Substrakt

We're really excited to share that our work with the lovely folks at The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall has won in the 'Cultural Website' category at the Web Excellence Awards 🏆 Together, we created a unified digital experience across the organisation's four iconic venues - making it easier for audiences to discover events, explore programming and book tickets, while still giving each venue its own identity online. This project was all about balancing shared infrastructure with the unique identity of each venue, while improving UX across everything from on-sale journeys to event discovery and storytelling. Big thanks to the brilliant team at Massey Hall / Roy Thomson Hall for the collaboration, trust and ambition throughout - we're really proud of the team and very happy to see the work recognised! Learn more https://lnkd.in/eD9JeUPg Explore the website https://lnkd.in/eZYhYUeE

Today is the 15th Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 🥳 The purpose of GAAD is to get people talking, thinking and learning about digital inclusion and access for people with disabilities, and to encourage more inclusive approaches to designing and building digital products. This is a really useful reminder that digital inclusion should not be an afterthought. It shapes whether people can meaningfully use and engage with websites, apps and online content in the first place. Small barriers - like missing labels, poor contrast or unclear navigation - can quickly become real obstacles. This is why accessibility is one of our core design principles - something we prioritise from the beginning in all of our work, rather than it being a tickbox exercise. GAAD’s mission is to “disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement.” It’s a really important initiative that continues to help all of us learn more about how we can put this into practice. If you’re interested in learning more and/or getting involved, take a look at the ‘Events’ and ‘Participate’ sections of GAAD’s website https://accessibility.day/ GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation

We’re hiring: Client Success Manager (Canada) 🇨🇦 We’re looking for a Client Success Manager to join our growing North American team. This role is all about building strong client relationships, leading digital projects and helping organisations get the most from their digital presence. You’ll work closely with cultural organisations across North America, alongside our design, engineering and support teams, helping shape strategy, guide delivery and build meaningful long-term partnerships. 📍 Remote-first within Ontario 💼 Permanent, full-time 💰 $85,000–$100,000 CAD + benefits ✈️ Annual UK team trip, Ontario meetups, wellbeing allowance, professional development budget and more If this sounds like your kind of role, we’d love to hear from you. Apply here https://lnkd.in/euX9Ux-N

Our latest case study celebrates our work with the lovely folks at Theatre Royal Plymouth 🌟 Together, we’ve implemented Viadukt (our accessible online purchase path), making the booking experience clearer and easier to use - all shaped by real audience feedback to fix long-standing frustrations. What’s changed: ✅ A clearer, more intuitive seat map (no more guessing if the view’s good from certain places) ✅ Better support for access bookings, with improved filtering and clearer information ✅ More flexibility for the TRP team to manage content across the booking journey ✅ And a first for Viadukt - a Preevue integration, so audiences can see high-resolution views from their seats before booking The result is a simpler, more confident booking experience for audiences, and less admin for the team behind the scenes. Big thanks to the team at Theatre Royal Plymouth for such a collaborative approach to the project! Read the full case study https://lnkd.in/e9YyxCJ8

We're really excited to see Membership Matters out in the world - the latest Indigo Ltd Share Hot Topic that we've sponsored along with the wonderful folks at Line-Up 🙌 The research digs into a big question for the sector: are membership schemes actually matching what audiences want? With insights from 9,000+ audience members and 60+ cultural organisations, the findings point to a clear theme - memberships have become complex and often don’t reflect what people value most. A few standout takeaways: 🔎 Audiences consistently prioritise simple, practical benefits like priority booking and discounted/free tickets 🔎 Many schemes are layered with tiers, benefits and pricing that can feel confusing or hard to navigate 🔎 Organisations are aiming to build closer relationships and long-term support, but don’t always have the resources to deliver on the complexity of current models 🔎 There’s a clear opportunity to simplify and refocus memberships around what actually drives value for audiences It’s a really useful piece of work for organisations thinking about how to make memberships more effective (and less complicated). Have a read of the Arts Professional write-up 👇 https://lnkd.in/eXSceBkn Or dive straight into the full report: https://lnkd.in/edU7qmDe

🌟 How digital is reshaping the cultural sector 🌟 In our latest piece for Arts Professional, our CEO and Founder Andy Hartwell shares his insights on how digital has evolved over the past 20 years - reflecting on how websites have gone from simple marketing tools to central hubs for audience engagement, fundraising and organisational strategy. Andy explores the importance of accessibility, inclusivity and joined-up systems, and how cultural organisations can stay a step ahead in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/ebbS5-wn

We're celebrating 5 years of our accessible purchase pathway, Viadukt! 🥳 Since implementing Viadukt, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre has achieved a whopping 30% increase in membership sales since launch, and seen an overall positive change both internally and with their audiences. With a streamlined ticketing journey and clearer membership options, more visitors are signing up and enjoying a smoother, welcoming experience. Viadukt was built to support performing arts organisations by serving as a tool that improves operational efficiency, increases revenue for clients, and drives audience engagement. We’re really proud to be working with Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and supporting their continued success. We’re excited to see what comes next! Read more about our 5th birthday here https://lnkd.in/eX-H95UE

We had an incredible turnout to hear us chat all things inclusive ticketing. Ticketing Professionals Conference - thank you for inviting us to speak about this vital topic- and for such a brilliant, welcoming conference. Our panel really was something special: Jack Brooks shared his insights from his journey to become one of Attitude is Everything's Platinum Charter members- from receiving a 2/10 Mystery Shop report in his first year, to the regular 9 and 10/10s that he receives today. How he's used our Charter as a framework to improve and share practice across his teams. Andy Kitching described how user-testing has been integral to developing Viaduct for Substrakt, an access-first digital ticketing pathway. He shared how they continuously re-assess the accessibility of the platform and for any new feature, they test how it will be used by a variety of disabled people. And my fab colleague, Maia Barker, expertly shared their lived experience of being the 'ticket booker' in their friendship group, and some top tips such as providing ear plugs and sharing what to expect videos. Thank you all for the tremendous amount of prep (we had multiple 1:1s and pre-meetings to practice!) and for your expertise! At TPC, I also met up with some of my STAR Council colleagues to play Beat the Bot! Thank you to the STAR team for being my safe space to come back to! I also had so many chats with lots of great people, new and old connections! If you were inspired by our talk, I really encourage you to consider checking out our website to see how we can connect- either through our training, consultancy, or, if you're a venue or festival, then signing up to our Charter!

We're celebrating 5 years of our accessible purchase pathway, Viadukt! 🥳 Last year, The Naples Players launched Viadukt, creating a visually engaging interface which transformed their customer engagement and enhanced accessibility. They were also the first clients to offer an incredible multilingual offering, with four language options supporting a much more inclusive digital journey. Viadukt is always evolving to make online ticketing even better, and it wouldn't be possible without the clients who have been part of the journey so far. Read more about our birthday celebrations here https://lnkd.in/eX-H95UE

Is your ticketing pathway a digital barrier? In the third blog of our accessibility series, we're exploring the unintentional barriers ticketing purchase pathways can create. Without user-centred design, what should be an exciting cultural experience can quickly become frustrating, before someone even reaches the door. Many friction points can disrupt a user's ticketing journey, such as: - Long or confusing checkout flows  - Hidden fees revealed late in the journey - Mandatory account creation before purchase  - Difficult to navigate seat plans and seat selection tools  - Lack of clear, visible access information - Poor compatibility with assistive technologies By addressing these barriers, organisations can create a smoother and more inclusive ticketing experience for all audiences. Read the full blog here https://lnkd.in/eaJ5Frfy