Top 8 website features for Arts, Leisure and Entertainment industries

Like the travel and accommodation sector, web technology has revolutionised the arts, leisure and entertainment sectors.

The similarity of course is its reliance on ‘reservations’ or tickets, which can be distributed electronically instead of the arduous, high maintenance box office approach.

It has also ‘disintermediated’ what has always been reliant on ‘middle men’.

Now venues can sell tickets direct to the public, performers can have a direct relationship with their fans and galleries can promote their events cheaply via email – and sell tickets within a few clicks.

New models for new distribution methods

Brand spanking new technologies like the iPad have authors and their publishers scrambling to come up with appropriate business models.

This ‘direct-to-the-public’ capability means that there are less mouths to feed and hence more revenue going back to the source of the respective event or work.

Although as many have found, access to tools and markets doesn’t necessarily convert into extra revenue as time is spent managing web activities instead of their core business.

In fact, one could argue that intermediaries are now more important than ever in managing an ever-growing list of online activities fans and customers are demanding.

Here then, are the website features (or more accurately platform features) that those in the arts, leisure and entertainment sector can profit from.

1. Email Marketing System (EMS)
This sector is one of the few that the critical attributes of a good Content Management System have played second fiddle to another feature – in this case an Email Marketing System.

Email marketing is more critical to this sector because it is a ‘push’ medium, that is messages are ‘pushed’ through to the audience instead of relying on them to come to you (pull). The ability to address thousands of interested and often passionate subscribers cheaply and simultaneously is an asset that hitherto could only be afforded by the wealthy top echelon.

It remains digital gold to those that utilise it.

2. Content Management System (CMS)
Another potential surprise is CMS ranking ahead of seemingly critical CRM. How is it possible to operate email marketing effectively without a CRM?

Ideally you would always have a good CRM underpinning your email marketing. However, just getting email to your audience at all – even if you write them one by one (as some actually still do) means you are in some control of the process – albeit in a rudimentary fashion.

So the ability to update and maintain your own website whenever you need to is the second most critical feature for the information-intensive needs of this sector.

3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
Yes it’s still important. A good CRM will allow providers to understand their audience’s habits and target them with timely communications via email and increasingly, mobile. And if this feature is integrated into your website platform, it means you can access real-time customer information while on the road – providing of course you aren’t too far off the beaten track.

4. Online Ticketing System
Anyone who has ever had to coordinate the high maintenance task of identifying, stocking, promoting and processing ticket outlets will tell you that online ticketing is the bees knees.

Better still, you can now access them for only a few dollars a month or have them come built into your website platform. Cue sigh of relief from event organisers everywhere!

5. Extranet
These password-protected areas allow providers to add value to their offerings by giving their VIPs the extra special attention that an extranet can provide.

For example, you might have a special webinar with a guest performer or artist, a rare video or a masterclass video. Once you have this capability, your mind will explode with ideas as to how to create and keep an online relationship with your biggest fans.

6. Inventory management
This feature goes hand-in-hand with your ticketing system as it allows you even greater productivity by not having to monitor and react to ticket sales. Simply enter your event capacity at the start and the system will run itself – even to the point of alerting you that capacity is near.

7. Auto-Homepage Capabilities
With such high turnover of news, the last thing you will want to worry about is re-jigging the front page every time there’s something new to add to your website. Auto-homepage capabilities allow you to add new content to the front page quickly and easily and get back to the more important things in life and business.

8. Auto-Reviews
Reviews are critical to this sector to add tangibility to an otherwise low-tangibility service. Better still if they’re positive.

Allowing visitors to review your happening saves you time in managing them yourself. But just ensure it allows you to edit or delete them in the event of a libellous or unreasonable review.

All told, a good, integrated website platform will be your biggest promotional and productivity asset. As such it should not be taken too lightly when it comes to allocating budget and resource.

Do you agree or disagree with these rankings? Either way, tell us why below. We’d especially love to hear from those in the sector who regularly use some or all of these features.

For more Internet Secrets, click here.

Craig Reardon is a leading eBusiness educator and founder and director of independent web services firm The E Team which provide the gamut of ‘pre-built’ website solutions, technologies and services to SMEs in Melbourne and beyond.