ticketing for aoife conference
TRANSCRIPT
Make Your Ticketing Work for You – or How Not to Waste Time, Energy & Cash
A Presentation for AOIFE Conference 2011: The Business of Fun by Sarah Murphy, entertainment.ie
What is a Ticketing System?
A combination of technology, finance & human resources that provides access to events while collecting money & information.
Box Office vs. Ticketing
Cash Complex &
Efficient Finance
Paper Tickets
Variety of Means & Systems
Window Efficient & Ongoing
Relationship
Marketing
Customer Engagement
Financial Transactions
Data Capture
Customer Experience
Ticketing Vocabulary: Finance
Merchant Account
Integrated Payment
Gateways
Realex & ServeBase
PCI Compliance
Ticketing Vocabulary: Technology
Web App Skinning
Deep Linking
XML Feeds
Ticketing Vocabulary: Marketing
Bundle Promotion
Up-Selling Responsive Discounts
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
“the customer service practiced by box office and visitor services representatives, including selling tickets/admission, building membership/ subscribers, ticket-return policies, etc. Also encompasses the software used to keep track of this data.” - www.artsmarketing.org
VAT Issues
• Tickets can be charged at 0,9,21%
• Promoters coming from abroad
• Income threshold
• Theatre Exemption
• More Info: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vat/leaflets/theatrical_musical_events.html
DATA Issues
• Customers must opt in for marketing communication (Best Practice)
• If using outsourced solution be sure to enforce a 3rd party opt in option
• You can email once to invite to opt in
• More info: http://www.dataprotection.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=905&ad=1
Ticketing Systems in Ireland
64 Venues & Festivals responded to A Box Office Survey by Theatre Forum Ireland
2009
% with Commercial vs. Homemade Systems
93%
7%
Commercial
Homemade
Systems by # of users
1
1
1
2
4
4
7
10
34
Ticketmaster
Tessitura
Admit 1
Audience View
Homemade
Central Ticket Buerau
SABO
Ticketsolve
Databox
Of festivals that responded:
8%
8%
8%
9%
50%
17%
Ticketmaster
Audience View
Homemade
CTB
Ticketsolve
Databox
Types of Ticketing Systems
Offline Outsourced
Ticketing Applications
Offline
Largely no longer appropriate in today's market; only suited to the most casual of circumstances.
Offline PLUS
¡ Zero investment
¡ Zero training
¡ No need for merchant account
¡ Can keep accounts “off books” (not advised)
MINUS ¡ No data!!
¡ No security of arrival by reservations
¡ No opportunity to upsell
¡ Safety issues w. cash; no reports
Outsourced
If a festival does not have the resources to staff its own box office or invest in an in-house solution and its integration, this may be the right option.
Outsourced PLUS
¡ Can compensate for your own lack of online presence
¡ Zero upfront investment (in most cases)
¡ Zero training (in most cases)
¡ No need for merchant account
¡ Many benefits of in-house solutions w/o costs
MINUS ¡ Variable relationship to
customer data
¡ Possibility of fees up to 25% of face value
¡ Possibility of delayed payment
¡ Possibility of loss of control of customer service
¡ Variable Response time
Outsourced - Providers
ticketsentertainment.ie
Ticketing Applications
If a festival does have the resources to staff its own box office, invest in the software (if necc) and its integration, this may be the right option.
Ticketing Applications PLUS
¡ Complete Control of set up
¡ Complete access to customer data
¡ Control over customer experience, service
MINUS
¡ Upfront investment for software and hardware can be substantial
¡ HR/ Training/ IT needs
¡ Need for merchant account
Audience View: Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival ¡ All the possible bells and whistles
¡ Possibility of locally or remotely hosted
¡ Expensive set up
¡ High HR spend
DataBox: Project Arts Centre ¡ Software to purchase & install (not web app)
¡ Initial investment is substantial (HR, IT, €)
¡ No automated integrated payment gateways!
¡ Uses tickets.com to do online sales, pay per ticket
¡ No website integration, campaign trackeing (availbe at 2K/yr), no seats selection
¡ No log in for companies / customers
Seat Advisor: West Cork Chamber Music ¡ Reserved seating, merchandise & interval drinks
options
¡ Patron management and individual seat history tracking
¡ Gift certificate generation & management o Season ticket management & online sales
¡ Compatible with Boca & Practical Automation thermal ticket printers
¡ Dublin based IT
¡ Two Price Options: .75€/ tickets OR o 1-3 contracts, i.e. 50K€/ year for 3 years
Tessitura: Abbey Theatre ¡ All the possible bells and whistles
¡ Possibility of locally or remotely hosted
¡ Expensive set up
¡ High HR spend/ IT unique and high needs
¡ From web: “For fairness, annual dues that cover Network costs are apportioned based on size categories of member organizations.”
Ticketsolve - Galway Arts Festival ¡ Low set up cost
¡ Now integrate with Mail Chimp to track e-mail campaigns
¡ Can provide most of bells & whistles
¡ Limited influence over look and feel
Application Research ¡ Failte Ireland Guide to Buying a Box Office
¡ Failte Ireland Guide to Buying a Box Office 2
The Right Fit
¡ What % of your events are for sale?
¡ How many in total? How many seats? Total value?
¡ Compensate for your weaknesses in HR, IT, & €
¡ Look for marketing opportunities
¡ Don’t buy something you can’t staff/ integrate
On the Horizon
On the Horizon
• Social Media Integration (to some extent already there)
• Mobile Ticketing
• App integrations (getting there)
Entertainment.ie/tickets
Entertainment.ie/tickets
• Enhanced exposure on entertainment.ie
• Inclusion in mailings to 100,000 members
• Promotion via Facebook (over 22,000 fans) & Twitter (over 4,700 followers)
• Free advertising on entertainment.ie, other sites and The Irish Times
• Special preferential rates and unique URLs can be agreed if your own online & printed marketing materials link to entertainment.ie/tickets
Entertainment.ie/tickets
THANKS!
Sarah Murphy
01 809 0003
Entertainment.ie/selltickets
Linkedin: Ticketing Professionals Ireland