Leadership / 03.27.24
Derek Palmer’s Ticketing Journey Spans the Olympics, the C-Suite and the Globe
Christine Payne
Derek Palmer
Like so many others in the ticketing industry, Derek Palmer just happened to fall into it, but unlike most, he almost fell right back out.
“A friend of mine was applying for a job answering phones in a call center for a company called Protix and needed a ride to the interview,” he recounts. “When I dropped him off at the interview, the person who was hiring said, ‘Well, do you want a job as well?’ My friend said, ‘Yeah, come on, we will work together for the summer.’”
Derek did not really want the job but decided to go for it anyway. “I ended up getting it and [my friend] didn't, funnily enough, and that is how I got started [in ticketing]. About two weeks in, I almost got fired because I was making too many personal phone calls while I was working. I often think, what would have happened if I had been fired from that job, didn't do ticketing and went and did something else? Fundamentally, the whole idea of me working in ticketing could have been shut down very early on and none of this would have happened.”
The phrase ‘None of this would have happened’ encompasses all that has happened to Derek over a span of three decades and counting, including the time he set out for Australia to start what he calls his “big boy life.”
“I made the decision [in 1999] that I was going to move to the other side of the world, do this massive project, be by myself, and do all those things,” he says.
That massive project was the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
“I remember standing there as all the people were piling in [for the opening ceremonies] and one of the program directors saying he realized that not one of these people would be here if it wasn't for something that you did. It’s not me personally, but the ticketing team, the spectator services team and all the people whose work goes into an event like that,” Derek says. “That was something that struck me and made me realize the enormity of the industry and ticketing and the impact that it directly has on people's lives. I remember the torch lighting and all the athletes coming in. That was just an incredible spectacle to be a part of it.”
Olympic Park on the first day of Athletics competition.
A much younger Derek’s accreditation and other items from the opening ceremonies.
He continues, “The success of those Games, the incredible amount of work pushing people beyond the limits, physically and mentally, to deliver on that was pretty remarkable. I think it set me up for being able to do anything after that.”
Indeed, Derek went on to fill multiple leadership roles with Tickets.com, including Chief Operating Officer and later Managing Director and Executive Vice President, International, based in London, England.
Derek credits much of his career success to David Codiga, a former Executive Vice President of Operations for Tickets.com who is now with Live Nation. He proudly describes David as his mentor.
“More than probably any other person, David helped me smooth out some of the rougher edges of my youth. I learned a lot about being an executive, being a professional, dealing with adversity and at that higher C-suite level of relationship[s] and managing people … He is a fantastic guy and a fantastic friend.”
In turn, Derek has always taken an interest in others with whom he works. He counts his own mentoring efforts among his proudest professional achievements.
“As I get a little older now, I am super proud to see people who came along with me or that I hired, worked with, or mentored and have helped with their careers. [It makes me very proud] to see how successful they have been. I have worked with incredible people who helped me along my journey, so being able to do that now and to see the path ahead of them and their accomplishments is very gratifying.”
One of the things Derek learned early on in his career was the importance of honesty in what is, at heart, a relationship-based industry.
“I think it is easy in all parts of your life to be fake, to say what people want to hear and to present things in the best possible light,” he explains. “That is not what life is. Our industry, in particular, is relationship-based, and as they always say, it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and just a few minutes to ruin it. I have always tried my best to be upfront and honest. I think I have done a decent job of that and … I think people know that they can trust what I say. I am a straight shooter and I'm not going to make a bunch of promises that I can't deliver.”
But Derek would be the first to concede that delivering on promises sometimes requires a certain degree of flexibility, a quality he admires in colleagues. As he notes, this career and the ticketing world are not a “straight line.”
“We find ourselves having to do different things every day, face different challenges … and come up with solutions that might fit for one organization or group of people, but absolutely would not fit for the other,” he says. “So, being creative, flexible and thoughtful in what we are trying to accomplish and not being so rigid is important.”
