Unlocking  potential

Strategic Support to Transform Teams, Technology and Talent.

Senior leaders in venues and arts organisations often inherit software systems and team structures designed for a different era. The result? Box office and marketing teams work in silos, reducing revenue and slowing progress.

With years of experience overcoming these exact challenges, I help you pinpoint your operational weaknesses and create a clear plan to turn them into strengths. My advisory services focus on your technology, people, and processes to ensure your team is set up for success.

Boost your bottom line: optimise sales and marketing

In my career I have worked with hundreds of cultural organisations of all sizes who were considering changing what they often refer to as ‘the box office system’.

Conversations with staff members often reveal that they struggled with fragmented systems and dysfunctional business processes lacking ownership.

An image of three professionals working at desks using computers

Sometimes ineffective and often overly complex, the combination of these factors slows organisations down, reduces opportunities for revenue generation and costs time, effort and money.

With hands-on experience working in the cultural sector and market leading technology suppliers, I know how to get to the bottom of what isn’t working. When you partner with me, I’ll create a detailed, actionable plan to move your organisation forward.

Is your team set up for success?

As an experienced leader working both in-venue and within the wider cultural experience sector, I’ll help you build teams with clear roles and accountabilities, empowering them to succeed. Box office and marketing posts are key revenue-generating roles that organisations must be able to rely on. Are your roles structured in a way that really enables teams?

“Ben brings a wealth of experience in the cultural sector across multiple regions, and is skilled at helping arts professionals achieve their goals. I first had the opportunity to work with Ben on a project with the Bach Choir and his passion for using technology to unlock the potential of organisations was clear then as it is now.”
— Paul McGuinness, Director of Client Relations, Spektrix

Process & System review services

  • Box office / ticketing systems review

    A full box office system review is designed to provide a detailed health check of how your organisation is managing your existing tools. The box office and ticketing systems currently on the market are powerful tools provided by vendors with a huge amount of sector experience. In practice they’re often underutilised and left without clear stewardship within an organisation. Through interviews with team members and my own analysis of your online offer I’ll examine:

    The current health of your ticketing system. This covers your relationship with the vendor, the internal ownership and management of the software, quality of your online audience offer and ‘quick wins’ that enable you to make straightforward improvements to customer service with your existing toolkit.

    My observations and recommendations. You may be considering changing system and going out to the market. I can determine whether or not that would be an appropriate step for you or not

  • Sales and marketing: processes & systems health check

    A comprehensive dive into the business processes and technologies that your sales (box office) and marketing teams use.

    Using informational interviews with your team members, I’ll investigate what’s working well and what could be improved. When it comes to your systems, I’ll ask what is being used and why, identifying who owns each tool and how effectively they’re being used.

    The outcome of this review is a roadmap report with my observations, recommendations and a call with you discuss my findings.

  • Marketing systems review

    Focusing on the marketing and communications function of the organisation, I’ll look at the different marketing technologies your team is using, comparing them to your objectives. I’ll investigate:

    The effectiveness of the systems that your marketing operation is using. This includes an analysis of how well they’re being used, the value for money they offer your organisation and whether or not they are actively contributing towards marketing objectives.

    The health of your ‘marketing ecosystem’. Ticketing systems, email marketing tools, advertising platforms… all act as repositories of data about your audiences. I’ll report upon how well these tools are working together and how they’re impacting upon marketing performance.

    Your systems roadmap; I will make a series of prioritised recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of your marketing systems.

  • Something else in mind?

    If you need help with something that isn’t listed here..

    I can work with teams across the full spectrum of box office/sales, marketing and communications.

    If you have a project in mind that isn’t covered here, drop me a line so we can discuss your requirements.

    Looking for something longer term?

    Some projects take time to deliver and that isn’t always clear at the outset. In addition to working on review projects, I can work with you on a flexible retainer basis.

Recruitment support packages

Marketing, Communications, Sales and Box Office roles

Role development and hiring process management

Designed to support you from the earliest stage of recruitment up to the point of making an appointment.

I’ll work with you to develop a role job description based on clear accountabilities and responsibilities, defining mission and purpose. I can help you set the salary range, identifying other comparable roles to use as benchmarks. I’ll help you to ensure that your recruitment process is inclusive.

During the recruitment stage I can work on your behalf to screen candidates, conduct interviews at any stage of the process, and facilitating internal discussions about final stage candidates. This support can be particularly effective when you are recruiting for a role that requires technical know-how, but don’t have anyone in-house with that knowledge.

Interview support

Joining your interview process as a panellist in later stage interviews, I can ensure that candidates skills, experience and potential are fully explored. I am an extremely experienced interviewer and look to enable candidates to demonstrate their potential, aiding your recruitment decision.

For roles that are likely to attract considerable interest, I can screen candidates on your behalf to ensure they meet a requirements threshold for a role before being progressed to later stages.

“Ben is a discerning and skilled communicator and quickly understands people’s motivations. He is particularly adept at rapidly getting to the core of an issue, keeping teams focussed and on track with their goals. When working with clients and partners he has a natural intuitiveness, easily reading between the lines and understanding what has been left unsaid”
— Emily Childs, Head of Community, LineUp

How can I help your organisation?

Pop your details in the form and I’ll be in touch to arrange a free, no-obligation conversation about your requirements. Enquiries are handled in the strictest confidence.