Analytics for the theater industry - a new niche for startups
Yevgeny Barbashin, Head of IT Systems Technology at the Mariinsky Theater, will take part in the GoTech Forum on October 6, where he will talk about the informational transformation of one of the most iconic opera and ballet theaters in the world. On the eve of the forum, he spoke about the present and the future of information technology in the theatrical field, where there is a place for startups.
The information infrastructure of the Mariinsky Theater today is developing in several key areas. The first is the ticket system. On the one hand, its operation lasts for 20 years, on the other - we continue to improve it, depending on the tasks aimed at the convenience of the audience. It all started with the idea of switching from paper tickets to electronic ones, and now we are already actively developing an online sales system that is available from various devices. We analyze the possibilities to adapt more and personalize to the needs of users, first of all, the mobile audience.
The second important process is the automation of the activities of the subdivisions within the theater, this is the so-called performance management system (an analogue of the ERP system). We have been actively developing it for the last three years. One of the tasks is to involve as many subdivisions as possible, especially as regards artists, rehearsal venues, all workshops (opera, ballet, orchestra). The main driver of the development of the system is, of course, artists who want to conveniently work with their schedule and receive operational information on their mobile devices.
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Another area is technological level systems, for example, associated with storage, accounting and movement of scenery. This is necessary because we show up to 10 views every day, which, of course, significantly affects the same logistics.
Separately, you can consider the development of our site and related projects. In the site we see prospects for the development of ticket sales and interactive interaction with the viewer, we are working to improve its use on mobile devices. In parallel, we are developing two projects - mariinsky.tv and mariinsky.fm .
We have been engaged in the idea of video broadcasts and recordings for a very long time. Back in 1999, our theater was the first in the world to broadcast an opera live. In 2010, we created mariinsky.tv, started with the technology of automatic adaptation of the image during the broadcast to the capabilities of the recipient of the picture. Today there are about 1000 entries on this resource. On average, during the season we organize one broadcast per week, there are separate projects for cooperation with regions and organized collective views. For example, the broadcasts of our concerts and performances are viewed in the branches of the Museum of Veliky Novgorod throughout the Novgorod region. As for mariinsky.fm, here we use the archives of audio recordings on tapes of the 60-70s, digitize them and upload them to the network.
For both projects, we have ideas for further development, mainly related to availability for mobile devices. On mariinsky.tv plans to move to the creation of a virtual channel, in fact, Internet television. On mariinsky.fm we are planning to create podcasts, and we are working on the availability of the broadcast in a mobile application.
Two new platforms gave us a certain impetus to the development of IT infrastructure - this is the second scene in St. Petersburg and the Primorsk scene in Vladivostok. With the commissioning of the second scene in St. Petersburg, we received a data center, a good and fast network, video and IP telephony, which greatly facilitated the work of IT services. The scene, of course, was integrated into a single system for managing all objects and people. The seaside scene is somewhat similar to the second scene in Petersburg or the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Before it came under our management on January 1 of this year, the theater did not have a full-fledged branch where performances or concerts took place. With the development of the IT infrastructure, with the advent of this scene, the tasks of secure communication and the presence of a sufficient data channel arose. Now we have three different Virtual Private Networks for this. It was also necessary to transfer the ticketing system to the main platform. We transferred several servers united by a single repository there, created two virtualization clusters there, based on VMWare vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V, similar to those we have in St. Petersburg, only with fewer resources. And now we are solving local problems for the Primorsk scene - namely, accounting, file sharing, and communication with the management system. We moved the site to Petersburg, and the ticketing system works in two cities, but in fact it is one.
When we compare our experience with our other colleagues, we usually talk about the Bolshoi Theater. In general, we are moving in one direction and solving similar problems. But there is some specificity, for example, the Bolshoi is acutely faced with the issue of dealing with resellers when selling tickets. By the way, with regard to the ticket system, it was first developed by us, and then introduced in the Bolshoi Theater.
