Box Office

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

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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 …

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Be A Part Of The Solution: Vaccination Requirements

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Insisting on verifiable vaccination status to attend concert events is becoming policy at an increasing number of nonprofit performing arts venues. One of the latest is the Walt Disney Concert Hall, owned and operated by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. While the decision to require patrons be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative coronavirus test over a specific number of hours carries risk, it’s still the best decision groups can …

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When Was The Last Time You Trusted An Organization To Pick Your “Best Seats Available”

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Anyone who has purchased a choose-your-own seat ticket to a performing arts event has probably seen the obligatory “Best Seats Available” option. In theory, its purpose is to assist ticket buyers who aren’t familiar with the venue to select good seats, but the reality is it’s a way to push seats an organization wants to unload or to keep people from being spread out too much in an undersold hall. From …

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Seat Selection Survey Results. So. Many. Hurdles.

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It’s no secret that even the best marketing campaigns are worthless if something prevents your target from completing the transaction. Consequently, the more we know about those hurdles, the better. For most performing arts organizations, allowing ticket buyers to select their own seats is a strong selling point. But if online buyers find that process frustrating, that strength becomes a weakness. To that end, the more the sector as a whole …

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Are You Thinking About Ticket Fees?

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I just want to kick off this topic by posting a Tweet thread from the always sharp Lisa Hirsch, better known to some as the author of The Iron Tongue Of Midnight. Lisa has routinely tracked how organizations assign and deal with fees so it comes as no surprise to see she’s approaching this subject from a post-pandemic ticket buyer perspective. I'm suddenly reminded, after a year of not complaining about …

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