Posts filed under ‘box office’
We believe that we own the tickets we buy, but do we?
I have been watching this movement with interest since the start of the year.
The Fan Freedom Project rails against the “new restrictive paperless ticketing technologies under the guise of innovation and convenience.“
It is the terms and conditions that are now being applied to paperless tickets that the Fan Freedom Project sees as restrictive:
Two types of paperless ticketing, both of which have negative implications for fans of live events:
- Restricted transfer (closed-loop system administered by the ticket agent)
- Prohibition of ticket transfer (ticket tied to one credit card or ID)
While I applaud the sentiment and the call to action for change, I am not so sure about the statement – “We the fans believe we own the tickets we buy.” My understanding is that a ticket is just a licence to attend an event at a specific location, date and time (and maybe seating location). Does the consumer really own it and own what? Any opinions?
Take a look at the infographic for a quick summary of the issues.
1 March, 2011 at 1:06 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
Does Facebook & Social Media really fuel ticket sales?
Some interesting stats by way of a case study in Ticketfly: Facebook really does fuel ticket sales
- “In Jan 2011, Ticketfly sold 3.25 tickets for every Facebook share/tweet
- Facebook is Ticketfly’s top referrer at roughly 9% of total traffic“
However, I am not so sure of the liklihood of the following ‘giant killer’ analogy … “San Francisco startup Ticketfly aims to take on concert ticketing giant Ticketmaster. Its main weapon? Social networking.“
On the subject of proof of Facebook and other Social Media to impact ticket sales refer to an earlier FULLHOUSES post Proof: How social media sold a theatre ticket on Facebook
28 February, 2011 at 9:34 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Convenience Fees – convenient for whom and for what?
I am mystified by Cirque du Soleil charging fees on top of ticket prices.
On the website it states “Convenience fees and Delivery fees apply“. One does have to 
ask why?!
Cirque du Soleil own the show, they own the venue (the tent) and they have their own ticketing system. So why are the prices not all in?
Is it that it purely convention (courtesy of Fred Rosen and Ticketmaster in the 70′s & 80′s) to fleece the consumer with added outside charges?
I would have thought a company reknowned for innovation like Cirque du Soleil (even OutBox is described as a “ground-breaking platform“) would have taken the opportunity to innovate in pricing, let alone break some new ground with customer service.
As mentioned previously in A not so well kept secret has been let ‘out the box’, Fred Rosen the CEO of Outbox used to be CEO of Ticketmaster.
Fred Rosen has stated “Simply put, there is no longer a need for a middle man in this business“, but why is there still a ‘need’ for archaic opportunistic price gouging with additional fees that are of “convenience” to the middle man the ticket seller?
By way of example, looking at the Cirque du Soleil show OVO in Frisco (Dallas Area), TX
If you buy 2 seats near the front that is US$125.00 each. That totals, US$250.00 BUT on top of that is $32 fees!
This comprises 2 x “Convenience Fees” @ US$13.50 = US$27.00
Then “Delivery Fees” on top of that e-Ticket add US$5.00 and for Will Call add US$7.00
That is 12.8% added on top.
You will be pleased to know that taxes are included!
Read more about Cirque du Soleil, AEG and Outbox – AEG, Cirque du Soleil and Jean-Francoys Brousseau-owned Outbox Technology and Fredric D. Rosen to Form Joint Venture to Provide Electronic Ticketing Solutions
8 February, 2011 at 1:12 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 2 comments
A not so well kept secret has been let ‘out the box’
We always expected Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) take the opportunity to go its own way with ticketing. Particularly as it is #2 to Live Nation, now owners of Ticketmaster.
It is not surprising that AEG chose not to Ticketmaster’s system, surely this is an endictment of the decision and logic of the antitrust regulators?
AEG has entered a joint venture called Outbox Enterprises. Fred Rosen, former Ticketmaster CEO who steered Ticketmaster to dominance in the 80′s and 90′s, is the new venture’s CEO. Outbox originates from Canada and is responsible for the sexy Cirque du Soleil online ticketing interface written about in FULLHOUSES last year.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the industry takes to the ‘white label‘ model that Outbox offers, removing the need for a central ticket agent online brand selling directly from the venue or event owners website. Is it the end of the agent middleman?
“This isn’t about trying to go out there and build a whole new brand around the name Outbox, … This is about service.” AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke
4 February, 2011 at 12:52 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 3 comments
Turning bytes into nuggets
According to Davies and Botkin, data when arranged meaningfully for a purpose becomes information which when put in context becomes knowledge.
The trouble is that the manner in which data is set up and collected in many ticketing systems has not been arranged to portray meaning easily. Inconsistent and non-standardised entry of data at event set up is a common problem.
In Turning Bytes into Nuggets Jenny Scudamore of Baker Richards explains how essential it is to code data meaningfully to provide valuable information to inform decisions.
29 November, 2010 at 11:11 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Audience Development: Focusing on the audience at the core of your organisation
“If all bookers for the arts in a one year period were seated in a single theatre only 54% of the seats would be filled with bo
okers retained from the last two years.“
Encouraging a larger more strategic approach to Audience Development, Audiences NI has released an “Audience Development Manifesto” with the publication of Audience Development: Focusing on the audience at the core of your organisation.
I like the definition of Audience Development from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland:
“Audience development involves the identification, engagement and retention of audiences. It is a planned and strategic management function aimed at delivering organisational objectives. Audience development sets out to affect a change in the attitudes, understanding and behaviour of both existing and potential audiences. It seeks to remove barriers, deepen relationships with audiences and create greater inclusion in the arts.“
The free publication available online includes a precis of what good audience development looks like:
11. “We plan our audience development as an inter-disciplinary organisation; we don’t just leave it to an individual or department.“
… and what bad audience development looks like.
