Join us tomorrow at 3:00pm Eastern / 12:00pm Pacific to see exclusive results from our on-going survey of thousands of Goldstar subscribers on how they feel about returning to live events. You’ll also get expert insights on reopening venues and public health from Johns Hopkins University Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, and Nederlander Concerts Vice President of Marketing, Jamie Loeb. Register for the chat here.  

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You’re invited to join us for another live chat with the experts on Wednesday, May 27 at 3:00pm Eastern / 12:00pm Pacific.  Goldstar CEO Jim McCarthy will share exclusive results from an on-going survey of thousands of Goldstar subscribers on how they feel about returning to live events and how public sentiment is evolving. We’ll also get expert insights on reopening venues and public health from Johns Hopkins University’s Dr. Joshua Sharfstein and Nederlander’s Jamie Loeb. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein is the Johns...

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Seems like we’ve all been called on to do a bit of both -- adapting and innovating. With that in mind, we wanted to invite you to join us for a TEDxBroadway discussion on these topics with Emily Simoness, Sebastian Herscher and Matt Jozwiak on Wednesday, May 20th at 12:30pm Eastern / 9:30am Pacific.  These three TEDxBroadway alums have all taken the stage for talks that addressed their own personal stories about what it took to adapt and innovate. So,...

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There are a lot of questions around when and how venues can reopen, but one of the most important is this: Are audiences ready to return to live events? In order to track their sentiments, Goldstar is conducting a survey every two weeks. You can see the results of the first survey (taken in early May) here: We'll continue to share the results here and in our live expert chats. The next one is May 27.

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If there’s one thing we’re all doing right now, in addition to staying home, it’s asking ourselves a ton of questions that just aren’t answerable at this exact moment. When will this end? What will it be like when we can open?  One other question we’re asking … “What’s the best WE can be right now?” To help answer it, I’d love for you to join us this Wednesday, May 6 at 12:30pm Eastern/9:30am Pacific for an online conversation series....

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Recently, Jim chatted with fundraising expert Karen Brooks Hopkins to see what live events organizations can do to raise funds when they can’t produce in-person events. You can watch the full conversation here, or read on for an excerpt of their conversation (which we'll post in three parts). First, a little about Karen: The Brooklyn Academy of Music President Emerita has more than 30 years of experience in fundraising and is the author of Successful Fundraising for Arts & Cultural...

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You’re invited to a 30-minute deep dive with virologist Vincent Racaniello, Pasadena Playhouse’s Danny Feldman and Goldstar CEO Jim McCarthy on Wednesday, April 29 at 3:00pm Eastern/12:00pm Pacific.  Vincent is a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and has done laboratory research on viruses since 1975, specifically influenza viruses. He also writes a Virology Blog and hosts several podcasts about virology. Danny joined Pasadena Playhouse in 2016. Overseeing both the artistic and business...

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We've written about theater etiquette here on Selling Out (You can see people’s biggest theater etiquette pet peeve here). It's something we all think about as people who market (and attend) live events. Last year, we covered what are known as relaxed performances, which don't frown as much on late arrivals, noise or movement. In his Guardian article, David Jays examines the rise of relaxed spaces where anything goes. Jays quotes performer and activist Jess Thom, who has Tourette syndrome: “These spaces can...

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A few years ago, we covered the Pokémon Go craze. We highlighted how businesses could get in on the excitement and five lessons for content strategy that the game could teach you. We've just learned, according to Shannon Liao at CNN Business, that Pokémon throws a celebration every year. February 27, 2020, was the annual celebration. Liao writes, "The company held various online events ... to engage with fans. One of them included asking fans to vote for their favorite creature...

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Jim has written about the benefits of streaming a live event, and we've highlighted NT Live, the broadcasting arm of the National Theatre. Here's some news from CNN Business about how virtual reality is changing the live music experience. Nathan Sing reports: "In the last few years, musicians have been able to stream concerts to virtual reality headsets ... " Sing writes, "As well as being able to watch from a position in the audience, users can view the concerts as if...

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