By Paul Meecham

Often, a bold, risk-taking idea becomes watered down by budget limitations or fear of an unknown outcome. By the time the concept passes muster with staff and board, that once-innovative idea loses its transformative potential. So it was refreshing to see earlier this year how a head-turning idea stayed true to itself as it quickly developed from concept to reality, sparking widespread excitement within the community and beyond.

To set the context, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra had been experiencing flat subscription rates and low new acquisition growth in recent seasons. The average concert capacity hovered around 62% at its Baltimore home, the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The impending arrival of new Music Director Marin Alsop was an opportunity to experiment with a radical approach to pricing--one that would attract much attention and stimulate new demand. Not only had analysis shown that the Baltimore market was extremely price-sensitive, with ticket prices from $25 to $78 cited as a barrier to attendance, but Maestra Alsop’s philosophy of engagement with the community needed to be matched by access for the broad diversity of audiences in the metropolitan area.

In early January 2007, less than two months to the launch of our much-anticipated 2007-08 season subscription campaign, the Orchestra’s Vice President of Marketing returned from the holidays with what seemed at first like a madcap scheme—a subscription model with just one ticket price: $25. This price had the advantage of a neat marketing hook: The 25th anniversary of the Meyerhoff Hall coincided with the launch of Maestra Alsop in September 2007. Anyone could experience Marin Alsop’s first season for $25 per ticket, a 40% reduction on the price of an average subscription seat, for all classical and pops subscription programs.

The idea was greeted with enthusiasm by anyone who heard it, but time to assess the benefits and risks was very limited. At one of the longest and most engaged meetings in the BSO's recent history, the Board of Directors approved the plan, subject to securing $1 million in underwriting to cover any shortfall in revenues. Fortunately, we were blessed with perfect timing. PNC, the Pittsburgh-based bank, had only recently announced its intended acquisition of local Mercantile Bank, and would soon be entering the Baltimore market. The bank seized the opportunity to make a positive and immediate impression on the community and pledged the $1 million to underwrite the financial risk of the anniversary price offer.

The anniversary pricing announcement was a reawakening for the Baltimore area. A Baltimore Sun editorial running shortly after the season announcement called the BSO's offer "clever, inspired, inclusive." Messaging to the media and the public was also paramount to our success. It was important we didn't create panic for those subscribers who intended to renew their seats; and we needed clarity for first-time subscribers.

We also employed new techniques to capture the momentum of the unprecedented ticket offer. In early March, our marketing team hosted a Subscriber Open House at the Meyerhoff, opening the box office three hours earlier than usual to accommodate demand. Over coffee and doughnuts, patrons were able to purchase subscriptions on the spot, as well as meet Marin Alsop and nearly two dozen orchestra musicians. Staff drove to the hall that morning amazed to see a line snaked around the concert hall--hundreds of patrons had camped outside, eager to get first dibs on subscriptions. In just those three hours alone, nearly 500 subscriptions were sold, all new or lapsed subscribers.

The pricing initiative has been an unqualified success, the "shot-in-the-arm" that we needed. Subscription sales are significantly outpacing the previous season by 14%. New fixed subscriber seats are up 200%; new "choose" seats have experienced a 100% increase. In total, new subscribers account for 26% of our subscription base, compared to 14% in the 2006-07 season. And perhaps the best measure of success is in our sold capacity figures in Baltimore: An average 13% more of the house--that-s 318 seats--will now be sold every concert over the previous season. Furthermore, the impact of the $25 price has inspired many existing subscribers to donate their savings back to the BSO.

Can this subscription pricing have a broader application nationally? Perhaps so, though we first have to prove that such a model can be sustained in future seasons. Nevertheless, the transformative power of a daring idea, swiftly executed, has certainly paid off for the BSO this season.

Paul Meecham is president & CEO of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.