VenueTech isn’t your average venue management company. They’re the secret sauce behind a variety of iconic theaters, including the Harris Center in Folsom, CA. When it comes to producing unforgettable events, VenueTech knows how to set the stage for success!

But creating incredible experiences is just half the battle. Filling seats is its own unique hurdle. For the Harris Center, reaching the right audience without wasting a dime was the real performance to master.

The Challenge

Maximizing attendance for sought-after shows at a venue near a major city has its quirks. The big question isn’t just how to reach people, but how to cost-effectively reach the right people. VenueTech wanted to consistently sell 80-90% of seats per show while facing stiff competition from another well-established theater just down the road. With every marketing dollar under scrutiny, they turned to Bauer Entertainment Marketing to achieve consistently strong attendance by reaching the right people in the right places for the right price.

The Solution

We treated our advertising campaign like a carefully staged production, where every move counts and precision is everything. Rather than blanketing the entire region with ads and hoping for the best, we started by digging into the data. We compared the ZIP codes of actual ticket buyers with digital click and conversion data to identify the distance ranges that generate the highest ROI.

Our analysis spotlighted key locations within a refined radius of the venue that showed the strongest correlation between ad exposure, clicks, and ticket purchases. Beyond that distance, returns started to dip.

With this in mind, we fine-tuned our venue marketing strategy to:

  • Focus ad spend on high-intent, local audiences

  • Reduce waste by cutting out low-performing areas

  • Align creative and offers to the preferences of nearby buyers

We launched geotargeted campaigns using precise, location-based placements and tailored messaging that spoke directly to the interests and behaviors of local consumers. Every dollar delivered more impact because it was going straight to the people most likely to buy.

The Result

Thanks to our strategic approach, VenueTech saw the following results:

  • 91% of shows were profitable, with 83% of shows reaching goal sellout rates within the optimized targeting zone

  • 3,100+ new ticket buyers, expanding the venue’s reach without expanding costs

  • Over 15 million digital impressions and 312,000+ clicks across campaigns

  • CPCs as low as $0.17, significantly outperforming the $0.83 industry benchmark

Standout productions like Hadestown, Come From Away, and Pretty Woman all saw exceptional performance through this approach.

  • Come From Away: 10.0X ROAS from 1.75 million impressions and 44,000+ clicks

  • Hadestown: 8.3X ROAS from 1.87 million impressions and 35,000+ clicks

  • Pretty Woman: 7.2X ROAS from 1.34 million impressions and 22,000+ clicks

By anchoring our strategy in location intelligence, we transformed their past digital ad strategy from a shot in the dark into a precision instrument. Ticket sales grew while spend efficiency reached new highs, proving that when you know where your buyers are, you don’t need to look far to fill seats.

It goes to show that in both theatre and marketing, it’s not about shining a spotlight everywhere; it’s about lighting the right stage at the right moment.

Want to fill your venue without overspending?

At BEM, we help event producers connect with and convert their most likely ticket buyers using data-driven targeting. Curious about how we turn more campaigns into sold-out shows?

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