Arts venues in Northern Ireland generated over £13.3m in ticket revenue during 2008, according to research carried out by Audiences Northern Ireland (Audiences NI). ‘The Audience Audit 2008: who went to the arts in Northern Ireland in 2008?’ is the first report of its kind in Northern Ireland, and is based on data drawn from 6,467 performances in 22 arts organisations. Audiences NI claims that the report shows that “the arts are enjoyed by people from all walks of life in Northern Ireland, exploding the myth that the arts are the preserve of an elite minority”, with 27% of households that booked for arts events “likely to have incomes of less than £13,500 a year”. The research uses the Mosaic NI classification system, which segments consumers into nine groups specific to Northern Ireland. Those least likely to attend included ‘Poor Seniors and Solos’ (4%) and ‘Students and Singles’ (5%), while the groups with the highest attendance were ‘Ageing Suburbanites’ (21%) and ‘Farming Communities’ (16%). The report also examines attendance by artform and ticket booking patterns. Steven Hadley, Chief Executive of Audiences NI, said that the Audit would be carried out annually.
