Demand for Eastside Performing Arts High, Local Study Finds
PACE Board concludes market study through Hebert Research; perspective from Thousand Oaks civic arts center director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cheryl Engstrom 425.487.0682
BELLEVUE, WA (Nov. 17, 2004) – Some 63% of Greater Eastside residents are "highly likely" to attend events at the proposed Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE), according to a recent study conducted by Hebert Research, Inc., a nationally acclaimed Bellevue-based research firm. The study concluded there is a high demand for PACE, based on interviews with 300 randomly-selected residents of the Eastside, south Snohomish County, and South King County, all of whom currently attend performances of some kind in the region.
Based on the survey, the projected initial attendance at PACE could exceed 650,000.
"We found that of people who attend performing arts events, nearly two thirds indicated they would be "highly" likely to attend events at PACE," Hebert said. Of those who indicated such a strong preference, the average number of times they predicted they would attend exceeds three times a year. "People want to enjoy the performing arts close to home, with a minimum of hassles," Hebert remarked. Influential factors in the decision to attend PACE included: convenient parking (57.8%); personal security (56%), ease of access—little traffic to and from the event—(33%); and proximity to restaurants (25%).
The study also examined the types of performing arts that attracted people most with Broadway and Theatre leading the way (55.6%) followed closely by the more general category of Entertainment (30.9%). Ballet and Dance, Symphony, Jazz, Pop Concerts, and Opera showed surprising strength as well (from 34.4% – 21.1% respectively). "We see sufficient interest to support presentations in all of these areas," Hebert said.
PACE Executive Director Richard Collins indicated that the report by Hebert supported his longstanding beliefs and came as no surprise. "Around the country, there are dozens of free-standing performing arts centers that offer great entertainment value to local residents. The Eastside has experienced tremendous growth in the past decades, yet the cultural outlets in the region have lagged behind. As traffic grows and the 'edge' cities expand, people want easy access to convenient, high-quality entertainment. PACE, with its large capacity and likelihood to attract world-class performances, will have the ability to achieve that goal."
The executive director of the 2,000-seat theater Thousand Oaks in California, a similar regional facility to PACE, offered insight to PACE's potential to draw a sustained and loyal following in a recent PACE Board of Directors meeting. "When we opened ten years ago, we expected to reach a total of one million attendees after five years. In fact, we reached that level within two and a half years, and have been averaging more than 400,000 attendees annually," said Tom Mitze. "Thousand Oaks has only 100,000 residents and we're about an hour from Los Angeles, so we were amazed at our attendance."
"I support the proposed 2000-seat capacity of PACE," he continued in his presentation. "We (Thousand Oaks) have an 1800-seat theatre and could definitely fill a larger hall much of the time. With the growing population on the Eastside and throughout the region, Bellevue needs at least 2000 seats," Mitze commented.
Hebert's study has a margin of error of +- 5.7%, with a reliability factor of 95% (the same study would get the same results within the same margin of error 95% of the time). It relied upon interviews with randomly selected participants conducted during June 2004.
The Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE) is a proposed 2,000-seat world-class cultural center scheduled to open in 2008. It is anticipated to draw a diverse range of performances and serve as a confluence for arts, education and entertainment. PACE will be located in downtown Bellevue on the corner of 106th Avenue NE and NE 10th Street. For more information, contact Executive Director Richard Collins at 425.462.4295.