The Drifters at Glyndwr University
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Last night I went to watch the latest incarnation of the Drifters at the William Aston Hall. They were excellent and the atmosphere was brilliant. Whilst there is no longer a Ben E King or Clyde McPhatter, Johnnie Moore or Bill Fredericks, the band have been crafted over the years to deliver an authentic rehash of the great catalogue that is the Drifters.
Unfortunately, as per normal, there was a crowd that numbered no more than perhaps 400 people in the Hall. No circle was opened, and the rear part of the Auditorium was blocked off with a black screen.
Now the optimists amongst you might cynically say that the poor turnout was due to the fact that there were no originals amongst the line-up. That, of course, might stand up if the same outfit went to other comparable venues and were subject to the same theatre fill. Llandudno and Rhyl regularly put on similar groups to the Drifters and, indeed, I watched another line-up perhaps 4 or 5 years ago in Llandudno play to a sell-out crowd.
Rhyl and Llandudno are not the largest towns in North Wales with a hinterland including Chester, Whitchurch, Oswestry, and Mold. It really is a classic shame that Wrexham’s track record with events is so poor.
The truth is that Marketing of the town, of the William Aston Hall and of other event centres still remains in the dark ages. Going into the theatre last night made me despair. The place has a worse décor than the People’s Market, no in your face advertising of forthcoming events, no attempt to capture data for a marketing assault via email. Surely we can do better than this
I must admit that I am not a great fan of the William Aston Hall. I recently attended the Max Boyce show there and I found the accoustics to be poor, and a loop system for Hearing Aids appeared to be non-existant (is there one?). It would take some persuading for me to spend my money on another show there.
I have been to a couple of shows there recently and I enjoyed them. I am going again in October. It might be that I am easily pleased. :D
@Welsh Dresser 9161 wrote:
I have been to a couple of shows there recently and I enjoyed them. I am going again in October. It might be that I am easily pleased. :D
Many of the shows on there are excellent and very enjoyable. With a theatre twice as big as the Severn Theatre in Shrewsbury, however, we should have mini-major acts and full houses. Full houses require more than enjoyable acts, they require Marketing. Advertising is one small part of Marketing and it is Marketing in all its complex forms that is needed
@thunderbirdskid 9162 wrote:
Marketing is the key. Its all about the Wrexham brand……There isn’t one. Great shame.
Totally agreed!!
I find out what’s on without marketing. Are the people of Wrexham incapable of finding out for themselves? I do agree that with more promotion the shows might be better attended but when I went to see a well known comedian the place was packed.
@Welsh Dresser 9172 wrote:
I find out what’s on without marketing. Are the people of Wrexham incapable of finding out for themselves? I do agree that with more promotion the shows might be better attended but when I went to see a well known comedian the place was packed.
As with all things, X number of people will seek it out and Y number of people need spoon feeding. If you are content to have X amount attend then the status quo is ok.
That said, Marketing is not just about advertising. It is about assessing the potential audience for the William Aston Hall and structuring a program, facilities and décor to suit that client base. The bar alone is out of the ark and needs transforming let alone the pre-Hippodrome seating. It’s like being on Ryanair
It’s always the same in Wrexham, lots of shows poorly attended. Hardly any advertising, how do people know things are on in the town if they are not advertised on posters or the local papers here & the surrounding areas. Feel sorry for the artists playing to sparse audience, hardly encourage them to come to the town again.
I’ve booked tickets to many shows at the William Aston Hall and on a few occasions my money has been returned due to cancelled shows as a result of low sales. This is a result of poor marketing on the university’s behalf. They have some excellent resources but do not make good use of them. Judging by the recent press releases it appears their marketing team is more concerned with patting themselves on the back than actually doing anything useful.
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