Overview
Based in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, VusicOBX has earned a reputation for delivering premier live music experiences that draw in fans from far and wide. At the heart of its events schedule is the highly anticipated Summer Concert Series Festival. Aaron Flahardy, Marketing and Branding Consultant for VusicOBX, leverages Hive to demonstrate the festival’s significant economic impact, helping to secure vital grants and sponsorships that fuel the festival’s continued success.
Before using Hive, Aaron didn’t fully leverage data segmentation and insights for his sponsorship and grant pitches. He primarily relied on manual processes like pulling data from his ticketing provider and using spreadsheets, which was time-consuming and inefficient. He knew there were opportunities to secure larger grants and sponsorships, but lacked the tools to present compelling data-backed evidence that demonstrated the economic impact of his festival.
With Hive's CRM, Aaron was able to access key insights into his audience and ticket buyers, which allowed him to:
- Segment his audience by location and spending habits, comparing them to industry standards like Oxford Economics tourism data.
- Highlight key audience stats—like the number of attendees who travel over 100 miles—to demonstrate the value to tourism boards and sponsors.
- Create custom reports that showcase his event’s economic impact, helping to lock in crucial grants and sponsorships.
Hive’s segmentation tools and data insights also helped Aaron track conversions and engagement, which became a key component in his sponsorship pitches. These reports proved invaluable when pitching to tourism boards, as they provided concrete data to demonstrate the festival’s impact.
“It made me look like a rockstar,” says Aaron. “It took me 45 minutes to do, and they were stoked.”
Using Hive's data-driven approach, Aaron saw significant improvements in his ability to secure both grants and sponsorships:
- Tourism grant revenue doubled from $15,000 to $30,000, as Aaron was able to demonstrate the festival’s economic impact with precision.
- Sponsorship revenue grew from $15,000 to $110,000 over two years due to targeted pitches using data on audience demographics and behavior.
- Aaron was also able to increase local audience engagement, growing ticket sales from 60% local (under 99 miles) to 71%, providing confidence for expanding the event season.
“Hive's audience segmentation and data insights have been game-changers for securing sponsorships and proving the festival's value to tourism boards.”
Aaron Flahardy
Marketing and Branding Consultant - VusicOBX
Aaron plans to continue using Hive to refine his data reports and further expand his sponsorship and grant opportunities. With a growing local audience and stronger demographic insights, he aims to extend the festival season by an additional four weeks. “These analytics go all the way to the secretary of state for 2025 budgeting," Aaron notes, "and the data helps assure agents and sponsors that we can pull off more shows.”