Leadership / 03.16.22

COVID-19: Two Years Later, Ticketing Pros Reflect on Lessons Learned, Changes Made

Teddy Durgin

We are now past the two-year mark of COVID-19 taking hold of the world, which threw ticketed events into a state of extreme uncertainty. Stadiums and arenas sat empty, theaters went dark and live music was reduced to singing in one’s shower. But that was then; this is now. Since the mid-March 2020 live entertainment shutdown, vaccines and boosters have been developed; variants were endured and survived; and everything from Broadway to community theatre, pro sports to high school games, arena concerts to piano bar performances have returned in one seating capacity or another.

We talked to a number of INTIX members about “where we are” two years later, what’s been the biggest changes as a result of the pandemic era and what were some lessons learned. Anja Arvo, Pre-Sales Manager for Red61, and her staff have used the last two years to better support their clients: “We had to understand what groups of our clients were planning to do — or were doing — that were similar, and what they needed from us to support them. Priorities were changing on the fly, such as the demand for digital solutions, so we had to react quickly.”

Jen Leavitt, Vice President of Product for Patron Technology, also spoke of the strides her firm has made with its clientele. Leavitt, an 18-year ticketing industry veteran who spoke at INTIX 2022, says, “Watching our clients adapt by engaging with their ticket buyers with unique experiences like a drive-through experience and virtual meet-and-greets with their favorite celebrity has been a unique opportunity to gather new data about ticket buyers and find new audiences.”

Others spoke of braving the unknown, first to survive the “new normal” and then to be ready — or as ready as they could be — for when seats could be filled again. One such pro is Alison Barry, Director of Guest Experience & Sales at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. “The biggest change for us was the realization that we can no longer accurately predict key metrics like sales volume, attendance patterns and, perhaps most importantly, patron behavior,” she says. “It’s like we’ve undergone a hard reset. The inability to make informed predictions affects everything we do from setting our business hours to hiring to ordering supplies. Planning has become a crapshoot. What this has taught us, of course, is not just to be more flexible but to be more realistic when setting goals … and expectations!”

Joe Carter, Director of Sales and Customer Experience for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, also spoke of the team effort put in by his colleagues and how the last two years have brought him and his staff closer together: “Between date changes, cancellations, artist changes, policy changes and technology changes, the team has simply stepped up and figured out how to make those changes as smoothly as possible and more quickly than we had ever done in the past. Also, the cooperation between departments has grown stronger. When things were completely shut down, and staff was reduced, a lot of staff took on new roles and helped in other departments, giving them insight into how each other’s departments worked.”

Christy Grantham, Director of Ticketing at the Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College, and her staff became even more focused on customer service. “We’ve seen a marked increase in guest phone calls and emails,” she says. “[Customers] need more reassurance than they did before COVID-19.” We always talk about nurturing customer relationships, and they’re giving us a great opportunity to do just that!”

For those handling individual shows, the challenges have been equally great. Fortunately, technology has been able to help. Stuart Levy, Director of Ticketing and Insights for “Wicked” at the Gershwin Theatre in New York, says, “For our show, we switched over to being all e-tickets except for groups, as it’s more of a challenge with how they would be distributed, especially when people in groups don’t always show up at the same time and some student groups are not allowed to bring cellphones on trips. Refunds also have been a big change, as normally there are no refunds. But we are allowing them at least through the end of this April regardless of the reason and whether it is COVID 19-related or not.”

Larry Frievalt, Ticketing/Patron Services Manager for the Genesee Theatre in Illinois, says his venue has also become “more flexible with regards to our return policy. In the past, we had a strict no refund/no return policy. Today, in the best interest in customer service, we would proceed with offering an exchange or credit their account directly.

Shawn Robertson, Ticket Sales Director for the Center Theatre Group, spoke about technology and its role in the industry two years later. “The fast tracking to digital tickets by our organization and the adoption of it by our patrons has been a pleasant surprise,” he says. “Our team has become tech support on helping people access their tickets, and their patience and problem-solving ability impresses me every day.”

Duncan Moss, Associate Director of Ticket Operations for the Ravinia Festival, says, “We created a new digital ticketing delivery system with our in-house developers that gave patrons access to both tickets and donor membership benefits in one place on our website. We also eliminated our paper form that was sent to donors to order tickets. The amount of paper saved from these steps forward is incredible, and the jump to digital came from the nudge caused by the pandemic shutdown.”

In addition, Ravinia created an entirely new seating area of premium lawn pods. “It was a vision for many years,” Moss says, “and the pandemic made it a reality.”

The sports world has had to similarly adapt. Ebony Hattix, Director of Guest Relations and Arena Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies, says that her organization has had to use technology more to compensate for having less staff.  She looks back to the spring of 2020. “Many protocols/policies were put into place for social distancing and contactless operations at the time,” she says. “We thought, ‘No way we can function on this or that.’ But we made it work. We are all continuing to look at innovative ways to empower our guests even more. We have come a long way in ticketing from paper to digital options.”

