Benchmarks on Finishing 2021 and Reopening

July 27, 2021

Many arts organizations are looking to get back to some semblance of "normal" in the second half of 2021 and are making preparations to welcome audiences and visitors back at or near pre-pandemic capacity. Our recent Arts Executive poll surveyed leaders about their goals, predictions, and worries for the rest of the year.

Highlights from the survey include:

• Arts orgs are still very intent on making progress against their DEI&A objectives - it was the top focus area in both January and July.

• Leader confidence that they will be able to host pre-COVID capacity crowds by the end of 2021 is growing steadily. However, on average, organizations are planning for 70% of pre-COVID volume.

• Though most organizations admit their ticket sales are down compared to a typical year, most are satisfied with how sales are going.