McMenamins Fans Rewarded When They "Join The Band"
Throughout Oregon and Washington states, Portland-based McMenamins is known for its variety of places to enjoy with family and friends. Founded by brothers Mike and Brian, McMenamins began as a single neighborhood pub in 1983 and today includes seven Washington locations and 53 Oregon properties, with 18 on the National Register of Historic Places.
About McMenamins
McMenamins has grown from a single neighborhood pub into a beloved Pacific Northwest institution, creating unique experiences across historic venues and innovative entertainment spaces.
Crystal Ballroom
Historic 1,500-capacity venue in Portland
Lola's Room
Intimate 250-person music venue
60 total properties across Oregon and Washington • 18 on National Register of Historic Places
Creating Deeper Community Connection Beyond Ticket Sales
While the ultimate goal was to generate more ticket sales, first and foremost McMenamins wanted to create a closer connection to the community. Rather than just sell fans tickets, they wanted a deeper engagement that would bring the desired fan loyalty and, therefore, additional ticket sales.
McMenamins decided to focus on awarding points and giving rewards based on ticket purchases only. Therefore, a direct connection between Etix, their ticketing company, and the loyalty program platform provider was essential.
Key Requirements:
"When we set the goal of having a loyalty program for the Crystal Ballroom, we started the conversation with Etix, and they determined that integrating a third party partner made the most sense. After considering various loyalty vendors Etix concluded that LoyaltyMatch had the best platform for entertainment venues, then created the partnership with them that led to all of us working together."
"We have found that a technical integration between our ticketing company and a loyalty provider is an ideal framework, both for backend administration and for our customers' experience. And on a development level, working with these two companies as a unified team makes everything from inception through rollout a much smoother process. As such, 'Join The Band' has been an extraordinarily easy program to manage because of the responsiveness and commitment of Etix and LoyaltyMatch."
Mike Walker
Music Marketing Manager, McMenamins
Seamless Etix & LoyaltyMatch Integration
A unified partnership between Etix and LoyaltyMatch created the perfect ticketing-integrated loyalty experience.
Point-of-Purchase Enrollment
Fans become members instantly when purchasing tickets online through seamless Etix integration.
Automatic Point Earning
Members automatically earn points for all online ticket purchases without additional steps.
Diverse Reward Catalog
Points redeemable for event admission, merchandise, and exclusive in-venue experiences.
Join The Band Program Features
Member Benefits
Points for every online ticket purchase
Free event admission rewards
Exclusive merchandise rewards
Special in-venue experiences
Technical Integration
Seamless Etix ticketing API
Real-time point accumulation
Unified backend administration
Streamlined customer experience
Partnership Innovation
Etix and LoyaltyMatch seamlessly integrated their two systems so that ticket buyers for shows at the Crystal Ballroom and Lola's Room can quickly become members of McMenamins Join The Band at the point of purchase online.
Members earn points for all of their online ticket purchases and can redeem those points for admission to events, to score merchandise or to enjoy special in-venue experiences.
Key Innovation:
First loyalty program to achieve seamless point-of-purchase enrollment through ticketing integration
Immediate Success and Deeper Fan Connections
10,000+
Join The Band program members
2014
Launched with immediate success
Closer
Fan connection to venues achieved
Program Success Story
Join The Band was launched in late 2014 and was an immediate success. The more than 10,000 members feel a closer connection to the venues and McMenamins and are rewarding themselves regularly from a catalogue that includes ongoing and one-off special prizes.
Most Popular Reward
"Early Entrance with Escort"
Members can be escorted with early entrance to the show of their choice
Proof that fans of the Crystal Ballroom and Lola's Room are about more than free merchandise. They like to feel special. Join The Band, working with Etix and LoyaltyMatch gives them that chance.
Key Success Metrics:
Ready to Create Deeper Fan Connections?
Learn how LoyaltyMatch can help you integrate loyalty programs with your ticketing system to create meaningful community connections, just like we did for McMenamins' historic venues.
Contact us for more information about venue loyalty programs:
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