Fairfield arts center enjoys attendance spike

FAIRFIELD – Attendance is soaring at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.

The center’s executive director, Lindsay Bauer, delivered her annual report to the Fairfield City Council Monday night, and one of the highlights from the report had to do with the attendance for the center’s live entertainment. Bauer reported that attendance for the fiscal year 2022-2023 was nearly 50 percent higher than even pre-pandemic levels.

A typical live performance at the arts center’s theater drew 350 people in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, compared to the 2015-2019 average of 266. And the figure for this most recent fiscal year doesn’t even count the attendance at the center’s free summer concerts, not does it count the attendance for Cinema Fairfield, the center’s first-run films.

“This is a huge leap for us,” Bauer said. “We’ve surpassed where we were before and we’ve opened new horizons.”

Bauer said it’s hard to pinpoint one factor that explains why attendance has been so good. She said part of it may reflect the public’s desire to get out of the house, to see live entertainment that they couldn’t see during the pandemic. Another reason may be the center’s tools for gathering data about what audiences want to watch.

“We spend a lot of time looking at data, listening to our audience and studying trends in marketing,” Bauer said. “Data is so helpful. It’s the god of every organization. We want to know what people are looking for so we can respond accordingly.”

Some of the performances that drew big crowds last season included Legally Blonde: The Musical, and a concert from Grammy-winning table master, Zakir Hussain. Bauer added that the holiday events were well attended, too.

The center’s good attendance numbers have continued into this current artist season of 2023-2024. Bauer said that all of the shows this season have attracted 350 people, and that the center’s most recent act “Irish Christmas in America” on Nov. 25, garnered about 450. That’s nearly a full house, with the theater’s capacity at 500.

“Most venues are shooting for 350 people,” Bauer said. “Normally we feel pretty good if we can get a three-quarter house. It’s super that we’ve been there or above there for every show this year.”

The arts center’s next installment in its 2023-2024 series is the Nutcracker Ballet, which will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14-15 and at 1 p.m. on Dec. 16.

The other highlight from Bauer’s annual report was that the arts center is looking into a refreshed design of its lobby, meeting rooms and public spaces.

“We’re in the preliminary stages of design with a firm in Des Moines,” Bauer said. “We want the center to remain fresh and contemporary, so that we are providing the services that the events community is looking for.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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