. Educating the schools on the service being provided and the
educational benefits for students is crucial to the entire endeavor. This will be achieved by
communicating with schools via email, regular mail, and direct contact by an assigned ongoing
community liaison.

Marketing material such as posters strategically placed at high school campuses and colleges will
keep constant awareness of the resource on students, teachers, and faculties minds. The
posters can be placed by the on-going community liaison or mailed to the faculty to be posted.
A monthly e-newsletter listing all upcoming events sent to faculty and teachers will increase
adoption of the resource. For all schools willing to participate, web advertisements and banners
will be available for placement on the website home pages of high schools, colleges and
universities. These web promotions will be designed, developed and updated by the application
design team and will be promoted by the community liaison.
Staffing Requirements to Create Resource
The development of mobile and web applications to generate awareness and increase
participation in the local arts will require a specialized team. The team will need two highly
qualified programmers as well as a project manager. The team will work together for six months
as they create, develop, troubleshoot and design the application.
The two programmers will be responsible for writing code used on both Android and iOS
platforms as well as designing a user-friendly web application. Along with these responsibilities,
the programmers will be required to test the final versions and sync them to the few widely used
ticketing programs used by most arts performance venues.
The project manager will be the head of the team as well as the final authority for any design
changes needed before the application is released to the public. The project manager will update
AT&T and the Chamber of any major changes as well as submit monthly progress reports.
AT&T will assign a qualified project manager, who has experience in projects of this nature, and
that person will select the proper programmers needed for the project.
Budget Necessary to Create Resource
The proposed budget for the development of this resource for six months, as detailed in Figure 6,
is $200,000. The budget accounts for six months of salary, supplies, and office space for two
programmers and the project manager, as well as any promotional and awareness expenses.
Figure 6
PROJECT BUDGET
Development Costs
Supplies, Taxes, and Administrative Costs
Equipment and Workspace Costs
Awareness
Total Cost

$159,000
$9,000
$12,000
$20,000
$200,000

The two programmers will be paid a monthly salary of $8,750 each, totaling $105,000 over the
six months. The project manager will be paid a monthly salary of $9,000 for a total of $54,000,
8

bringing the team total to $159,000, or $26,500 per month for six months. Payroll taxes, office
supplies, and administrative costs will increase the cost by an estimated $9,000, raising the total
for the team to $168,000.
AT&T will provide office space at the Foundry located in Richardson. Equipment needs will be
multiple laptops, iPads, programming and design software, and mobile phones for
communication. The equipment will cost approximately $12,000, bringing the total to $180,000.
Once the resource is complete, awareness of the resource is crucial for success. $20,000 will be
budgeted to promote the resource to Dallas high schools and college campuses. The expense will
cover advertisements such as posters, website banners, and direct communication with the
teachers and department heads.
Any and all future management of the application, including updates, revisions and customer
service will be assigned to an ongoing community liaison in AT&Ts marketing department.
CONCLUSION
The arts have been on the decline since 1992 (How 12) and there are an abundance of youth
interested yet unaware that the arts are within their financial reach. By introducing the two, a
future full of arts patrons for the Dallas community is ensured. As youth enjoy the arts at a
younger age, they will continue to do so as they grow older and become more financially
capable.
Cell phones have proven as a guaranteed method to reach youth. The creation of a mobile
application with an accompanying website will provide access to discounted tickets for youth as
currently not available.
The entire application, staffing costs, and promotional funds to bring awareness to the
application are expected to cost $200,000. The long term economic benefit to the city of Dallas
and local communities is substantially more than the small investment being made now.
AT&T is committed to this project and strongly believes that the arts are an integral and
important foundation to the cultural and economic success of Dallas. The organization also
believes that we have a social responsibility to give back to the community in this manner. This
commitment can already be seen through our strong commitment to the community and the arts
through our support of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. It only makes sense that we seek to
further improve participation in the arts in what we believe will be an immediately impactful and
sustainable initiative.
Join AT&T in an investment for the future of Dallas, its economy, its arts, and its youth.

WORKS CITED

"About Us." About Us. Goldstar Events, Inc., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.goldstar.com/company>.
Arts and Economic Prosperity IV: The Economic Impact on Nonprofit Arts and Culture
Organizations and Their Audiences. Rep. Americans for the Arts, n.d. Web. 24 Feb.
2015.
<http://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/pdf/information_services/research
/services/economic_impact/aepiv/AEP4_NationalSummaryReport.pdf>.
"AT&T Performing Arts Center State of the Center." AT&T Performing Arts Center State of the
Center. AT&T, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
<http://dcpacall.info/images/digital_brochures/StateOfTheCenter/index2.html>.
Audience Demographic Research Review. Rep. League of American Orchestras, 10 Dec. 2009.
Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.ccga.edu/Advancement/Foundation/CommitteeInfo/files/AudienceDemogra
phicReview.pdf>.
Brevig, Richard. "Do you know the Dallas arts provide student discounts?" Survey. 24 February
2015.
EventAlert.org email list N.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://eventalert.org/>.
How a Nation Engages with Art: Highlights from the 2012 Survey of Public Participation in the
Arts. Rep. no. 57. National Endowment for the Arts, Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
<http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/highlights-from-2012-sppa-revised-jan2015.pdf>.
Hursley, Tim. The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, designed by Foster + Partners, at the
AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas. Digital image. Media Library: Venue Images.
AT&T Performing Arts Center, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.attpac.org/about/press-center/media-library-venue-images/>.
"National Endowment for the Arts Presents Highlights from the 2012 Survey of Public
Participation in the Arts." National Endowment for the Arts. National Endowment for the
Arts, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://arts.gov/news/2013/national-endowmentarts-presents-highlights-2012-survey-public-participation-arts>.
"On Sale - AT&T Performing Arts Center." AT&T Performing Arts Center. AT&T Performing
Arts Center, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://www.attpac.org/on-sale/list/featured>.
Pedroni, Peter, and Stephen Sheppard. Culture Shocks and Consequences: The Causal Link
between the Arts and Economic Growth. Rep. Center for Creative Community

10

Development, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

<http://arts.gov/sites/default/files/Research-Art-Works-Williams1.pdf>.
Perryman, M. R., PhD. The Catalyst for Creativity and the Incubator for Progress: The Arts,
Culture, and the Texas Economy. Rep. The Perryman Group, Jan. 2001. Web. 24 Feb.
2015. <http://perrymangroup.com/wp-content/uploads/Arts_Impact.pdf>.
Rabkin, Nick, and E. C. Hedberg. Arts Education in America: What the Declines Mean for Arts
Participation. Rep. no. 52. National Endowment for the Arts, Feb. 2011. Web. 24 Feb.
2015. <http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED516878.pdf>.
"Same-Day Theatre Tickets at Up To 50% Off." TKTS Discount Booths. Theatre Development
Fund, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <https://www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-ticket-booths>.
"Season & Tickets." The Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, n.d.
Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <https://www.mydso.com/season-tickets.aspx>.
"Teamwork." Teamwork. TicketDFW, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.ticketdfw.com/whats-on/2015/teamwork/>.
The 182 Arts & Economic Prosperity IV Study Regions. Rep. Americans for the Arts, n.d. Web.
24 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.americansforthearts.org/sites/default/files/pdf/information_services/research
/services/economic_impact/aepiv/AEP4_SummaryOfLocalFindings.pdf>.
"UT Dallas CourseBook Guided Search :: UT Dallas Class, Syllabus, Course Evaluation, and
Textbook Database." UT Dallas CourseBook Guided Search :: UT Dallas Class,
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n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://coursebook.utdallas.edu/>.

11