By Candice Hardie, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts

Philadelphia’s premiere summer concert venue, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, is diving into emerging social media trends. Integrating mobile promotions such as Foursquare and Text Your Encore into their programming strengthens their already well- established social media presence on Facebook (The Mann) and Twitter (Mann_Center).

Audience members were rewarded for attending the July 27 performance of the “Blue Planet LIVE!” featuring the Russian National Orchestra with a Foursquare promotion. Foursquare allows people to “check in” at different locations. Concert-goers who checked into the Mann could unlock a special which included two free lawn tickets to the July 29 “From Russia, with Love” concert, also with the Russian National Orchestra. Over 100 people claimed their free tickets.

Creative Philadelphia praised the Mann for introducing patrons to new social media platforms:

Other social media initiatives include a Text Your Encore at the July 28 concert- “Cirque de la Symphonie” with the Russian National Orchestra. Guests were able to choose between Mendelssohn’s “Scherzo” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or Bizet’s “Les Toreadors” from Carmen, and text which one they would like to hear as an encore. The votes were tallied, and Bizet’s “Les Toreadors” won by a landslide.