November 7, 2025 • 32 mins
Want to see how a loyalty program actually moves behavior without feeling transactional? We sit down with Katie Dalton, president of Audience Rewards, to unpack the mechanics that turn a thrilling night out into a habit fans can’t wait to repeat. From the first “wow” perk to AI-powered recommendations, we explore the playbook that keeps people choosing live entertainment over another night on the couch.
We start by nailing what success looks like: delight for the fan and measurable value for the brand. Katie explains why theater has a head start—emotion. With Broadway as a passion product, the goal isn’t just discounts; it’s crafting moments that spark dopamine and bring fans back into the tent. We dig into the unique Broadway challenge where each show is its own business, why some productions engage at a level ten and others hesitate, and how suburban audiences remain a high-potential segment for repeat attendance when you structure rewards around realistic frequency.
We get tactical about incentives—why tickets top the redemption list, how micro-earning hooks like daily trivia drive stickiness, and how experience-led rewards can produce outsized results. If you care about ticketing, fan engagement, retention, and the business of Broadway, this conversation delivers strategy you can act on today and a vision for where loyalty is heading next. Subscribe, share this with a colleague in live entertainment, and leave a review to help more fans find the show.
Recorded Thursday, November 6th, 2025
Hosts: Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation & Maureen Andersen, President & CEO, INTIX
Guest: Katie Dalton, President, Audience Rewards
Producer: Peter Yagecic, Innovation Advisor, Situation
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Peter Yagecic (00:04):
You're listening to Fandom Unpack from Situation
and INTIX, the podcast serieswhere we unpack modern fandom
with some of the brightest mindsin sports and entertainment.
I'm producer Peter Yigisik, andjoining me for today's QA are
Situation CEO and founder DamienBazadana, and President and CEO
of Intix, Maureen Anderson.
Our guest today is thewonderful Katie Dalton,
(00:25):
president of Audience Rewards,which is Broadway's official
loyalty program.
For the past 17 years, AudienceRewards has been providing
benefits like free tickets,theater collectibles, and unique
experiences to more than threemillion fans of Broadway.
That is mind blowing.
I'm going to be back in alittle bit to ask Katie some
listener questions we got aheadof time at fandomunpack.com.
But Damien, how about rewardingour audience by kicking us off?
Damian Bazadona (00:50):
All right, Katie.
Let's start at 30,000 feet.
What does a successful loyaltyprogram look like?
And you've done this many timesover for many exciting live
experience brands, but like whatdoes it achieve and how do you
just how would you describesuccess?
Katie Dalton (01:08):
Thank you so much for having me and for starting
with this question to ground ourconversation out of the gate.
A successful loyalty programshould accomplish two things.
On the fan side, the programshould engage and reward the
customer in meaningful ways.
So the program should provideadded benefits, a sense of
(01:29):
value, some excitement.
Any loyalty program wants a fanto come away with a feeling of,
wow, how cool.
How cool that I just got thisperk or how great that I just
got this reward.
I got something extra.
This feeling, a little bit of adopamine that makes the
customer think, I want to dothat again.
So that's part one.
(01:50):
Part two is that a loyaltyprogram should also work for the
brand side.
So there is a reason that everymajor uh travel program, uh,
travel brand, retail brand thatyou can think of, airlines,
hotels, online shopping, um,there's a reason that these
brands invest in loyaltyprograms.
(02:12):
And that is because that happyfeeling that a loyalty program
is designed to create a newcustomer, that that feeling um
can translate into reallymeaningful uh shifts in purchase
behavior and increases inrevenue.
Um, it's really designed tokeep customers coming back in a
highly competitive market.
Damian Bazadona (02:33):
I would say I'm I am a member of about 50,000
loyalty programs.
Um, and I left my phone at homeyesterday by accident.
This is the first time it'sever happened.
I had no phone yesterday forthe whole day.
And then I realized how reliantI am on loyalty programs.
Everything from my train rideto the Starbucks, so you name
it, I'm kind of relying a littlebit on everything.
(02:53):
What's unique about loyalty andlive entertainment compared to
a lot of these other, whetherit's my coffee or just Sal and
all these other things?
Like, what's unique about liveentertainment and loyalty
programs and and has it, has itchanged since you guys have
started?
Katie Dalton (03:09):
Sure.
Um I think what is unique inthis space um in entertainment,
we are starting from a placealready.
Um, if if one of the goals of aloyalty program is to build an
emotional investment and theconnection, live entertainment
brands are already starting froma place where that emotional
connection is very high.
(03:30):
As opposed to some of theprograms you just mentioned, I
also love just salad.
I wouldn't say that I feelpassionate about my salad order,
right?
That's just a little bit of adifferent um product, whereas
entertainment is a passionproduct already.
Um, and so um what we can do inthis vertical is starting from
(03:51):
that place, use that emotionalconnection to take it a step
further.
Um what these programs aredesigned to do are to um drive
one more ticket purchase or ortaking a really big step back in
the entertainment space.
Um, our our customers haveendless options for how to spend
(04:14):
their time, how to spend theirleisure dollars.
So part of the goal of aprogram like this is to keep
coming back into our tent.
So to say, Netflix will bethere tomorrow, come back and
see another show, tap into thatemotional connection that you
have with uh with this product.
Damian Bazadona (04:31):
Well, the fact that you're not passionate about
your salad means you have nothad the chicken and feta salad.
Katie Dalton (04:37):
I'm a big fan of the autumn Caesar myself.
Damian Bazadona (04:42):
What aren't loyalty programs good at that
that I that many of the peoplethat be listening to this
podcast or in the liveexperience space think that they
might be?
Is there what's the most commonmisconception that they think
that a loyalty program is goingto solve that it might not?
Katie Dalton (04:57):
Sure.
I'm gonna start that with a fewnotes on what loyalty programs
are good at.
These programs are veryeffective at moving the needle
in customer behavior.
Um by providing added value,these programs can shift what a
customer is doing, how muchthey're spending, um, what day
of the week they're coming, howfar in advance they might buy
(05:17):
that ticket.
Um, in terms of what theseprograms are not, um, a loyalty
program is not a quick fix.
Um, and what I mean by that isum for any brands listening who
do not currently have a loyaltyprogram set up, um, it's not
something that you can turn ontomorrow and expect to see
(05:38):
meaningful shifts in behaviortomorrow.
A loyalty program, bydefinition, um, takes some time.
It takes some time first forthe brand to communicate here's
what we're offering you.
So if you come back, here'swhat we're going to give you.
That takes some time.
It takes some time then for thecustomer to um engage in that
program, to um buy a fewtickets, to buy a few salads.
(06:02):
Um and then it takes time toget your free thing.
And when the customer gets thefree thing, that is the hook.
That is when these programsreally, really take off in terms
of the meaning and engagementand value that they they bring
to the customer.
