Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

A symphony orchestra from 1765, in the middle of fairytale Bergen

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is a symphony orchestra with a high international reputation. With a history dating back to 1765, the music society is one of the world’s oldest orchestras and has won several awards and prizes. Today, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra offers concerts in Bergen, tours, recordings, and international commissioned works.

Yes, the orchestra has been sustained since its inception. And even more – here are several examples of how the orchestra has worked to renew itself. For instance, it releases about four CDs per year. It also has a streaming service called Bergenphilive and a youth orchestra called the Bergen Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, both of which were launched during the anniversary year of 2015. Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra also manages projects aimed at both children and young people, as well as the elderly. And then there are smart, digital tools.

Digital marketing tool unique to the event industry

MarketHype is one of the digital tools that Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra uses. The tool is an industry-specific system created uniquely for marketers of events and experiences, and Tarjei Svenson Hummelsund is a frequent user. Tarjei works as a Marketing Coordinator in the orchestra's marketing department, which consists of five people. He explains why they chose to get started with MarketHype:

– Challenges with previous tools meant that we needed to find a new solution. Partly, the tools had no connection to our ticket software, which meant we had to spend unnecessary time exporting and importing lists between different systems. Partly, we had no understanding of our audience and how to market to them.

In June 2023, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra chose to switch to MarketHype. With the analysis and marketing system, all purchase data from the ticket system Tixly is now automatically received. This allows them to see concrete numbers related to sales, as well as information on the audience's demographic and geographical characteristics. Tarjei explains:

– Previously, we could only assume the age of our visitors, but with the integration, we now know for certain how old they are. Having this information is crucial for reaching the right people.

Visual data helps Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra understand the younger generation

With MarketHype, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra can see that its largest target group belongs to the slightly older generation. However, the orchestra attracts visitors of all ages and is actively working to engage more young people. They want more children, families, and students to discover the world of classical music. But how does this work in practice?

Tarjei mentions that Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra has a consultant with special responsibility for this segment. For example, they work with student networks, invite students to free productions, and organize special events tailored specifically for this target group.

– The first time, there weren’t as many students as we had hoped, but now the number has increased considerably. Schools are showing more and more interest, says Tarjei.

To better understand the younger generation, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra uses MarketHype. The platform allows them to filter by age, among other factors. With this filter, the national orchestra can see what proportion of the total audience consists of young people and students, where they come from, and how much they buy on average.

Another feature of MarketHype connected to filtering is segmentation. Creating different segments based on age, buying behavior, and other attributes is as easy as filtering customers. With pre-set segments, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra can also track how these customer groups – such as the "Students" segment – grow and change over time. Smart, for sure!

When Tarjei and his colleagues want to analyze ticket sales for specific events and productions, they can also take advantage of a clear sales overview. What day of the week are the most tickets sold? Which segments are buying tickets? Which type of ticket is most popular – regular, student, or package? What percentage are returning visitors? Answers to questions like these can be found in the sales overview, making it easier to understand their audience.

The seamless connection to the communication tools produces clear results

MarketHype is more than just an analytics and customer data platform. The system also offers a direct connection between contacts and several communication channels: Meta advertising, email, SMS, and automations. Here, the filter function plays an essential role in targeted communication and marketing.

– I got a sneak peek at the system and tested the email tool before we became a customer. It was incredibly easy to understand and use! Together with the integrations, it really felt like the right tool for us, says Tarjei.

Tarjei believes that MarketHype's email tool offers several advantages that the previous tool lacked. He explains that there has always been an aspiration at Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra to create visually attractive mailings, but that it was difficult to achieve with the old email service:

– It was difficult to produce nice mailings before. We were sort of stuck in a version where all mailings looked the same, and it was hard to change fonts, for example. Now, it's easy to work with emails, and if we want to differentiate mailings depending on the sender, that's easy too. We send more emails now than before.

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra's emails and newsletters now have an average open rate of 71.3 percent, compared to around 60 percent previously – outstandingly good! Another aspect that is also outstanding is that the orchestra can see the sales generated by the various mailings. The average figure per dispatch is close to NOK 40,000.

The orchestra also has a number of automations running. These are set up once and then sent automatically – an easy way to maintain communication with customers while also driving sales. The automations have event-specific filters and, just like the manual emails, provide statistics regarding open rate, click rate, and generated sales. At Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the average open rate for automations is 83.7 percent. Close enough to a top rating!

– The fact that we can see what revenue the mailings bring is incredibly helpful. Both the open rates and the information about where those who opened the emails come from enable us to better understand our audience and our recipients. We then use the results as a basis for new mailings, says Tarjei.

The circle closes with forms for newsletters

In addition to the features mentioned, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra uses MarketHype's registration form. The form is located at the bottom of the website and collects email addresses from contacts who wish to receive the latest news. These addresses are – just like the other contacts – automatically retrieved to MarketHype, specifically under the "Marketing" subscription type. And just like the other contacts, there is a seamless connection between the communication tools and the subscribers. With all the data gathered in one system, the national orchestra gains great control over its entire customer database.

– MarketHype is a brilliant tool! It really focuses on simplicity and the user experience, where I understand exactly what to do, says Tarjei.

One feature that Tarjei is particularly fond of is the integrations. He believes it's both useful and important that MarketHype offers several integrations with different ticket systems.

– If we ever change ticket systems, we can take MarketHype with us. With several ticket software providers connected to the system, we won’t have to worry about transferring large amounts of contact lists, reports, or signup forms if we switch. Everything will already be in place, concludes Tarjei.

More information about Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Do you want to know more about Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra? Check out their website here.

To read the customer story in Norwegian, go here.
To read the customer story in Swedish, go here.