How The MAC Boosted Patron Engagement and Revenue with a Mobile-First Strategy

Background/Context

The MAC, located in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, is a prominent cultural venue in Northern Ireland, offering a diverse array of performances, exhibitions, and events since its opening in 2012. With over 2 million visitors, the MAC has established itself as a key player in the region's cultural landscape. However, like many arts organizations across the UK and Ireland, the MAC faces significant financial challenges due to decreasing public funding. To sustain its operations and continue delivering world-class cultural experiences, the MAC developed a sustainability model focused on entrepreneurial thinking, increased venue hire, and corporate partnerships. A critical component of this plan was enhancing the customer experience (CX) and driving additional revenue streams, such as their in-house bar and restaurant.

Problem

The MAC needed to address several challenges:

• Optimizing customer experience across various touchpoints
• Reducing operational costs
• Increasing earned income.

Traditional methods were insufficient for managing these goals effectively, particularly in terms of streamlining box office operations, reducing queues, and boosting bar sales. The MAC also recognized the need for a mobile-first approach to better engage with modern audiences and maximize the use of digital tools.

Solution

To tackle these challenges, the MAC partnered with Encore Pro, adopting a mobile-first strategy that transformed their customer experience. Encore Pro provided mobile tickets with QR codes, enabling quicker entry and reducing wait times. This allowed customers to spend less time in queues and more time enjoying the venue’s offerings.

The MAC also utilized pre-show texts, digital programs, and mobile ordering for their newly launched Luminaire Club, a cabaret-style venue within the MAC. These solutions not only enhanced the customer journey but also allowed the MAC to streamline operations and boost revenue through pre-orders and digital engagement.

Results/Outcomes

Since implementation, the MAC has seen significant improvements in operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

• The switch to mobile tickets reduced box office workload and shortened customer wait times, allowing staff to focus more on visitor care.
• Bar sales increased, thanks to the popularity of mobile pre-orders, particularly during the Luminaire Club events.
• Digital programs sent via pre-show texts received high engagement rates, providing a cost-effective alternative to printed materials.

Overall, Encore Pro Expeirence became a low-maintenance, high-impact tool, seamlessly integrated with the MAC’s existing systems, and has been integral to the success of their sustainability strategy.

“Encore Pro Experience is helping us deliver something different to our customers and goes beyond the in-built capability of our ticketing system. The support team has been incredibly helpful and their in-depth knowledge of Spektrix, and how the two systems can work in harmony, has been extremely useful.” - Paula Kearney, Box Office Manager at the MAC. 

To learn more about the MAC and their upcoming programming, visit their website.

Contact us to learn more about how our visitor experience solution makes it easy for your organization to enhance visitor experience with mobile ticketing and engagement tech.