When comparing with foreign theaters, the repertoire planning system is of paramount importance. They work on the block principle of scheduling performances. Such a system is simpler, since there are fewer technical problems with it, but selling tickets for 20 identical performances that go in a row is, of course, more difficult. Directly transfer technology solutions that we have seen abroad, is not yet possible. The reason is that Russia has its own specific legislation in the field of ticket sales and accounting. Once we thought about buying a ticketing system in the UK or the USA, but we came to the conclusion that it would be more expensive to refine it in accordance with Russian standards than direct development in Russia.
Most of our development is created by our own IT department. It was opened back in 2002 with tasks to support the ticketing system. But then he gradually began to engage in additional developments. For example, the theater site was made by an external contractor, but all of its new versions have already been created by our department. We cooperate with large companies in the development of infrastructure projects. So, Cisco and EMC participated in the work on the second scene in Petersburg. The first version of the performance management system was developed by Digital Design, but we have already taken all the rest of its improvements into our own hands.
Now we are completing the first serious project with a startup - the creation of a mobile application. It is already in a high degree of readiness. The developers themselves are in Kaliningrad. But in general, working with startups is much more difficult due to the specifics of the legislation in the field of public procurement.
From my point of view, the procurement of works on intellectual property deserves a separate law or separate procurement procedures. Website or program development is not the same as buying a server or computer. An example would be the commercial sector, where a more flexible attitude towards the timing of a product or solution. We have everything much stricter, and any delay in any stage is a fine. Similarly with the procedures for coordination of work performed. The law requires a very clear technical specification, but in our area everything is different. The customer has ideas and tasks that need to be addressed, and how this will happen is becoming clear already during the development process. So while there remain the possibility of small purchases, for example, the development of design elements or the solution of individual problems within large systems.
In the near future, I see two IT areas that will be popular in the theater industry. The first is the development of virtual and augmented reality technologies. For example, we have a 360 video, but there is no sufficiently developed environment around it. That is, there are separate solutions, while synergy is needed in this area and the presence of a large amount of content.
The second direction is analytics. Today, large corporations no longer see their life without analytics, but the representatives of art are still lagging behind, although it should be interesting for all theaters. Big data will give us enough insight into what is interesting to the viewers. In the same direction interesting solutions related to artificial intelligence. It is necessary to reduce the gap between understanding how we have organized the data and what results we want from them. And, by the way, it is here that large companies will not be so interested in these tasks, since they are more focused on the commercial giants. But for startups a real niche appears.
The information infrastructure of the Mariinsky Theater today is developing in several key areas. The first is the ticket system. On the one hand, its operation lasts for 20 years, on the other - we continue to improve it, depending on the tasks aimed at the convenience of the audience. It all started with the idea of switching from paper tickets to electronic ones, and now we are already actively developing an online sales system that is available from various devices. We analyze the possibilities to adapt more and personalize to the needs of users, first of all, the mobile audience.
The second important process is the automation of the activities of the subdivisions within the theater, this is the so-called performance management system (an analogue of the ERP system). We have been actively developing it for the last three years. One of the tasks is to involve as many subdivisions as possible, especially as regards artists, rehearsal venues, all workshops (opera, ballet, orchestra). The main driver of the development of the system is, of course, artists who want to conveniently work with their schedule and receive operational information on their mobile devices.
')
Another area is technological level systems, for example, associated with storage, accounting and movement of scenery. This is necessary because we show up to 10 views every day, which, of course, significantly affects the same logistics.
Separately, you can consider the development of our site and related projects. In the site we see prospects for the development of ticket sales and interactive interaction with the viewer, we are working to improve its use on mobile devices. In parallel, we are developing two projects - mariinsky.tv and mariinsky.fm .
We have been engaged in the idea of video broadcasts and recordings for a very long time. Back in 1999, our theater was the first in the world to broadcast an opera live. In 2010, we created mariinsky.tv, started with the technology of automatic adaptation of the image during the broadcast to the capabilities of the recipient of the picture. Today there are about 1000 entries on this resource. On average, during the season we organize one broadcast per week, there are separate projects for cooperation with regions and organized collective views. For example, the broadcasts of our concerts and performances are viewed in the branches of the Museum of Veliky Novgorod throughout the Novgorod region. As for mariinsky.fm, here we use the archives of audio recordings on tapes of the 60-70s, digitize them and upload them to the network.