Damian Bazadona (06:18):
On a scale of one to ten, uh it's a bit of a
complicated question, but bearwith me.
Scale of one to ten, howengaged are Broadway productions
uh in the audience rewardsecosystem?
Now I know that's your sweetspot.
You guys have sold asignificant number of tickets to
Broadway shows.
And I'm asking that questionjust to find out, hey, really,
(06:39):
what is the current with yourperspective?
What is the level ofengagement?
The reason I'm getting to thatquestion is I do feel like one
of the common themes in thisregion, particularly on
Broadway, is this how are wegetting suburban markets back?
How are we getting the localmarket back?
Because we're becoming veryreliant on tourism.
So you say to yourself, well,what are the ways to get locals
back?
And here's this amazing loyaltyprogram, which a significant
(07:01):
number of those people live inthe region.
That's why they're they have tokind of be in the region to be
to return on multiple occasions.
Are they engaging with youenough?
Like what is the level ofengagement?
Take me through that and whatshould they be doing?
Because it seems like there'san opportunity to be had here.
And it from where I sit, I justdon't see I'm leading the
witness here a little bit.
I just don't see that level ofengagement as much as it
(07:22):
probably could be.
Katie Dalton (07:23):
Sure.
Um, I love this question.
And um engagement varies byshow.
That's not meant to be acop-out answer.
That is the real answer.
Um, for anyone who isn't aware,each Broadway show is its own
business.
So that in itself, in the worldof loyalty programs, is very
different.
(07:43):
Um, consider an airline for asecond.
Um, it would be really weird ifwhen I fly United, my flight
home for the holidays does earnmy United Miles, but my work
trip uh to a different citydoesn't earn United Miles.
That's a weird um way to run aprogram.
Um, by the nature of whatBroadway is, which is a bunch of
(08:06):
different businesses, um, ourprogram is a little less clean
than a um a single brand inwhich everything is under the
umbrella of that program.
Um, all of that said, um,engagement varies by show.
And um, we have shows thatoperate out of 10.
Um, they get it, they see thevalue, they know that they can
(08:28):
um use this robust loyaltyprogram as an important
marketing tool in their toolbox.
Um and then, you know, we haveother shows that are less
engaged.
And I think um it's importantto acknowledge that for some of
those lesser engaged shows, um,some of them view the loyalty
(08:49):
program as a cost center.
There can be this perceptionthat if the loyalty program
member is a big Broadway fan,maybe they would have bought
that ticket anyway.
And why should I give themsomething extra?
Um, so I think that that's, youknow, I understand that point
of view.
And I think it's a little bitof a misconception and a little
(09:11):
bit short-sighted.
Um, because again, even areally avid theater goer has a
lot of things competing fortheir time.
Um, they could go to a concertor a cool new restaurant.
Um, and the more we can do tobring them back into our tent,
um, I think that is reallymeaningful.
Um, and you also mentioned, youknow, bringing back suburban
(09:33):
audiences.
Um, we all know it's much morecost-effective to engage an
existing customer than try toget a new one.
And a program like this, um, wehave uh just as many um members
in the suburban tri-state areaas we do right here in the city.
And that's, I think, a marketthat can very easily um be
(09:54):
tapped in a bigger way by theseshows.
Damian Bazadona (09:57):
You know, the idea of how you do anything is
how you do everything is I justthink kind of applies to all
these concepts, includingrewards marketing, how they view
it, how they perceive it, howthey view the customer, you go
straight down the line.
There's usually a lot ofconsistencies.
Um, Maureen, let me let you getin if we're gonna hog all the
questions for.
Maureen Andersen (10:12):
I would love to.
Hi, Katie.
Um, I'd like to open theaperture a little bit here and
expand a bit about incentivesand bit and benefits that
resonate um across differenttypes of verticals.
I mean, we all know that, youknow, me as a fan, I could be a
Taylor Swift fan, I can be aWicked fan, and I can be a
Denver Broncos fan.
(10:33):
So I can be all of thosethings, but I can also be very
siloed.
So I'm curious, have you foundincentives and benefits that
resonate with fans of theater,concerts, and sports?
And then the extension of thatis that how do they differ
between the audiences and whatare the similarities?
And you know, how much can youuse with each other?
Katie Dalton (10:56):
Sure.
Um, audience rewards operatesprimarily in theater.
So I will speak primarily tothat.
Um, the benefit that resonatesthe most, um, the way that this
program functions, fans buytheater tickets, they earn
theater points, and then theyredeem those points for more
(11:19):
tickets.
So the benefit that resonatesthe most is tickets, which
really isn't surprising.
Um, these are we offer a wholemenu of ways that you can redeem
your points.
You can get um merchandise, youcan get a t-shirt of the show
you just saw, you can redeem foran experience.
Um, the vast, vast majority ofredemptions are for more
(11:39):
tickets.
So just engaging more in thisum product that our fans love.
Um, the frequency question is areally interesting one.
So, in the loyalty space, um,if we think about a travel
program, um a business travelermight spend, let's say they
spend a few nights a weektraveling for work.
(12:01):
Um, the Hilton Honors programconsiders their sort of
frequent, uh, most frequentstayers as the people who spend
10 days or 10 nights uh a monthat their properties or 120
nights a year.
Um in live entertainment, thatbehavior is very different,
right?
Live entertainment attendanceis not for work.
(12:22):
It's not something you have todo every week.
Um it's something that youchoose to do, that you have to
use your um discretionary incometo participate in.
Um so the frequency is very,very different than other
programs might see.
Um and so in designing any sortof loyalty program, it's
important to consider what isrealistic.
(12:43):
Um if um if this program wereonly meaningful to people who um
see a live entertainment event120 nights per year, that's not
going to be actually meaningfulto anyone in the real world.
Um, and so this program isstructured in such a way um a
customer could um buy as few astwo tickets and earn enough
(13:07):
points to get their first freeticket.
And and the the level of perksum increases the more customers
engage.
So in in the Broadway space, umour um subset of high frequency
attendees are more like um 15shows per year.
With a segment of them, theymight see 25 shows per year,
(13:29):
while other actives are morelike four or seven shows a year.
Again, you know, you just haveto kind of scale how you
structure a program like thisbased on what is realistic for
your product.
Maureen Andersen (13:39):
So frequency really is kind of the backbone
to what you consider thestickiness of a program.
Um, when you're designing onefor those individuals, and I
love the way you position everyshow, every event is its own
business, which is perfectbecause not every show is going
to have the same kind offrequency opportunity, therefore
(13:59):
the same stickiness, becausemaybe a limited run.
How do you get to sticky?
How do you get to sticky?
Katie Dalton (14:05):
That that's the core question, right?
Yeah, you know, um a loyaltyprogram is not just about
driving sales.
Um, it's also about other waysto engage the fan.
