Times are tight, and disposable income is often hard to come by for many dedicated ticketing and live event professionals. Attending one of INTIX’s annual conferences? That’s a pipe dream for too many. INTIX knows this, and that’s why leadership established a scholarship program to help members attend conferences and also to support those organizations that lack the budget to cover professional development costs.

Funded by donations to INTIX’s Professional Development & Education Fund – donations that have to be replenished each year – these Professional Development Grants underwrite the cost of registration and travel to a specific conference. The program has had an increasingly global and BIPOC outreach in recent years. Even non-members are allowed to apply, and those recipients are given memberships for a year, as well as part of a Grant for conference attendance.

We surveyed a number of past recipients to get their thoughts on the program and how it has helped them. Among the first to respond was Alex Beil, who oversees ticketing operations at Steelhouse Omaha, Omaha Performing Arts’ new live music venue. He recalls learning about the INTIX Professional Development Grant “through the grapevine” at work in 2022 and decided to give it a shot.

“There wasn’t room in our department’s budget for me to be able to go to the conference, and it wouldn’t have been possible for me to finance that trip on my own,” he recalls. “The INTIX Professional Development Grant made it possible for me to attend the 2023 INTIX Conference in Seattle. And, in turn, it had a profound impact on my life, both professionally and personally. I gained so much valuable knowledge during those four days, but the biggest takeaways I was able to bring back to Omaha with me were related to accessibility and third party issues.”

Another beneficiary has been Jordan Price, Ticket Office Supervisor for the Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette, Louisiana. She remarks, “Receiving INTIX’s Professional Development Grant had a profound impact on me personally. It allowed me to pursue opportunities that I might not have been able to afford otherwise. This grant provided the financial support needed to attend specialized workshops, conferences, and training sessions that enhanced my skills and expanded my knowledge in the field.”

Price says she found sessions headlined by speaker Bruce Mayhew particularly enlightening: “He highlighted the importance of leading with authenticity and fostering a growth mindset within a team. These insights helped me understand how to create a supportive and motivating environment that encourages others to reach their full potential. Another session of his was about taking control of your own career. He provided practical strategies for self-leadership, emphasizing the importance of setting clear, actionable goals and taking proactive steps toward achieving them.”

Another INTIX member who was eager to talk about the scholarship program was Kathy Vito, Patron Development Manager at The Vancouver East Cultural Centre. “Receiving the professional development grant gave me the opportunity to network with ticketing professionals beyond the arts, including those in sports and music,” she says. “Engaging with these diverse perspectives was incredibly valuable, as it inspired new ways of thinking and broadened my approach to tackling challenges in arts ticketing.”

Like Beil, she also attended the 2023 INTIX Conference in Seattle. She recalls that the most memorable session was the one on “strategies for attracting new members and youth. A case study highlighted how a Major League Baseball team successfully used theme nights, such as a Hello Kitty night, to attract new fans. As a lifelong Hello Kitty enthusiast, I was captivated by how MLB used Hello Kitty to introduce baseball to a fresh audience who might not have otherwise visited a baseball stadium! As a result, I constantly find myself asking ‘What is our Hello Kitty?’ when exploring new strategies.”

Laura Prunty, General Manager at Antix Management, oversees strategy for major commercial musical theatre productions touring Australia such as “Les Misérables” and “TINA – The Tina Turner Musical”. She notes, “Living in Australia, a country quite isolated from the rest of the world, attending a conference like INTIX in Las Vegas would have been financially challenging for a small business like Antix Management.” Receiving INTIX's Professional Development Grant covered nearly all of her travel and registration costs, while her firm covered the remainder.

Prunty was able to attend the 2024 INTIX Conference in Las Vegas. She says, “A standout experience for me was the ‘Glamour, Grit, and Greatness: Women Leaders in Vegas Entertainment’ Town Hall. This panel featured industry leaders Amy Graca from Caesars Entertainment; Amanda Moore, Live Nation; Kelsey Bannister from the Las Vegas Grand Prix; and Angela Miles-Powell from Ticketmaster. One of the most impactful takeaways was the candid discussion around the concept of ‘work-life balance.’ The panelists emphasized that this balance, as it's traditionally understood, often doesn't exist in reality. This insight was particularly meaningful for me, as it encouraged me to give myself the grace to accept that it's OK not to have everything perfectly balanced all the time.”

Back in the U.S., Megan Christensen describes receiving the INTIX Professional Development Grant as a “pivotal moment” in her career. As Associate Director of Business Operations at Sonoma State University, she manages all ticketing operations including overseeing the centralized campus ticket office. This means she’s responsible for ensuring the execution of ticket sales and customer service for more than 450 events annually.

INTIX's Professional Development Grant enabled her to attend the 46th annual conference in Seattle, “where I not only expanded my industry knowledge but also had the opportunity to network with peers. Building a strong network is crucial in our industry. It allows for the exchange of ideas, support in facing challenges, and collaboration on innovative solutions.”

She found the tour of the historic Paramount Theatre and the Climate Pledge Arena impactful (“It highlighted the importance of preserving tradition while embracing innovation, particularly in sustainability”) along with the conference (“It provided access to innovative products that have significantly enhanced our operations”).

