Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation
A Proposal Created for Dee and James Haslam
Setting the Stage for Collaboration
The priorities ahead of us are simple:
Build a global community the likes of which no American orchestra has ever seen before, and
Ensure the long-term viability of Cleveland’s cultural crown jewel and one of the world's greatest musical institutions
We seek your partnership to advance ambitions through three transformational ideas.
Growth, Innovation, Financial Stability:
The Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation
A thriving endowment that is commensurate to the ambition and stature of America’s finest orchestra
A visionary media center that embraces state-of-the-art visual and audio content production, data, and analytics.
A fully developed ecosystem of digital content and platforms (App, Website, CRM) that transform the customer journey.
Creating Global Community
Our Orchestra proudly serves as a worldwide ambassador for Cleveland, Ohio, and America. Domestic and international tours, digital concert hall performances, radio broadcasts, and recordings provide access to the Orchestra’s acclaimed artistry to an enthusiastic, generous, and broad constituency around the world and here at home.
Ansfelden, Austria
Vienna, Austria
The World is Talking…
“Both evenings gave the audience the experience of having listened to the best orchestra in the world.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine, 2022
“The Cleveland Orchestra is America’s finest, still.”
The New York Times, 2020
“Both financially and artistically, the outfit is stronger than ever”
The Economist, 2019
“…one of the top four in the world.”
Le Figaro, 2016
LOCAL IMPACT & GLOBAL REACH – by the numbers
Yearly serving over 600,000 people in Northeast Ohio and beyond
Average 37,000 worldwide viewers per broadcast on Medici platform
Concerts & Events generate more than $135 million annually, supporting over 800 businesses 13 weeks of National Radio Broadcasts X 58,000 listeners per week
Tourists from 40+ countries & all 50 states
130,000+ reached by Education, Community, & Young Audience initiatives annually
Economic impact data as of 2019
Representing Cleveland on the World Stage
Tour destinations since 2018 include:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ansfelden, Austria
Beijing, China
Berlin, Germany
Bratislava, Slovakia
Cologne, Germany
Dresden, Germany
Hamburg, Germany
Helsinki, Finland
Linz, Austria
Lucerne, Switzerland
Macau
New York, NY
Miami, FL
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Naples, FL
Orlando, FL
Prague, Czech Republic
Sarasota, FL
Shanghai, China
Shenzhen, China
St. Florian, Austria
Taipei, Taiwan
Tokyo, Japan
Vero Beach, FL
Vienna, Austria
West Palm Beach, FL
Wuhan, Hubei, China
Berlin, Germany
Helsinki, Finland
Shenzhen, China
Bringing it home
As we represent Cleveland on the world stage, so too are we celebrating Cleveland as a destination for recreational and cultural “Best in Show” experiences.
On average each year, 10% of our audiences at Severance and Blossom Music Centers are out of town visitors, representing 40+ countries and all 50 states.
Blossom Music Center
Table of Contents
Financial Stability, Endowment & Pension
Media and Digital Content
Digital Infrastructure and Capabilities
Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation: Our Request
Endowment to Fuel Ambition
5% Annual Endowment
Draw to support operations is our most dependable funding source
Recent Growth of 80%:
$170 million in 2015
$306 million in 2024
Current Draw
Draw on $306 million in 2024 = 19% of annual operations
Endowment Goal for Stability
Draw on $500 million = 33% of annual operations
Stability: Removing Financial Exposure
In 2009, The Cleveland Orchestra is first major U.S. orchestra to transition retirement plan from Defined Benefit (DB) to Defined Contribution
Though DB Plan was frozen, funding requirements remain exposed to external factors (e.g. interest rates, equity markets, government regulations)
Raising funds to cover the annual required funding over the next 10 years that totals $25 million has been challenging given the ongoing uncertainties of a Plan with a remaining life of 50+ years
Terminating the Plan now by providing participants the choice of a lump sum or annuity from a financial institution would permanently fulfill this obligation and remove a significant financial exposure
Table of Contents
Financial Stability, Endowment & Pension
Media and Digital Content
Digital Infrastructure and Capabilities
Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation: Our Request
Media and Digital Content
The ultimate goal: Push the boundaries of our industry, while growing our fanbase in Cleveland and around the world, meeting people where they are, and deepening our engagement with our community through storytelling and great music.
Our digital content and media will live under the umbrella of the new Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation, a properly resourced, interconnected content plan with a unified narrative across all platforms.
TCO Media | Three Overarching Areas
Adella | TCO’s Digital Venue
• Launched in 2020
• Now 11-month season with 15 productions annually
• 6 live streams
• 9 digital premieres
• Key revenue sources include Adella subscriptions and licensing/partnerships (e.g., Medici, DG Stage+)
• 37,000 Viewers in 100+ Countries Average Broadcast Viewership on Medici
• 50+ Number of Standalone TCO Media Productions in our Library by 2025
24-25 Digital Season on Adella
Sample Screen Shot with Draft Branding
Audio Recordings & Radio Broadcasts
• From 2 physical CDs per year to 4 quarterly digital releases
• Recording projects are more financially sustainable and integrated with TCO’s broader digital efforts
• 1.4 Million Streams on our Label in the Past 12 Months (Up from 580K and 210K in Prior Two Years)
60,000 Listeners (in North American alone) for each of our upcoming 13 syndicated radio broadcasts
Digital Learning Programs
In March 2022, we record, edit, and produce a full-length Cleveland Orchestra Nord Education Concert “Music’s Many Voices” with the licensing rights to share for 6 years following the recording date.
