Show Of Hands: Who Is Interested In On-Demand Ticket Printing?

H/T Michael Granados for posting a link to a blog post by on-demand ticketing provider WW&L where they espouse the benefits of on-demand event ticketing. Nutshell: instead of paying for ticket printers, stock, and related labor costs, performing arts organizations can outsource the entire thing to a third-party provider.

I’ve had a number of conversations with colleagues over the years about this idea and while there are a few groups like WW&L providing this service, it’s never seemed like more than a peripheral service.

For groups that have already invested in hardware that is far from its end-of-life cycle, there’s less immediate benefit but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth considering. Now that I’m looking at this from the perspective of a CRM Ticketing provider where users are more likely to consider new hardware purchases along with starting a new service, it’s certainly an idea worth considering.

For example, my company’s platform is a digital first ticketing solution. That doesn’t mean we don’t have the ability to offer print solutions, rather, we allocate our design and development resources to providing a superior digital experience for ticket buyers.

At the same time, I fully acknowledge there will always be a segment of ticket buyers that prefer print tickets. But as that ratio decreases, the decision to invest in hardware becomes a more fluid process. Many smaller to mid-size budget groups finding themselves in a position to handle ticketing directly could also benefit from the service by offloading cost and learning curve pain points.

I have not seen WW&L’s offerings but the idea of charging a service fee for ticket buyers opting into a print option is a good way to cover potential costs. And with the ability to provide both standard and VIP packaging options, it provides a way to create something like a traditional subscription package more special with the addition of higher quality tickets and upscale packaging.

I’m curious to hear from anyone that’s used an on-demand ticket printing service. What was/is your experience like? Do you utilize standard and/or upscale stock and packaging?