Concerts of famous artists for less money: how it works in Israel

FRIENDS, established under the Histadrut, sells more than 40,000 tickets per month for concerts, performances and other events. In more than four years, the number of sites she works with has grown from five to 38. Now the company is expanding information channels for Russian-speaking Israelis and is preparing to launch a mobile application.

According to the head of the company, Yossi Wolf-Hatzbani, today FRIENDS has 12 own halls and cooperates with local authorities on 26 more sites. In addition, there are agreements with cultural palaces in different cities of the country, which allocate a certain number of seats at their events for sale through FRIENDS.

This scheme allows you to distribute subsidized tickets not only in large cities, but also in small settlements - from Metula to Eilat.

The company was created on the initiative of Histadruth Chairman Amnon Bar-David. The idea was to make attendance at theatres, concerts and other cultural events more accessible to workers and their families.

According to the CEO, the proceeds from ticket sales cover no more than 60% of the cost of organizing concerts and performances. The rest of the costs are subsidized.

When buying on the company's website, you must specify the ID number. The system checks the presence of membership in the Histadrut and automatically determines the cost of the ticket.

Wolf-Hatzbani notes that prices for other buyers are often lower than for similar events held outside the FRIENDS system.

The repertoire presents theatrical productions, concerts, children's performances, lectures, stand-up shows and film sessions for different age groups. In particular, the company offers tickets to the cinema for 10 shekels.

Separately, the head of FRIENDS noted the conditions for pensioners. According to him, the pensioner’s membership fee to Histadrut is 12 shekels per month, and the savings when buying one subsidized ticket can exceed this amount.

FRIENDS uses several channels to inform viewers. Histadrut sends its members SMS messages about upcoming events, and the company is developing a network of regional WhatsApp groups.

According to Wolf Hazbani, these groups consist of about 150,000 people. Subscribers receive weekly information about concerts, performances and other events in their region.

Three separate WhatsApp groups have already been created for the Russian-speaking audience - for residents of the north, center and south of Israel.

Wolf-Khatsbani said that he does not speak Russian, so he consults with specialists in the field of Russian-speaking culture when selecting appropriate events.

At the same time, according to his observations, immigrants from the countries of the former USSR attend not only Russian-language concerts and performances. They are also interested in Hebrew productions, stand-up, opera and dance performances.

Now FRIENDS continues to work on expanding the geography of events and ways to connect with viewers.