Um, and that is um, you know,we're always looking for
additional ways to do that.
(14:26):
Um one of the ways that hasbeen sticky in the audience
rewards universe is um free waysto earn points.
We offer Broadway trivia on oursite.
It is the stickiest part of ourwebsite.
If you answer a questioncorrectly, you get a couple of
points.
People come back to that againand again.
And that's meaningful for us inturn on the sales side because
(14:50):
that means the customer iscoming back to our website and
we can serve them informationabout what other offers might be
available uh to sell a ticket.
Wonderful.
Maureen Andersen (14:59):
I, you know, you sell so many tickets and
have so many folks that you'reengaging with.
Can we talk a little bit aboutum demographics and and what you
are seeing in the space thesedays on, you know, trends by age
and what's appealing to ayounger audience?
I mean, so much is about, youknow, we're making sure we
replace with younger.
And then, you know, the the thekind of big elephant in the
(15:22):
room about any fan conversationthese days is how's ticket
prices affecting thedemographics as well on who's
buying the tickets?
Katie Dalton (15:31):
Of course.
Um, I I think this is such aninteresting, um, sort of hot
topic for all of us that work inticketing.
Um, and I I will not claim tobe an expert in all things
ticketing.
Um I think with this questionin particular, it's really
interesting because we're allaware of the perception and the
(15:52):
reality that younger audiencesmight be more price sensitive,
right?
They uh might be at lowerincome levels than some of their
older counterparts.
Um, and at the same time, wesee um younger demographics
buying high-dollar tickets tothe Aerostore, or um I read a
lot of articles about umcustomers using a buy now, pay
(16:13):
later plan to buy Coachellatickets.
Oh, wait.
And those things sort of seemin complex, and I'm not gonna
claim to know how to parse allof that out.
Um, but what I can speak to umare some trends in the loyalty
space and specifically withinthe audience rewards member
base.
Um we uh the younger age groupwithin loyalty programs um
(16:37):
compared to older programmembers, they tend to value
content and some digitalengagement a little bit more
than their older counterparts.
Um, both demographics, older,younger, everybody cares about
monetary value.
What am I getting?
What is this program giving me?
How is this program um helpingme get more?
Um, everyone cares about that.
(16:59):
The difference is that youngeraudiences want a little bit more
than that.
Um, they want to engagedigitally in a way that older
audiences aren't as interestedin.
Um, and then, you know, goingback to pricing and what can
sometimes feel like a little bitof a conflict, um, within the
audience rewards universe, um,our survey data shows that our
(17:21):
younger demographic uh they aremore likely to seek out looking
for a discounted ticket.
Um and then again, in whatfeels a little bit um
disconnected, they are also umreporting a higher frequency of
attendance than their oldercounterparts.
So, you know, the the wholetotal amount of money, it's just
an interesting um sort of thingthat they want a cheaper ticket
(17:44):
and also might be spending evenmore um to attend more
frequently.
Um, and actually, while we'reon demographics, um just
touching back on geo that Damienyou brought up in terms of
bringing suburban audiencesback, um, you know, uh just to
say again that I think thatdemographic um in the audience
(18:04):
rewards universe, um, over athird of our membership base is
in that suburban market.
And I think, you know, anythingthat we can do to offer them
something extra, bring back thatsort of wow moment to bring
them back into the Broadwaytent, I think that's that's
meaningful for all of us.
Maureen Andersen (18:25):
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Peter Yagecic (19:02):
Well, I would love to sneak in one of our
listener questions on that note.
Uh, this I don't know if thisperson is in the suburbs that
asked this question ahead oftime, but uh they they are
clearly a fan of the programbecause they say I am a proud
member of Audience Rewards, andI love how it lets me support
all that Broadway has to offer.
Do you think that some peoplesee their audience rewards
(19:23):
membership like a Broadwayversion of a membership to their
local performing arts center?
I thought that was interesting.
Katie Dalton (19:30):
Yeah, I think that's interesting.
I have no data to support that.
We haven't asked that as asurvey question.
Um, but I think the goals aresimilar, right?
So, what audience rewards is uhour goal is to connect with
fans more closely, to keep fanscoming back to Broadway.
Uh, and that aligns very nicelywith what the goal is of a
(19:54):
membership or a subscriptionprogram at a performing arts
center.
So I think that makes a lot ofsense to compare them.
Peter Yagecic (20:02):
And and I'll sneak in one more uh before I
kick it back to Damien.
Uh, Katie, as you look to thenext few years, uh are there any
trends or technologies that youthink are uh on deck to reshape
loyalty in live entertainmentor or in any brand?
Katie Dalton (20:20):
Yes.
Uh just like anyone else, weare thinking about AI.
Um, so uh in the loyalty spaceand specifically at audience
rewards, we are building outways to use AI to make these
programs smarter and to servefans more of what they are
looking for.
So, as an example, um we willbe using AI to create marketing
(20:46):
journeys that recognize um, hey,Damien, you have seen show A
and show B.
Our data model suggests thatyou will like show C.
So we can automate serving youan offer for that particular
show.
Or similarly, we could say,Peter, you just earned 2,000
points for seeing Wicked.
Um, now here is some Wickedmerchandise that you can redeem
(21:10):
for less than 2,000 points.
And those kinds of umpromotions may seem like
no-brainers, and they kind ofare.
Um, but what happens is acrossum many, many shows and many
customers and all sorts ofdifferent behavior, that's very
hard to do manually.
Um, so being able to introducethese smarter tools um is really
(21:32):
exciting.
Peter Yagecic (21:33):
Well, and I will take that wicked merch and
proudly display it.
Um Damien, do you want to takethe next question?
Damian Bazadona (21:40):
Yeah, how do you market yourself versus the
shows themselves?
Just out of curiosity, just foryour own brand and how you
position that, right?
Because it's almost likethey're a member, like
particularly in the Broadwayspace.
It's gotta be kind ofcomplicated, right?
Between Broadway andoff-Broadway, I go, I'm a fan of
the show, I now have loyalty tothat show, but you're through
the currency.
I'm just curious how you marketyour own business and how do
you separate that from the showsthemselves?
Katie Dalton (22:02):
Sure.
Um, we are in the business ofsupporting brand Broadway.
That is what Audience Rewardsis here to do.
Our brand is not the brand.
It's not intended to be theprimary brand.
Um we are here to support theart that um that fans are
(22:22):
interested in.
Um, and and I think, you know,I compare this program to an
airline or a hotel a lot becauseI think it can be helpful in
framing how we think about aprogram like this.
Um at Delta Airlines, um theycare a lot about Delta because
you can get the same flight on adifferent airline.
(22:43):
The flight isn't what isdifferent, it's the airline.
Audience rewards is thereverse.
Um the shows and anyentertainment property is in
itself singular and unique.