Among his many memorable career moments, Derek lists the time when Tickets.com was acquired by Major League Baseball Advanced Media in 2005.
“I was out in Costa Mesa at the corporate offices and all the baseball execs were coming in to talk about what this all meant and all the transition talks,” he recalls. “I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with one of the executives from baseball. He said, ‘I don't know you and I don't know exactly what you do, but people tell me you're really good at it, so please keep doing that.’ And I said, ‘OK, I'll do that.’ That resonated with me. Prior to that, I remember working very closely with a bunch of baseball teams and being lucky enough to do that. I joke that when I came back from Australia, I got on a plane in 2001 and I don't think I got off one until 2003, just going around and trying to make that deal between baseball and Tickets.com work as smoothly as possible, with obviously an incredible cast of people working and supporting it. That jumps out to me in my mind.”
So does the day he got to run with the Olympic torch, this time at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
Derek with his mother during the 2010 Olympics torch run.
“As part of that, I was able to keep the torch,” he says. “It is a great symbol of my career and working in the industry. It is also something that obviously not a lot of people have had the opportunity to do. I've been able to bring the torch into my kids’ schools when they are learning about the Olympics, sporting events or different things like that. That's a pretty cool thing.”
Having been in the industry for more than 30 years, Derek also treasures the many passes, ticket stubs and other mementos he has from “an untold number of events” that he has been able to attend. One in particular stands out in his mind.
“I don't recall the year, but it was in the early ‘90s, and I was at a private after-hours show at the 930 Club where Prince came after he had played a big show that night in Washington, D.C. About 30 or 40 of us got invited. Prince came on and played all the instruments by himself and did covers and his own music as well. It was absolutely amazing. He was an incredibly talented musician.”
When it comes to music, Derek has rather eclectic taste.
“I love classical music, country, jazz, blues, heavy metal, everything. I think going to live events is the greatest thing in the world. There is nothing [else] that pulls together complete strangers for a couple of hours and makes them love each other because they have this thing in common, so that's an overarching comment. I love Led Zeppelin. Growing up, I thought it was an incredible sound and band. More recently, I am extremely impressed by Taylor Swift and how she handles herself and manages her business. She puts on an amazing show. I've been lucky enough to see her a couple of times. My daughters are massive fans.”
Given his involvement with the Olympics over the years, it is no surprise that Derek is also an enthusiastic sports fan.
“When I lived in England, we ticketed Chelsea Football Club as well as a number of other sports teams,” he says. “I used to love to go to Stamford Bridge [stadium] and watch Chelsea play all the time. They became our family soccer club that we supported while we were there and still do to this day.”
Derek says, “I'm [also] a big University of Michigan fan, so I was pleased that they won the national championship this past year. My favorite athlete of all time is Steve Yzerman, who played for the Detroit Red Wings. He's now the Executive Vice President and General Manager. He was an incredible player who was in the game at a time when Gretzky and Lemieux were playing, so he didn't necessarily get all the accolades. I had the opportunity to meet him in Pittsburgh after he retired when the Red Wings were playing the Penguins in the Stanley Cup, which they ended up winning.”
Part of Derek’s winning formula in the ticketing industry has been his longtime involvement with INTIX.
Derek speaking at INTIX 2020 in New York City.
“I got involved with INTIX before it was INTIX, back when it was BOMI,” he says. “I was encouraged to do that by the company I worked for at the time, Protix … While I was not as active as I could or should have been at the beginning of my career, I'm very proud of the work I've done later on.”
That work includes being the first to be a non-U.S.-based board chair and to hold a board meeting outside North America when he was Board Chair based in London. “I have always been a big fan of putting the ‘IN’ of ‘international’ back in INTIX because I feel like that was missing,” he says. “I am super excited to see that continues to grow every year ... [I’m also proud that] I was part of the search committee that brought us Maureen Andersen, which certainly worked out very well. I think it has transformed the association.”
