Cirque du Soleil's Information Technology Initiatives

Way back in 1984, when Cirque had just around 70 employees and one show, it was fairly easy to manage its operations. Most of the tasks were done with just a phone call or through meetings.

As the company grew, however, several units came into existence, which included show creating, casting, costume designing and creation, ticketing, logistics, merchandizing, human resources, and finance.

The main task of IT was to lend support to all these units by managing equipment, shows, payroll activities, artist management, ticketing, selling, etc...

After all the four phases were implemented, all the employees of Cirque spread all across the world, and even those on the shows that moved from one place to the other had access to the right kind of information. After implementing the systems, it was easier to find a replacement for any artist. If an artist was not able to perform, the program managers could use the database to locate a performer with similar skills within close proximity. In case they found a replacement, they could immediately access the data about his/her past performance and measurements for the dresses, head gear, etc...