Last night I experienced a lovely case of personalisation and knowing your customers done right.
A small group of friends headed out to the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich to watch a play - Don’t Look Now - which recently started a run and several friends were keen to see. While I’ve visited the New Wolsey for networking events with ISSBA, it was the first time that I’d actually been there to see a show (I’m not quite sure how it’s taken me so long!)
When we got to our seats, we noticed that dotted around the theatre there were white cards sticking up on some seats, but not on others. Of course, you naturally think perhaps Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has made a comeback and perhaps you’ve got a chance of winning a golden ticket, but while we sadly weren’t in with a chance of winning a lifetime’s supply of chocolate, what we found was equally as heartwarming.
It turned out that the white cards were on the seats of people for whom this was the first time visiting the New Wolsey Theatre, and they contained a short, friendly welcome to the theatre and an invitation to reach out to any team member ‘if there is anything we can do to add some extra sparkle to your theatre visit.’
It probably doesn’t cost much - a simple mail-merge template with the first name and the seat number, and the time of someone going round sticking them in the seat numbers for the relevant location - but all of us who received a card last night shared some common sentiments. We felt seen. We felt welcomed. We felt that the organisation was reaching out to us on a human level, and telling us that we mattered to them, and that they cared about making our ‘first time’ a magical experience. We felt delighted.
A big shout out to the lovely folks at the New Wolsey Theatre for the small touch that made a big difference. Also a big shout out to the stage managers and lighting team who, with only a few minutes left of the show, had to call a halt to proceedings and ‘switch it off and on again’ to get the stage lighting and projectors working again - seamless, done with a human air of connection with the audience, all the while recognising it was an interruption to the experience and apologising unreservedly. Things happen, it’s how you deal with them that matters.
Definitely a place I will be visiting more frequently in the future.
What examples of personalisation and little touches have led to memorable experiences for you?
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