Warning Signs: Audience Trends 1982-2022
Arts Audiences Are Disappearing. Here’s the Data You Need to Spark Bold Action
Explore 40 years of audience trends—and what it means for your organization today
Understanding the shifting landscape of audiences is crucial to adapting to today’s digital world. Why? Shared urgency is the foundation for change.
As John Kotter famously said, “I have seen many CEOs who believe they have created a sufficient sense of urgency within the organization, yet were not even close.”
For arts organizations navigating today’s challenges, urgency is the first and most critical step toward transformation.
That’s why I spent an entire month analyzing six editions of the NEA's Survey for Public Participation in the Arts—
that’s forty years of data, spanning 1982-2022!
For just $24, download the report and explore how U.S. arts audiences have declined across disciplines alongside the rise of the internet, social media, and smart phones.
You’ll also clearly see how audience diversity continues to be a pressing problem even after forty years.
What you’ll gain
I’ve synthesized this data into a 50-page interactive slide deck so you can:
📊
Understand Behavioral Shifts
See how audience behaviors have evolved across artistic disciplines.
⚖️
Benchmark Your Organization
Compare your organization’s trends against national data and sector-specific declines.
📉
Forecast Future Challenges
Identify annual reduction rates that forecast a critical tipping point.
💥
Inspire Bold Change
Equip your stakeholders with the insights needed to drive transformative decisions.
This report doesn’t stop at data—it equips you with a FREE guide to change expert John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change, helping you transform insights into impactful, strategic action.
This isn’t just a slide deck—it’s a wake-up call.
If your organization has struggled to adapt, Warning Signs will equip you to lead bold change.
This comprehensive data-based overview, paired with Kotter’s change framework, will provide the catalyst for urgent conversations and bold change at your organization.
Formatted as a slide deck, it’s ready for immediate use in your next board meeting or team workshop.
P.S. You won’t find this 40-year graph-based overview anywhere else.
From Data to Action
The insights in Warning Signs highlight the critical need for bold action—but understanding the trends is only the first step.
To help you turn data into action, I’ve included an in-depth guide to John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change. This proven framework is designed to help you:
Build urgency and align stakeholders.
Develop a compelling vision for the future.
Sustain momentum to drive meaningful transformation.
Use this free resource to spark conversations, structure your next steps, and lead your team toward lasting impact.
What’s Inside the Warning Signs Report:
Bring this report to your next board meeting to showcase industry-wide attendance declines, demographic data, and discipline-specific changes alongside societal factors in the United States.
Kotter’s first step to leading successful transformation is “Create a sense of urgency.”
Do just that with Warning Signs.
Use this report to spark conversations that highlight the risks of inaction and the opportunities that bold decisions can unlock.
Get the complete report, plus a FREE change-management guide, for only $24.