Maybe you can get a friendship bracelet with your membership.
When I first found out the Pavilion wasn’t offering individual memberships anymore, I felt it was discrimination, but some wise person in the marketing department that formed a focus group decided to eliminate them. My first thought was because maybe there wasn’t a lot of individual memberships, not the case at all;
He said single memberships accounted for about 10 percent of the Pavilion’s 3,300 memberships.
Which, if you like to do simple math comes to 330 memberships or $13,200 in revenue. Something I would hardly bat an eye at. I’m sure most of these memberships were purchased by single elderly people.
I was glad to see this though;
The change doesn’t apply to season ticket sales. People still can buy a season ticket for one.
So if it doesn’t change buying an individual ticket for shows, why change the membership to dual memberships only? Because like charging admission to the VAC, the Pavilion is seeing dollar signs by squeezing an extra $20 out of those single people and disguising it as encouraging them to bring friends.
The city council and mayor really need to end the contract with the WP Management and hire a new company, that #1 is interested in making money #2 Customer service and most of all #3 transparency and equality.
They have had 14 years to get their poop in a group, and all we see is one dumb idea after another. A publicly subsidized arts center that charges to see poorly hung art and now discriminates against single people.
I want to start off by saying that I was just as disappointed as you when I heard they took away single memberships. That is until I realized that if I used the dual membership 5 times by myself I was saving money or that I could bring a guest with me at anytime and they would not have to pay. Yes it still angers me but I am over it as it is much easier to look at the 2 memberships then the dozen they had before.
I do also have to say that I would love to see what would happen to our community if the Pavilion closed its doors. I do not think many in the community the reach of the Pavilion. From all of the youth they help, to organizations they partner with, I feel the community would be at a huge loss. Instead of constantly clamoring for the City to cut off ties, and bring in someone else to run it, I think people need to understand what the Pavilion actually does. It sickens me to read posts that claim they are all about the money and only pad the pockets of a few. Do you people have inside information as to where this money is going? Do you people have information you would like to share with the rest of us? I see money going towards programming for educational classes. I see outreach with Title 1 schools. And the last time I looked, non-profit education doesn’t make money unless you have a football team (which I’m pretty sure they don’t). So if someone there has this inside information as to why the Pavilion is so bad PLEASE SHARE. and just saying they spend so much money and don’t give us anything is not an answer. give us some facts!
Good question, where is the money going. My best assessment is salaries and the KSDC. But I haven’t seen an annual report for awhile, so I don’t know.
I have never felt the city should cut ties to the Pavilion, I think though we should hire a management company that can;
1) Try to breakeven or make a profit
2) Engage the WHOLE community, not just school kids and symphony/musical goers. There is absolutely no reason why their shouldn’t be concerts there at least 1-3 times a week.
3) Make the VAC free admission again
I have never had a problem with the subsidy or the city owning and maintenance to the building, my issue has been with this miserable management company who has had the same person in charge since day one. The Pavilion’s mission seems to be, do the same thing day after day, and expect different results. Very strange for an Arts Center.
Yes to dual memberships. I’m gonna get several in the names of the forgotten class. The Bazillion can be a city shelter for inclement weather & winter. The city trolley can become transportation to/from soup kitchens.
The best answer for city civil rights compliance is have their action backfire or keep them in federal court.
Unexpected benefits:
Clean bathrooms for homeless.
Comfortable auditorium seating/sleeping.
Less crap under the mayor’s window.