ArtsVan
Ticketing Truck and Mobile Hospitality Center
Planning Notes for Venues and Presenters
March 21 , 2003
Until now, there has never been a Downtown New York visitors' center. Nor has there been a program to channel Downtown tourists and visitors into the District's theaters and other cultural attractions. In the previously quarantined zone (below 14th Street), the events of 9/11 and the resulting economic downturn have brought the necessity of such a facility into sharp focus.
DowntownNYC! was formed to foster Downtown recovery through cooperative efforts by commercial businesses, artists and arts organizations. We are now actively working on a new "bootstrap" initiative to promote recovery through cooperation of these sectors. It is a "Downtown Arts Wagon," which would serve multiple Downtown locations with a mobile visitor's center and ticketing station. By re-outfitting one or more surplus location vehicles from the film industry, we aim to create a moveable facility (or facilities) where:
- Information on Downtown arts events can be displayed and distributed.
- Money-saving co-promotions between Downtown arts organizations and surrounding restaurants and businesses can be distributed. These would include cooperative ticketing, discount vouchers and shopping discounts.
- Tickets to small and midsize arts events can be purchased, much like TKTS serves higher-priced theater.
- Neighborhood maps, guides
and announcements can be distributed, thus using the arts as a stimulus
to neighborhood revitalization.
We have received generous assistance from the staffs of Borough President C. Virginia Fields and City Councilman Alan J. Gerson; who is Chairman of the Downtown Redevelopment Committee. We have been urged to demonstrate the need for this facility by testimonials which could facilitate advocacy in our fundraising efforts. Therefore, we ask you to join our dozens of supporters who have worked hard to make this program possible.
If you believe in what we are doing, please consider sending us an endorsement letter. This would be a short letter (on your letterhead) endorsing the concept and stating that your organization would like to be in the first round of participants when and if the planned "Downtown Mobile Hospitality Center and Ticketing Truck" is launched.
Sponsorship negotiations are now underway, so please send as soon as possible.
Please address it to: DowntownNYC!, c/o Jonathan Slaff, 55 Perry Street, #1M, New York, NY 10014.
The following "Frequently Asked Questions" section will tell you more. We are grateful for your support.
Sincerely,
The ArtsVan staff
WHO
WILL BE ELIGIBLE?
WHERE WILL IT BE OPERATING?
WHAT ABOUT
NON-PERFORMANCE EVENTS?
HOW WILL THE
PROGRAM BENEFIT THE DOWNTOWN ECONOMY?
WHO IS IN
CHARGE?
HOW WILL
TICKETING WORK?
IS THIS FOR
DISCOUNT TICKETS ONLY?
WHAT ARE THE
SERVICE CHARGES?
HOW CAN WE
GET A SALES REPORT?
MUST WE USE
THE TICKETING SERVICE TO HAVE BROCHURES ON THE TRUCK?
WHAT ARE
THE RESPONSIBILTIES OF PRESENTERS?
WHEN WILL
VENUES BE PAID FOR TICKETS SOLD?
ABOUT
DowntownNYC!
WHO
WILL BE ELIGIBLE?
The program will
initially serve theater and dance, and grow to serve arts performances of
all disciplines. No ticket price will be too low for our program, and we
expect wide participation by Off-off Broadway.
WHAT
ABOUT NON-PERFORMANCE EVENTS?
A portion of the vehicle
to be racked for welcome center brochures, etc. so that our mobile "Welcome
Center" can also promote Downtown fine/visual arts events and the Lower
East Side shopping district.
HOW
WILL THE PROGRAM BENEFIT THE DOWNTOWN ECONOMY?
A program of cross-promotions,
discounts and sponsorships will ensure that the Downtown business community
will also benefit from the effort. Industry analyses by respected agencies
have cited the considerable impact of Off-Broadway audiences on the local
economy.
The first stage of this initiative is aimed at Lower Manhattan south of 14th Street. We intend to "partner" with the BID's on a district map, promotions, discounts and sponsorships. If the model is successful, it may eventually "roll out" to other areas of the City.
BUSINESS IMPACT OF
OFF-BROADWAY AUDIENCES ON THE DOWNTOWN ECONOMY
From: Survey of Off-Broadway Audiences by A.R.T. New York, prepared by
Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo, Inc. (1995):
"When attending Off-Broadway performances, most (73%) also dine out,
and spend an average of $35.10."
"One in five (20%) pays an average of $12.40 to park their car."
"Seven per cent spend an average of $38.10 purchasing merchandise
in stores located in the general area of the theaters."
From: The Arts as an Industry:
Their Economic Importance to the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Region,
The Port Authority of NY & NJ, Alliance for the Arts, New York City
Partnership, Partnership for New Jersey 1993:
"The operating support
to the non-profit arts from New York City and other local governments
totaled $155 million, yet the taxes generated just from personal and sales
taxes totaled $325 million."
