Kansas City Symphony is hiring: Chief Marketing and Experience Officer in Kansas

The CMEO will lead a dynamic marketing, content, sales, and box office team to expand KCS's presence in symphonic and live music across various concert offerings, including classical, film, pops, and family events. Key responsibilities include brand marketing, sales, audience research, analytics, ticketing strategy, digital marketing, partnerships, and public relations. Working closely with the President/CEO and senior leadership, the CMEO will focus on driving visitation, revenue growth, community engagement, and supporting philanthropic goals, aiming to elevate KCS's profile locally, nationally, and internationally. © 2024 Wiser Partners, LLC (a ZRG Company) www.wiserpartners.com Kansas City Symphony Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Page 2 of 7 SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES • Audience Engagement & Ticket Sales – Boost audience awareness, recruitment, engagement and conversion to drive ticket sales to meet annual revenue goals by creating compelling marketing campaigns and leveraging digital tactics and platforms. Collaborate closely with KCS artistic and executive teams to highlight the orchestra's unique performances, special events, and educational programs. The CMEO oversees audience research and sales analytics to understand preferences, and then tailors outreach to attract diverse audiences, building community partnerships to expand KCS reach and impact. • Guest Experience – Consumers of entertainment are constantly debating how to spend their leisure time and dollars (movies, sports, arts, Netflix binge watching). The KCS knows they must deliver a live experience that far exceeds expectations set by the general market, so the Symphony is focused on creating rich, unique, exciting guest experiences. The CMEO will lead a collaborative effort across all functions to ensure delivery of an unparalleled KCS guest experience, through personalized communications, loyalty programs, and digital engagement, ensuring that each concert resonates with both new and returning audiences. • Marketing Planning & Execution – Develop, and subsequently activate, a marketing strategy that delivers increased guest visitation, ticket sales, and builds upon KCS's strong brand performance. Ensure all content, media, and tactical plans are executed flawlessly, on time and within budget. The CMEO will also be responsible managing the marketing and communications budgets, one of the most complex expense and revenue budgets in the organization, as well as measuring performance and ROI across all tactical and channel programs, and then adjusting the plan (program type, price and execution) accordingly, to continually increase revenue and improve ROI. This effort will include the Kansas City metro area, national and international marketing plans, and localized, venue-specific plans. • Brand Stewardship – Serve as a passionate steward for the KCS brand equity. Champion a refinement of the KCS's positioning and architecture, as needed, over time. Lead internal conversations across the administrative team to assure the organization is living up to its brand promise. Ensure visual brand standards guide all marketing and organizational activities across KCS, and throughout the guest journey. Balance the goal of achieving emotional connections between guests and KCS, and the practical need to consistently drive engaged guest visitation to performances. • Senior Leadership – The CMEO will play an integral role on the KCS senior leadership team by aligning marketing strategy with the orchestra's overall mission and organizational goals. Collaborate with the CEO, Chief Development Officer, Music Director, and other senior leaders to ensure marketing efforts support ticket sales, audience engagement, community outreach, and fundraising objectives. Additionally, the person in this role contributes to long-term strategic planning, positioning the KCS as a cultural leader and fostering its reputation locally, nationally and globally. Through collaboration, the CMEO ensures marketing initiatives align with organizational goals, driving sustained growth and impact. • Communications – The new CMEO will work closely with the CEO, with the broader KCS senior leadership team, and with external agency partners, to develop an engaging and exciting earned media and communications strategy for the KCS. This strategy will reflect the overarching brand positioning, as well as the specific business objectives for KCS, and for individual events and performances. This strategy will guide development of compelling and disruptive creative concepts, and how those ideas are expressed in words and images, across multiple channels—print, TV, radio, display, email, web video, social, and mobile. © 2024 Wiser Partners, LLC (a ZRG Company) www.wiserpartners.com Kansas City Symphony Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Page 3 of 7 SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES (cont'd) • PR & Community Relations – Leverage earned media and PR to strengthen community relations by building connections with local media, influencers, community leaders, and cultural organizations. Through strategic storytelling, highlight KCS's educational programs, community outreach initiatives, and collaborations with local artists, showcasing its commitment to cultural enrichment. The CMEO will also create opportunities for local and national media coverage of special events and community-driven concerts, fostering positive sentiment and accessibility. By engaging diverse audiences and aligning the KCS mission with community values, the CMEO reinforces the orchestra's role as a cultural asset. • Strategic Partnerships – Develop strategic partnerships and sponsorships to drive revenue by aligning with brands and organizations that share KCS' values and audience interests. Develop customized sponsorship packages, offering visibility through events, digital campaigns, and on-site branding that reaches an engaged audience. The CMEO will also explore