How Stagedoor is rewarding and connecting London's theatre lovers
Stagedoor has created a loyalty scheme that rewards its users for visiting venues across the capital. Founder Michael Hadjijoseph tells The Stage how the app can offer huge discounts as it connects a growing community of theatre lovers through reviews and individually curated content
In most coffee shops, you get a stamp each time you buy a coffee. Stick with the coffee shop and you get discounts, even freebies.
But most loyalty card schemes only reward customers for buying from the same place. The new loyalty card from theatre app Stagedoor takes the concept and applies it to theatre tickets across the whole of London’s theatre landscape.
Buy a ticket for Beauty and the Beast at the London Palladium and you get a stamp. Buy one for Life of Pi and you get another stamp. Keep earning those stamps, and you receive unlimited rewards and discounts that can add up to hundreds of pounds a year.
“This is the first city-wide reward scheme of its kind, and it’s a no-brainer,” says Michael Hadjijoseph chief executive and founder of Stagedoor. “We want to bring people closer to theatre, to get them back into the theatregoing habit – this is a great way to do that.”
Tens of thousands of users of the app already know Stagedoor as a comprehensive digital guide to London theatre, allowing users to discover, book and share their theatrical experiences. For those new to Stagedoor, the app is free and easy to use: simply download it, create an account and start building your own personalised feed of theatre reviews, recommendations and ticket offers.
When you unlock your loyalty card, you’ll automatically get £10 off your first ticket purchase. There are many West End and Off-West End shows to choose from across London, including classic musicals such as Wicked and Hamilton, as well as exciting upcoming productions like My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican and the new 101 Dalmatians musical at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre as well as thrilling new fringe shows from theatre’s cutting edge.
Stagedoor is a theatre guide for a new generation. The app makes it easy to discover the best new shows in town, with a feed that matches your tastes and interests. Leading theatre experts like critic Lyn Gardner offer curation, with reviews and insight into the latest productions, while a personally curated saved show list displays the best deals on tickets.
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When you’ve decided what to see, you can book easily through Stagedoor – which is where the loyalty card comes in. Every ticket purchase earns a stamp and rewards are unlimited, from 10% discounts to savings as high as £70 off bookings. Hadjijoseph estimates that, if you visit the theatre a few times a month, you could save more than £300 a year.
Gardner is excited about the loyalty card: “Being disloyal has never been so fun as it is with the Stagedoor Loyalty Card,” she says, “which allows you to visit a wide range of theatres and still earn rewards. I like any card which encourages a sense of adventure and repays visiting venues off the beaten track.”
After the show, you can leave your own review of what you’ve seen, both as a personal record and as a way of staying connected with other theatre fans. “We’ve got a big community that shares user reviews on the app,” Hadjijoseph explains. “We want to give a voice to audiences.”For many parts of the industry, the return of audiences after successive lockdowns has been steady. However, for Stagedoor, growth has been swift.
“Comparing March 2019 and March 2022 we’ve grown 15 times in terms of revenue,” says Hadjijoseph. “People have missed it a lot, and now that they’re back they are building in a new habit and a new frequency of going to the theatre. Our users are booking, and they’re booking more frequently than ever.
Find out more: stagedoorapp.com
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