There is no need to stress out over your production categorisation. If you stick to the 3 Cs: Clean, Consistent, and Consumer-led, then you are on the right track to getting the most out of your audience insights.
Keep it clean
One way to keep your data clean is to exclude any productions you do not want to report on. This can be anything you choose it to be, however, we strongly recommend you exclude non-audience based ‘events’ like car park tickets or merchandise. You may also want to consider excluding third-party hires if these will not be representative of your core audiences. If a show was postponed or cancelled, then you should exclude it too. Read our Knowledge Base article on excluding postponed or cancelled shows for more information.
Consistency is key
It is always best to be consistent when applying artform categories to productions. The more consistent you can keep your production categorisation over years, the more accurate and credible the results will be in the long run. Want to see trends in your dance audience over the last five years? Or see how your audience demographics have changed for music throughout the year? Consistency allows your data to be comparative across your organisation and our benchmarks.
Be consumer-led
Remember to be clear about what you are measuring in Audience Finder: your audiences. The artforms you choose should ultimately reflect the audience’s general interest, rather than the niche genre of the production at hand. For instance, this is why you won’t see ‘tribute act’ listed as an artform – very few audience members would consider themselves a die-hard tribute fan and only go to see tribute acts. They are most likely attending because they have an interest in that band and that type of music they perform.
If you change your mind about some artform categories or exclusions you have given your productions, don’t worry - we can change them for you. To discuss updating your production categorisation, please e-mail us on tixteam@theaudienceagency.org