Um and we are just the umbrellaasking you to come back, come
back under this umbrella, engagewith these shows.
Um, and and by design, um, thatmeans we are very um brand
(23:08):
broad way forward.
Damian Bazadona (23:10):
It's not easy to become like the umbrella
because that requires everyonein the entire ecosystem to say,
yeah, yeah, you're the umbrella.
It speaks a lot to the workyou've done.
Just kudos to you, because itis not easy that every program
never recognizes that theyladder up into it.
That's a that is a hard task toaccomplish.
Katie Dalton (23:27):
Thank you.
Now we just need to get moreshows at that level 10.
Damian Bazadona (23:31):
There you go.
Maureen Andersen (23:32):
Hey, Katie, can I ask you a transaction
question?
Of course.
Is that you know, on once youget them there, we've got the
transactional side and we'vekind of got that gateway moment
with that ticketing handshake aswe like to call it.
And there's so many in thesebusinesses, as you you call
them, these separate entities,there's so many different
players.
And you've got producers,ticketing platforms that are
(23:54):
different across each show,credit cards, uh, travel brands
that maybe, you know, you know,the Amex people, I mean,
whoever's the partner of choice.
And are there trends thatyou're seeing that make the
transaction easier?
Or are there trends that youwish would make it easier that
you're seeing?
Are there things missing youwould like to see?
Katie Dalton (24:17):
Yes.
Um wearing the loyalty hat fora second.
Um, you know, there has been somuch um change and evolution in
ticketing in the past fiveyears.
Um, and even with that change,I have a big wish wish list of
how we could optimize how aloyalty program gets integrated
(24:38):
into these technologies.
Um, and I think, you know, ifwe go way back to where this
conversation started, with thegoal is the goal of a loyalty
program is to give the customera wow moment, give the customer
positive feelings, um, and addvalue for the business, um,
there's value there, right?
(24:59):
And so um I think there isstill a lot of room to grow in
terms of um a loyalty componentbeing layered in at the point of
purchase.
Um, so imagine if I could hoverover the seat map and I see a
little message that pops up thatsays, you have enough points to
get the seat for free.
(25:20):
That's cool, right?
And I would say, oh, cool, letme go, you know, and then I that
I reference this, but themoment of getting a perk in a
loyalty program.
Um while again, that may feellike a cost center in some ways,
you have to you have to givesomeone something for free.
What happens is that umescalates their investment in
(25:42):
the brand and that increasestheir likelihood to come back
another time.
So that integration, I think,could be really beneficial
across the board.
Um, and then, you know, I thinkabout other ways that we could
um uh uh reduce friction and addsort of um moments of, hey,
that was cool.
Like um if a customer couldshow their loyalty number and
(26:08):
get a free drink at the show.
Um, or I understand thishappens in sports sometimes, um,
being able to um walk into ashow and get a message, you're
being upgraded.
Um, you know, finding ways toum really reward our most
engaged customers.
Um, again, with the end goalthat that will reap dividends
(26:29):
for the brand in the long term.
Maureen Andersen (26:31):
Absolutely.
Anything that reduces friction,I mean, you know, that's what
we are all looking for.
And, you know, the the theticket purchase and getting them
there is all that avenue to theexperience and all of us
working together to make theexperience the best elevated
element that we can, I think is,you know, is really the the the
(26:52):
key element of all of this.
I'm gonna throw it back over toPeter, I think, for an audience
question.
Peter Yagecic (26:58):
Yeah, we'll do one more audience question and
then I'll I'll kick it to Damiento wrap us up.
Uh, this one came in, which Ilove, and it says, I'd love to
hear Katie share a story orexample of a fan interaction
that looks at the emotional sideof what audience rewards does
best.
Katie Dalton (27:14):
I love this question too.
Um, as we talk about fanengagement and incremental sales
and average ticket prices, itcan be easy to sort of sit here
at our desks and forget aboutthe real humans who are buying
our tickets and experiencingwhat we all have to offer.
Um, one of my favorite momentswas a flagship redemption
(27:38):
opportunity.
Um, we offered for an audiencerewards member to redeem points
for a walk-on role in a Broadwayshow.
Um, so that was her anopportunity for her to appear on
stage.
She um just to um how thiscomes about, uh, in order to
(27:58):
redeem a high volume of points,that means that this fan has
seen a lot of shows.
She's bought a lot of tickets,she's very invested in Broadway.
Um, and then she redeemed herpoints for an elevated
opportunity.
Um, and this was the kind ofopportunity that um is a life
highlight, right?
Like she got to um rehearse onstage with the cast and she got
(28:21):
her hair and makeup done and acostume put on.
Her name was printed in theplaybill.
She was announced at the startof the show.
Her parents, her friends werein the audience.
Um, and and I think this justuh shows what sort of the peak
of fan engagement is all about,because um she had engaged with
(28:43):
Brand Broadway a lot in order toreach this moment.
Um, and then you know, thismoment is something that she
will talk about.
This moment is something thatshe will share about.
Um, it has a wider net.
Um, I think when uh some ofthese sort of high-touch
experiences can feel like theyare a little too micro, like
(29:06):
that's just one person.
Um, but that one person's lifechanger experience um resonates
throughout her community.
Um, and interestingly, youknow, we've also seen that um
audience rewards members whoengage in an experience that's
beyond just the performanceitself, um, buy on average 10
(29:29):
times the volume of tickets thanpeople who don't engage in
those experiences.
So there's a lot of value umfor that type of experience.
And I think that exemplifies uhwhat audience rewards is all
about.
Peter Yagecic (29:41):
I love it.
And and I bet a lot of peopleuh started saving up their
points to try to have thatexperience.
Katie Dalton (29:47):
I wanted to do myself, but I work here.
Damian Bazadona (29:50):
It's not really how many points do you have?
I'm joking.
I'm joking.
I'm joking.
Um, first off, Katie,congratulations on all your
success.
Uh I've watched the the growthof the company and I've watched
you in rooms and inconversations when you were
trying to explain the value ofrewards program in the very
beginning and early stages, towhich a lot of people look like
(30:11):
looked at you like you had threeheads, and to watch the growth
of the business and the maturityof it.
Total trailblazer andcongratulations.
It's just awesome success.
And I appreciate you taking thetime to do this with us today.
Um, if you could evolve thephrase rewarding fandom as we
head into 2026, we're recordingthis right at the end of the
year here, and you think of theyear the word rewarding fandom.
(30:33):
If you were if you could evolvethat word in 2026 and beyond,
what would that what would thatmean to you?
Katie Dalton (30:40):
My my first reaction to that is um I
wouldn't want to change the coremeaning of what it means to
reward a fan, um, because doingso has benefits both for the fan
and for the brand.
Um my wish, though, is thatthat concept um were not
(31:04):
considered a nice to have.
