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Extending Your Ticketing Sales Channel
From ticketing kiosks to Facebook, more and more theatres are maximizing sales by making it more convenient for their patrons to purchase tickets anytime and anywhere
When selling anything, making the process quick and easy is a no-brainer. Customers need to feel that their transaction is safe, convenient and hassle-free. For already overloaded ticket sales staffs, though, making this happen in multiple locations 24/7 can be quite a juggling act.
That’s why many theatres are turning to unique and creative ways to make it simple for theatre patrons get those tickets in hand. As technology marches forward, box offices have more and more options at their disposal. And theatre box office and marketing personnel are learning that the key to attracting new audiences may just be making tickets available to purchase where they frequent.
Do You Make Buying Tickets a Challenge?
Have you ever tried to buy tickets from your own theatre? Now try to get into the lifestyle habits of your key customer groups. When do they purchase tickets? How do they prefer to purchase and by which payment method?
Try secret shopping some of the other venues in your area-not just theatre--how would you rate the difficulty level with which to buy tickets? How does that compare to your theatre? Many theatres feel that since they have a box office with staggered hours of operation and a 24/7 Web site with online ticketing that they have made it easy for patrons to purchase when they want to-but is it?
To learn more about your audience ticket purchasing experiences be sure to ask them informally and through regular customer satisfaction surveys. Once you gather the data, assess what the issues are and act on the information they provided. You may need to alter your box office hours of operation to be more accommodating to working adults or students. Perhaps you can simplify the online ticket purchasing experience with fewer clicks to purchase tickets and reassurance that the patron’s credit card information and privacy is protected.
Once you have offered the best possible ticket purchasing experience, start to assess and test alternate channels to sell tickets.
Festivals Find Flexibility
With hundreds of performances each June for the D.C. based Capital Fringe Festival, ticketing for this theatregoer’s dream could have easily become a nightmare. Julianne Brienza, executive director of the festival, said that when they first started the event, the idea of ticketing seemed cumbersome and nearly impossible. With over 19,000 tickets sold for over 100 performances in 18 days, you can see why this might be a challenge. The Capital Fringe Festival wanted to be able to sell tickets quickly and painlessly online while offering patrons the options of paying ahead of time and choosing the shows as the festival progressed.
Brienza called TheaterMania and they were able to create a system that works perfectly for a festival. Patrons can purchase their flex-tickets online in any number of ways; organizers can track overall sales and marketing trends; and each performing group can log on and track how their individual event is selling. TheaterMania also offers the promotional muscle to get the word out including listings, editorial coverage and free email newsletters with special offers to its subscribers. News of your show can further be promoted by you using their online marketing tools and phone support service.
Gretchen Shugart, CEO of TheaterMania, explains that this type of ticketing has been popular and successful with the various festivals they service, including those for musical theatre and film.
Geraldine O’Brien of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau said that their annual “Free Night at the Theatre” festival has also been very successful. Each production gives away approximately 20 tickets, providing somewhere around 4,000 available tickets in one night. Through the bureau’s web site, patrons can login and register for the free tickets.
While giving away tickets for free may seem like a poor investment, O’Brien said that the theatres definitely get a return on their investment because the majority of those who attend “Free Night” are first time theatregoers.
Social Channeling
Leaning toward a different type of ticketing solution, the folks at TicketLeap.com have added a twist to their online ticketing solution by offering software that can be plugged into any Facebook profile. Tickets can be sold through the free profile for a per-ticket fee; patrons can be stored as ‘friends’ of the theatre; and reminders and purchase invites can be sent.
For a smaller outfit that does not have a large marketing budget or pre-existing web site, using TicketLeap on Facebook could be a quick way to promote upcoming shows and sell tickets, according to Christopher Stanchak, president of TicketLeap.com. With the growing popularity of online communities-especially among the younger generations-a social ticketing option could benefit any theatre looking to expand its customer base.
TicketLeap is also working on an affiliate program that would allow friends of the theatre to sell tickets through their own web site or Facebook profile, for which they would earn a small percentage. Similar to other ticketing systems, Ticketleap does not charge for setup or a monthly fee-simply a per-transaction fee starting at $1 based on the price of the ticket. Charles said this type of social networking sale has proven successful for other industries and could become a great resource for theatre managers who are willing to think outside of the box.
In efforts to expand their online ticketing presence, some theatre companies and event promoters are getting involved with an American Express program that offers preferential treatment to card members with “Entertainment Access.” Card members with this option can often get advance tickets or tickets to already-sold-out shows.
