Why millennials abandon the circus

Today there are over a thousand circuses in Europe. The vast majority of those circuses present their shows travelling from town to town all across Europe. Each circus has its own area of focus, some present a style circus, some focus on acrobatics, comedy or prefers animals in their shows. It is all a matter of artistic choice. Circus entertains millions of people annually.

Millennial visitors (roughly between 15-35 years old) are the parents of today and tomorrow.

 

When we look around in Europe, we see that the group of millennial visitors is rapidly declining. Why do millennials not visit (or avoid) the circus while they do watch every talent show on television?

 

Most heard critics from millennials are:

 

  • I buy online tickets but the website is old, slow and not practical.
  • The poster did not tell me what to expect.
  • I need to plan ahead, I had no time to go anymore when I found out the circus was here.
  • I thought they did not open as their Facebook page was last updated 6 months ago.

 

The circuses that do run well are often managed by millennials or hired young people to do the marketing for them. They acknowledge the need to keep up with change of interests and content. I followed dozens of Instagram and Facebook accounts (some had even multiple accounts) that were hardly ever updated. Some circuses appeared to be rude towards complaining visitors or visitors with questions.

 

A millennial cares for a personal, human and involved approach. A good web care and promotion does cost you effort and some investment but it will pay back. If circus wants to keep its relevance we should make an effort to become a part of people’s lives again. It is not the discipline or art form but it is about dressing up the experience

 

Sabioleon has extensive experience in advising companies and guiding the production process. Feel free to contact us!

 

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