This may or may not end up being a big thing, but I received a press release today indicating that Broadwayworld.com is appointing a dedicated sales rep for Chicago.
Judging from the current posters on the Chicago message boards, the locals paying attention to Broadwayworld.com are almost solely concerned with Broadway tours, but that could change if local theaters start advertising with the site.
Aside from that, full press release posted after the jump:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BROADWAYWORLD.COM NAMES CHICAGO REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE
Largest Theatre Website In The World Brings Formula For Success To Windy
City
(New York, NY) BroadwayWorld.com, the top online information source for
Broadway enthusiasts and live theatre lovers worldwide, continues their
formula for success by increasing coverage, content and resources in Chicago
– a significant force in the world of Theater. To expand this region within
the BroadwayWorld site, CEO Robert Diamond has named Steve Leary as the
Regional Representative who already has a detailed growth plan in this
market.
"There are hundreds of theatres in the Chicago area that are producing
innovative and diverse works that can really benefit from the kind of
exposure that only BroadwayWorld.com can provide," notes Leary. "Some really
exciting changes are in the works that will have viewers flocking to the
Broadway and Chicago regional sections searching for the latest up to date
information available."
With an average of 1.8 million visitors a month, BroadwayWorld.com has been
an incredibly popular site for advertisers to reach a receptive, upwardly
mobile demographic with special offers and corporate advertisements. More
public relations companies are realizing just how important it is to place
their advertising dollars into online advertisements and promotions since
the following statistics were released in the Theatre League's annual
report:
"The report also shows that the use of the Internet for the purchase of
tickets has grown by 368% since the 1999-2000 season. On-line purchase was
the most popular method of ticket buying for a second year in row." **
"I have a well defined plan and distinct goals," states Leary. "Focusing on
a timely delivery of promotions and press for productions here in Chicago, I
know that every theatre will benefit and that the remarkable resources of
BroadwayWorld.com will facilitate a greater appreciation and participation
in Chicago's incredible theatre scene."
Contacts:
Robert Diamond
Editor-in-Chief
BroadwayWorld.com
[email protected]
646-707-3988
Steve Leary
BroadwayWorld.com Chicago
[email protected]
773-769-1296
*# # #*
That sounds like the kind of program that hopefully the league would have done.
Posted by: Tony | February 14, 2008 at 09:34 AM
Oh, tony, I have such good news, and no time to write it down.
First of all, the broadwayworld site is unreadable. My eyes are crossed. Ow. I don't know who they're serving, but it's not the audience.
Sat down with Ben at the League yesterday and talked about how best to push forward his plan for a web 2.0 solution that serves the need of the community, and by the end of it we agreed: it'll take a while to implement, but the final product needs to be an IMDB / Facebook / Craigslist / HotTix / Wikipedia / MoveOn.org (which are all built on the same basic web innovations) that becomes a centralized repository of information and networking.
It's a long way off, but it's being worked on, and we brainstormed some ideas to get the community working on that kind of bottom-up thinking model (and generating useful content) right now, this week. Will be talking about that soon.
I think sites like broadwayworld and Theater in Chicago are shims for what will eventually could be a real community-driven site, and the more I think about it, the more I believe the League is the only organization capable to act as that central hub where all the content can grow and be nurtured. They have a lot of reform that still needs to be done, of course, but what I learned yesterday is that they actually want the reform to happen, and they need the momentum to build first to make it so.
So our involvement can actually speed up the process. A practical thing we can do right now to get started: Organize visits and contributions to the League wiki, which I'll be helping Ben to optimize for easier access for the storefront crowd. That's an easy and ultimately useful project to cut our teeth on.
Sorry, Kris, for doing this all here in the comments. I'll stop hijacking you. More soon. Wheeee!
Posted by: Nick Keenan | February 15, 2008 at 09:30 AM