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COVID-19 Sector Benchmark Insight Report: March 2022

Reviewing the impact of COVID-19 on the ticket sales, revenue and audience demographics for the performing arts in North America, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in 2020 and 2021.


March, 2021
TRG Arts and Purple Seven by David Brownlee

Executive Summary – Key Findings

  • Data from 385 CRMs of arts venues illustrate two years of extremely challenging trading in all territories.
  • While reductions in sales and revenues in 2020 were universally catastrophic, the pace of recovery between and within nations in 2021 was very varied, both geographically and by venue type.
  • The positive trends in all territories in November 2021 were not sustained into December 2021 as the Omicron variant spread around the world.
  • In some nations there has been movement between 2019 and 2021 in the average age and wealth of bookers, but this has been minor, not fundamental.
  • The majority of bookers in 2021 were first time bookers. This was also the case before the pandemic in 2019.
  • Across all venues on average booking patterns were no later in 2021 than they were in 2019.

North America

  • The ticket sales revival in 2021 was stronger in the U.S than Canada.
  • There was significant variation in the pace of the revival in the U.S.
  • Geographically, the Plains and Southeast performed substantially more strongly in 2021 than the East.
  • Music venues in the sample performed substantially better than theatres in 2021.
  • Advance booking patterns in 2021 were very similar in the U.S. compared to 2019, but booking was a lot slower in Canada.
  • In the U.S. in 2021 there was a higher proportion of all ages of bookers under 50, but the average age of bookers was just 1.3 years lower in 2021 (55.2) compared to 2019 (56.5).
  • In the U.S. Baby Boomers remain the largest generation, but the proportion of bookers has fallen by 3%. The greatest growth since 2019 has been in Generation Y.
  • While there are small reductions in the proportion of all household income bands over $75,000, the median income band remains $75,000-$99,999 in the U.S.
  • Half of bookers in 2021 were making their first registered purchase at a venue. While this figure is high, it is no more than pre-pandemic levels.

United Kingdom and Ireland

  • The ticket sales revival was stronger in the U.K. than the Republic of Ireland.
  • There was significant variation in the pace of the revival in the U.K.
  • Geographically, the South West of England and Northern Ireland performed substantially stronger in 2021 than Wales, Yorkshire and the North East of England.
  • Large presenting theatres in the sample performed substantially better than large producing theatres in 2021.
  • Advance booking patterns in 2021 were very similar in the U.K. compared to 2019, but booking was a lot slower in the Republic of Ireland.
  • In the U.K. in 2021 there was a higher proportion of all ages of bookers under 60, but the average age of bookers was just 1.0 year lower in 2021 (56.4) compared to 2019 (57.4).
  • In the U.K. Baby Boomers remain the largest generation, but the proportion of bookers has fallen by 3%. The greatest growth since 2019 has been in Generation X.
  • More than half of bookers in 2021 were making their first registered purchase at a venue. While this figure is high, it is no more than pre-pandemic levels.