Next, we pursued digital licensing rights to the “What is an Orchestra?” 5-part video series, providing another education concert-like experience for students in their classrooms.
From there, curriculumfocused video content like the Listening Maps was created, visual guides that help organize and highlight important elements of music in a piece.
In the future, continued funding of licensing rights to videos increases the reach due to the algorithms on YouTube, search engines, and social media platforms. Longevity and investment affect future product promotion for student users.
Table of Contents
Financial Stability, Endowment & Pension
Media and Digital Content
Digital Infrastructure and Capabilities
Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation: Our Request
Digital Infrastructure and Capabilities
The big picture: Revolutionize the customer journey and engage new audiences by connecting new and existing platforms that work seamlessly together to create fans around the world.
The “Digital Roadmap” will guide progress under the Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation. It charts a revolutionary course for the next 3-5 years: including platform unity and the use of data and analytics.
Digital roadmap: Imagine a world where….
Every seat is filled at every concert Attending an event is an act of creating experiences, fulfilling our mission to educate our communities and future generations
TCO is raising the bar for a seamless digital experience, making concertgoers wish all digital interactions could be like the one they experience with TCO
Concertgoers feel personally connected to performances before and after their visit, creating anticipation from weeks in advance and lasting memories for months to follow
Millions of eyeballs around the world are looking at classical music content created and owned by TCO, creating and broadening streams of revenue
Table of Contents
Financial Stability, Endowment & Pension
Media and Digital Content
Digital Infrastructure and Capabilities
Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation: Our Request
Build Capacity | Deepen Impact | Grow Brand
Our Request: A gift of $25 million Our request is bold, and we hope you can be our visionary partner in making history.
This gift request outlines 4 interdependent components, each with potential for deeply meaningful impact of TCO’s future trajectory. A thoughtfully layered proposal to build capacity and create change.
A gift of $7M in unrestricted operating support allows us to:
• Pursue the full Digital Roadmap project over the next 3-5 years
• Redesign/overhaul of ClevelandOrchestra.com, currently underway
• Operational costs and content creation for Adella.live
• Support for marketing of digital programs and acquiring the necessary expertise to develop a more robust corporate sponsorship program
• Operational costs for Digital & Technology Team and Content & Growth Initiatives Team
Financial Stability | $3M Pension matching
A gift of $3M to satisfy historical obligations:
• Defined Benefit Plan frozen in 2009, though funding requirements remain exposed to external factors
• The termination of the Plan, which would remove all financial exposure, is currently estimated at $25M, roughly the equivalent of the funding required over the next 10 years
• A Cleveland-based foundation is considering a $12.5M gift, contingent upon raising the additional $12.5M and terminating the plan
• We request that you join a list of prominent leaders to meet this challenge.
• This will have an historic impact on the financial health of The Cleveland Orchestra
Innovate and Grow | $5M Reserve Fund
A gift of $5M to create the Innovation Reserve Fund:
• Operating Reserve Fund held separately from endowment
• President & CEO discretion on unique project funding in consultation with Haslam family as decided annually (i.e. audience research project; orchestra national branding/exposure collaborations; groundwork for domestic tours of Ohio, etc.)
Structural Stability | $10M Endowment
A gift of $10M to the Endowment:
• To create a named fund that will generate an annual draw for the orchestra
• For example, Dee and Jimmy Haslam Fund for The Cleveland Orchestra
In Appreciation
TCO’s Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation, Proposed Recognition:
An historic naming of the Adella platform
Adella, supported by Haslam Center for Growth & Innovation OR Powered by Haslam Sports Group (or Dee and James Haslam, etc.) or similar idea TBD
Main page branding and episodic branding for a period of 25 years
Titled naming in all references to programs made possible as part of the Haslam Center for Digital Innovation
Website: ClevelandOrchestra.com, prominent main page branding
App: Prominent main page branding
Exclusive dinner/press event on Mandel Concert Hall stage to announce this historic gift and showcase digital presentation
Further ideas to be generated together
THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Appendix:
• Digital Journey Timeline
• Adella Content Samples: Longer Excerpts
• Digital Roadmap
Our
Digital Journey Timeline (1/3)
TCO Digital Foundations
Laid Down
Summer 2019 Pandemic Hits, Accelerates Digital Efforts March
$7M Mandel Foundation Funding Secured for Digital Efforts April
TCO Podcast Launches
TCO Recording Label Launches June
Our Digital Journey Timeline (2/3)
Partnership with Idagio Begins
February 2022
20th Full Digital Production Released June 2022
Livestreams Begin | Partnership with Medici Begins February 2023
Partnership with Symphony Begins November 2022 Pivot to Digital-Only Audio Recordings March 2023
Partnership with DG Stage+ Begins
October 2023
Our Digital Journey Timeline (3/3)
Transition to Paid Adella Model Begins
First Livestream from Outside Cleveland Occurs
October 2023
October 2023 40th Full Digital Production Released November 2024 Partnership with Apple Music Classical Begins April 2024 13th Audio Recording Released on All Platforms
December 2024
Partnership with WFMT for Int’l Radio Broadcasts Begins
January 2025
Adella Content: Franz Conducts Mozart's "Linz" Symphony" (full introduction)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO: https://youtu.be/j4sRZ-tIt2E
Digital Roadmap
2024
Where are we today?
