Case study: Ludus Dance

Ludus Dance

Our Digital Journey

James Wooldridge

Head of ICT & [email protected]

Monday, 16 March 2009

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Who are Ludus

Dance?

Two Producing Departments.

• Ludus Touring Company

Britain’s Leading Dance in

Education Company

Tour a dance theatre show for

first time dance audiences (8

years plus)

• Dance Development

Team of Dance Artists who

work across Lancashire &

beyond delivering strategic

dance activities.


Ludus Facts!

• Founded in 1975.

• Ludus is a co-operative.

• Members of staff are also

the Board.


Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin!

• Web Site was launched in 2000

• There is no marketing dept.

• We reduced print and postage

costs by putting our publicity

photos online.

• Within the first year we secured

an international booking

through the site.

• In November 2000 we were

achieving 257 unique users.


• From the start of the web-site we create a ‘fanzine’ for the Touring Company

• Content created & led by the Touring Dancers due to their interest in the web

The Ludus Dance Cafe


Then Myspace / Facebook arrives....


E-Commerce


Changing Roles!

• In 2006 I move into my new role

as Head of ICT & Marketing.

• We re-master all of our back

catalogue touring dance shows

onto DVD.

• We launch the online resource

shop.

• People could previously only

reserve dance classes online.


It’s not as scary as it might first seem!


Our first e-commerce setup


Our first e-commerce site


Robbie Coltrane

2000 Barclays Ad with Robbie Coltrane removed

for download version


Online class bookings



• Spring 2007 we start to offer online

credit card bookings for centre

classes.





classes.

• Summer 2007 we start to offer a

20% reduction on term price for

online bookings.





classes.



online bookings.

• We start to create demand and sell-

out for certain classes





classes.



online bookings.

• We start to create demand and sell-

out for certain classes

• Spring 2008 we rename the 20%

discount to the Early Bird discount,

and allow internet bookings only for

the first week of sales.


Income


Income

• People paying in advance

increases.


Income


increases.

• 22% in Autumn 2006 were

paying in advance. In Autumn

2008 55% were paying in

advance.


Income


increases.




advance.

• Our centre classes income has

doubled in two years (between

2006-2008)


Income


increases.




advance.



2006-2008)

• 16.5k income from online sales

already in this financial year.


Income


increases.




advance.



2006-2008)

• 16.5k income from online sales

already in this financial year.

Merchandise sales treble from

sales in 2005


Lessons Learnt!

1.Created Demand - a lot of our customers (especially for popular classes) know that

they have to book in advance.

2.We know that we can afford to pay for tutors as customers have paid in advance.

3.Eased pressure on all staff during booking period (telephone bookings down, and

reduced queues for booking)

4.Booking happens in quiet periods of the week.

5.We can process the web orders at a time that is suitable for admin staff.


Lessons Learnt (cont...)

5.Don’t expect to get it right - first time. It’ll take a while for you and your customers

to get used to your new pricing schemes.

6.We have to ensure that we have an extra member of staff on during the first week to

speed entry to classes.

7.It's added work load to me, about a days work updating and preparing the web-site.

8.We continually evaluate the classes and modify / add in extra classes.

9.The online shop is not connected to the front desk / paper records. Have to be

careful over overselling.


Technology in

performance


Instant Audience Feedback

www.itagg.com


http://www.itagg.com


Lancashire Showcase


Inbox


Auto Responder


f.city


Using Technology as Part of the Performance


f.city Finale

Video of event removed for download version


Dance and Film


National Computing Centre 2004/5



• Started us off. Free grant which enabled us to obtain a

Mac desktop and laptop and training in using iMovie.





• The NCC initiated the ‘Our Video’ project to help support

community groups using multimedia and the internet.

The project has produced the ‘Our Video Toolkit’ which

aims to support groups in creating, producing and

distributing their own video work.










• It was Hannah’s interest that made this project happen.

Before this there was no film knowledge or equipment

within the company.










• It was Hannah’s interest that made this project happen.

Before this there was no film knowledge or equipment

within the company.

• www.ourvideo.org


http://www.ourvideo.org

http://www.ourvideo.org

Training


Training

• With this investment in equipment we run in-house training.

• Company away day with training in how to use camera and editing software.

• Stage Manager & Head of ICT and Marketing have advanced editing training.


Training

• With this investment in equipment we run in-house training.

• Company away day with training in how to use camera and editing software.

• Stage Manager & Head of ICT and Marketing have advanced editing training.

Dance Artist

Records

Event

Post

Production

for WebSite /

DVD

Appears on

Web or

Promotional

DVD


Rich Content!


Rich Content!

• Giving an insight into the

devising process.

• Explains dance styles.

• Interviews with past members &

Careers Advice.

• Demonstrating breadth of work

the company is involved in.

• Content is then uploaded onto

our web-site and a variety of

social networking sites.


Letting others tell the story

Youth video removed for download version


AmbITion & The Future


AmbITion has enabled Ludus to...



• Bespoke Database / Customer

Relationship Management





• Employ a P/T Marketing Officer






• Upgrade of IT Equipment and

film training.







film training.

• Professional Filming of Ludus

events.







film training.

• Professional Filming of Ludus

events.

• Bespoke Resources for Touring

Company customers.


Questions

• Knowledge transfer, especially important regarding film and editing.

• As the world is shifting how can we use our reputation as 'Britain's

Leading Dance in Education Company' and capture the essence of

Ludus into packages / products that are available online....

• Evaluation phase within the Company. What work do we want to

continue / develop? Some of these projects have stretched the

time limits of the staff - but there was a sense of excitement about

them.

• We need to formally produce an digital marketing strategy.


Useful URLs

Ludus Web Sites• www.ludusdance.org• www.youtube.com/ludusdance• www.twitter.com/ludusdance• www.ludusdance.org/facebook

ITAGG• www.itagg.com

Ecommerce• http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1073861197• www.streamline.com• www.protx.com• http://www.actinic.co.uk/products/business-ecommerce-software.htm• http://www.hostway.co.uk/m2/m2.asp• www.oneandone.co.uk

Keywords• http://www.ranks.nl/tools/spider.html• https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Film Training• http://www.wfamedia.co.uk/

Film Equipment• http://www.apple.com/uk/finalcutexpress/• http://www.apple.com/uk/macbook/

James Wooldridge

Head of ICT & Marketing

Ludus Dance

[email protected]


http://www.apple.com/uk/macbook/

http://www.ludusdance.org

http://www.ludusdance.org

http://www.youtube.com/ludusdance

http://www.youtube.com/ludusdance

http://www.twitter.com/ludusdance

http://www.twitter.com/ludusdance

http://www.ludusdance.org/facebook

http://www.ludusdance.org/facebook



http://www.streamline.com




http://www.protx.com

http://www.protx.com

http://www.actinic.co.uk/products/business-ecommerce-software.htm

http://www.actinic.co.uk/products/business-ecommerce-software.htm

http://www.hostway.co.uk/m2/m2.asp

http://www.hostway.co.uk/m2/m2.asp

http://www.oneandone.co.uk

http://www.oneandone.co.uk

http://www.ranks.nl/tools/spider.html

http://www.ranks.nl/tools/spider.html

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

http://www.wfamedia.co.uk

http://www.wfamedia.co.uk

http://www.apple.com/uk/finalcutexpress/

http://www.apple.com/uk/finalcutexpress/

http://www.apple.com/uk/macbook/

Case study: Ludus Dance

Technology

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