Behind the Buy: Building a Loyalty Blueprint (with Tessitura Tips)

"When she calls, I just get tickets to whatever she recommends."

A group ticket leader said this about me to my boss. It's the ultimate compliment and sign of trust and loyalty.

I was flattered, but also knew that kind of relationship didn't happen overnight. This happened slowly over time by doing little things that (surprisingly) many people skip:

• Reaching out to the group leader about attending shows I suspected he and his family would enjoy

• Picking up the phone or returning messages

• Cheerfully handling seat changes and last-minute requests

• Passing along resume for someone in his network, no strings attached

That’s what earning loyalty really looks like in action.

Many of you requested “Memberships and Loyalty” as an Executive Roundtable topic, and we're here for it in June.

But when Anastassia, who partners with me on Tessitura projects, and I sat down to plan this discussion and how it relates to Tessitura, we realized that loyalty is misunderstood.

Most organizations (not just in the arts) say they want loyal customers. But what they actually want are the symptoms of loyalty:

• More frequent visits

• Bigger donations

• Auto-renewed subscriptions
  

So before we get into Tessitura tools and tactics, we’re starting with the bigger picture: 👉 What loyalty really means 👉 What actually builds it 👉 And how Tessitura can help you support it in the real world

Let’s get into it.

📸 Sonia Sanmartin (Unsplash)

First: Loyalty Isn't the Pin to Someone's Bank Account

Loyalty, Defined

Everyone's talking about memberships and loyalty programs. And yes, arts orgs need to rethink their business models and these are great ways to do so.

No one is going to say no to points and perks, but they're only sprinkles. The ice cream, or the foundation that keeps people coming back, is a meaningful experience paired with great service. A lot of arts organizations (and most businesses) say they want loyal audiences. But when you get down to it, what they really want is…

• People to come more often

• Spend more money

There's nothing wrong with this. But it feels like most organizations want this behavior (and money) from their audience without having to put in the work to earn it.

So we paused and asked: What does loyalty really mean?

loyalty / noun a strong feeling of support or allegiance

(Webster's Dictionary) In other words, loyalty is a feeling. A bond to the brand, and a belief in what you’re doing. How often someone buys a ticket is a behavior. It indicates that they feel loyal to you.

What Really Creates Loyalty

The Time & Money Myth

First, let's address the top two reasons people give as barriers to attending arts events: money and time. And there is truth to this — money and time are limited; however:

💲People will make wildly irresponsible financial decisions to get to get what they want — whether it’s Taylor Swift tickets, handbags, or limited-edition LEGO sets. (No judgment — we’ve been there.)

⏰ People have time, too. In fact, they spend almost the equivalent of a part-time job watching video these days. According to eMarketer, in 2022:

• U.S. adults spent 6 hours and 45 minutes per day watching video

• They clocked 12 hours and 31 minutes per day on digital media (including work)

Saying that money and time are a barrier to attending a show is a polite way of saying "I'm just not that into this. It's easier (and cheaper) to stay on the couch, scrolling bite-sized content or binging another wildly unhinged documentary, even if it's not fulfilling."

They're most likely not attending because:

• What you're offering doesn't connect to their life and emotional needs.

• Or, you're not communicating your offer, so they see the value.

• They don't feel seen, welcomed, or understood.

📸 Mario Rui Andre (Unsplash)

Why People Support (or Bounce)

There's a disconnect between what c-suite leaders think builds loyalty and what actually does. In a multi-industry study from PwC, executives and customers were asked what factors keep people loyal to a brand. The takeaway is that executives could spend some time getting to know their customers better.

What Both Sides Agree On:

Executives and consumers agree on just one loyalty factor: a product or service that's high quality, reliable, and consistent.

After that, executives are off base on what other factors customers value by 10-18 percentage points.

• 35% of consumers want products to be easy to find and purchase. Only 17% of executives said that mattered.

• Only 8% of consumers say a personalized experience is what keeps them coming back. Yet, 26% of executives think of that as a key loyalty driver.

Why People Leave

Executives think price is the main reason they lose customers. But:

• Only 17% of consumers leave because of price increases. (Note: this study is from 2023, so sentiments could have changed as higher prices linger, especially as tariffs start to take effect in the U.S.)

• Instead, 37% leave because of a bad experience with the product or service itself.
  

This mismatch is what PwC calls the “price–experience gap.”

In plain terms: Leadership tends to over-focus on pricing. Customers walk away because something felt bad.

Loyalty Is Built Through Experience — Not Just Service

People return when they know, like, and trust the people behind the curtain.

The interactions your audience has with ticketing staff, ushers, house managers, and group sales matter a lot.

And they know when your staff is faking it.

So if you want your audience to feel good, start by making sure your staff does.

The “Unit Emotion Work” Study

In a hospitality study, researchers found that shared emotional behavior within staff teams had a direct effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty.