TCO’s digital platforms have opportunities to better integrate and enhance the concertgoer journey
Concert discovery & ticket purchase
Website: desktop and mobile
32% of total tickets purchased online (66% of single tickets, 9% of subscriptions are purchased online)
• Main hub for browsing the concert calendar and upcoming events and exploring community programs
the concert Further listening
Ticket Wallet
20k+ app downloads
• Alternative to paper tickets
• Unable to create an account or purchase tickets directly on the app
Adella
~3k Adella subscribers
• 85% free users (qualify through donations or membership)
• 15% paid users
Attending
Imagine a world where….
Every seat is filled at every concert Attending an event is and act of creating experiences. fulfilling our mission to educate our communities and future generations
TCO is raising the bar for seamless digital experience, making concertgoers wish all digital interactions could be like the one they experience with TCO
Concertgoers feel personally connected to performances before and after their visit, creating anticipation from weeks in advance and lasting memories for months to follow
Millions of eyeballs around the world are looking at classical music content created and owned by TCO, creating and broadening streams of revenue
Enhance Concertgoer Journey
How do we create memorable experiences and keep people to come back?
Engage Our Audiences
How do we get more people into Severance?
Expand Reach
How do we reach global audiences?
1 Platform Unity
Goal
Connect our new and existing digital platforms to one singular website and app that elevates and enhances the inperson and online experience with The Cleveland Orchestra.
Impact
A NEW Cleveland Orchestra website, built from the ground up.
Focused on content entertainment and personalized experiences.
Scalable for future demands.
Giving enhances your relationship and experiences with TCO.
Omnipresent Rewards.
Adella connected.
Setting the stage for a new global audience.
“David is looking at an upcoming concert and notices that buying a ticket earns him 300 points in his rewards account.”
1 Platform Unity
Continue engagement with TCO through exploring previous recordings of the concert repertoire, donor benefits, and beyond
Unified experience through platform unifying improvements, enriched by capturing robust data on attendees to personalize outreach
Create a seamless movement across platforms and synchronize user data (e.g., attendance history, interested concerts / recordings / rewards)
Layer ticketing and/or philanthropic functionality into every step of the journey across platforms and capture audiences in the moment of excitement
2 Capturing Robust Data
You can send tickets directly to each member of the group: enter email / phone numbers here.
Goals
Capture and use data beyond ticketing & philanthropy.
Build better relationships with our fans and guests to provide a truly “white glove” experience when interacting with our brand.
Enhances business operations beyond automation.
Utilize AI to help drive better business decisions.
Impact
Enables key improvements to the concertgoer journey and other initiatives.
Allows TCO to personalize the interactions with concertgoers and increase retention.
Allows integrations with other systems (e.g., email/marketing automation platforms).
Wholistic view of our audiences. From first interaction to last drink purchased. “Stacy buys tickets on behalf of her friend group. TCO app offers easy ticket sharing with individuals via email.”
3 “No Seat Left Behind” Program
Goal
Fill our venues by engaging new and existing communities in Northeast Ohio with technology-based programs that lower the barrier to live classical music.
Impact
Use our new platforms to turn fans into advocates through technology driven solutions.
Broaden reach to the Cleveland MSA by tapping into existing high potential networks.
Increase brand awareness and fandom in the Cleveland community.
4 Curate & Personalize Pre/Post-show Content
Thanks for joining Saturday's concert! Your feedback helps us enhance your next experience.
Goals
Curate and deliver personalized content that engages concertgoers before and after a concert experience.
Create personalized recommendations for concerts or packages that help guests build their own Cleveland Orchestra experience.
Lead with data and automation so that each person who interacts with The Cleveland Orchestra feels valued.
Impact
Heightened excitement for concertgoers
Promotes education and inclusion of first-time concertgoers
Boost progression of new/repeat concertgoers towards becoming advocates
Continued audience engagement post-concert.
Enhance audience satisfaction and increased likelihood of turning fans into donors.
“Mark’s a donor. In his pre-concert email, he can see that he has passes to Kula’s Plaza to meet the artist.”
Connect new and existing platforms that work seamlessly together to build deeper relationships with our community and create fans around the world.