Success Stories

Success Story: Blue Gate Theatre

Written by Ryan Williams | Jan 27, 2026 2:22:27 AM
Success story: Blue Gate Theatre

Building new audiences
through data

How the Blue Gate Theatre reached hundreds of new patrons and secured a 70% opt-in rate through strategic digital engagement.

Explore the payoff

The challenge

Breaking barriers and
misconceptions

While the Blue Gate Theatre is a premier destination in Shipshewana, they faced a common hurdle: misconceptions about their lineup.

The venue needed to break through regional awareness barriers and attract a younger, more diverse demographic that wasn’t familiar with the world-class quality of their performances.

  • Low awareness of diverse programming
  • Need for deeper customer habit insights
  • Underdeveloped email marketing lists

The key question

“How do we turn ‘never-beens’ into loyal patrons while capturing enough data to target them for a lifetime?”

The solution

The “Mega Ticket” strategy

We created an irresistible incentive that rewarded engagement and provided deep demographic insights.

Incentivized contest

The “Mega Ticket Giveaway” offered five pairs of tickets to five different shows—giving winners a full season of entertainment and driving high interest.

Data-first entry

Entry forms captured critical data points: concert-going habits, previous attendance history, and specific interest categories for future retargeting.

Social amplification

Strategic social media promotion leveraged media platforms to drive traffic and increase follower counts across Facebook and Instagram.

The payoff

Audience growth and
discovery

“This valuable data allows the Blue Gate Theatre to create targeted email campaigns specifically designed for first-time visitors and use personalized messaging based on attendance patterns.”

Habits discovered

Frequent (1–3/yr) 234
Casual (1–2/yr) 180
New interest (0/yr) 133
718 Total entries
61% New audience reach 437 first-time visitors
70% Opt-in rate 505 newsletter sign-ups
380+ Social growth New followers on Facebook and Instagram

Want results like these?

Let’s discuss how a tailored media strategy can drive awareness and engagement for your business.