Um, that that the idea ofrewarding fans um became more of
a cohesive, essential part ofwhat we are all doing as
marketers.
Um because there is true valuehere.
Um, it's good for everyone.
Um, and I think there's a lotof room for uh for all of us to
(31:29):
leverage that in a bigger way.
Peter Yagecic (31:31):
Well said.
That is gonna do it for thisepisode of Fandom Unpacked.
If you liked what you heard,please check out all the great
QA interviews we've done atfandomunpack.com or by searching
Fandom Unpacked and followingthe series in your podcast
player of choice.
We'd also love for you to rateand review the show while you're
at it.
That really helps us find newfans.
(31:51):
We're gonna be back in yourfeed in two weeks.
See you next time, truebelievers.
You're listening to Fandom Unpack from Situation
and INTIX, the podcast serieswhere we unpack modern fandom
with some of the brightest mindsin sports and entertainment.
I'm producer Peter Yigisik, andjoining me for today's QA are
Situation CEO and founder DamienBazadana, and President and CEO
of Intix, Maureen Anderson.
Our guest today is thewonderful Katie Dalton,
(00:25):
president of Audience Rewards,which is Broadway's official
loyalty program.
For the past 17 years, AudienceRewards has been providing
benefits like free tickets,theater collectibles, and unique
experiences to more than threemillion fans of Broadway.
That is mind blowing.
I'm going to be back in alittle bit to ask Katie some
listener questions we got aheadof time at fandomunpack.com.
But Damien, how about rewardingour audience by kicking us off?
Damian Bazadona (00:50):
All right, Katie.
Let's start at 30,000 feet.
What does a successful loyaltyprogram look like?
And you've done this many timesover for many exciting live
experience brands, but like whatdoes it achieve and how do you
just how would you describesuccess?
Katie Dalton (01:08):
Thank you so much for having me and for starting
with this question to ground ourconversation out of the gate.
A successful loyalty programshould accomplish two things.
On the fan side, the programshould engage and reward the
customer in meaningful ways.
So the program should provideadded benefits, a sense of
(01:29):
value, some excitement.
Any loyalty program wants a fanto come away with a feeling of,
wow, how cool.
How cool that I just got thisperk or how great that I just
got this reward.
I got something extra.
This feeling, a little bit of adopamine that makes the
customer think, I want to dothat again.
So that's part one.
(01:50):
Part two is that a loyaltyprogram should also work for the
brand side.
So there is a reason that everymajor uh travel program, uh,
travel brand, retail brand thatyou can think of, airlines,
hotels, online shopping, um,there's a reason that these
brands invest in loyaltyprograms.
(02:12):
And that is because that happyfeeling that a loyalty program
is designed to create a newcustomer, that that feeling um
can translate into reallymeaningful uh shifts in purchase
behavior and increases inrevenue.
Um, it's really designed tokeep customers coming back in a
highly competitive market.
Damian Bazadona (02:33):
I would say I'm I am a member of about 50,000
loyalty programs.
Um, and I left my phone at homeyesterday by accident.
This is the first time it'sever happened.
I had no phone yesterday forthe whole day.
And then I realized how reliantI am on loyalty programs.
Everything from my train rideto the Starbucks, so you name
it, I'm kind of relying a littlebit on everything.
(02:53):
What's unique about loyalty andlive entertainment compared to
a lot of these other, whetherit's my coffee or just Sal and
all these other things?
Like, what's unique about liveentertainment and loyalty
programs and and has it, has itchanged since you guys have
started?
Katie Dalton (03:09):
Sure.
Um I think what is unique inthis space um in entertainment,
we are starting from a placealready.
Um, if if one of the goals of aloyalty program is to build an
emotional investment and theconnection, live entertainment
brands are already starting froma place where that emotional
connection is very high.
(03:30):
As opposed to some of theprograms you just mentioned, I
also love just salad.
I wouldn't say that I feelpassionate about my salad order,
right?
That's just a little bit of adifferent um product, whereas
entertainment is a passionproduct already.
Um, and so um what we can do inthis vertical is starting from
(03:51):
that place, use that emotionalconnection to take it a step
further.
Um what these programs aredesigned to do are to um drive
one more ticket purchase or ortaking a really big step back in
the entertainment space.
Um, our our customers haveendless options for how to spend
(04:14):
their time, how to spend theirleisure dollars.
So part of the goal of aprogram like this is to keep
coming back into our tent.
So to say, Netflix will bethere tomorrow, come back and
see another show, tap into thatemotional connection that you
have with uh with this product.
Damian Bazadona (04:31):
Well, the fact that you're not passionate about
your salad means you have nothad the chicken and feta salad.
Katie Dalton (04:37):
I'm a big fan of the autumn Caesar myself.
Damian Bazadona (04:42):
What aren't loyalty programs good at that
that I that many of the peoplethat be listening to this
podcast or in the liveexperience space think that they
might be?
Is there what's the most commonmisconception that they think
that a loyalty program is goingto solve that it might not?
Katie Dalton (04:57):
Sure.
I'm gonna start that with a fewnotes on what loyalty programs
are good at.
These programs are veryeffective at moving the needle
in customer behavior.
Um by providing added value,these programs can shift what a
customer is doing, how muchthey're spending, um, what day
of the week they're coming, howfar in advance they might buy
(05:17):
that ticket.
Um, in terms of what theseprograms are not, um, a loyalty
program is not a quick fix.
Um, and what I mean by that isum for any brands listening who
do not currently have a loyaltyprogram set up, um, it's not
something that you can turn ontomorrow and expect to see
(05:38):
meaningful shifts in behaviortomorrow.
A loyalty program, bydefinition, um, takes some time.
It takes some time first forthe brand to communicate here's
what we're offering you.
So if you come back, here'swhat we're going to give you.
That takes some time.
It takes some time then for thecustomer to um engage in that
program, to um buy a fewtickets, to buy a few salads.
(06:02):
Um and then it takes time toget your free thing.
And when the customer gets thefree thing, that is the hook.
That is when these programsreally, really take off in terms
of the meaning and engagementand value that they they bring
to the customer.
Damian Bazadona (06:18):
On a scale of one to ten, uh it's a bit of a
complicated question, but bearwith me.
Scale of one to ten, howengaged are Broadway productions
uh in the audience rewardsecosystem?
Now I know that's your sweetspot.
You guys have sold asignificant number of tickets to
Broadway shows.
And I'm asking that questionjust to find out, hey, really,
(06:39):
what is the current with yourperspective?
What is the level ofengagement?
The reason I'm getting to thatquestion is I do feel like one
of the common themes in thisregion, particularly on
Broadway, is this how are wegetting suburban markets back?
How are we getting the localmarket back?
Because we're becoming veryreliant on tourism.
So you say to yourself, well,what are the ways to get locals
back?
