Leadership / 06.05.24

Giving It the Ol’ College Try at Campus Ticket Offices, Part 1

Teddy Durgin

You’ve heard of “giving it the ol’ college try?” Well, many of our INTIX members are doing just that, working college and university ticket offices and having a fun and rewarding time doing so. Some even started in college box offices and learned valuable skills that became the foundation for successful careers.

One such industry pro is Stephanie Tancredi, Box Office Manager at California State University, Fullerton. She was a sophomore when she was hired to sell tickets at Cal State Fullerton. There, she says she learned “multitasking, conflict resolution and problem solving — especially under pressure!”

She also learned the early workings of good work-life balance, especially considering she was also a commuter and a full-time student.

She recalls, “The night and weekend hours were perfect so I could concentrate on classes during the week and could be flexible enough that I didn’t have to miss the important personal things.”

Courtney Files, Business Development Manager for VBO Tickets, also began her career in her college’s ticket office. She is especially thankful for the communication skills she learned during that time. “Interacting with customers taught and helped me develop strong verbal and written communication skills,” she says. It also helped her become a top-notch problem solver. “Addressing customer issues and complaints and resolving ticketing issues enhanced my ability to think quickly and find effective solutions,” she says.

Many of those interviewed for this article currently work on various campuses, either selling tickets to their college’s sporting events or for their school’s plays, concerts and other arts programming.

One such person is Richard Moraskie, Assistant Director, Ticketing Services for the University of Denver’s Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts. He especially enjoys working with his student-employees.

He says, “Most of our employees are students at the music school. The most valuable thing they learn is how to deal with customers and the general public. In many cases, these are the same people they want to perform in front of after they graduate. The job of ticket agent can really help them mature as young adults. They also learn a little about the business side of music and the arts, which can be eye-opening for them. They have a better understanding of the economics of the arts and entertainment fields they’d like to make a living at.”

Holly Bobo, Assistant Manager of the Duke University Box Office, enjoys the diversity of students who help her fill seats. “In my two years, I have seen so many students, who come from a wide range of majors, thrive working with us,” she says. “We have ‘taken a chance on’ many students who are quiet, shy, never picked up an office phone, or aren't completely confident in their English language skills, and witnessed them grow into much of the opposite. Many of these students have shown such great improvement that they have been promoted to leadership positions, acting as Front of House or Box Office leads on performance days.”

Harmony McGivney, Box Office Manager for The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, says there are too many learnable skills to name when working a college box office. “Customer service skills are something that can carry you through life,” she says. “Another skill learned is how to work well under pressure. The box office can be quite chaotic right before showtime and you need to be able to keep your cool and focus on the tasks at hand.”

On the athletics side is Darren E. Coelho, Assistant Athletics Director in Ticket Operations at San Jose State University. He calls SJSU’s Athletics Ticket Office “the best place to work because of the input and involvement that you have in so many things. You get to build events, manage events, execute transactions and cash handling, provide customer service, perform reconciliation and reports, and work under NCAA and conference rules and regulations. You really have involvement in everything.”

Most of our interviewees agreed, though, that work-life balance indeed trumps most of the skills learned. Even students who don’t have on-campus jobs have a lot to juggle. Working the ticket office is fun during one’s university years. But it can be taxing in its own way. Some are fortunate to have a boss like Lori Murphy, Director Ticket Sales and Operations for Georgetown University. She says, “We work with the student's class schedule for any office hours they can use. We also ask them to send in their availability for any games they can work. This allows them to have time to attend classes, study and have a social life outside of school. We work with them to make sure they are able to have a great college experience.”

But there’s no getting around that it is focused and committed work. Just ask Christy Grantham, Director of Ticketing for The Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College: “This isn't discretionary work. This is an actual job with actual requirements. And though studies should come first while one is at school, that doesn't mean that the job gets the short shrift. The student must figure out how to balance coursework needs with work needs. They don't always succeed. But the ones who do figure it out have learned a very valuable life skill.”

And most people in Murphy and Grantham’s position know that many of their student staffers aren’t going to go on to ticketing industry careers. To this end, Andrew G. Keller, Associate Director of Ticketing, Sales and Brand Advancement for the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), comments, “RIT doesn’t have an events or sports management major, so I know that these students aren’t likely to go into this field after graduation. Despite that, the skills they learn from their time in the box office will set them up for success in whatever field they choose.”

He adds, “I have a large enough staff where no individual student is being asked to work too many hours in a single week. This allows the students to still work a regular weekly schedule while also focusing on other priorities like school and their personal lives. I also want to provide a level of flexibility for them so that they know that they are supported if their schedule starts to get too crazy.”

But why ask an INTIX professional? How does a current student feel about staffing her university’s box office and ticketing operations?

Morgan Rae Noll works for the Bryce Jordan Center and the Center for the Performing Art at Penn State University and previously worked for Penn State Athletics.

Over the past three years, she says she has gained both personal and professional skills on such jobs: “Bryce Jordan Center was the first place I learned how to work the ticketing system and really had my eyes opened to the ticketing industry from a working perspective. I have learned how to sell tickets, resolve customer issues, and find unique ways to solve the unconventional issues that arise in a box office night of show. From a personal standpoint, I have gained skills in communicating effectively, speaking confidently to stressed customers and building long lasting relationships with co-workers.” 

She concludes, “When I think about my fondest memories working in the box office, the interactions with customers definitely holds a place.

But, in all honesty, the best memories I have made are with my co-workers. In the box office, the age of workers ranges from 20 to 80. So, finding a way for all of us to connect is always, always an interesting experience!”

Ready for more tales from the campus ticket office? Look forward to part 2 of this series, coming soon.

You May Also Like

• Best Practices for Accessible and Inclusive Ticketing and Customer Service
• Joe Carter’s Joyful Journey in Ticketing

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Tags: Leadership