Vancouver Recital Society: Fostering Music Appreciation
- Arts & Culture
Founded in 1980, the Vancouver Recital Society (VRS) is one of the premier concert presenters in North America. The VRS hosts events at some of Vancouver’s most notable venues, including the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Vancouver Playhouse and the Orpheum, featuring rising stars as well as an internationally renowned concert series for the world’s most celebrated performing artists.
They also foster music education and appreciation among youth and young adults through special offers that help make performances by world-class classical artists more accessible.
The Challenge
When a website needs more than maintenance
We had been maintaining the VRS website for over a decade when they engaged us for a full refresh. As with any growing organization, their website needed to adapt to their changing needs. Over time, it no longer effectively served their audiences and had become challenging to maintain, both technically and for their content management team. It also included outdated features, such as a carousel and Facebook feed, that did not align with their current requirements or best practices in accessibility.
Selling concert tickets was the primary objective of the website, but the process of doing so was both frustrating and confusing for visitors. Concerts weren’t visible in one place and the site didn’t encourage browsing, which created a high-friction experience for potential ticket purchasers. In addition, the site’s mobile experience hadn’t been optimized, which added to the challenges for the VRS when they were specifically reaching out to younger audiences who were used to navigating websites on their phones.
Client
Service
Sector
Technology
- WordPress
The Solution
Music to our ears
Focused on improving the user journey for ticket purchasers, we led a discovery phase that helped us understand the VRS’ business goals, align on their objectives for the new website and identify existing pain points. This information allowed us to create the right technical plan.
We completely refreshed their existing site, introducing user experience enhancements that made it easier for site visitors to discover concerts and nurturing important relationship touchpoints - such as simplifying how users can donate to the VRS or sign up for the newsletter.
Our fresh, modern design reinvigorated the website, showcasing concerts while reflecting the VRS’ brand personality. Building on the WordPress platform enabled us to update the theme without starting from scratch while also implementing key updates such as a new integration with Spectrix for ticket sales and a streamlined menu for easier navigation.
The new website lives at the intersection of beauty and simplicity, effectively supporting artists, aficionados and enthusiasts alike.