And here's this amazing loyaltyprogram, which a significant
(07:01):
number of those people live inthe region.
That's why they're they have tokind of be in the region to be
to return on multiple occasions.
Are they engaging with youenough?
Like what is the level ofengagement?
Take me through that and whatshould they be doing?
Because it seems like there'san opportunity to be had here.
And it from where I sit, I justdon't see I'm leading the
witness here a little bit.
I just don't see that level ofengagement as much as it
(07:22):
probably could be.
Katie Dalton (07:23):
Sure.
Um, I love this question.
And um engagement varies byshow.
That's not meant to be acop-out answer.
That is the real answer.
Um, for anyone who isn't aware,each Broadway show is its own
business.
So that in itself, in the worldof loyalty programs, is very
different.
(07:43):
Um, consider an airline for asecond.
Um, it would be really weird ifwhen I fly United, my flight
home for the holidays does earnmy United Miles, but my work
trip uh to a different citydoesn't earn United Miles.
That's a weird um way to run aprogram.
Um, by the nature of whatBroadway is, which is a bunch of
(08:06):
different businesses, um, ourprogram is a little less clean
than a um a single brand inwhich everything is under the
umbrella of that program.
Um, all of that said, um,engagement varies by show.
And um, we have shows thatoperate out of 10.
Um, they get it, they see thevalue, they know that they can
(08:28):
um use this robust loyaltyprogram as an important
marketing tool in their toolbox.
Um and then, you know, we haveother shows that are less
engaged.
And I think um it's importantto acknowledge that for some of
those lesser engaged shows, um,some of them view the loyalty
(08:49):
program as a cost center.
There can be this perceptionthat if the loyalty program
member is a big Broadway fan,maybe they would have bought
that ticket anyway.
And why should I give themsomething extra?
Um, so I think that that's, youknow, I understand that point
of view.
And I think it's a little bitof a misconception and a little
(09:11):
bit short-sighted.
Um, because again, even areally avid theater goer has a
lot of things competing fortheir time.
Um, they could go to a concertor a cool new restaurant.
Um, and the more we can do tobring them back into our tent,
um, I think that is reallymeaningful.
Um, and you also mentioned, youknow, bringing back suburban
(09:33):
audiences.
Um, we all know it's much morecost-effective to engage an
existing customer than try toget a new one.
And a program like this, um, wehave uh just as many um members
in the suburban tri-state areaas we do right here in the city.
And that's, I think, a marketthat can very easily um be
(09:54):
tapped in a bigger way by theseshows.
Damian Bazadona (09:57):
You know, the idea of how you do anything is
how you do everything is I justthink kind of applies to all
these concepts, includingrewards marketing, how they view
it, how they perceive it, howthey view the customer, you go
straight down the line.
There's usually a lot ofconsistencies.
Um, Maureen, let me let you getin if we're gonna hog all the
questions for.
Maureen Andersen (10:12):
I would love to.
Hi, Katie.
Um, I'd like to open theaperture a little bit here and
expand a bit about incentivesand bit and benefits that
resonate um across differenttypes of verticals.
I mean, we all know that, youknow, me as a fan, I could be a
Taylor Swift fan, I can be aWicked fan, and I can be a
Denver Broncos fan.
(10:33):
So I can be all of thosethings, but I can also be very
siloed.
So I'm curious, have you foundincentives and benefits that
resonate with fans of theater,concerts, and sports?
And then the extension of thatis that how do they differ
between the audiences and whatare the similarities?
And you know, how much can youuse with each other?
Katie Dalton (10:56):
Sure.
Um, audience rewards operatesprimarily in theater.
So I will speak primarily tothat.
Um, the benefit that resonatesthe most, um, the way that this
program functions, fans buytheater tickets, they earn
theater points, and then theyredeem those points for more
(11:19):
tickets.
So the benefit that resonatesthe most is tickets, which
really isn't surprising.
Um, these are we offer a wholemenu of ways that you can redeem
your points.
You can get um merchandise, youcan get a t-shirt of the show
you just saw, you can redeem foran experience.
Um, the vast, vast majority ofredemptions are for more
(11:39):
tickets.
So just engaging more in thisum product that our fans love.
Um, the frequency question is areally interesting one.
So, in the loyalty space, um,if we think about a travel
program, um a business travelermight spend, let's say they
spend a few nights a weektraveling for work.
(12:01):
Um, the Hilton Honors programconsiders their sort of
frequent, uh, most frequentstayers as the people who spend
10 days or 10 nights uh a monthat their properties or 120
nights a year.
Um in live entertainment, thatbehavior is very different,
right?
Live entertainment attendanceis not for work.
(12:22):
It's not something you have todo every week.
Um it's something that youchoose to do, that you have to
use your um discretionary incometo participate in.
Um so the frequency is very,very different than other
programs might see.
Um and so in designing any sortof loyalty program, it's
important to consider what isrealistic.
(12:43):
Um if um if this program wereonly meaningful to people who um
see a live entertainment event120 nights per year, that's not
going to be actually meaningfulto anyone in the real world.
Um, and so this program isstructured in such a way um a
customer could um buy as few astwo tickets and earn enough
(13:07):
points to get their first freeticket.
And and the the level of perksum increases the more customers
engage.
So in in the Broadway space, umour um subset of high frequency
attendees are more like um 15shows per year.
With a segment of them, theymight see 25 shows per year,
(13:29):
while other actives are morelike four or seven shows a year.
Again, you know, you just haveto kind of scale how you
structure a program like thisbased on what is realistic for
your product.
Maureen Andersen (13:39):
So frequency really is kind of the backbone
to what you consider thestickiness of a program.
Um, when you're designing onefor those individuals, and I
love the way you position everyshow, every event is its own
business, which is perfectbecause not every show is going
to have the same kind offrequency opportunity, therefore
(13:59):
the same stickiness, becausemaybe a limited run.
How do you get to sticky?
How do you get to sticky?
Katie Dalton (14:05):
That that's the core question, right?
Yeah, you know, um a loyaltyprogram is not just about
driving sales.
Um, it's also about other waysto engage the fan.
Um, and that is um, you know,we're always looking for
additional ways to do that.
(14:26):
Um one of the ways that hasbeen sticky in the audience
rewards universe is um free waysto earn points.
We offer Broadway trivia on oursite.
It is the stickiest part of ourwebsite.
If you answer a questioncorrectly, you get a couple of
points.
People come back to that againand again.
And that's meaningful for us inturn on the sales side because
(14:50):
that means the customer iscoming back to our website and
we can serve them informationabout what other offers might be
available uh to sell a ticket.
Wonderful.
Maureen Andersen (14:59):
I, you know, you sell so many tickets and
have so many folks that you'reengaging with.
Can we talk a little bit aboutum demographics and and what you
are seeing in the space thesedays on, you know, trends by age
and what's appealing to ayounger audience?
