Ticket Sales
Wed, 29 Aug 2007, 07:17 amjeffhansen15 posts in thread
Ticket Sales
Wed, 29 Aug 2007, 07:17 amWhat's going on in Perth?
Why the move to using a ticketing agency such as BOCS for amateur theatre productions?
Earlier this year I saw JCS at Marloo, And had to book through BOCS. The performance was oversubscribed, and extra seats were brought in and placed in the aisles.
Now I see Harbour are using them for their one act season.
Is it because companies can't find someone to take on the task? Surely within a clubs membership there is someone capable/willing to do it.
I guess it does stop the problem of no-shows, as you have to pay upfront - is this the reason?
It does add a slug to the cost of the ticket. If you're paying $100 to see Phantom, then $6 isn't much in relative terms, but on top of an $18 ticket it seems excessive.
Any answers?
Most people will forget
Wed, 29 Aug 2007, 09:35 amMost people will forget that it costs money to have a dedicated phone line as a bookings operation. It also costs money to have someone do the bookings, keep track of any sales, and print out tickets. Outsourcing this means that a production does not have the extra worry of doing it themselves, and can ensure that it is done properly. You don't have to worry about someone on the cast/crew using a mobile phone or home phone/answering machine, you have access to the ticketing agent's mailing list, and the service pays for itself (by having fees).
Yes, it's a drag for audience members, and even companies don't want to see the fees going to the agency (I'm sure most cast and crew would rather the money go back into the company/production). But for something that is extremely time-consuming, it may actually be a good thing to hand over ticket operations to an outside party.
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