Finding the right CRM and Ticketing for you with Adam Sykes

02/10/25 • 34 min

In this episode,James Akers interviewsAdam Sykes, the Digital Culture Network Tech Champion for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Ticketing.

We discuss:

How CRM systems help organisations collect, manage, and use audience data to improve engagement, marketing, and fundraising.
The importance of a seamless ticketing process to increase attendance, reduce drop-offs, and enhance customer satisfaction
Top tips from Adam’s experience in the creative and cultural sector

The following links and resources were discussed in this episode:

Download the transcript for this episode (Word document)
Whose CRM is it anyway? – an article exploring how creative and cultural organisations can effectively utilise a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to manage their audiences.
Access All Areas: Making ticketing more accessible for everyone – Adam takes you through how to enhance your ticketing inclusivity and ensure equal access for all
The Ticketing Journey: From Pre-Purchase to Post-Event – webinar recording to learn practical strategies to streamline your ticketing processes and enhance the customer journey, from start to finish.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platforms – explore a list of relevant systems
Box office and Ticketing platforms – explore a list of relevant systems
More than half of arts audiences are first-time bookers – 2024 Tomorrow’s Audience report from Indigo Ltd
Dynamic pricing could be banned under new federal government crackdown amid pressure on music sellers – Changes to regulation in Australia
Pearl Jam v. Ticketmaster: What Happened?– why Pearl Jam fell out with Ticketmaster over their operating practices

In this episode,James Akers interviewsAdam Sykes, the Digital Culture Network Tech Champion for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Ticketing.

We discuss:

How CRM systems help organisations collect, manage, and use audience data to improve engagement, marketing, and fundraising.
The importance of a seamless ticketing process to increase attendance, reduce drop-offs, and enhance customer satisfaction
Top tips from Adam’s experience in the creative and cultural sector

The following links and resources were discussed in this episode:

Download the transcript for this episode (Word document)
Whose CRM is it anyway? – an article exploring how creative and cultural organisations can effectively utilise a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to manage their audiences.
Access All Areas: Making ticketing more accessible for everyone – Adam takes you through how to enhance your ticketing inclusivity and ensure equal access for all
The Ticketing Journey: From Pre-Purchase to Post-Event – webinar recording to learn practical strategies to streamline your ticketing processes and enhance the customer journey, from start to finish.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Platforms – explore a list of relevant systems
Box office and Ticketing platforms – explore a list of relevant systems
More than half of arts audiences are first-time bookers – 2024 Tomorrow’s Audience report from Indigo Ltd
Dynamic pricing could be banned under new federal government crackdown amid pressure on music sellers – Changes to regulation in Australia
Pearl Jam v. Ticketmaster: What Happened?– why Pearl Jam fell out with Ticketmaster over their operating practices

Previous Episode

The art of asking: effective audience surveys with Jack Roscoe

In this episode, James Akers interviews Jack Roscoe⁠, the Digital Culture Network Tech Champion for Audience Data Collection and Evaluation.

We discuss:

Designing effective audience surveys by focusing on clear objectives, tailoring questions to different audiences, and utilising tools like Illuminate and Microsoft Forms
Methods to boost survey participation, including face-to-face interactions, staff training, and creating concise, engaging surveys
Top tips from Jack’s experience in the creative and cultural sector

The following links and resources were discussed in this episode:

Download the transcript for this episode (Word document)
Increase your audience surveys and improve survey data - Jack's webinar exploring tips and tactics to collect more audience surveys for a variety of organisations.
How to decide your survey targets and improve your sampling - Jack's article including a step-by-step guide to determining an appropriate number of surveys to aim for.
National Museums Liverpool - Understanding Audiences - an interview with Wesley Thistlethwaite, Insight and Analysis Manager at National Museums Liverpool, on his role working with audience data.
Freelancer Directory - Arts Marketing Association - a useful resource to find freelancers, including evaluators and audience consultants.
Tomorrow's Audience Indigo Share: Hot Topic - this sector-wide audience survey makes a number of useful recommendations on how to reach, grow, and better cater to new audiences, backed up with solid data.
Illuminate by Arts Council England - an overview of Illuminate including links to FAQs and to download a list of the mandatory and optional questions.
Impact & Insight Toolkit - an alternative platform for National Portfolio Organisations to collect surveys, with templates containing the mandatory questions, along with the ability to write your own questions and more flexibly redesign surveys.
Culture Counts to Illuminate Conversion Service Guide - a guide to the free survey data export service for Impact and Insight Toolkit users, creating data files that are formatted and ready to be uploaded directly into Illuminate.
⁠Connect with Jack on LinkedIn⁠ and enjoy his videos.

Next Episode

Creating engaging cultural content with Dean Shaw

In this episode, James Akers interviews Dean Shaw, the Digital Culture Network Tech Champion for Content Creation.

We discuss:

What free and low-cost tools can be used to create high quality content
How Dean can support you in your content creation skills development
Top tips from Dean’s experience in the creative and cultural sector

Links and resources discussed in this episode

Download the transcript for this episode (Word document)
Smartphone photography: Taking great photos for your online shop (Webinar on Tuesday 8 April 2025) - how to improve your product imagery using just a smartphone and grow your online sales
Using digital solutions to make your facility more accessible: Ensuring visitors feel confident - This resource explains how videos and images are a great way to communicate your access offer, making sure every visitor feels confident in enjoying the space without the worry of how they'll navigate it.
From Fandom to Funds: How the Tank Museum is Transforming Museum Fundraising
Video editing platforms: CapCut, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro
Canva for non-profits - Create social media posts, presentations, infographics, thumbnails, reports, posters, flyers and signage - for free.
Edit it yourself: a practical guide to video editing (on demand webinar) - Learn basic video editing for social media content.
How to make YouTube, TikTok or Instagram videos your audience will love (on demand webinar) - Learn how to create short form video content using only your smart phone.
Crafting audience personas for creative and cultural organisations on YouTube - An effective way to expand reach and engagement on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or LinkedIn, is through developing well-defined audience personas. This handy step-by-step guide walks you through the entire process, from start to finish.
Get the YouTube audience your videos deserve! (on demand webinar) - How to improve you digital content and grow your audience.