Cirque du SoleilTanya LymswanIT 1206 Practicum

What is Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil is an Canadian

entertainment company Their shows are a synthesis of circus style

acts from all around the globe. They first started as a group of 20 street

performers in 1984 Now, the company has close to 4,000

employees. This includes 1,300 artists from more than 50 countries

They have performed for close to 150 million spectators in more than 300 cities, in over 40 countries on 6 continents

Aspirational Statements Mission:

“Cirque du Soleil is an international organization founded in Quebec and dedicated to the creation, production and performance of artistic works whose mission is to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses, and evoke the emotions of the people around the world.”

Goal: “In the pursuit of its dreams and in its business practices, Cirque du

Soleil strives to position itself in the community as a responsible proponent of change.”

Values: “To uphold the integrity of our creative process” “To recognize and respect each individual’s contribution to our body of

work” “To extend the limits of the possible” “To draw our inspiration from artistic and cultural diversities” “To encourage and promote the potential of youth”

How is Cirque du Soleil organized? 100% owned by Guy Laliberté Montreal based

Headquarters is where all artists receive initial training before joining a show

8 simultaneous Cirque productions running on 4 continents

Balanced Scorecard

• Objectives• Attract artists with essential

qualifications

• Initiative• All artists receive customized

training at headquarters• Provide state of the art training

rooms and competitive compensation

• Objectives• Reduce expenses• Maximize ticket sales

• Initiative• Automatization of production leading to lower costs• Buy online tickets• Eliminate animal acts

• Objectives• Improve productivity• Redefine target audience

• Initiative• Automatization of production• Fused art and entertainment to

target mainly educated, opera going adults and families

• Objectives• Retention• Growth• Quality shows

• Initiative• Online surveys for feedback• Create new shows to keep audience satisfied

Customer

Internal Business

Innovation &

LearningFinancial

Mission Statement of IT

“Establish IT Solution requirements to support and enable respective business visions for Cirque du Soleil service and products & work functions requiring significant IT support during the next two to three years.”

Governance Design FrameworkEnterprise Strategy and Organization• Promote

relationships between units

• Improve relations between business and IT partners

IT Governance Arrangements• Guy Laliberté

• Design & budget

• Tech Staff • Responsible for

bringing design to life

Business Performance Goals• Increase ticket

sales• Expand to new

countries/regions• Continue

diversifying commercial activities

• Production alignment

IT Organization and Desirable Behavior• High Tech

Innovation• Standardizing

practices• Strong cross-

boarder relationships

IT Governance Mechanisms• Web-based portal• IT partners

IT Metrics and Accountabilities• Automatization of

ticket sales online• Reduce operation

costs

Innovation

Incorporate new technology into shows Holographic technology New lighting techniques

Portfolio Management Maximize portfolio value

Create shows that are hard to replicate Diversifying risk

Shows in many locations▪ Shows are tailored to different regions that are hosting

performances Providing balance on many dimensions

Creative shows Competitive pricing

Supporting the strategy of the company or unit Keeps audience interest so they’ll attend new shows

Alternative Sourcing

Using an already established online ticket system instead of developing one

Having a vendor manage websiteinstead of doing it in house This lets IT staff focus on shows

Thank you!