The live events industry moves fast, but when you are in ticketing, it can sometimes feel like you are on your own. The good news is you're not — and you never will be! INTIX is the go-to professional home for ticketing pros across every vertical: arts and culture, college and professional sports, festivals, touring, attractions and beyond. Whether you are new to the entertainment business or a veteran leader, INTIX offers unmatched opportunities to connect, learn and grow.
Here are nine powerful reasons your peers value INTIX and consider membership a game-changing career move.
- Community: You Are Never Alone in Ticketing.
“Before I found INTIX, you kind of feel like you’re your own person. You don’t know other people who are going through the same thing,” Stuart Levy, Senior Director of Ticketing for AKA, says. “There are people to talk to who understand you.”
Echoing that, Russ Stanley, SVP of Ticket Sales and Client Relations at the San Francisco Giants, shares, “I get a network of ticketing professionals who have become my friends … The first day [of the conference] is a little bit of a reunion, and then we get down to business and share ideas.”
- Networking that Works.
The relationships built through INTIX go beyond surface-level connections.
“You will be able to connect with people across not just the United States, but in Canada, Mexico, internationally over into England [and] Australia,” INTIX Board Chair Ashley Voorhees of Omaha Performing Arts says. “That is one of the things that sets us apart from other industries.”
“Growing your network is really important in this industry," Hayley Chapman, Senior Director, Ticketing Business Operations and Strategy at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Partnership, adds. “The more people that you know, the more people you can ask questions [of], you can troubleshoot, ideate and push your business forward.”
- Support When You Need It Most.
“INTIX has been great for me as far as networking and building a support group, not only for myself but also for other people in the industry,” Ebony Hattix, Director of Guest Services for the Memphis Grizzlies, says. “Building that support system and having people you can go to in the times when you need something is an amazing feeling. Anytime you feel supported, you feel like you are going to be more successful in each and every endeavour.”
Hattix adds, “It’s important to have that sense of camaraderie, build on that group friendship, and know who your allies and resources are, especially with [what we do in ticketing] being so specific. Sometimes other departments can’t help you, even within your organization. However, INTIX will always be there to help you.”
Linda Forlini, now happily retired and still an INTIX member, agrees: “Before I retired, it was a lifeline. When I started out, I really thought I was alone, [that] nobody else was a box office manager, and I was the only one on the face of the earth. Silly, but that’s what I thought … When you are out there and trying to figure something out with your system, there is a whole group of people you can call. When your boss gives you a curveball and you don’t know how to program it into your system or you don’t understand how you’re going to price it, there is a community of people to help you. It is invaluable.”
- Game-Changing Education and Insights.
“I became an INTIX member about 12 to 15 years ago … to expand my connections and network. But it is so much more than that. There are committees, members you can ask questions of, resources and so much more,” Chapman emphasizes. "The education that you get from this organization is bar none in the industry."
Stanley says INTIX has helped him pressure-test several industry-changing concepts before implementing them with the Giants. “We have had some big ideas along the way … allowing season ticket holders to resell tickets or changing prices dynamically on an hourly or daily basis … I was able to bounce those ideas off people [at INTIX conferences] who could give me genuine feedback, good or bad; they were not shy. It allowed us to make those products better before we went to market.”
- Cross-Industry Inspiration.
INTIX doesn’t just connect you with professionals in your lane. It opens doors across the entire live events spectrum.
“One of the things I have loved the most is that INTIX crosses all verticals of live entertainment, and because of that, I was often interacting with and learning from people in completely different industries,” Rebecca Throne, Independent Ticketing Strategy Consultant and INTIX Chair-Elect, says. “The intersectionality of sports, both professional and college, and performing arts … I would get the best ideas from the most unexpected places.”
Throne continues, “The ticketing industry is largely invisible to people outside of it. There is such a wealth of knowledge in connecting with my peers in the ticketing industry, and the only place that happens, especially across verticals, outside of your venue and organization, is through INTIX.”
- A Place to Give Back.
“I have been in the ticketing profession for many years, and I am at a stage of my career where it is important to me to pay it forward,” Margo Malone, Manager of Special Projects and Client Retention with the San Francisco Giants, says. “INTIX has given me the opportunity to mentor others and give back.”
Voorhees calls on current members to help the community grow. “If you know somebody who is not a member of the Association, reach out, have a conversation, explain to them what the benefits have been for you, and that will help us grow our industry even further.”
- A Voice for Ticketing Professionals and the Ticketing Industry.
“I believe that the Association has provided so much opportunity for ticketing professionals,” Voorhees says. “We need that network and we need that voice for ourselves.”
Anwar Nasir, Executive Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, agrees: “Know that we’re here for you … The INTIX community is important because we really support each other in a way that I’ve seen no other community be able to do.”
- Resources at Your Fingertips.
From an active, members-only portal on the website to a live question database where you can ask anyone anything, INTIX ensures you are never stuck without help.
“You can always go back to the community and find out answers in a simpler way than having to research everything for yourself, because there is always someone you can ask,” Hattix says.
“I really enjoy the community. We all do the same thing, but we all do it a little differently, and I enjoy being able to bounce ideas off other venues … and people in arts and entertainment,” Stanley shares. “I enjoy being able to ask a diverse crowd a particular question and get different answers.”
- Personal and Professional Growth.
“INTIX has helped my growth as a ticketing professional in so many different ways,” Stanley says.
For Levy, it even sparked new confidence. “I am actually a shy person, but with INTIX I found my voice. I do sessions. I do a lot of public speaking now. It really helped me.”
Throne says she has grown significantly, both personally and professionally, because of her involvement with INTIX. “I came into it originally not knowing entirely what it was about. Ticketing can be such an insular experience professionally because, oftentimes, you are ticketing in an organization where other people don’t understand what it is that you do. Being in a community of people that I didn’t have to explain my job to and the value that I was adding was automatically comforting and just freed me up to genuinely expand and explore new ideas.”
Don’t Wait — Renew Your Membership or Join Today!
“What are you waiting for?” Chapman asks. “This is the best decision that you’ll make. You will meet people, be able to take advantage of their knowledge, and grow your career.”
“The education that you get from this organization is bar none in the industry.”
- Hayley Chapman, Senior Director, Ticketing Business Operations and Strategy at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Partnership
Malone agrees: “Anyone out there who is not sure whether or not you want to invest the time and resources to join INTIX, my message to you is, ‘What are you waiting for?’ Invest in yourself. [With] the resources that it provides [and] the sense of community within the ticketing profession, you are going to build lifelong relationships with other members of INTIX. You will be able to come to the table, share best practices, gather information from others in the industry, there are opportunities to network, [and] you receive job postings. There are so many wonderful benefits to being a member of INTIX.”
“You’ve got to join,” Nasir echoes. “Keep your membership active. Stay a member no matter what field or industry you might be in.”
Whether you’re looking to connect, learn or lead, INTIX has something for you — and a whole community ready to welcome you.
Editor’s Note: Click here to become an INTIX member today.
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