Flato Markham Theatre pulls back curtain on new brand

New brand, box office system and website for leading York Region theatre

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 4, 2019
Heidi Riedner

Kudos are usually reserved for onstage performances at the Flato Markham Theatre, but a recent rebrand is garnering rave reviews after the theatre, itself, took centre stage in September.

“Our new web-based system better serves the needs of the theatre moving forward,” general manager Eric Lariviere said, adding the new flatomarkhamtheatre.ca website saw almost 30,000 page views from patrons across the GTA In its first week of operations.

It’s all part of an identity refresh featuring the theatre’s new brand, box office system and website that was officially launched during the Performing Arts Awards in September.

While the theatre brand is well established locally, it needs to be constantly expanded in order to reach all the diverse community groups inside and outside of Markham, York Region and the Greater Toronto Area, Lariviere said.

When Markham Theatre first opened its doors in 1984, it was one of the first municipally-owned and operated performing arts centres serving the Markham community of 60,000. Markham now boasts close to 400,000 people.

“The new Flato Markham Theatre identity supports the Destination Markham strategy in reaching new audiences to showcase a vibrant community with globally competitive companies, new infrastructure, attractive amenities, convenient transportation links, an exploding population, a highly educated workforce and leading shopping and entertainment districts” mayor Frank Scarpitti said.

The new logo, which was approved by Markham council earlier this year, gives a nod to the continued naming commitment of Flato developments while reaching out to new and diverse audiences.

Patrons can now seamlessly search and purchase tickets, subscriptions and donate online in a desktop and mobile-friendly environment.

Toronto-based AudienceView (AV) was selected to become the theatre’s new ticketing and customer relationship management (CRM) vendor. AudienceView services 100+ performing arts centres around the globe and processes more than 65 million tickets annually.

“AV will allow the theatre to operate as a more robust and digitally-driven organization,” Lariviere said.

Ballet Jorgen's production of Anne of Green Gables running Oct. 4 to 6 is just one of many renowned live performances to grace the stage.

The 527-seat facility, multi-use spaces and lounges are also home to many product/service presentations, media launches, corporate events, meetings, conferences, galas and other social gatherings.