Lower-demand performances are a reality for every arts organization. Not every show is meant to sell out. Not every program will appeal to everyone.
When demand feels uneven, arts organizations often focus on what’s missing: empty seats, slower sales, performances that didn’t sell out.
But audiences don’t experience demand as a sales report. They experience it as a feeling. And that feeling shapes what happens next.
When demand feels soft, pressure increases. Budgets tighten. Expectations loom. The instinct to “do something” kicks in.
Too often, that response shows up quietly in the experience:
None of this is malicious. It’s often a very practical response or feels like the responsible action when sales are slow. But audiences don’t experience it that way. They experience it as a signal.
Read: Not All Shows Are Meant to Sell Out... Some Are Meant to Bring People Back
Here’s the critical leadership insight: when demand is low or uneven, the people who do show up are often your most valuable audiences.
They are generally:
They probably bought without a discount. They trusted the organization enough to attend. And yet, these are often the very performances where experience is quietly reduced.
Protecting the perception of success isn’t about pretending demand is something it isn’t. Audiences know when a performance isn’t sold out.
The leadership work is about shaping the conditions for a strong shared experience, through how the room feels, how access is managed, and how intentionally the audience is brought together.
We explore this more deeply in a separate blog on inventory management and atmosphere, where we unpack why these choices are about care, not deception.
Managing demand starts with protecting experience when it feels most vulnerable.
Consider:
The latest episode of Leading the Way examines how leaders can manage demand intentionally. Not by chasing sales, but by protecting experience, shaping perception, and making disciplined decisions when demand is uneven.
It includes practical examples, leadership insights, and a walkthrough of how small choices in low- and mid-demand moments influence future loyalty, frequency, and revenue.