THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Community Auditorium is planning for the future.
It's launched an online survey to find out what kind of shows or other events people would like to see in the auditorium, and what it would take to get spectators to attend more frequently.
"We have been doing some strategic planning work the last while to look forward to the next five years. As part of that, we felt it was prudent to do a survey, just to get a better handle as to things we're doing right, things that we can improve on, and, of course, just the general taste, what the people of Thunder Bay are looking for in their community auditorium," general manager Trevor Hurtig said Monday.
The auditorium hasn't released data about attendance or revenue.
Hurtig said "we're still a little bit slower than where we were pre-pandemic, but the growth is there, and are are seeing that steady growth. Even looking ahead into 2025 there seems to be a lot of interest in booking shows with us right now, agents selling us shows, and other promoters looking to rent the building to put on shows."
He said all of that indicates the auditorium seems to be heading in the right direction, "but the survey probably will help give us a little bit clearer direction."
Besides asking participants to rate their level of interest in various types of shows, the survey seeks to pin down other factors that might influence people to attend, ranging from the price of a ticket to the availability of bar service and food.
It even delves into patrons' overall satisfaction with the seating, acoustics, and ambience of the auditorium.
Hurtig said there's been a good response to the survey so far, and he hopes some coverage in the news media persuades others to take the time to register their opinions.
He'll wait for it to be finished before taking a look at the feedback, but said it's been clear for some time that "the pandemic did change a lot of things. People's tastes have changed to some extent. They've become a little bit more comfortable, kind of staying at home for certain things, and other things motivate them to come out in ways unprecedented . . . There is a lot of change in the air."
He added that he believes "there are still a lot of people that are looking for different things when they are looking to spend their entertainment dollars, in particular. Like I said, we're just looking to get a better handle on how we can maximize our efforts on that front as well."
The survey can be accessed through the TBCA website.
NOTE: The survey has expired. The TBCA reports that it received over 700 responses.