I mean, so much is about, youknow, we're making sure we
replace with younger.
And then, you know, the the thekind of big elephant in the
(15:22):
room about any fan conversationthese days is how's ticket
prices affecting thedemographics as well on who's
buying the tickets?
Katie Dalton (15:31):
Of course.
Um, I I think this is such aninteresting, um, sort of hot
topic for all of us that work inticketing.
Um, and I I will not claim tobe an expert in all things
ticketing.
Um I think with this questionin particular, it's really
interesting because we're allaware of the perception and the
(15:52):
reality that younger audiencesmight be more price sensitive,
right?
They uh might be at lowerincome levels than some of their
older counterparts.
Um, and at the same time, wesee um younger demographics
buying high-dollar tickets tothe Aerostore, or um I read a
lot of articles about umcustomers using a buy now, pay
(16:13):
later plan to buy Coachellatickets.
Oh, wait.
And those things sort of seemin complex, and I'm not gonna
claim to know how to parse allof that out.
Um, but what I can speak to umare some trends in the loyalty
space and specifically withinthe audience rewards member
base.
Um we uh the younger age groupwithin loyalty programs um
(16:37):
compared to older programmembers, they tend to value
content and some digitalengagement a little bit more
than their older counterparts.
Um, both demographics, older,younger, everybody cares about
monetary value.
What am I getting?
What is this program giving me?
How is this program um helpingme get more?
Um, everyone cares about that.
(16:59):
The difference is that youngeraudiences want a little bit more
than that.
Um, they want to engagedigitally in a way that older
audiences aren't as interestedin.
Um, and then, you know, goingback to pricing and what can
sometimes feel like a little bitof a conflict, um, within the
audience rewards universe, um,our survey data shows that our
(17:21):
younger demographic uh they aremore likely to seek out looking
for a discounted ticket.
Um and then again, in whatfeels a little bit um
disconnected, they are also umreporting a higher frequency of
attendance than their oldercounterparts.
So, you know, the the wholetotal amount of money, it's just
an interesting um sort of thingthat they want a cheaper ticket
(17:44):
and also might be spending evenmore um to attend more
frequently.
Um, and actually, while we'reon demographics, um just
touching back on geo that Damienyou brought up in terms of
bringing suburban audiencesback, um, you know, uh just to
say again that I think thatdemographic um in the audience
(18:04):
rewards universe, um, over athird of our membership base is
in that suburban market.
And I think, you know, anythingthat we can do to offer them
something extra, bring back thatsort of wow moment to bring
them back into the Broadwaytent, I think that's that's
meaningful for all of us.
Maureen Andersen (18:25):
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Peter Yagecic (19:02):
Well, I would love to sneak in one of our
listener questions on that note.
Uh, this I don't know if thisperson is in the suburbs that
asked this question ahead oftime, but uh they they are
clearly a fan of the programbecause they say I am a proud
member of Audience Rewards, andI love how it lets me support
all that Broadway has to offer.
Do you think that some peoplesee their audience rewards
(19:23):
membership like a Broadwayversion of a membership to their
local performing arts center?
I thought that was interesting.
Katie Dalton (19:30):
Yeah, I think that's interesting.
I have no data to support that.
We haven't asked that as asurvey question.
Um, but I think the goals aresimilar, right?
So, what audience rewards is uhour goal is to connect with
fans more closely, to keep fanscoming back to Broadway.
Uh, and that aligns very nicelywith what the goal is of a
(19:54):
membership or a subscriptionprogram at a performing arts
center.
So I think that makes a lot ofsense to compare them.
Peter Yagecic (20:02):
And and I'll sneak in one more uh before I
kick it back to Damien.
Uh, Katie, as you look to thenext few years, uh are there any
trends or technologies that youthink are uh on deck to reshape
loyalty in live entertainmentor or in any brand?
Katie Dalton (20:20):
Yes.
Uh just like anyone else, weare thinking about AI.
Um, so uh in the loyalty spaceand specifically at audience
rewards, we are building outways to use AI to make these
programs smarter and to servefans more of what they are
looking for.
So, as an example, um we willbe using AI to create marketing
(20:46):
journeys that recognize um, hey,Damien, you have seen show A
and show B.
Our data model suggests thatyou will like show C.
So we can automate serving youan offer for that particular
show.
Or similarly, we could say,Peter, you just earned 2,000
points for seeing Wicked.
Um, now here is some Wickedmerchandise that you can redeem
(21:10):
for less than 2,000 points.
And those kinds of umpromotions may seem like
no-brainers, and they kind ofare.
Um, but what happens is acrossum many, many shows and many
customers and all sorts ofdifferent behavior, that's very
hard to do manually.
Um, so being able to introducethese smarter tools um is really
(21:32):
exciting.
Peter Yagecic (21:33):
Well, and I will take that wicked merch and
proudly display it.
Um Damien, do you want to takethe next question?
Damian Bazadona (21:40):
Yeah, how do you market yourself versus the
shows themselves?
Just out of curiosity, just foryour own brand and how you
position that, right?
Because it's almost likethey're a member, like
particularly in the Broadwayspace.
It's gotta be kind ofcomplicated, right?
Between Broadway andoff-Broadway, I go, I'm a fan of
the show, I now have loyalty tothat show, but you're through
the currency.
I'm just curious how you marketyour own business and how do
you separate that from the showsthemselves?
Katie Dalton (22:02):
Sure.
Um, we are in the business ofsupporting brand Broadway.
That is what Audience Rewardsis here to do.
Our brand is not the brand.
It's not intended to be theprimary brand.
Um we are here to support theart that um that fans are
(22:22):
interested in.
Um, and and I think, you know,I compare this program to an
airline or a hotel a lot becauseI think it can be helpful in
framing how we think about aprogram like this.
Um at Delta Airlines, um theycare a lot about Delta because
you can get the same flight on adifferent airline.
(22:43):
The flight isn't what isdifferent, it's the airline.
Audience rewards is thereverse.
Um the shows and anyentertainment property is in
itself singular and unique.
Um and we are just the umbrellaasking you to come back, come
back under this umbrella, engagewith these shows.
Um, and and by design, um, thatmeans we are very um brand
(23:08):
broad way forward.
Damian Bazadona (23:10):
It's not easy to become like the umbrella
because that requires everyonein the entire ecosystem to say,
yeah, yeah, you're the umbrella.
It speaks a lot to the workyou've done.
Just kudos to you, because itis not easy that every program
never recognizes that theyladder up into it.
That's a that is a hard task toaccomplish.
Katie Dalton (23:27):
Thank you.
Now we just need to get moreshows at that level 10.
Damian Bazadona (23:31):
There you go.
Maureen Andersen (23:32):
Hey, Katie, can I ask you a transaction
question?