WHO
IS IN CHARGE?
Downtown NYC!, Inc., the operator
of this program, is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council (http://www.lmcc.net).
Its earned surplus, if any, will be directed to relief efforts for individual artists. Precedents for this include the recent NY Arts Recovery Fund/Actors' Fund efforts. We intend that establishing a fund for this purpose will also serve as a pointer for other charitable efforts toward individual artists.
IS
THIS FOR DISCOUNT TICKETS ONLY?
Tickets to be full
price, 25% discount or 50% discount, at producer's sole discretion.
WHAT
ARE THE SERVICE CHARGES?
There will be convenience
fees for ticket purchases only: $3 per ticket surcharge (paid by the buyer,
split with the producer, or paid by the producer) on all sales.
10% commission (paid
by producer) on all tickets sold for $40 or more. No charge for brochures
only.
HOW
CAN WE GET A SALES REPORT?
Producers will be able
to log on to our website after 6:00 pm to obtain the day's sales report.
WHERE
WILL IT BE OPERATING?
Washington Square South
(behind the Police Department's mobile command post) has been identified
as the location for the first vehicle. A location for the second vehicle
is to be determined. Locations to be explored include Astor Place, Union
Square, Ground Zero area, E. Eighth Street, Sheridan Square, City Hall-Park
Row, Sixth Avenue @ Eighth Street and Broadway betw. Houston and Spring
St.
Days of service: Tuesdays through Sundays. Hours 10:30 to 6:00 pm.
MUST
I USE THE TICKETING SERVICE TO HAVE MY BROCHURES ON THE TRUCK?
No. This is an economic
development program for Downtown New York. The brochure rack is gratis.
HOW
WILL TICKETING WORK?
Venues will place consignments
on sale by telephoning our staff or using a secure, password-protected
website. The truck(s) will have a display "board" showing promotional
postcards of all shows being ticketed. Customers will buy a ticket voucher
consisting of a distinctive barcode label affixed to the postcard of the
event they have purchased. A rubber stamp may be added for additional
fraud protection. It is necessary for your postcards to display the address,
show time, and directions to the venue.
Customers will also receive a sales receipt and a "neighborhood guide," prepared by DowntownNYC! in partnership with the downtown BID's, containing discounts and co-promotions with merchants, restaurants, parking lots, etc. which are convenient to the venue.
WHAT
ARE THE RESPONSIBILTIES OF PRESENTERS?
(1) Register your ticket
consignment and deliver promotional postcards--all with correct date,
time and address info--to our pickup point (place TBA). Since the postcard
is the "backing" for the ticket label voucher, you must deliver us at
least as many postcards as the number of tickets you put on sale.
(2) Accept all ticket vouchers, treating them as you would pre-sold tickets.
(3) If your venue has reserved seating, exchange the ticket vouchers at your box office for tickets with seat numbers. If you have no reserved seating, either (a) exchange them for your standard tickets or (b) have your ushers accept them like regular tickets. The customers will receive a sales receipt, so you will not have to tear the vouchers to provide a proof of purchase.
(4) Provide your own exchanges or refunds. Purchases at our mobile facility will be non-returnable final sales.
(5) Provide additional postcards, beyond what we need for ticketing, to be posted on our "On Sale" display board(s) and for our brochure racks. There is no fee for use of the brochure racks, but racks will be purged daily for shows which are closed.
(6) If your show is extended, you must deliver new postcards with the added dates. No expired postcards will be used.
WHEN
WILL VENUES BE PAID FOR TICKETS SOLD?
Our password-protected,
secure website will contain your sales reports. Payments will be issued
on a fixed schedule; probably every two weeks.
About DowntownNYC!
DowntownNYC! <www.downtownnyc.info>
was formed November 8, 2001 at the Cherry Lane Theater by leaders of Downtown
theater and arts organizations. It is a coalition of arts organizations,
civic groups, restaurants and businesses working to revitalize Downtown
Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. You may have been with us on
November 30, 2001, when we sang"Downtown" with Petula Clark
in Washington Square Park to demonstrate that we were still there and
ready for business, despite losses suffered in the WTC attack.
The Government Outreach Committee of DowntownNYC! is an autonomous task force of this organization. Our February 2002 "Snapshot" Survey gave policymakers their first highly-focused picture of economic loss and job loss in the Downtown community, particularly in its theaters, following the attacks of 9/11. Our next project, "Artists One Year Later: Survey of 9/11's Economic Impact on Individual Artists in NYC" (a collaboration with NY Foundation for the Arts and Consortium for Worker Education), has received widespread recognition and appreciation. It is now considered a touchstone work in planning for the recovery effort.
We are grateful for your support in this, our next initiative.