collaborative initiatives, like co-branded events or community programs that add value for both the sponsor and KCS. By building relationships with sponsors invested in arts and culture, the CMEO can create additional revenue streams. • Development Collaboration – The CMEO plays a key role in supporting KCS philanthropy- development efforts and enhancing donor giving through targeted communication strategies that emphasize the impact of donations on the orchestra's mission and community reach. The CMEO collaborates with the development team to create compelling stories around performances, education, and outreach that resonate with donors' values. Advise donor-specific campaigns, including recognition events and exclusive content, to foster a sense of connection and appreciation. Use data insights to personalize engagement, aligning donor motivations with the orchestra's goals to drive sustained giving. • Innovation – KCS has multiple revenue streams built-into the business model, from subscriptions, to single-event ticket sales, to sponsorships and advertising, to food and beverage, apparel, etc. The CMEO will identify and partner with research partners, the CEO, the Music Director and his team and other creatives, to identify new revenue streams, or opportunities to enhance current revenue streams for KCS. This can include onsite (in venue) options, as well as e-commerce options. This also includes potential new revenue opportunities through strategic partnerships. • Research and Analytics – Strive to continually uncover and identify new (entertainment) marketplace and guest trends, in addition to building a dynamic and data driven understanding of the ‘entertainment consumer' and competitive set, thereby enabling KCS to set the pace for what must come next from an arts and entertainment category standpoint. This includes designing, fielding and leveraging appropriate research and analytics to drive smart decision-making across the marketing mix. This understanding should be leveraged to define marketing and innovation opportunities worth exploring. Additionally, the CMEO will conduct audience experience research to quantitatively determine the degree of customer satisfaction with an array of patron experiences including parking, food and beverage service, interaction with ushers, ticket purchase, etc. • Technology Stack – The CMEO will develop a comprehensive technology stack to boost audience engagement and streamline operations. This includes a CRM for patron data management, ticket tracking, and audience segmentation, along with an email marketing platform for targeted outreach and social media tools for real-time engagement. Web analytics provide insights for optimizing user experience and conversions, while a ticketing system streamlines sales and attendance tracking. © 2024 Wiser Partners, LLC (a ZRG Company) www.wiserpartners.com Kansas City Symphony Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Page 4 of 7 SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES (cont'd) • Functional Development – An ongoing priority for this new CMEO will be ensuring the broader marketing team has the skills, experiences and motivation to support KCS's business priorities going forward. He/she will have the chance to support the CEO, and lead an effective marketing team, optimizing their output by hiring, training, motivating and setting leadership direction for all direct and indirect reports, and external marketing partners, agencies, consultants, etc. • Agency & Partner Management – The CMEO will inherit a solid bench of external agency partners (Barkley, Kansas City, AOR), consultants, contractors, and suppliers, who together bring additional capabilities and capacity to the KCS marketing team. The dynamics and components of this extended team will depend on the plans and requirements set by marketing, on a go-forward basis. • Budget Management – Depending on how well marketing impacts KCS's business growth, over time, the annual operating budget for marketing may grow significantly. The CMEO will need to recommend an appropriate level of annual marketing investment, based on the cost, and the ROI, of specific plans designed to deliver agreed-to business objectives. While not the owner of the P&L, we want a marketing leader who spends and invests like an owner and is mindful of the need to drive profitable growth. PERFORMANCE MEASURES • Revenue (ticket sales) and EBITDA • Marketing ROI/ROAS • Guest satisfaction (NPS) • Brand health metrics (awareness) • Net new season subscribers • Subscriber retention • Donor engagement & retention • Digital (Social) engagement REPORTING RELATIONSHIP The new CMEO will report to Mr. Danny Beckley, President & CEO of the KCS. Danny Beckley is the President and CEO of the Kansas City Symphony, a role he has held since 2019. With a background as an entrepreneur, musician, and arts administrator, Beckley brings extensive experience to his leadership. Before joining the Kansas City Symphony, he held executive roles at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Throughout his tenure, Danny has overseen significant milestones, such as expanding concert offerings, launching the Mobile Music Box initiative to engage with local communities, and facilitating a major leadership transition. Under his guidance, the KCS embarked on its first European tour in 2024, solidifying Kansas City's presence on the global music stage. Known for his innovative and community-focused approach, Beckley continues to enhance the orchestra's cultural impact in the region and beyond through strategic planning and artistic programming efforts. Danny earned his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. © 2024 Wiser Partners, LLC (a ZRG Company) www.wiserpartners.com Kansas City Symphony Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Page 5 of 7 STAFF & RESOURCES The new CMEO will inherit a very skilled team of 15, including: • VP, Sales, PR and Partnerships • Group Marketing Director, Creative Content • Director, Video Production • Digital Content Specialist • Graphic Designer • Content Developer • Manager, Ticketing Services • CSR's (8) KEY INTERNAL OPERATING RELATIONSHIPS • President & CEO • CFO • VP, Sales • Chief Development Officer • Director, Operations COMPENSATION : & BENEFITS • Salary • Incentive bonus (tied to revenue) • 403(b) retirement plan • Healthcare • Vacation, PTO • Relocation support to Kansas City LOCATION DYNAMICS The Kansas City Symphony's headquarters are in the heart of downtown Kansas City, directly adjacent to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (approximately 25 minutes southeast of the Kansas City International Airport). The CEO (Danny Beckley) and the senior leadership team believe a successful CMEO needs to reside in the greater Kansas City area, which allows him/her to be in the HQ office 4-5 days/week as well as participating in performances on evenings and weekends. © 2024 Wiser Partners, LLC (a ZRG Company) www.wiserpartners.com Kansas City Symphony Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Page 6 of 7 CANDIDATE PROFILE EXPERIENCE BASE • Live Entertainment, Hospitality, and Publishing – We would like a leader who brings Marketing experience from a customer-focused, promotionally driven Live Entertainment, Hospitality or Publishing business, or even an innovative Lifestyle brand. This could include Professional Sports Teams, Hotels, Motels, Resorts, Casinos, Theme Parks, Cruise Lines, Restaurants, Fitness Centers, Daily Newspapers, Magazines, other Publishers, etc. These businesses are all about driving traffic onto the web, or into physical locations, where customer experience is critical to satisfaction, retention, and referrals. • Orchestral Music – Candidates do not need to have a significant knowledge base of orchestral music; however, they do need to have an appetite to quickly develop this through off-hours study/bootcamp on music appreciation, including classical music, orchestral music in film and Broadway, and current touring artists across genres. There will be ample support provided to gain this understanding. • Brand Development – While not required, this new Marketing leader might also have a traditional CPG marketing/brand foundation (at least BM or Director level)—from early in their career—with a world-class Consumer company. They must have experience with positioning, segmentation, product management, consumer insights, and communications. • Digital Media – Candidates should have recent experience developing or overseeing digital and social marketing, with an understanding of the current digisphere, technology trends, new Apps, etc. Must be familiar with a variety of tactical Digital tools, including programmatic, email, retargeting, affiliate, SEO/SEM, social, web video, and mobile/SMS. We do not expect this person to be a tactical Digital expert. The key is understanding how to leverage the Digital landscape to drive traffic, and engagement. • Team Development – This new Marketing leader will help elevate the impact and effectiveness of Marketing, across the organization. So, we need someone with proven experience recruiting, hiring, managing, developing, motivating and promoting direct reports, and installing/nurturing a Marketing-centric and brand-centric culture. This ability extends to external relationships with key agency partners. SKILL SET • Strong marketing and brand building • Excellent written and verbal communication • Strong analytical capabilities • Sharp financial skills • Resourceful PERSONALITY PROFILE • Passion for classical music and the Arts • Resourceful and scrappy • Results-oriented • Collaborative • Strong EQ © 2024 Wiser Partners, LLC (a ZRG Company) www.wiserpartners.com Kansas City Symphony Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Page 7 of 7 SEARCH LEADERS Allie Crone Vice President Marketing & Communications Lead TurnkeyZRG Group alliecroneturnkeyzrg.com 1.302.358.4816 Allie Crone joined Turnkey Search in 2018 and has been promoted twice, currently serving as Vice President, leading the firm's Marketing, Communications, Analytics, Community, and Game Presentation practice. While at Turnkey, Allie has led dozens of executive-level searches including Chief Marketing Officer of the San Francisco 49ers, Chief Marketing Officer of the Carolina Panthers, and Senior Vice President of Live Entertainment & Game Presentation for the Seattle Kraken. As Vice President and Recruiter, Allie is responsible for running the entirety of a search process including pitching clients, building potential candidate lists, evaluating talent, aiding in the client interview process, and the negotiation of offers. While ensuring the best talent is secured for all searches, she is committed to building diverse candidate pools leading to a high level of diverse candidates placed. Allie is known inside Turnkey as the most precise, buttoned-up interviewer at the firm. Her discipline in scripting interviews and documenting and scoring prospective candidates is unmatched. David Wiser Managing Director & Practice Leader Global Practice Leader, Marketing & Sales davidwiserpartners.com dwiserzrgpartners.com 1.513.919.4000 David Wiser brings 30 years of experience to the retained search business. As the founder of Wiser Partners, he established one of the most successful boutique search firms in the U.S., cultivating a reputation for a high-touch, personalized approach. Over the past five years, David strategically aligned with ZRG Partners, and this partnership flourished, leading to ZRG's acquisition of Wiser Partners in February 2024. Consistent with ZRG's philosophy, David remains committed to preserving the boutique service that has defined his firm's reputation. His expertise spans across Marketing, with a deep focus on Digital and Performance Marketing, Sales/Business Development (with a specialization in Ecommerce), and Analytics. His team also excels in recruiting C-suite executives, including CEOs, CFOs, CMOs, and Chief Revenue Officers for private equity-owned and family-owned businesses. Kansas City Symphony CMEO JD Final © 2024 Wiser Partners, LLC (a ZRG Company) www.wiserpartners.com Salary: . Date posted: 12/19/2024