Of course.
Is that you know, on once youget them there, we've got the
transactional side and we'vekind of got that gateway moment
with that ticketing handshake aswe like to call it.
And there's so many in thesebusinesses, as you you call
them, these separate entities,there's so many different
players.
And you've got producers,ticketing platforms that are
(23:54):
different across each show,credit cards, uh, travel brands
that maybe, you know, you know,the Amex people, I mean,
whoever's the partner of choice.
And are there trends thatyou're seeing that make the
transaction easier?
Or are there trends that youwish would make it easier that
you're seeing?
Are there things missing youwould like to see?
Katie Dalton (24:17):
Yes.
Um wearing the loyalty hat fora second.
Um, you know, there has been somuch um change and evolution in
ticketing in the past fiveyears.
Um, and even with that change,I have a big wish wish list of
how we could optimize how aloyalty program gets integrated
(24:38):
into these technologies.
Um, and I think, you know, ifwe go way back to where this
conversation started, with thegoal is the goal of a loyalty
program is to give the customera wow moment, give the customer
positive feelings, um, and addvalue for the business, um,
there's value there, right?
(24:59):
And so um I think there isstill a lot of room to grow in
terms of um a loyalty componentbeing layered in at the point of
purchase.
Um, so imagine if I could hoverover the seat map and I see a
little message that pops up thatsays, you have enough points to
get the seat for free.
(25:20):
That's cool, right?
And I would say, oh, cool, letme go, you know, and then I that
I reference this, but themoment of getting a perk in a
loyalty program.
Um while again, that may feellike a cost center in some ways,
you have to you have to givesomeone something for free.
What happens is that umescalates their investment in
(25:42):
the brand and that increasestheir likelihood to come back
another time.
So that integration, I think,could be really beneficial
across the board.
Um, and then, you know, I thinkabout other ways that we could
um uh uh reduce friction and addsort of um moments of, hey,
that was cool.
Like um if a customer couldshow their loyalty number and
(26:08):
get a free drink at the show.
Um, or I understand thishappens in sports sometimes, um,
being able to um walk into ashow and get a message, you're
being upgraded.
Um, you know, finding ways toum really reward our most
engaged customers.
Um, again, with the end goalthat that will reap dividends
(26:29):
for the brand in the long term.
Maureen Andersen (26:31):
Absolutely.
Anything that reduces friction,I mean, you know, that's what
we are all looking for.
And, you know, the the theticket purchase and getting them
there is all that avenue to theexperience and all of us
working together to make theexperience the best elevated
element that we can, I think is,you know, is really the the the
(26:52):
key element of all of this.
I'm gonna throw it back over toPeter, I think, for an audience
question.
Peter Yagecic (26:58):
Yeah, we'll do one more audience question and
then I'll I'll kick it to Damiento wrap us up.
Uh, this one came in, which Ilove, and it says, I'd love to
hear Katie share a story orexample of a fan interaction
that looks at the emotional sideof what audience rewards does
best.
Katie Dalton (27:14):
I love this question too.
Um, as we talk about fanengagement and incremental sales
and average ticket prices, itcan be easy to sort of sit here
at our desks and forget aboutthe real humans who are buying
our tickets and experiencingwhat we all have to offer.
Um, one of my favorite momentswas a flagship redemption
(27:38):
opportunity.
Um, we offered for an audiencerewards member to redeem points
for a walk-on role in a Broadwayshow.
Um, so that was her anopportunity for her to appear on
stage.
She um just to um how thiscomes about, uh, in order to
(27:58):
redeem a high volume of points,that means that this fan has
seen a lot of shows.
She's bought a lot of tickets,she's very invested in Broadway.
Um, and then she redeemed herpoints for an elevated
opportunity.
Um, and this was the kind ofopportunity that um is a life
highlight, right?
Like she got to um rehearse onstage with the cast and she got
(28:21):
her hair and makeup done and acostume put on.
Her name was printed in theplaybill.
She was announced at the startof the show.
Her parents, her friends werein the audience.
Um, and and I think this justuh shows what sort of the peak
of fan engagement is all about,because um she had engaged with
(28:43):
Brand Broadway a lot in order toreach this moment.
Um, and then you know, thismoment is something that she
will talk about.
This moment is something thatshe will share about.
Um, it has a wider net.
Um, I think when uh some ofthese sort of high-touch
experiences can feel like theyare a little too micro, like
(29:06):
that's just one person.
Um, but that one person's lifechanger experience um resonates
throughout her community.
Um, and interestingly, youknow, we've also seen that um
audience rewards members whoengage in an experience that's
beyond just the performanceitself, um, buy on average 10
(29:29):
times the volume of tickets thanpeople who don't engage in
those experiences.
So there's a lot of value umfor that type of experience.
And I think that exemplifies uhwhat audience rewards is all
about.
Peter Yagecic (29:41):
I love it.
And and I bet a lot of peopleuh started saving up their
points to try to have thatexperience.
Katie Dalton (29:47):
I wanted to do myself, but I work here.
Damian Bazadona (29:50):
It's not really how many points do you have?
I'm joking.
I'm joking.
I'm joking.
Um, first off, Katie,congratulations on all your
success.
Uh I've watched the the growthof the company and I've watched
you in rooms and inconversations when you were
trying to explain the value ofrewards program in the very
beginning and early stages, towhich a lot of people look like
(30:11):
looked at you like you had threeheads, and to watch the growth
of the business and the maturityof it.
Total trailblazer andcongratulations.
It's just awesome success.
And I appreciate you taking thetime to do this with us today.
Um, if you could evolve thephrase rewarding fandom as we
head into 2026, we're recordingthis right at the end of the
year here, and you think of theyear the word rewarding fandom.
(30:33):
If you were if you could evolvethat word in 2026 and beyond,
what would that what would thatmean to you?
Katie Dalton (30:40):
My my first reaction to that is um I
wouldn't want to change the coremeaning of what it means to
reward a fan, um, because doingso has benefits both for the fan
and for the brand.
Um my wish, though, is thatthat concept um were not
(31:04):
considered a nice to have.
Um, that that the idea ofrewarding fans um became more of
a cohesive, essential part ofwhat we are all doing as
marketers.
Um because there is true valuehere.
Um, it's good for everyone.
Um, and I think there's a lotof room for uh for all of us to
(31:29):
leverage that in a bigger way.
Peter Yagecic (31:31):
Well said.
That is gonna do it for thisepisode of Fandom Unpacked.
If you liked what you heard,please check out all the great
QA interviews we've done atfandomunpack.com or by searching
Fandom Unpacked and followingthe series in your podcast
player of choice.
We'd also love for you to rateand review the show while you're
at it.
That really helps us find newfans.
(31:51):
We're gonna be back in yourfeed in two weeks.
See you next time, truebelievers.
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