As we commemorate the 15th anniversary of Brygga Kultursal in 2023, it is evident that they have successfully solidified their position as a cornerstone of cultural enrichment in the municipality. Martin Gundersen, the manager of Brygga, underscores the necessity of visibility for their institution. Situated in a region with five cities within an hour's reach, Brygga aspires to attract renowned artists and performers while maintaining robust ticket sales. This autumn, Brygga is proud to host some of Norway's most distinguished artists, including Sigrid, Maria Mena, and Kurt Nilsen, resulting in record-breaking ticket sales. A significant portion of this recent triumph is unquestionably attributed to the invaluable contribution of Lily. 

PRIOR TO LILY

Considering that Brygga is a venue owned by the municipality of Halden, it has encountered several challenges in marketing its events, particularly due to budget constraints. Martin, as an employee of the municipality, is often expected to excel in various roles. In addition to his role as the general manager, he is also tasked with marketing and sales responsibilities, even though this is not his priority area. Hence, marketing efforts have been deprioritized at Brygga due to limited resources. However, in this digital age, it is imperative for organizations to have their marketing and branding materials in order, which demands a substantial amount of time and effort. 

Consequently, Brygga was in search of a digital marketing tool that could streamline this process, yielding immediate results and driving sales conversions. This is where Lily comes into play. Martin remarks, "Many tools and services promise significant results but ultimately fail to deliver on their promises." He further notes, "Lily has stood out as a beacon of reliability amidst the vast ocean of marketing services we have had the opportunity to work with, consistently delivering measurable results throughout our collaborative journey”.

One of the primary reasons Brygga chose to initiate a collaboration with Lily is the commitment and engagement of the Lily team, especially the CEO's passion for technology and Lily’s potential to automate marketing in the entertainment industry. Martin met Claus, the CEO of Lily, at a conference in Bodø a few years ago, marking the beginning of our collaboration. Brygga has been a valuable client in developing Lily into the marketing tool it is today, and vice versa. 

DEVELOPED LILY TOGETHER

According to Martin, the most crucial selling point of Lily is the concept of "one touch go". Lily enables him to click a few buttons and instantly see results without complications. Their ultimate objective is to sell as many tickets as possible while spending minimal time and effort. When marketing costs amount to 100 NOK per ticket but yield profits six times higher, it's evident that Lily has been an effective platform for Brygga as a venue. They particularly emphasized the regular contact and communication they've had with our team, contributing significantly to the swift evolution of Lily and the fruitful relationship between Brygga and our software. 

Notably, Lily utilized the pandemic period to refine the software based on continuous feedback from Brygga and other clients, making it a uniquely unrivaled platform. "Without a tool that can demonstrate its functionality and efficacy, your sales will decline, and you won't secure major artists and performers," says Martin. The industry is always competitive, so you must excel and utilize the resources available. Without automated newsletters and SMS, I believe we would have lagged significantly compared to prior years, especially since competition has ramped up.

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LILY IS A MARKETING ARGUMENT

Brygga has experienced how Lily has become a marketing argument when attempting to secure deals with managements and agencies. For instance, the reports that Lily sends out after a specific campaign that clearly showcases the conversion rate, ticket sales, ROAS etc are beneficial when trying to land a deal with artists they want at their venue. This is due to how one can clearly see the correlation between dates Lily has been used, and how it has positively affected the sales at the venue compared to other days. Therefore, when you book an artist, you can say in the agreement that we have booked campaigns with Lily, which will probably generate x number of tickets per campaign. 

Brygga has a customer base of around 9,000 ticket buyers and those who have given marketing consents, with whom they communicate via Ticketmaster's integration in Lily. Owing to their close collaboration both with Ticketmaster, as a ticketing sales platform, and with Lily, as a marketing platform, their sales have seen a significant boost in recent years. This is particularly evident when compared to the period when they relied primarily on traditional marketing techniques such as social media advertising and newsletters. For platforms like Facebook, achieving tangible results requires investing a considerable sum upfront, without any guarantee of adequate revenue generation. Martin also emphasizes that they seldom meet their target goals with Facebook marketing before the entire budget is exhausted. 

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MADRUGADA and Lily PUSH

This summer, Brygga was one of Lily’s first customers to test the Push campaign tool. They primarily used Push to market their Madrugada concerts on the 11th and 12th of August. In order to reach the audience at a time when festivals were quite prominent, the messaging focused on how the concert is indoors and therefore would not be affected by the weather. This is an important factor during live events in Norway. Martin also believed that focusing on the intimate experience of a live indoor concert was a key factor in the success they experienced with the Lily Push campaigns throughout the summer months. June, July, and August are often regarded as months when sales are lower than usual for cultural centers due to festival season. However, having a huge name like Madrugada performing during the summer attracted attention and visibility in the market. Therefore, a tool like Lily Push has been crucial to secure a venue filled with people. They have used our tool not only to gain attention and increase ticket sales, but also to heighten the feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out) among Brygga’s target audience.

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DIGITAL MARKETING AND LILY IN THE FUTURE

Martin and the team at Brygga venue believe that tools like Lily will play a significant role in the future development of digital marketing. This belief is particularly strong given their involvement with Lily from its early development stages to the comprehensive software it has become today. According to Martin, this type of marketing is what customers will seek to engage with. “I feel that Lily has a unique expertise in each of your areas and has always been at the forefront of the market, identifying where it is necessary to implement new solutions efficiently. We won't escape the development of AI, and Lily will undoubtedly play an important role here. I’ve yet to see anyone else out there claiming that they can deliver the results that Lily does.”

In conclusion, the success story of Brygga Kultursal stands as a testament to the transformative power of embracing digital innovation in the world of live entertainment. The symbiotic relationship between Brygga and Lily has fostered an environment of growth, adaptability, and success, setting a benchmark for cultural centers aspiring to thrive in today’s competitive market. As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of Brygga Kultursal, we anticipate a future filled with more milestones, enriched cultural experiences, and continued collaborative evolution, underpinned by the relentless pursuit of excellence and the versatile capabilities of Lily’s marketing platform.

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