Just some FYI materials to provide a little guidance to those who are looking for ways to position their events.
The NEA just came out with a report on consumer spending on the arts in 2005. It seems when adjusted for inflation, spending on performing arts events was flat with 2004 spending. 2004 only saw 0.9% growth so it isn’t terribly surprising that it is flat. What is sort of depressing is that the economy grew in both 2004 and 2005 but arts spending didn’t. By 3.9% and 3.2%, respectively, according to the report.
As bad as that may seem, adjusted spending attending movies and sports events both dropped. Movies dropped for a third year by 4.7% and spectator sporting events by 1.6%, down from 1.6% growth in 2004.
So where is all the money going? As you might imagine, to at home entertainment equipment which saw 12.7% growth. But there was also comparable growth (11.7%) in non-durable toys and sports supplies.
It seems the biggest growth moves in different directions. People are staying at home and enjoying audio and video equipment and/or getting out and getting active. (Or at least they are buying a lot of expensive equipment with that intent before being seduced by their home entertainment centers!)
This makes it a little tough to decide how to position events. It is fairly easy to portray watching television at home as passive and inactive and show attendance at a show or gallery as exciting and engaging (if your current patrons find it so). The problem is, sports and outdoor activities are even more active than event attendance.
Perhaps portraying arts attendance as a continuation of an active lifestyle? Coming home from running/biking/climbing, etc., you are too amped up to sit passively watching two dimensional images. Only the passion exuding from live performers makes your nerve endings tingle and makes you feel alive!