He continues, “I was immensely proud of being Board Chair. That's not something I thought would ever happen. As Russ Stanley said this past year, those were the cool kids of the industry. I was kind of on the periphery, but I found that once I participated more and added more of myself, I really enjoyed it. The fact that I was able to do that with some of the absolute titans of our industry, who have been … mentors and leaders for decades and decades before me, and I see the people coming after me, [was amazing]. I am very, very proud of that.”
Derek says he especially likes the give and take involved in being a member of INTIX.
“There is that camaraderie and connection to people that may come from entirely different walks of life, different organizations, different regions, different anything. But similar to being a fan of an artist or a team, when you get together, you have something pretty significant in common because you have chosen to work in this field and to be a part of this thing that's larger than you. By and large, there is a deep respect for everyone who does wear the badge, for lack of a better term. As I get older, or as I've been around a bit, I feel like I'm in a position to give back more now. I try to be very open and available to people just getting into the industry or even people who have been around the industry for a long time and to help make the industry better,” he says. “I'll listen to anyone's idea. I'll talk to any company that I think is trying to make things better, trying to make the industry better for everyone, and see if I can help them. I know a lot of people in this space, and I feel like I have done a good job in helping to connect people and build partnerships and relationships and things like that. So, I guess what I get out of that is a feeling of satisfaction and leaving the industry better than I found it.”
After Derek left Tickets.com in 2018, he returned to the U.S. He spent a couple of years as Chief Operating Officer for Qcue in Austin, Texas, before taking on his current position as Chief Revenue Officer for Project Admission.
“Qcue ended up being acquired by On Location, so I moved on from that perfectly amicably,” Derek says. “What I love about [Project Admission] and the CEO, Stephen Glicken, [is that] he has two phrases that resonate with me. One is we're a bunch of ticketing and tech nerds who got together to try and make the industry better. I love the concept that we are not a ticketing company, we are not a feature, we are not anything like that. What we are is an idea solutions company. We are trying to find places where we can apply technology, processes and things to make the industry better for everyone.”
Derek continues, “The other phrase he uses that I like is that … for us to be successful, other people don't have to lose. It doesn't have to be zero sum and we don't have to be disruptive or destructive to other people's businesses for us to be successful. We can be good citizens in this space and good people, maintain that north star of trying to do the right thing the right way, and still be successful. I think that is important, not just in business but in life. It is something that I have believed in. To find a group of people who all work under that kind of thought and banner is truly gratifying, and I really enjoy it.”
To say that Derek has enjoyed his three-decades-long career would be an understatement. Looking back on everything he has been a part of, he couldn’t imagine having done anything else in his life.
“We are truly lucky to work in this industry. No offense to widgets, but we are not selling widgets. We sell experiences, we sell passion, we sell love. We sell all the emotions about going to a live event and sitting there and watching, whether it is a kid seeing their first concert or a dad seeing their team win the championship for the first time,” Derek says. “Whatever it is, that experience and that light in the eye, or the tear in the eye in the case of the loss, is unmatched. It is not something that I think can be replicated in other industries.”
He adds, “We talk about fans. Fan comes from fanatic. That's what these people are. They are fanatics, and they are incredibly passionate about what they support and what they're willing to do to go see their favorite performer or favorite team … Being a part of that and then being able to participate in seeing the results of it is pretty special.”
Ticketing and live events is not a 9-to-5 industry, emphasizes Derek.
“This is a 24-hour industry. This is a nights, weekends and holidays industry. We are in the entertainment business. We may not be up on the stage singing, swinging the bat, or doing things like that, but if we don't do what we do, the people who come … [are] not there. Maureen loves to say we are the magic behind the button, and I think she hit [the nail] on the head. There are so many times when I try to explain to people what ticketing is and it is hard to describe, but it is everything. It's all the planning, execution and the after work. It never stops. I find that to be amazing. I feel truly lucky to be a part of this industry.”