The events and activities available through “Entertainment Access” range from Broadway plays to Nascar events, restaurant reservations and exclusive club access. Cardholders are able to subscribe to a newsletter that lists upcoming events and available tickets. American Express also offers the Event Protection Plan that provides up to $1,000 reimbursement twice a year if members cannot attend a performance.
Tickets Via Cell Phones
Taking ticketing to a whole new cyber level is the Edinburgh, Scotland-based company Mobiqa that delivers tickets directly to patrons’ cellular phones. This type of ticketing comes in the form of a bar code delivered as an image or text file that can be scanned or entered by theatre staff upon arrival.
Mobiqa’s Nicola Wee said that there are a number of benefits associated with mobile ticketing. “Mobile tickets are delivered instantly, straight to the patron’s mobile phone so they don’t have to worry about them getting lost or turning up on time, and they can be cancelled and re-issued if accidentally deleted. Theatregoers don’t have to queue up at the box office to get hold of their tickets and are free to spend more time at the theatre’s bars and restaurants,” Wee said.
Not only can mobile ticketing make the ticketing process simple for the patron, it also reduces operational costs associated with last minute changes or lost tickets. In addition to receiving a return on their investment, theatres can also generate additional revenues through marketing and advertising opportunities that can be leveraged through mobile ticketing. Mobile tickets can double up as a coupon or voucher for use at the theatre’s bars and restaurants.
In the vein of Mobiqa, TicketFusion of Raleigh, N. C., is also currently developing technology that would allow cellular phone ticket delivery sometime this year.
Matthew Beekman, president of TicketFusion, said that while the technology will likely become the standard in the future, there are some limitations. Beekman said that any new technology relies heavily on the technical savvy of the patrons as well as the theatre staff. In addition, cellular phone scanning equipment can be quite expensive and could encounter problems with phones not new enough to work with the technology.
Kiosks: The Next Big Thing?
When talking about convenient sales, one cannot help but think of the growing number of kiosks in nearly every industry. Whether it is your bank’s ATM, a pay station for your cellular phone, or renting movies from the Redbox at McDonalds, kiosks are becoming a lucrative resource for many companies.
Beekman discussed TicketFusion’s planned move into kiosks as a natural extension of the software and hardware currently used in their customers’ box offices. The company’s first kiosks will be deployed to a few locations early this year. Similar to the box office interface, the kiosks will be easy-to-use touch screens networked so that tickets sales can occur and be updated in real time.
Besides being a natural extension of their current products, kiosks are slowly becoming an industry standard, according to Beekman. “Over the years, the industry has been screaming about them,” he asserts.
However, the idea of kiosks and their practical application are two different things. “There are a host of problems that can arise. The technology has to overcome human factors like vandalism and operator error in order to be useful,” Beekman said.
San Francisco’s O’Brien feels that while kiosks may seem like a great idea when thinking about satellite ticket sales, it all depends on the location. A performing arts and museum ticket kiosk at the Moscone Convention Center was removed after a year for lack of use.
“The TIX Bay Area booth on Union Square still does very well, but it’s a heavy traffic area,” O’Brien said. That location also offers half-price for any tickets available the night of the performance, which contributes to its popularity. She indicated that the Bureau may consider other remote locations in the future, but as of now none have been decided upon.
Dean Jewell, national sales manager for kiosk ticket manufacturer PTI (Printing Technologies, Inc.), said that he has seen kiosks become more and more widely used, whether for a bridal registry, trade shows or hotel checkout. It is only natural that theatre managers and event staff would begin to consider the convenience of kiosks.
The advantage of a kiosk, Jewell said, is “ease, speed, convenience-the same reasons self-serve gas pumps are appealing. You can get a quick receipt, and it’s all electronic record keeping, so theoretically there’s less room for error.” In addition, Jewell said that tickets can be consecutively numbered, and theatre information can be pre-printed on the paper to ensure the customer gets all the information needed at the time of purchase.
But what about the human factor? Jewell agreed that kiosks, however useful, can also be cold and automatic. Sometimes, though, people just want to make a quick, convenient purchase and get on with their day.
Starting Locally with Partners
And sometimes that human factor can have a huge influence on whether a transaction occurs or not. Building partnerships with the local chamber of commerce, museums, hotels, credit unions, PTAs and church groups may extend your sales channel and give you an implied endorsement from the group selling your tickets. Whatever the sales channels it becomes increasingly important to be able to handle the transaction when and where your patron wants it.
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