Salzburg Festival Foundation

What was your starting point?

In 2012, we departed from a public-sector accounting system and switched to double-entry bookkeeping. As we did so, we also introduced a cost accounting system. Being a festival business, the actual figures only become available to us later in the year and a large proportion of the costs are only incurred during the festival, so a highly detailed rolling plan is essential.

What were your highlights?

In addition to the payroll costs for all employees, we plan all the artists’ contracts and the cost of materials for every concert and opera production with Corporate Planner. These are then transferred to a multi-step contribution margin analysis and a P&L analysis. One of the software’s highlights is that new structures can be added very easily by the key user. Particularly in 2020, the year hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, the many data streams have proved to be ideal for scenario planning with regard to maximum visitor numbers at events. The different scenarios could be adjusted extremely quickly to support the executive managers in their decision-making.

What lessons have you learned?

With the new Web Client, it’s easy for the heads of department to make decentralized plans. For this, it’s important that the structures are well thought out and updated centrally. This cuts the maintenance work for the key user to a minimum.

 

About the Salzburg Festival

The Salzburg Festival is considered to be the world’s most important classical music and performing arts festival. It has been held in Salzburg every summer in July and August since 1920. The festival’s highlights include the staging of the Jedermann (Everyman) play on the cathedral square, exemplary Mozart and Strauss performances, and a diverse, top-class theatre, opera and concert programme. Every year, more than 200 events during the six festival weeks are attended by more than 250,000 visitors.