Another interviewee eager to applaud the program was Elise Bejger, Guest Services Manager at the Thrasher-Horne Center in Orange Park, Florida. Her venue is part of the St. Johns River State College and has a small staff of under 20 people both full and part time. “Unfortunately, we are a nonprofit that is trying to survive, so any travel would have had to come out of pocket,” she says.

Bejger has been fortunate to apply and receive multiple Professional Development Grants over the years. She says that one key element she has retained “is the importance of accessibility within arts venues. Over the years, I have attended several sessions on accessibility and what it should entail. This has enabled me to clearly explain the significance of the venue’s accessible seating to renters. We have been able to assist guests with hearing impairments by providing interpreters, and we recently completed a training course with our volunteer ushers on service animals. My goal is for every guest who enters our venue to have a great experience regardless of their abilities. The knowledge gained from the sessions offered at INTIX’s Annual Conference helps me achieve that goal and creates an inclusive space for all.”

Also attending the INTIX Conference in Las Vegas was Joel Ochoa, Ticketing Systems Coordinator, Omaha Performing Arts/Ticket Omaha. His primary responsibility is performance creation and maintenance in his venue’s ticketing system, Tessitura.

He states, “Since receiving the grant and attending the INTIX conference in January 2024, my knowledge of the industry has grown by leaps and bounds. I have achieved a greater understanding of the ticketing ecosphere, its internal relationships, and my place within it. Another big takeaway for me has been the issues shared across the industry by vastly diverse venues and organizations. Coming from performing arts, hearing and sharing varied perspectives and concerns with professionals who ticket sports, attractions and events of all sizes has been informative and affirming.”

Also finding the INTIX Conference in Vegas informative and affirming was Victoria Molle, Co-Director of Audience Services for the University of Dubuque’s Heritage Center in Iowa. She says she applied for the professional development grant because she needed to reconnect with the INTIX community “and remind me why I love this industry. I was operating too much as an executive and needed to get back in the trenches of day-to-day operations of ticketing and customer service.”

While at the 2024 Las Vegas Conference, she attended numerous events. “Of course, a topic that was on everyone’s mind [was] chargebacks,” she states. “I attended the ‘Navigating Chargebacks with Visa’s CE3 Guidelines: Safeguarding Event Ticketing, Merchants and Customers.’ My takeaway is we are all in this together, and large or small venues have the same problems. It was good to hear others’ solutions and what was working or not working as well as getting affirmation I am doing the right thing.”

Another Vegas attendee was Rebecca Brown, Box Office Coordinator for the Kingston Grand Theatre in Ontario. She recalls feeling very disappointed that the budget to travel and attend INTIX events was not available to her at the time. She was also asked to present at the conference for the first time. The grant enabled her to fulfill that obligation. 

She says, “I attended as many sessions as I could, and the two key points that I have taken away and implemented since I returned was: Make it clear with everyone that the box office should know everything that is happening as they are the first point of contact with patrons that we want to make happy so they will spend money and become repeat buyers.” And the second key point? “That I am not a creative thinker. I’m a doer. So let those who thrive at coming up with new ideas and solutions and then send them along to me to implement — and that’s OK!”

Marisa Quijano, Box Office & Front of House Manager for the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Florida, had particular difficulty justifying the expense of traveling to an INTIX event. As her theatre is a city-owned entity, trying to obtain funds to attend conferences — especially those that require a lot of travel — had always been difficult. “By receiving the professional grant, I was able to attend the INTIX conference [in Las Vegas] without worrying about spending my own money on accommodations or travel.”

She continues, “The greatest takeaway I get from attending the INTIX conference is that I am not alone. Being a ticketing professional at a small, city-owned performing arts center can be very daunting. In almost every workshop, I heard stories from other ticketing professionals that match mine, whether it be having to deal with ticket brokers as a nonprofit or having to submit contracts and sales to a city entity that does not understand the events industry.”

And, finally, we spoke to Taylor Jewell, Marketing & Ticketing Director at the University of Kentucky’s Singletary Center for the Arts. She described receiving the INTIX Professional Development Grant to attend the 2024 Conference in Vegas as a “transformative experience. As a university staff member, I am often ineligible for most grant funding, making it challenging to attend large conferences due to travel costs. This grant alleviated the financial burden, allowing me to fully engage in INTIX without stress.”

She says the session that resonated with her the most was “Change Champions: Igniting Success and Thriving in the Midst of Change.” Her college unit, which houses the Singletary Center, had undergone significant changes in recent semesters. This made it crucial for her, as a leader, to stay positive and navigate those transitions effectively. She concludes, “This session provided invaluable strategies for embracing change and turning challenges into opportunities. I’ve actively applied the tactics we discussed not only with my colleagues, but also with my student ticketing staff, helping us adapt and thrive in this evolving environment.”

Interested in applying for an INTIX Professional Development Grant? Visit the INTIX website for more information. Applications are due Monday, Sept. 23.

You can make a difference and be transformational in a colleague's life.  Please help fund grants and scholarships by making a donation to the INTIX PD&E Fund today!  Every dollar donated goes directly to the Fund and all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.  Ignite success and donate donate to the PD&E Fund. 

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