14. ” We see audience development as additional work that is hard to find the time to do, but have to tick the box. “
Like this:
26 November, 2010 at 4:34 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
A Serious Competitor for TicketMaster?
Outbox Technology Inc. plans to announce, former Ticketmaster Chief Executive (1982-98), Fred Rosen as the CEO of a new U.S. subsidiary, Outbox Enterprises LLC. You may remember the seven part interview with Rosen that was featured on FULL HOUSES last year.
The new company is a partnership among the Canadian company, Mr. Rosen and Cirque du Soleil Inc., for which Outbox has provided the ticketing technology for several years.
“Instead of listing and selling tickets for thousands of events on a single, centralized website, the new company plans to offer a so-called white-label service that will enable clients such as concert venues, festivals and sports teams to sell tickets to consumers directly from their own websites.“
“The middle-man model is dead, … You have to evolve.” says Rosen
Whilst it is great to see another option that is allowing producers to deal directly with their customers and via a pretty sexy interface as well, the challenge is still to get past the barrier of venue exclusive ticketing contracts. It was easier for Cirque du Soleil to get past that handicap as they controlled the venue, in many instances their own tent.
READ FULL ARTICLE ONLINE Ticketmaster Ex-CEO to Lead a New Rival>>
12 October, 2010 at 8:15 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 3 comments
Hang on … who runs the venue – The venue management or Ticketmaster?
It may be me being thick, but this article seems to continue the confusion over who runs a venue, who hires the venue and owns the act and who is just an agent.
This article would be amusing if it were not for the large number of annoyed customers and fans judging by the comments.
Just because you can gouge some customers does not mean you should disadvantage all customers. This is a shortsighted tactic that hopefully will be discouraged by consumer backlash.
Or am I just being naive?
Some classic quotes for your amusement:
“Ticketmaster, the official ticket agency for the O2, tells fans that using “market-based pricing” for tickets will give them a better chance of seeing their favourite groups than using set prices.“
“The most expensive price of all – £675.03 for a pair of tickets in block A1 – was charged by Simply Red, the Mancunian band fronted by Mick Hucknall, the Labour-supporting singer whose songs include ‘Money’s Too Tight (To Mention)’.“
Why do we charge £200 a ticket? Because the touts do, says the O2
30 September, 2010 at 3:50 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
Do Trends in the Travel Sector Holds Clues for Entertainment?
“History shows that the travel sector, more than most others, is at the mercy of the global economic tide, growing slightly faster than the economy in boom periods, falling slightly more than the economy during the downturns.” I wonder if entertainment responds similarly?
“Traditional cabin classes to be replaced by “virtual classes” as individual traveller preferences create a personalised experience. The future of the aircraft cabin is set to go through significant changes as customers are able to share their preferences with airlines and airlines will be expected to meet their individual needs leading to the decline of traditional cabin classes.” Looks like another example of simple segmentation not cutting the mustard, let alone ‘one size fits all’. More one to one marketing is likely to be demanded and that is increasingly technically feasible with information enabled relationship marketing.
“64% of people believe it is very likely that they will be booking the bulk of their travel online by 2015 (Fast Future 2009).“ The rates of adoption we are seeing with online ticketing for entertainment would suggest that the majority of entertainment will be booked online in the very near future.
“Agents are likely to reinvent their role as bespoke travel advisors and as a trusted source of information.“ Similarly, entertainment ticketing agents must become advisors and trusted sources of information moving beyond the current purely transactional focus. If not, here is another reason why the ticket agent is a dinosaur that has outlived its purpose.
“Agents to focus on industry niches and expert advice in the future. Their customer offer will focus on ensuring that their clients are assisted across the entirety of the travel experience.“
In discussing some of the possibilities to generate more revenue, ancillary revenues are mooted: “À la carte Ancillary Services, products and services which were previously included in the ticket price such as checked baggage/ sports equipment, seat assignment, priority boarding, in-flight meals, snacks, beverages and pillows. This also covers totally new added value services such as “elite security” lanes or guaranteed exit row seats.” I find this interesting as it suggests offering and being charged for extra services i.e. augmenting the basic service offered. Maybe entertainment could learn from this. However an important distinction is that this is charging for extra services, not just charging extra fees for “convenience” or “print at home tickets”! If entertainment could learn one thing from travel let’s hope it is getting rid of additional and annoying fees.
“It is likely that successful agents will exploit their traditional role as information aggregators – saving time and money for their clients. However, this is dependent on their willingness to embrace and work with new technologies rather than against them.“
Thanks to Roger Tomlinson for putting me on to this report.
READ FULL REPORT ONLINE The Travel Gold Rush 2020>>
27 September, 2010 at 12:42 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
More than 1/2 online ticketing websites may breach consumer laws
More than half of online ticketing websites scrutinised in a sweep coordinated by the European Commission appeared to breach consumer laws. Common issues included: “missing, incomplete and misleading information about prices charged“, and “the imposition of unfair terms and conditions“.
“Regulators from the 27 European Union countries, Norway and Iceland investigated 414 sites, and 247 rang alarm-bells … These will now be probed further by enforcement authorities to verify whether they broke any laws.“
READ FULL ARTICLE ONLINE Ticket websites breaking EU laws>>
17 September, 2010 at 12:18 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
