Benrath Palace

Maintaining Strong Audience Relations in the Event of Last-Minute Cancellations

Discover how the Benrath Palace and Park Foundation ensures an outstanding visitor experience at its Lichterfest festival through precise data management and personalized communication — from ticket purchase to the event itself.

Built between 1755 and 1771 on the orders of the Elector Palatine Charles Theodor, Benrath Palace is a summer residence located in the south of Düsseldorf.

Together with its Museum of Natural History, Museum of Garden Art, and the main building — the architectural centerpiece of the baroque estate — it represents one of the region’s cultural highlights.

Every year, the palace welcomes a wide audience and offers a variety of events: guided tours, a rich music program, activities for children and families, as well as the annual Christmas market.

Creating a personalized customer journey thanks to CRM

Each summer, the Palace hosts the renowned Lichterfest (Festival of Lights), attracting around 10,000 visitors. Around the palace’s reflecting pool, guests enjoy a relaxed picnic setting, accompanied by a concert from the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra and dazzling light and water shows.

For the past three years, the Benrath Palace team has focused on strengthening audience relationships and gaining a deeper understanding of its visitors. To improve these processes, the powerful ticketing system Vivenu was first introduced. The following year, the addition of a CRM tool enabled the centralization of all available data. This made it possible to design efficient, personalized customer journeys that accompany each visitor from purchase through to the end of the event.

How to communicate for this type of event?

An outdoor event of this scale always carries risks. Sudden weather changes can disrupt the program or even force a cancellation.

To ensure that the visitor experience remains as smooth as possible, the Foundation set the following goals:

  • Access to an all-in-one tool for data management;
  • Precise segmentation by ticket category;
  • An effective visitor journey tailored to specific personas;
  • Fast, reliable crisis communication that all guests can easily access;
  • Ensuring that no visitor leaves disappointed, even in case of cancellation.

What we put in place

  • Developing a personalized communication strategy from the start: Depending on the ticket type and customer profile, tailored pre-event communication was implemented to provide the best possible support for each segment. Daily integration of Vivenu data enabled accurate tracking.

  • Setting up weather alerts: To enhance visitor comfort, a dedicated campaign provided advance information about weather conditions, contingency plans in case of bad weather, suggested equipment, and real-time updates on social media.

  • Creating an emergency customer journey: In 2024, the Festival of Lights had to be cancelled due to a severe weather warning. An emergency journey was immediately activated: guests received an automated email with information on the cancellation, instructions on refunds, and further guidance.

5

key steps in the visitor journey: tailored pre-event communication, weather updates, cancellation notice, refund information, and follow-up reminder.

94.78%

average open rate across the entire communication flow.

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