Turning Passion into Profession: What Sports Can Learn from the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Finding Inspiration Outside the Arena

From all visits our teacher arranged for us this was the one I was looking forward to the most and not just because it was closer to home then the ones in Brussels. 😉 

Since graduating art school, I hadn’t been to any theater show, ballets, classical concerts, etc. so visiting that world again but during a bachelor communication was so much fun.

I’ve spent loads of hours in the backstage of theaters but to get more of an insight on what the communications department of an art institution like the symphonic orchestra has to do to create a space for artists to thrive was a whole new and interesting world. What I discovered; the orchestra faces similar problems as sports organizations. Like how to reach an audience, how to build a strong identity, how to work around high cost vs. low income, etc.

Let’s explore the similarities in their battles and how the Antwerp Symphonic orchestra deals with them.

Balancing Tradition and Innovation: A Shared Challenge

During the explanation we got about the working of the orchestra it became clear the face a lot of problems; the rivalry with the zoo, the idea orchestras are elitist, funding, no “home” etc. Many of these problems could be translated to sports. I’ll take figure skating in Belgium as an example since this is a sport I spend a lot of time in.

-       Rivalry with the zoo is similar to the rivalry clubs have with the ice hockey. They take a lot of the ice and have a totally different image to the rink. This is an ongoing battle for the orchestra and a real solution didn’t seem near as long as they share a space. This is exactly the same with hockey and skating, as long as we have to share our spaces we have to live together. Like the orchestra the only thing we can do is really separate our image from theirs

-       Elitist image is a very familiar thing in figure skating. Like myself a lot of kids aren’t allowed to start skating when they’re younger since parents see it as a very expensive, unfriendly sport. For both the orchestra and figure skating this idea is linked to the price. In the Antwerp symphonic orchestra, they worked on building strong relations with sponsors and “the friends” of the orchestra. This is an open opportunity for sports federations. With great research and invitations to events sports federations could build a nice portfolio of sponsors.

-       Funding is a problem in every “non-essential” sector. Sports and culture rely heavily on this and with a government that wants to cut in those budgets it isn’t going to be easy in the near future. Look at what is happening this week; the federal government wants to cut artist statute (kunstenaars statuut) and the Wallonia government removed all funding from the successful ballet school Mosa out of nowhere. The only thing we can do within smaller sports as well as in culture is show what we can do and build strong sponsor relations who could hopefully help us get by.

-       No “home” we were taken through the history of the orchestra which showed the lack of a “home” stage in which they could develop a sound and hold quality rehearsals. This is extremely relatable as a figure skater. Since I started skating 2 rinks have closed and one club has been kicked out of theirs for no good reason. Our Belgian prides Loena Hendrickx and Nina Pinzarrone both got to move rinks. After a few years Deurne build a new rink which is now Loena’s “home”, but Nina is still moving between rinks.

One of my favorite quotes from the visit was “a soccer club doesn’t train on different potato fields each weekend” which hits hard when we basically do. The orchestra got to build, together with the zoo, the new Elisabeth hall which is now their “home”. Maybe the potential lies in finding a good partner to build with. But if even mister Coocke is not open to building a rink into his winter sport paradise it’s not going to be an easy task.

So as you see through all these examples there’s a lot of overlap between the Antwerp symphonic orchestra and a smaller sports federation like in figure skating and we can learn a lot from them.

From “Backstage” to Front Row: Creating a Spectator Experience

An important element for the orchestra is their front of house experience, this is the part the public sees. In sports like figure skating we only focus on the back of the house but what would happen if we turn it into an experience like in other sports. In American football you have cheerleaders, soccer comes with the drinking culture and getting together, cycling is a spectacle on the road, darts feels like a big party.

But what is figure skating’s “Golden hall” what sets us apart from other sports and creates an experience like the orchestra does?

Although figure skating is seen as a very chic sport our competitions are anything but luxury. You are at a small rink with no parking space, get into a crowded cafeteria where moms are spraying hair spray, if you’re lucky there’s decent seating, and you wait a LOT. This is not something you want to pay for. Is it possible to take that idea of the luxury sport and make competitions an experience?

At a nicer waiting spot, separate spectators and athletes/coaches/moms doing make up, foresee entertainment for during al that waiting. Even seating with pillows or blankets would make a big difference from the ice-cold plastic chairs.

Let’s take inspiration from the luxury experience from the orchestra and adapt it to competitions.

Emotional Branding: What Does Figure Skating Mean to People?

Of course we need people to attent our luxery competition experience so lets take a look at how the symphonies strategy can help us with that.

At the Antwerp symphonic orchestra, they constantly ask themselves “Why do people care?” bringing this mentality to sports may bring up ideas on how to attract more spectators. Why do kids decide to figure skate? Why do parents agree to put their kids in the sport? Are there any not skaters/parents who come to watch and why?

Skaters and parents will keep coming to competitions but how do we attract that last group.

We already talked about the elitist idea some people have and how this could be a threshold to start skating, but what association do people have who want to watch.

Disney has a few fun positive movies but one of the most famous figure skating movies is “I, Tonya” which doesn’t give a very positive view on figure skating.

Can we create something that is as hyped as “I, Tonya” but gives a positive view on the sport.

Conclusion: Making Artistic Sports a Cultural Movement

Visiting the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra opened my eyes to just how much the cultural and sport industry have in common. From fighting negative stereotypes and financial struggles to creating positive experiences for new and excisiting audiences, both sectors are constantly working to stay relevant and accessible.

Spending some years in both theater and figure skaters, I found inspiration in how the orchestra builds emotional connections and elevates their performances into a full experience on and infront of the scene. If smaller sports like figure skating can learn from these strategies, rethinking how you can engage and attract audiences, strengthen sponsor relations, and focusing on why people care, we might just carve out a stronger, more sustainable future for our communities too.