I recently attended a lecture at a performing arts center. The seats were great. The sound was great. The presentation was great. Everything was great, except for the eager usher who emphatically told patrons not to take photos with their mobile phones. A phone would go up, and the usher rushed with a wagging finger toward the person.
A show at a theater is not my first rodeo. I’ve heard the requests to turn off our phones and to not take photos many times. I know the drill. I understand, too, how taking a photo can be distracting to the performers on stage. However, not every show is equal. In this instance, it was a lecture, and people just wanted to take a photo to post on a social media site to prove or brag they were in attendance.
Not every theater is the same. Some encourage the use of photos and posting them on social media channels (it’s free marketing). Maybe the venue I visited had a house policy of no photos, never, at all. Maybe the speaker didn’t want photos taken. If that’s the case, then say that via the PA system (e.g., “So-and-So requests that you not take photos.”).
Let’s face it, mobile devices are not going away. In fact, they’re getting smaller, more wearable, and less intrusive. They’re a part of our everyday lives, inside and outside venues.
According to a recent study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and InMobi, 89 percent of live performance fans conducted mobile activities in direct relation to performances they have attended in the last six months. These activities occurred during all stages of a live performance—before, during, and after.
“There is no question that mobile has become a central part of live entertainment events,” said Anna Bager, vice president and general manager of IAB’s Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. “Whether learning about the next big rock concert to hit town or planning a trip to see the hottest show on Broadway, consumers who adore live performances are turning to mobile devices as part of the entertainment experience—signaling that marketers and agencies need to include mobile in their media strategy, if they want to successfully reach prospective ticket buyers.”
The study found that 22 percent of attendees check-in at a live performance via social apps, 31 percent use mobile devices to make plans before or after a show, and 41 percent purchase tickets directly through mobile devices.
“Clearly, the mobile experience at live performances has gone well beyond waving around a mobile screen with the image of a fired up lighter,” said Joe Laszlo, senior director at IAB’s Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. “With live entertainment seekers leveraging mobile throughout all the phases of going to a show, marketers should pay keen attention to the insights offered in this research. Investing in mobile could be the difference between a full house and a flop.”
After the lecture I attended, I saw several photos from the event posted on Facebook. Some were posted during the event, and some were uploaded afterwards. Every single one, though, positioned the venue and event in a good light. Once again, free marketing.
How do you handle mobile phone photography at your venue? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
(photo credit: ShutterRunner via photopin cc)
This article takes two separate issues and confuses them as one. The author titles the article specifying mobile use before, during and after a performance. He then starts giving excuses as to why, even if there is an announcement by the venue to turn off cell phones and not take photography and the venue staff is telling you no, you should ignore them and continue to do it anyway since they obviously don’t know what is good for them.
Then the author references a “study”, with a participant pool of only 695 people whom the study admits are already mobile users (the survey was conducted only on a mobile platform) regarding mobile use for live music and entertainment purposes. The author then tries to use this survey, which does not include any specific information on mobile phone usage DURING an event, to make a case for his article. The survey, if you actually read it, has to do with capturing potential ticket buyers and fans before and potentially after an event. Getting them to buy tickets on their phone, or to look up on their phone an artist’s website after maybe hearing a song by them in Starbucks, or even trying to find out a place to eat dinner near a venue before a concert. What is missing is statistics on how many people take a photo of the concert during the show, how long they keep their phones out during an event, do they feel guilty using their phones at an event where the venue has asked them not to, or have they ever had their device confiscated due to venue policy. The survey has nothing to do with usage of mobile devices during a concert.
The author concludes his article by saying that after his lecture, he saw photos of the lecture posted on facebook, which in his opinion positioned the event and venue in a “good light”. Yup, I am sure the first thing all of us think of when we see a photo of a speaker, performer, singer, actor is “Wow, that venue looks great, I should see something there!”.
If the author has been to as many rodeo’s as he implies, I would like to ask how he feels when he is sitting behind the guy who decides to hold up his I-pad for 30 minutes in front on him to record a concert, or the two girls next to him who are giggling over photos of Chatum Tatum on their phones in the middle of that comedy show you went to, or the person behind you that just doesn’t know where the button is to turn off their flash on the camera, but still insists on having to take at least 100 pictures of the same thing on stage, all of which has nothing to do with actually enjoying what you paid money to see.
In this rush and pressure to be “social” at live events, we have actually instead become completely individualized. It is no longer about “us”, us being the audience, but rather about “me” the person taking the photo, taking the phone call, taking the video, all while not realizing the effect it has on the people around you.
Is the use of mobile devices going away in live entertainment? Nope. But as venue staff and as patrons of the arts, we must be at the forefront of making sure people do not lose the big picture. Because as soon as people just accept that they can watch live entertainment through a viewfinder or screen, or ignore what is happening on stage for a phone call or conversation unrelated, then frankly we are no different than watching TV at a pub.
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for your comment and for reading the blog. You do make a valid point mentioning the fact that there isn’t info about mobile phone use during an event.
I did find some stats from a 2012 T-Mobile study that shows 66 percent of concert attendees use their phones to take photos during a show, 47 percent email their friends during the show, and 32 percent send Facebook or Twitter updates (http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tmobile-camera-phone-chart).
Concerning your examples of someone holding up an i-Pad for 30 minutes or girls giggling over a photo–No, I’ve never experienced that. I have experienced, though, people taking photos and sending texts during a show, and it didn’t bother me, because they only did it briefly. As I implied, I don’t feel that people purposely want to disturb others, they just want a record of their attendance. They are loving their experience, and they want to share that with others.
I think a good middle ground is for venues to sell “tweet seats” (I’d pay extra for that) or for performers to announce from the stage something to the effect of, “I’ll stand her for two minutes so you can take photos, then please turn off your phones for the rest of the show.” That way you’re allowing your guests to share their experiences.
If we want younger generations to continue to support such arts as opera, symphony, and dramatic theater, then we have to find a way to help them express their love of attending these events.
Once again, thank you for your comment and contributing to the conversation.
Sincerely,
Jason