1. Cirque de soleil Presented by Strong Man Consultants
Sarah Henkind, Mara Hilmy,
Wes Treiber, Vijay Bidnurmath

2. Agenda History of the Circus State of the Circus Alternatives
Recommendations
Questions

3. History of the circus Started as a “Freak Show”
Bearded lady, strong man
Clowns
Trained animals
Took advantage of these people
Started travelling with them
Generic “circus” moves

4. Cirque de soleil versus the circus
Variety of acts
Exclusivity
Focus on quality rather than quantity
Story telling
Traditional Circus
Traveled city to city
Similar acts
Focus on volume of attendance
Tricks versus artistry

5. Competitive landscape
Direct
Traditional circus acts like PT Barnum
Local carnivals or state fairs
Indirect
Movie theatres,
traditional theatres
Sports events, concerts

6. Customer Profile
Families
Parents looking for affordable entertainment for their children
Have a nostalgic view of the circus
Thrill seekers
Individual who want different and exciting experiences
Looking to view life on the edge
Couples on dates
Unique dating experience
Alternatives to traditional entertainment

7. How do people see the circus
Cirque de Soleil
Traditional Circus
Quality
Carnivals
Price

8. Industry Reaction Circus expectations transformed
Reactive- there was no competing with cirque de soleil.
Many independent circuses were forced to shut down
Only big names were able to survive

9. How to revamp the Circus
Pros
Would offer fresh and exclusive reasons for people to attend
Creates repeat customers for specific seasons
Cons
Production costs
Variability in predicting revenues
Focus on Seasonality:
Circus’ would focus on creating demand by focusing on creating acts related to the seasonality and culture of the region they are performing in
For example haunted houses during Halloween, romance focused experiences around valentines day, or Santa themed during Christmas

10. How to revamp the Circus
Pros
No animal cruelty
Could be booked with school or other educational entities
Cons
Not applicable to a wide variety of audiences
Potential lack of variety
Pivot to educational alternatives:
Caters back to the child or family customer target
Would be based on STEM education principles such as large science experiments

11. How to revamp the Circus
Bring in high profile entertainers:
Goal would be to bring in big name entertainers building off of their name to drive ticket sales
Pros
Easy way to establish brand and value
Guaranteed sales
Cons
Large bookings fees
Cannibalizing the current brand

12. Cirque De Soleil 3.5 times Higher Revenues
Revenue Comparison:

13. Cirque De Soleil 8 times Higher Profits!!
Profit Comparison:

14. In 5 years profits are almost half!!
Decline of circuses

15. Recommendation Do not try and copy Cirque de Soliel
Focus on seasonal performances
Seasonal is preferable allows them to maintain their niche while also attracting new customers
High likelihood of repeat customers

16. Cirque de soleil Presented by Strong Man Consultants
Sarah Henkind, Mara Hilmy,
Wes Treiber, Vijay Bidnurmath

17. Back-up: Assumptions:
Circus 25
Cirque De Soleil
150
Audience
2000
1500
Profit Margin
10%
20%