How Woodstock Arts Built Stronger Audience Relationships with a Flexible Membership Model

Woodstock Arts brings together theatre, concerts, visual arts, and education under one organisation. But its traditional subscription model wasn’t reflecting the way people wanted to engage.

Despite introducing greater flexibility, subscriptions continued to underperform.

“Our subscriptions just weren’t working for us. No matter what we did or however flexible we made it.” said Christopher Brazelton, Woodstock Arts.

The team wanted a simpler approach that reflected the breadth of their programming, encouraged repeat visits, and created more opportunities to build long-term relationships with their audience.

Woodstock Arts replaced subscriptions with a flexible, tiered membership programme that gives members access to almost every event through monthly, quarterly, or annual plans.

To shape the membership experience, Woodstock Arts worked with Maniac Agency on the membership model and customer journey. Maniac also built the website integration that supports a seamless path into membership and booking.

Behind the scenes, they connected ticketing, membership, and point of sale data by using Spektrix alongside an integration built by SalesVu. Transactions from the coffee shop and other onsite purchases flow back into the Spektrix system, giving the team a more connected picture of how people engage across the organisation.

The membership is available at three levels, Single, Duo, and Family,  making it easy for individuals and families to choose the option that suits them. Members can use either:

• A physical membership card with a QR code generated in Spektrix that can be scanned at the SalesVu point of sale to recognise membership benefits and record transactions.
• A digital customer pass delivered in the purchase confirmation email, making it easy for families and young people to access benefits across events and the coffee shop.

The organisation recognised that audience members already attending several times each year would see immediate value in membership, making the transition a natural one for many of its most engaged households.

Together, the new membership model and connected data enabled Woodstock Arts to:

• Replaced an underperforming subscription model with a flexible membership programme designed around how the organisation’s audience chooses to attend.
• Created a connected view of ticketing, membership, and point of sale activity by bringing Spektrix and SalesVu data together.
• Enabled personalised marketing and front-of-house experiences using Spektrix auto tags, Dotdigital automation, and real-time point of sale interactions.
• Increased opportunities for repeat attendance by rewarding customer behaviour across events and onsite purchases.
• Gave teams richer data to improve revenue forecasting, inventory planning, and future audience engagement strategies.
• Built a stronger foundation for long-term, diversified revenue beyond ticket sales alone.

Bringing point of sale and ticketing data together has given Woodstock Arts a more complete understanding of how people interact with the organisation.

Instead of viewing ticket purchases and café visits separately, the team can understand the broader relationship each audience member has with the organisation and respond in more meaningful ways.

Rewarding audience engagement with connected data

The SalesVu integration gives front-of-house teams access to customer information in Spektrix by scanning any event ticket, not just a digital membership pass. Using Spektrix auto tags, the organisation can recognise customer behaviours in real time and deliver relevant benefits throughout the customer journey.

This enables Woodstock Arts to:

• Welcome first-time bookers. When someone attends for the first time, a Spektrix auto tag automatically triggers a Dotdigital campaign offering a discount at the bar. Staff can verify eligibility simply by scanning the customer’s ticket at the SalesVu point of sale.
• Recognise loyal audience members. By combining transaction data from both Spektrix and SalesVu, Woodstock Arts can reward behaviours such as repeat visits, ticket purchases, or overall spend, creating membership benefits that reflect each customer’s level of engagement.
• Create more personal interactions. A first-time visitor status recorded in Spektrix determines eligibility for specific offers in SalesVu. That same information is included in operational reports, helping staff prepare personalised welcome notes and provide a voucher for $20 off a future ticket purchase.

Because ticketing, membership, marketing, and point of sale data work together, Woodstock Arts can create consistent experiences across every customer touchpoint while giving staff the information they need to deliver more personalised service.

The connected data also helps Woodstock Arts make better operational decisions.

By understanding transactions across ticketing and hospitality together, the team can improve revenue forecasting, plan inventory more effectively, and identify new opportunities to grow earned income without relying solely on ticket price increases.

Looking ahead, Woodstock Arts plans to use this richer understanding of customer behaviour to deliver even more personalised experiences.

As Christopher Brazelton describes:

“They get a text message or pre-event email saying, ‘Hey, we know you like this drink. Would you like it waiting on your table when you arrive?’”

For Woodstock Arts, this isn’t simply about adding another revenue stream. It’s about creating a connected experience that encourages people to engage more often, supports long-term sustainability, and makes every interaction more valuable for both the organisation and its audience.