KLBR Live Entertainment

Offers quality events in central Uppsala

KLBR Live Entertainment (KALIBER) was founded in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, in Uppsala. The pandemic time had just started and restriction upon restriction was imposed, concerts were forced to cancel and businesses in general needed to slow down. But, would a covid wave put an end to the start-up of KLBR? Oh no! When the world was uncertain and everything was slow, the creators chose to do the opposite – it was a perfect gap with plenty of planning time to start something new!

The founders, Jonas Curling and Erik Sjölander, are among some of Sweden's most experienced concert organizers and have a combined professional experience of over 50 years. With a desire to create culture, concerts and quality events for the Uppsala audience, KLBR was established in 2020. The first concerts were held with only a couple of 100 in the audience – due to the pandemic and its restrictions – but today around 100 events are arranged annually where the total number of contacts is just over 40,000. Botaniska trädgården, Parksnäckan, Katalin And All That Jazz and Reginateatern i Uppsala are some of the stages on which KLBR arranges concerts and performances. All venues are within a stone's throw of the Central Station in Uppsala.

How then are all the 40,000 contacts reached? How do they get information about upcoming events? Fredrik Johansson, Marketing Manager at KLBR, has a decisive role here. He is responsible for designing all the events that are done. Digital ads, ads in the daily press, newsletters, social media and posters are just some of the tasks that Fredrik’s responsible for and which are carried out to increase the reach in the various channels.

– There are many fast tasks in this industry. As Jonas works from Los Angeles, I receive most of the documents shortly after he wakes up, which is in the afternoon in Sweden. Sometimes a newsletter goes out the next day and then I have to put it together in the evening, says Fredrik.

With data about the audience, KLBR can optimize its marketing

Several different stages, tens of thousands of visitors and a plethora of events. And, it's not just one genre with one target group – KLBR's portfolio includes children's shows and sing-along evenings as well as death metal concerts and dance shows. The range is wide and it attracts many different customers with different preferences. With such a multifaceted audience, it is important as a concert organizer to understand the different guests, their behaviors and how to best reach them.

– We have used MarketHype since day 1. Choosing them as a supplier was a matter of course because the tool is built specifically for the event industry. The customer data platform collects all our customers and gives us insights about who they are, how old they are, where they come from and so on. It is important that we can extract that type of information, and we can easily do that here, says Fredrik.

With MarketHype, which has a direct connection to the usual ticket systems and various event tags, KLBR thus receives a large amount of data. The data is visualized through various graphs and charts and the geographical information – which tells where the ticket buyers are traveling from to see their favorite bands – is also displayed on a detailed map. Geodata is of great interest to KLBR. Fredrik explains:

– Although we mainly target residents of Uppsala, we can see through the tool that we have visitors from Malmö and Kiruna as well as Iceland and Turkey. With this information, I better understand which media we should advertise a little extra in. Since we advertise in some nearby cities, such as Västerås, Stockholm and Gävle, the platform is a great help for planning that part as well. We simply understand where we have the potential to grow.

From newsletters and press releases to automations and Meta linking

In MarketHype, the collection of data and the possibility of segmenting the visitors is the foundation. In addition to being a database, there is, among other things, an e-mail tool, an SMS service, automations, signup forms and a sales overview – where all functions are gathered in one and the same system.

– The customer data in MarketHype forms the basis for our marketing – we get a clear overview of our customers. We also create newsletters and e-mails to both customers and press contacts in the tool, says Fredrik.

When it comes to press contacts, KLBR uses the email tool in MarketHype to send out press releases. Fredrik usually produces press releases in connection with KLBR releasing a new concert, which are emailed to both media contacts and the music industry in Uppsala. Often the news is so big that it is published in the local press.

As for the audience, it is also reached by various e-mails. Usually the mailings contain information about artist releases but can also be pure newsletters with a collection of events going on. This type of event marketing, which is aimed directly at customers, is handled like press releases in the MarketHype platform.

Furthermore, KLBR has used automation. The function is used to automate recurring marketing tasks – such as sending emails and SMS – and saves a lot of time, provides more customized communication and contributes to strengthened customer relationships.

– We have had automations rolling in connection with concerts at Parksnäckan. When the covid restrictions were current, we informed in automated mailings that you were not allowed to queue at the bar but that you could order food and drinks via mobile. We also emphasize the importance of arriving early, explains Fredrik.

In addition to the mentioned functions, there is a much appreciated connection between MarketHype and Meta. With this, the marketing agency that KLBR hired can filter out different lists and segments, which are then exported straight into Facebook Ads Manager for advertising via Facebook and Instagram. Social media is a big part of KLBR's marketing strategy.

Touching the customer in several different channels is important when it comes to marketing experiences. A ticket to a concert or performance is rarely bought spontaneously and the potential guests need to be exposed to several types of content in order to make a decision more quickly. This is something that KLBR has taken note of. KLBR markets itself not only in social media, in the daily press and via e-mails, but also in the newspaper on SJ trains (Kupé) during the summer half – brilliant as train travel is at its peak during the summer!

With a customized marketing system, all tickets are sold

The family from Västerås has now arrived at Parksnäckan – the children are excited and soon Bamse will enter the stage. While waiting for Botaniska trädgården to let the group of friends from Gävle in, they have a beer in the sun. And Katalin, they will open the doors for the hard rock band Nestor in just an hour or so. Only a few tickets remain for the event. But, since KLBR can make targeted mailings to everyone who lives in Uppsala – who can spontaneously get to the venues – they choose to send a last message to fill the last places. The situation is under control.

With a tailored marketing tool and with a smooth connection to the ticket supplier, KLBR has a good foundation to stand on. One gets help with everything from customer insights and filtering for advertising – to newsletters and efficiency through automation. Even for marketing that takes place outside the digital landscape, such as posters and daily press, MarketHype contributes knowledge. The geodata reveals where the customers are and thus where one should invest more or less in traditional marketing.

– Our goal going forward is to work more with segments and create more targeted mailings to visitors of various venues. With MarketHype the possibility exists and it’s fantastic to have everything gathered in one system. In addition, the contact with support works very well, says Fredrik in conclusion.

More information about KLBR Live Entertainment

Wanna check out KLBR's homepage? You find it here.