UK Theatre Revenue Generation Symposium – October 2026

A short autumnal trip took us Leicester’s stunning Curve Theatre, which is a great building with excellent spaces. Outgoing CEO Chris Stafford challenged and provoked in his opening remarks with the phrase ‘the art is the business; the business is the art’.

We joined fellow delegates in listening to interesting case studies. Reflecting the theme of embracing revenues strategies that adapt to change and may be outside of the comfort zone, topics ranged from using software technology to personalise audience interactions and collaborating with a subscription streaming platform, to introducing an audience phone app and installing a Santa’s grotto for the festive period.

As programme sales are part of the vital financial resilience equation, we were particularly delighted when secondary spend and pre-ordering were highlighted. Equally, it was great to see tech enabling access to the arts; our friends and colleagues at VocalEyes were mentioned!

There was also dedicated time for networking and exchanges of ideas, strategies and approaches. It was super to catch up with valued customers; it’s always special to finally meet #TheatreFamily colleagues with whom we’ve worked for many years in person! The symposium proved an opportunity to reconnect and further foster relationships. We even met one of our favourite theatre bloggers, Mark, who regularly posts pics of our show programmes!

It was lovely to see Curve buzzing with activity, from a busy café to school groups visiting the venue for a relaxed performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. It was also a pleasure to spot the programme so enticingly displayed at the box office alongside the merch!

Our thanks to UK Theatre for organising a rewarding afternoon.

#JGartsandculture