Highlights from TEC18
The Tessitura European Conference was hosted earlier this month by The Bridgewater Hall, Royal Northern College of Music, The Royal Exchange, and Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. I was delighted to represent Adage Technologies and had the opportunity to attend sessions, meet with friends new and old, and experience a bit of the city itself!
Below are some brief highlights from my experiences at TEC.
Tessitura Network(ing)
TEC is one of my favorite conferences every year because, although at 450 attendees it’s by no means a small conference, there is something every intimate and warm about it. As with any gathering orchestrated through the Tessitura Network, people are genuinely interested in learning, improving, and helping each other. It’s exciting to be part of the many “ah-ha!” moments that occur when you get a group of Tessiturians together.
About Manchester, UK the Host City
Manchester is a VERY cool city. Favorite places included the special tours we got of the Bridgewater Hall and Science and Industry Museum, the Manchester Craft and Design Centre, and the People’s History Museum—but the real treat was simply being out and about in the city. Manchester is quite walkable and the different neighborhoods from the hip Northern Quarter to trendy Spinningfields and on to Castlefield, where the conference was held, allow you to experience a variety of atmospheres and people, all located fairly close together. I understand why people from Manchester identify with the bee and the idea of a tight-knit hive / community, working together.
Open Space, Setting the Agenda
I was able to attend the Open Space, Setting the Agenda session for the first time at this conference. It was inspiring to hear everyone announcing their topic ideas and the audible responses from the crowd. If you haven’t made it to the Setting the Agenda kickoff session for open spaces at a Tessitura conference before, I highly recommend it. And I’ll definitely be attending more Open Space sessions in the future!
Slicketing and Customer Experience
Favorite sessions included Online Slicketing and Shaking up the Customer Experience.
Online Slicketing focused on improving your online sales. The National Portrait Gallery shared their awesome custom pre-cart page that allows them to cross/up-sell other exhibits at a discount and Roundhouse shared their experiences using GetSiteControl for popups. GetSiteControl sounds like it could be a great option for notifications and attestations.
In Shaking up the Customer Experience, speakers shared their experiences using data and technology to improve guest experiences, like Theatre Royal / Royal Concert Hall, who talked about hiring and retaining actors for their FOH staff. I loved this idea for ensuring a hyper-engaged staff to greet and assist your patrons. And Royal Danish Theatre shared their experiences using data gathered from post-show surveys to determine they needed an app to streamline the pre-ordering of intermission concessions.
TNEW Component and Customize
I also attended a couple of sessions on TNEW, and here at Adage we’re very excited for what the future holds! The TNEW Component or Customize session was especially helpful and explained that components available from TNEW are part of upgrades, not customizable and have a set cost, while customizations through TNEW are unique to your organization, like add-on donations and upsells for parking and dining. Whether you’re looking to componentize, customize with TNEW, or customize with Adage, the TNEW solution is continuing to grow more flexible and robust with each new update.
The Great Scone Debate
Finally, the #1 thing I learned from the Great Scone Debate, was that it’s apparently Scone like gone, not Scone like bone.
Thank You, Tessitura
Many thanks to the Tessitura Network, our conference host organizations, and the other sponsors for putting on such an informative, well-run, inviting event. Here at Adage we’re already looking forward to next year—after TLCC in our home city of Chicago next summer, of course!
If you’re interested in discussing any of the above further or have any questions, I’d be happy to jump on a call or exchange emails at any point. Reach out!
Reach Out!