For both projects, we have ideas for further development, mainly related to availability for mobile devices. On mariinsky.tv plans to move to the creation of a virtual channel, in fact, Internet television. On mariinsky.fm we are planning to create podcasts, and we are working on the availability of the broadcast in a mobile application.
New sites as a pretext for transformation
Two new platforms gave us a certain impetus to the development of IT infrastructure - this is the second scene in St. Petersburg and the Primorsk scene in Vladivostok. With the commissioning of the second scene in St. Petersburg, we received a data center, a good and fast network, video and IP telephony, which greatly facilitated the work of IT services. The scene, of course, was integrated into a single system for managing all objects and people. The seaside scene is somewhat similar to the second scene in Petersburg or the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Before it came under our management on January 1 of this year, the theater did not have a full-fledged branch where performances or concerts took place. With the development of the IT infrastructure, with the advent of this scene, the tasks of secure communication and the presence of a sufficient data channel arose. Now we have three different Virtual Private Networks for this. It was also necessary to transfer the ticketing system to the main platform. We transferred several servers united by a single repository there, created two virtualization clusters there, based on VMWare vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V, similar to those we have in St. Petersburg, only with fewer resources. And now we are solving local problems for the Primorsk scene - namely, accounting, file sharing, and communication with the management system. We moved the site to Petersburg, and the ticketing system works in two cities, but in fact it is one.
Why foreign experience is not applicable
When we compare our experience with our other colleagues, we usually talk about the Bolshoi Theater. In general, we are moving in one direction and solving similar problems. But there is some specificity, for example, the Bolshoi is acutely faced with the issue of dealing with resellers when selling tickets. By the way, with regard to the ticket system, it was first developed by us, and then introduced in the Bolshoi Theater.
When comparing with foreign theaters, the repertoire planning system is of paramount importance. They work on the block principle of scheduling performances. Such a system is simpler, since there are fewer technical problems with it, but selling tickets for 20 identical performances that go in a row is, of course, more difficult. Directly transfer technology solutions that we have seen abroad, is not yet possible. The reason is that Russia has its own specific legislation in the field of ticket sales and accounting. Once we thought about buying a ticketing system in the UK or the USA, but we came to the conclusion that it would be more expensive to refine it in accordance with Russian standards than direct development in Russia.
Is there a future in the theater for startups?
Most of our development is created by our own IT department. It was opened back in 2002 with tasks to support the ticketing system. But then he gradually began to engage in additional developments. For example, the theater site was made by an external contractor, but all of its new versions have already been created by our department. We cooperate with large companies in the development of infrastructure projects. So, Cisco and EMC participated in the work on the second scene in Petersburg. The first version of the performance management system was developed by Digital Design, but we have already taken all the rest of its improvements into our own hands.
Now we are completing the first serious project with a startup - the creation of a mobile application. It is already in a high degree of readiness. The developers themselves are in Kaliningrad. But in general, working with startups is much more difficult due to the specifics of the legislation in the field of public procurement.
From my point of view, the procurement of works on intellectual property deserves a separate law or separate procurement procedures. Website or program development is not the same as buying a server or computer. An example would be the commercial sector, where a more flexible attitude towards the timing of a product or solution. We have everything much stricter, and any delay in any stage is a fine. Similarly with the procedures for coordination of work performed. The law requires a very clear technical specification, but in our area everything is different. The customer has ideas and tasks that need to be addressed, and how this will happen is becoming clear already during the development process. So while there remain the possibility of small purchases, for example, the development of design elements or the solution of individual problems within large systems.
In the near future, I see two IT areas that will be popular in the theater industry. The first is the development of virtual and augmented reality technologies. For example, we have a 360 video, but there is no sufficiently developed environment around it. That is, there are separate solutions, while synergy is needed in this area and the presence of a large amount of content.
The second direction is analytics. Today, large corporations no longer see their life without analytics, but the representatives of art are still lagging behind, although it should be interesting for all theaters. Big data will give us enough insight into what is interesting to the viewers. In the same direction interesting solutions related to artificial intelligence. It is necessary to reduce the gap between understanding how we have organized the data and what results we want from them. And, by the way, it is here that large companies will not be so interested in these tasks, since they are more focused on the commercial giants. But for startups a real niche appears.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/311764/
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