News – Sales boom in Cardiff

A recent report has revealed that Cardiff has experienced a significant growth in ticket sales since the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre, with audience numbers growing by 20% after it opened. Between 2004 and 2005, audience numbers for arts and entertainment events at leading Cardiff venues totalled over 700,000, with 93,000 individuals booking tickets for shows. The research into Cardiff arts audiences was carried out by Audiences Wales, the new audience development agency recently formed by the merger of Cardiff Arts Marketing with Marketing the Arts in Swansea and Carmarthenshire and Valleys Arts Marketing.
Conducted between 2003 and 2005, it involved Chapter Arts Centre, the Sherman Theatre, the New Theatre, St Davids Hall, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh National Opera and the Wales Millennium Centre. In addition to generating headline figures, the study aimed to discover more about audiences, how the organisations are perceived and how the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre would affect Cardiffs existing performing arts events. One key finding was that each of the organisations in the study is known for something unique: Chapter Arts Centre for its commitment to contemporary arts and independent cinema, the Sherman for its childrens shows and new writing, and the New Theatre for its annual pantomime and plays and musicals. Respondents also felt that Cardiff is well served for music: St Davids Hall was held to be one of the best concert halls in Europe, the Welsh National Opera deemed worthy of its world class reputation, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales known for its high quality yet accessible concerts. Respondents recognised the need for a large-scale venue to attract grand touring productions, musicals, dance and ballet to Wales  a gap which was subsequently filled by the Wales Millennium Centre.