By Nancy Mann Jackson
Remember the first play you ever saw? The swish of the curtain, the dimming of the lights, the smell of the popcorn in the lobby at intermission. The seat that popped up behind you when you stood to clap at the end of the show. Historic theaters have souls – a sense of history and humanity that just can’t be matched by a new building, says Molly Fortune, Director of Restoration at Atlanta’s historic Fox Theater. And that’s why they’re particularly suited for SMERF meetings and events.
“When a SMERF group gathers, they gather to be with each other, and a place with a soul fosters this type of emotional response,” Fortune says. “Historic theaters evoke emotion – everyone has had an experience with the arts in some fashion, and we each bring those memories to the conversation. People talk about the building in which those memories happened. The SMERF groups bring to the table emotional connections that are strengthened by a place that also evokes these emotional bonds.”
Why Meet in a Theater?
In addition to the emotional connections your group will make, there are plenty of other reasons for convening in a historic theater.
Staging: “Theaters are good meeting places because of the capabilities of the stage,” says Dulcie Gilmore, Director of Chicago’s Aerie Crown Theater, which is connected to McCormick Place. “There’s very comfortable seating, and people can see over the people in front of them, as opposed to being on a flat floor in a ballroom.”
Unlike convention center ballrooms, “theaters are already stages, eliminating the need for risers, stairs and masking curtain rentals that may be incurred in a ballroom or meeting room,” says Don Telford, President and CEO of San Diego Theatres. “Additionally, theaters have theatrical audio and lighting in place, and many have more extensive audiovisual capabilities readily available in-house. For a real over-the-top, unique experience, many historic theaters possess incredible theater organs that can further contribute to an aspect of your program in an unexpected way and help create an exceptionally memorable experience for your attendees.”
Marketability: The use of a historic theater can also provide distinctive marketing opportunities for your event, “with the availability of dynamic photos, graphics and story angles,” adds Telford. “Historic theaters provide a great tie-in for the celebration of a significant anniversary of an organization. Capitalizing on the history of the theater and some of its prior performers provides wonderful opportunities to spice up programs and presentations.”
Uniqueness: Perhaps more than anything else, meeting in a historic theater provides your attendees an opportunity to experience a memorable venue. “For the most part, a hotel ballroom in New York looks just like a hotel ballroom in Boise,” says Numa Saisselin, CEO of the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ. “But theaters are always different.”
“Even as guests enter a historic theater, a sense of excitement, energy and enthusiasm starts to build and permeates through the group,” Telford says, citing theaters’ distinct differences from “the frequently uninspiring and cookie-cutter environment of hotel, conference, or convention center ballrooms and meeting rooms.”
Positive Partnerships: As much as SMERF planners want to find interesting locations for their events, historic theaters are equally eager to host groups. The League of Historic American Theatres, a nonprofit association, has long focused on the preservation and restoration of theaters in American communities. “In recent years, the League has expanded its focus on the sustaining of historic theaters,” Telford says. “While typically stunning to look at, historic theaters need to successfully operate rather than simply serve as architectural museums. Therefore, the ongoing use, activity, functionality, marketability and operations of theaters have come into focus as the critical requirements for their success. Expanding the uses of theaters beyond just the performing arts to encompass meetings, corporate and social activities has become an important goal.”
And because historic theaters are eager to host groups, their staffs are often flexible, ready to do what it takes to please their group customers. “Most are run by locally-based nonprofit organizations, and they’re ready, willing and able to do business and can move quicker and more flexibly than a chain hotel is able to,” Saisselin says. “I don’t have to check with the home office; I am the home office!”
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Making It Work
To stage a successful event, you’ll first need to locate the right historic theater for your group. Some, like Chicago’s Aerie Crown and San Diego’s Balboa, are connected to or within walking distance of larger convention facilities, while others, like the Fox, offer their own ballrooms or meeting space in addition to the auditorium. However, many historic theaters may only be capable of hosting a plenary session or full gathering of attendees, rather than a number of breakouts, notes Telford, adding, “[but] that may work to your advantage by keeping the small breakouts at a hotel, and then coming to the historic theater for a plenary session, award presentation or other high prestige gatherings.”
To locate historic theaters in your destination city or region, Saisselin suggests checking the website of the League of Historic American Theatres (www.lhat.org).
Once you’ve settled on a theater, don’t opt for business as usual. Remember that a unique venue deserves a unique event. “Use the theater as part of the meeting,” says Fortune. “Make it a destination in conjunction with the presentation. You can go to any box and have a conference; you can’t go to any theater, though. Ask what the theater is doing for outreach or other programs that might play into the meeting’s theme. You just might have an example right in front of you. These are living, breathing, ever-changing buildings.”
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