Eccles to become primary box officeAuthor(s): Adam Benson Herald Journal staff abenson@hjnews.com |
In a move that organizers describe as the opening act in a new era of cooperation, the Ellen Eccles Theatre will become the primary box office for all Utah Festival Opera season events beginning Jan. 1.
"This is the first step in an effort to consolidate services on both sides of the street," UFO managing director Gary Griffin said.
To date, the Utah Festival Opera has been selling tickets out of their Center Street headquarters in the Dansante building while the Eccles Theatre was the stopping point for events sponsored by the Cache Valley Center for the Arts.
But in August, UFO director Michael Ballam and Wally Bloss, CVCA's director, began searching for ways to streamline the services offered by two of the region's leading arts organizations. Both men say the agreement will help offset operating costs at the downtown performance hall while providing customers with a more user-friendly shopping experience.
"I see this as the dawning of a new day for two entities that have worked together cooperatively for the last 15 years," Ballam said.
The move was approved last week by the Board of Directors for both entities.
In addition to bringing ticket sales under one roof, officials plan to convert a staff parking lot to public use for off-Main Street traffic in a bid to lure more people.
"Our major concern is to give our customers the best possible service they can have, and we think this does that," Ballam said.
Both the UFOC and CVCA are coming off profitable years at a time when arts organizations across the state are struggling for dollars.
"Cache Valley is bucking that trend completely," Bloss said. His organization brought in nearly $375,000 in ticket sales, and the Utah Festival Opera saw a 42 percent increase in its sales as well.
However, the groups have peak seasons at opposite times of the year, which means a good deal of time and money is spent on very few customers.
Merging ticket sales into the theater is expected to boost its bottom line, though neither Ballam nor Bloss would say by how much.
"We are both growing and need to exercise an economy of scale," Ballam said. "There's a significant sum that will go to the theater. It's spending we need to lose to balance our budget."
And Bloss said it will translate into much-needed revenue for the CVCA during times of the year when money is hard to come by.
"When the famine is hitting, this should even out our load." And more important, he says, it'll enable him to reallocate funds to other parts of his budget, resulting in even more savings.
The agreement comes at a time when the Eccles Theatre is facing likely budget cuts from Logan city, which owns the facility.
Mayor Randy Watts has pledged to slash funding in an effort to tighten up the city's finances.
Even against that backdrop, Ballam and Bloss said they plan to continue working together to keep Cache Valley's arts scene vibrant.
"We're hoping there will be synergy," Ballam said.
Bloss echoed that.
"Our goal is to continue to show we're doing everything we can to work together," he said. |