Despite the long hours and commitment to the job at hand, Derek also understands the importance of life balance and treasures the time he spends with his friends and family.
L-R: Derek’s wife Candice, daughters Willa and Cordelia, and Derek on a recent family trip to Hawaii.
“I have a small group of friends and we truly care about each other,” he says. “I have friends who were in my wedding. I was in their weddings, and we have been around for kids being born now,” he says. “Twenty years ago, we were young and crazy, but we have always stuck together. We like incredibly different things but always seem to have that connection, that deep bond of friendship, loyalty and deeply caring about each other.”
Derek’s family is the greatest love of his life.
“I have a wonderful wife, Candice. We've been married for 16 years. She has put up with an awful lot. I have moved her around the world because of my career,” he says.
Derek and Candice have two children — Cordelia and Willa. As big Shakespeare fans, Derek reveals that he and his wife named their girls with their favorite author in mind. “Cordelia [is] the only good daughter in all of Shakespeare. My daughter Willa, if she had been a boy, would have been William. Willa is the feminine version of William for Shakespeare as well. We also recently adopted a puppy and named him Romeo.”
Derek says, “Cordelia was born in the States, and Willa was born in England. They are amazing children. Each day, I am more and more amazed by them. They have incredible interests and great leadership qualities and are growing up to be fantastic humans. I couldn't be prouder of my family.”
L-R: Cordelia, Candice and Willa at an Olivia Rodrigo concert.
Derek adds, “[Nothing brings me more joy] than watching my kids interact with the world … I played drums growing up and was in a band … Now, my daughter Cordelia is becoming quite an accomplished flute player. She is excited about joining the marching band in high school next year. She loves music. Seeing her perform, there aren't really words for it. My other daughter, while she plays an instrument as well — tuba, of all things — has become incredibly passionate about playing basketball. She is really good at it, which is amazing because I am horrific. Neither my wife nor I have ever played basketball. We don't know where this comes from. She gets so excited by it. Seeing the passion for what they love in their eyes and talking about it and going to see them fills me with immense pride.”
As Derek responded to the questions for this article, one could hear the tinkling of wind chimes in the background. This, too, proved to be a powerful expression of family pride.
“It is something special,” he says. “It was a gift from my father-in-law after my mother passed away. It is the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ that plays as a reminder for her. It hangs outside on my deck, so I hear it every day … It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture and gift. It is particularly windy today, so as I like to say, she's very active today.”
This was not the only reflective moment in our interview with Derek. When asked what he might wish for if he were given the proverbial three wishes, he had only one.
“I wish my dad would have lived a little longer. He died back in 1999, right before I went to Australia, when I made the decision that I was going to move to the other side of the world and do this massive project and be by myself and do all those things. I wish he could have seen that. I think he would have laughed hilariously at what a non-impact Y2K was. He was an engineer, so he loved math and different things like that. I think of him seeing everyone getting all worked up about how the world was going to end and having it be basically nothing [and how that] would have would have made him chuckle considerably. I wish he would have seen what I have grown into and that he would have met my family.”
Given the immense pride that Derek exudes at both the professional and personal level, we wondered what advice he might give himself if he could go back in time.
“Make sure you appreciate what's happening,” he says. “Take it in a bit more. When I was younger, I traveled a lot for work. I was able to do pretty incredible, amazing things and work with amazing organizations around the world. I think it is only now with a little perspective [that] I can look back on them and truly appreciate how they shaped me as a person ... Sometimes, in the moment, you are just doing it, and you don't take into consideration the impact and all the things that are going on, or that go into it.”
It is clear that Derek appreciates everything in his life very much these days. At the same time, the ticketing community is forever thankful for the significant impact he continues to make.
You May Also Like
Want news like this delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to the Access Weekly newsletter, your ticket to industry excellence.
Tags: Leadership , GTKY