They looked at three key types of emotional labor:

• Positive Emotion Display – Being upbeat and friendly

• Sensitivity Requirements – Being attuned to guest feelings and responding thoughtfully

• Emotion-Rule Dissonance – Faking emotions (like smiling when you're over it)
  

What they found:

✔️ Sensitivity leads to loyalty. Teams that genuinely tuned into customer emotions built stronger, longer-lasting relationships.

❌ Faking it leads to lower satisfaction. Audiences can sense inauthenticity, even when it comes with a smile.

🤷 Friendliness alone is not enough. Kindness without emotional honesty doesn’t move the needle. If you want patrons to come back, your team needs to feel supported, empowered, and emotionally present. That’s what your audience will remember.

(Ortiz-Bonnin, García-Buades, Caballer, and Zapf)

Tessitura Tips for Earning Loyalty

We’ve covered that increased attendance frequency is a symptom of loyalty—not the source.

Loyalty itself is a feeling. A bond. A sense that your organization gets them.

But hey, once that emotional connection is there, why not add the sprinkles? A thoughtful membership or loyalty program can turn that feeling into repeat visits, stronger engagement, and yes — more ticket sales and donations.

Here are a few of our favorite Tessitura tools and tactics to help you build, recognize, and reward that loyalty.

Ticketing & Front of House

Memberships (in v. 16)

Shifting from traditional subscriptions to more flexible membership models is top-of-mind across the arts.

We know that our audience members want flexibility when they're ready to commit to visiting a few times a year.

They want to attend when it works for them and do not want to be locked into specific dates or times too far in advance. Younger audience members do not care about their seats as much.

Tessitura's memberships feature — originally designed with museums in mind — is now being used by performing arts organizations to:

• Offer staggered presale access

• Provide flexible pricing tiers

• Automate benefits tracking, renewals, and mid-year upgrades

  
  

📌 Example: The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Recurring Concert Membership gives members access to unlimited concerts per season, with options that suit different budgets and lifestyles.

Rankings & Pricing Rules

If you're offering different benefits or rewards through memberships, you'll want to pair that with Tessitura's rankings and pricing rules features.

• Rankings can help you seat subscribers

• They're also a powerful way to track engagement over time

• You can use them to build targeted lists, identify high-value patrons, or nudge them into the next action

• Pricing rules can help you automatically unlock the right discounts or benefits based on behavior or loyalty status

A few friendly reminders:

Use CSIs/notes. Here's why, plus a wild story:

Use account headers

More Tips for Marketing & E-commerce

Start Guiding People in TNEW

Think of your TNEW purchase pathway like hosting a party for someone who’s never been to your house before.

You wouldn't just open the door and point to the snack table. You'd guide them.

• Avoid transactional language: A lot of orgs default to cold, transactional language. But when someone is actively making a decision, especially for tickets to a show, they're buying based on their emotions, not logical reasons.

  Ask yourself: Are we helping them decide—or just confirming what they clicked?
  

• Apply messaging rules to personalize purchase experiences: "You’re 2 concerts away from becoming a member and unlocking a 20% discount!"
  

• Confirmation pages are the end of the transaction and a great place to connect (not sell) and reinforce someone's emotional high point (think: The Peak-End Rule which is when people remember experiences by the emotional high point and how they end.)

📌 TNEW Example: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra uses TNEW to offer flex packages based on seasonal timing and music genre — a smart, audience-centered approach that meets people where they are.

Better Segmentation and Messaging

Many arts organizations write the same message to everyone, but people do not show up for all the same reasons.

You can use Tessitura's segmentations (instead of lists) to more accurately segment people by ticket history, interest, and behavior, and avoid sending duplicate messages to the same people.

You can also pull by interests or lifestyle by setting up attributes, so you're easily able to pull in that information.

📌 Tactic from Group Sales: When I worked group sales at the Auditorium Theatre, I didn’t send a generic “bring your group” email. I led with relevance.

“As a ballet teacher, you know how powerful it is when students see their art live.”

“As a choir director, this program will feel like a celebration of vocal harmony.”

Those small changes in messaging landed, and helped build trust because they spoke more to the group leader's lifestyle and goals.

The Short of It

Discounts, points, and perks are great, but they're only sprinkles on the loyalty sundae.

Real loyalty is built when someone has a genuinely great experience with your organization.

The art moves them. The service supports them. And they leave feeling seen, satisfied, and excited to come back (and maybe bring a friend).

That’s what sticks. Everything else is just a (sweet) bonus.

📚 Sources

Insider Intelligence. US Time Spent with Media Forecast 2023. eMarketer, April 5, 2023. Murthy, Vivek H. "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May 2023.  Ortiz-Bonnin, Silvia, M. Esther García-Buades, Amparo Caballer, and Dieter Zapf. “Linking ‘Unit Emotion Work’ to Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Multilevel Study in the Hospitality Industry.” Current Psychology 41, no. 6 (2022): 2521–2534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01646-2.

PricewaterhouseCoopers. Building Customer Loyalty: A Guide to How Customer Experience Drives Customer Loyalty. PwC, 2024.