COMPANY

Mercury Theater Chicago http://mercurytheaterchicago.com/

TYPE OF EVENTS

Mercury Theater Chicago puts on a variety of musicals and plays, and also serves as one of Chicago’s premiere commercial rental venues.

SUMMARY

When it came time to reopen the historic Mercury Theater Chicago, one of the first items on the theater’s list was a ticketing provider. With their previous provider being complicated and flat out unresponsive, Vendini stepped in to offer an easy to use solution that worked from the get-go.

An Unresponsive Ticketing Vendor Once all the necessary renovations were complete, it was time to start selling tickets again. But there was one problem: the theater’s previous ticketing company – one of the “big guys” in the industry they had worked with for 15 years –

wasn’t answering their calls. “It was impossible to get in touch with a human being, even after multiple attempts. No one returned our messages, so we unplugged their equipment,” said Stearns. “By the time they sent someone to help us ‘reconnect our equipment,’ we were

CASE STUDY

Mercury Theater Chicago Joins Forces with Vendini to Reopen Historic TheaterSince its establishment 102 years ago as a nickelodeon – a silent movie theater that historically cost a nickel – the Mercury Theater Chicago has played host to a rotating set of identities as the building changed hands. In 1994, an impresario named Michael Cullen restored the building back to its original role as an intimate, jewel box theater in the heart of Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. When the theater went into foreclosure mode, a group of investors stepped in to breathe life into the theater once more. One of those investors was Walter Stearns, Executive Director at Mercury Theater Chicago, who helped rebuild and reopen the theater.

But reviving a theater is no simple feat, especially one with such rich history. So, when it came to selecting a new ticketing partner to help them emerge after being dark for three years, the Mercury Theater Chicago was faced with some unique challenges.

already out the door investigating more reliable alternatives.”

A Complicated SystemUnanswered phone calls aside, there were other serious issues too. First and foremost, their previous system was clunky, complicated and unintuitive. And, as with many theaters, box office staff was frequently changing. This posed challenges for the theater because the system was difficult to learn. The Mercury Theater Chicago needed an intuitive system that was simple to implement and get staff trained on. “It was complicated with our old system. There was a lengthy education involved to figure out how to sell a ticket or process a refund, simple things the box office needs to do everyday,” said Stearns.

The overly complex system, combined with the unresponsiveness of their prior provider, raised some major red flags for the Mercury Theater Chicago.

Enter VendiniMercury Theater Chicago needed a company they could count on; a partner who not only answered the phone, but also delivered a dead simple solution for their box office and patrons. And most importantly, they needed a partner to support

the theater as it reopened and its owners planned for their future. In 2010, Vendini stepped in to fill this role and Mercury Theater Chicago hasn’t looked back since. Since switching to Vendini, the number of self-produced shows has tripled

– running for over 40 weeks during the year – along with continuing their commerical rentals as well.

Up and Running from Day One“It was a fast process getting up and running with Vendini,” said Stearns. As opposed to other systems that require lengthy training courses and extensive in-person software and hardware installations, Vendini’s all-in-one solution is operational right out of the gate. With minimal setup and training, the Mercury Theater Chicago was selling tickets in a flash. Easy To Use

“With Vendini, we’re saving a significant amount of time training staff. Before Vendini, training took

“IT WAS A FAST PROCESS GETTING UP AND RUNNING WITH VENDINI.”

“Before, patrons had to create a username and login to buy a ticket. Vendini removed those obstacles and allows patrons to buy online with fewer barriers to the sale.” - Walter Stearns, Executive Director.

more than a week. Today, it takes under an hour to get a new person up to speed,” said Stearns. “We also love how easy Vendini makes it for patrons who want the convenience of buying online. Before, patrons had to create a username and login before they could buy a ticket. Vendini removed those obstacles and allows patrons to buy online with fewer barriers to the sale.”

Unexpected AdvantagesThe Mercury Theater Chicago has also been able to take advantage of the Vendini solution in a few ways they had not expected, like using Vendini to create and send targeted emails to patrons.

“Chicago was hit with 19 inches of snow and we had to cancel a few shows,” recalls Stearns. “We quickly created and sent an email blast to patrons with tickets to that particular show to notify them about the cancellations and help them reschedule for a future date.”

The theater also uses Vendini to offer customized membership packages to patrons for the first time. Patrons can choose a membership level and then pick dates, times and even specific seats to redeem their membership benefits. “It ’s important to us to offer our patrons flexibility. Vendini

helps us accomplish this. We didn’t offer memberships before. Today our memberships are steadily growing with every season.”

“The product is easy to use and useful. We appreciate the partnership with Vendini,” said Stearns. “Vendini has been a great partner in the renaissance of our theater. We know Vendini has been there for us in the past, and will be there now and in the future.”

“WE’RE SAVING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME TRAINING STAFF. BEFORE VENDINI, TRAINING TOOK MORE

THAN A WEEK. TODAY, IT TAKES UNDER AN HOUR”

Founded in 2001, Vendini makes the business of live events simple. Offering a full suite of solutions built for the performing arts, live music, music festival and live event spaces, Vendini is helping thousands of venues increase revenue, collect valuable data and make running an event simple. In a world of endless single-use vendors, Vendini is the first company to offer one comprehensive solution for multiple aspects of live events including ticketing, marketing, fundraising, logistics and more. Vendini is based in San Francisco, CA, with offices in Boston,

MA, New York, NY, Knoxville, TN and Vancouver, BC. To learn more about Vendini, please visit http://www.vendini.com

all-in-onesystem

TICKETINGSYSTEM

PATRONMANAGEMENT

NEWWEBSITE

MARKETING FUNDRAISING

EVENTLOGISTICS

all-in-onesolution

TICKETINGSYSTEM

PATRONMANAGEMENT

WEBSITEMANAGEMENT

MARKETING FUNDRAISING

EVENTLOGISTICS