Jeff Hecker, Senior Director of Ticket Operations for the New York Jets/MetLife Stadium, says, “Everyone talks about key words like ‘touchless’ and ‘mobile.” But, ultimately, the most important thing remains the same: communication, both internally with staff and externally with our customers.”

When going through such hard times, most of those interviewed agreed that there was some valued realized in the lessons that were learned. Rebecca Throne, Head of Ticketing for Burning Man, said the COVID-19 crisis provided her with an important reminder to “check one’s assumptions.” She explains, “Not only have the underlying drivers of people’s behavior changed, but everyone is also rusty and nobody remembers how anything works. Processes that may have been completely rote and theoretically people have muscle memory of need to be rolled out anew for everyone. Build in the extra time and patience for this added layer of re-education — for your constituents and yourself. Whenever there is an opportunity for more grace, have more grace. Even though it can be painful at times, it is a huge gift to be able to view established processes and procedures with fresh, objective eyes.”

Alan Moffat, Ticket Operations and Customer Relations Manager for The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, was also eager to share what he’s learned in the last two trying years. “Always look for alternative ways to do things!” he says. “We have all dealt with ever-changing policies and have had to find ways to adapt, often in very short time frames. As an industry, we have had to reinvent so many of our processes and procedures, and it has been inspirational to see how we have collectively met the challenges we have faced.”

Several spoke of the personal growth they’ve been able to achieve as a result of being a decision-maker during such hard times. Brad Mayne, President and CEO of the International Association of Venue Managers, says, “Over the past two years, I’ve worked to be creative, resilient, passionate and committed to doing whatever it takes to manage stabilization in troubling/challenging times. In addition, I’ve learned that shared human experiences are vital to my own life as well as the industries we serve.”

Barry at the Chautauqua Institution was even more introspective. “In the ticketing industry,” she says, “we often say, ‘We’re the magic behind the button.’ We make it happen behind the scenes to deliver a seamless experience to our patrons. Trying to orchestrate that perfect experience during the pandemic was impossible, and I didn’t want to admit that. So, my personal takeaway is, ‘Don’t be afraid to let others see how the magic is made. Ask for help, especially within your own organization. You may be surprised by who will get behind the button with you.’”

Others stayed focused on the personal lessons they had learned but delved even deeper into the changes they’ve made in their own personal lives due to the health crisis — changes they are hoping to make permanent. The Wilson Center’s Grantham, for instance, spoke of the “ever-elusive search for balance. In this industry, we will always have events that we need to work on nights and weekends in addition to our regular office hours. With that in mind, take a break to recharge your batteries and top off your tank whenever you have the opportunity. The to-do list will always be there, and you’ll be more creative and productive when you get back to work refreshed.”

Carter agreed, adding, “Be sure to take time for myself. Though that is still a struggle, I am better at doing that — be it stopping for lunch, taking a walk and, most especially, going on vacation. I just got back from a lovely week in Cabo, and my team handled the on-sale of our 2022-23 Concert Hall season with me only available for a couple of hours that morning. They did a great job, and our numbers beat my projections!”

Other interviewees circled back to again speak of their increased appreciation for their staff. Hattix of the Memphis Grizzlies says, “The isolation that was caused due to the pandemic really showed how much we need each other to deal with life.” Robertson of Center Theater Group adds, “If we rely on each other to problem solve, we will be able to handle it all. I work with a lot of really smart people, and it’s OK to let them take the lead when appropriate.”

Others zeroed in on an increased ability to be more flexible that they didn’t have in abundance pre-pandemic. Patron Technology’s Leavitt says, “I’ve had to redefine the idea of how to engage with ticket buyers in ways I never had imagined before because people still want to go to live events and staying open minded to new ways to do that has been crucial.” The New York Jets’ Hecker adds, “You need to be ready for anything. In the ticket business, we always try and be two steps ahead regardless, but now we also need options to pivot in any direction.”

Moss, Associate Director of Ticket Operations for the Ravinia Festival, hopes that he and his fellow interviewees have now come through the worst of it. With a sigh, he remembers, “There were days, weeks and months that we had no idea if we would reopen or be able to have a season, and it was quite the roller coaster of emotions. I can’t say I wasn’t frustrated during the planning phases. But once we got it done, I was able to reflect and realize that cooler heads always prevail. I knew that, at the end of the day, we weren’t just bringing back live entertainment; we were bringing back hope and the feeling of normalcy to our community.”

He concludes, “I’ve always cherished the moment the gates open for a performance, seeing people enjoying themselves and creating lasting memories, but now I can really define just how precious those moments are and will always be. Working in our industry makes it easy to put the blinders on and close one show tonight to move onto the next show tomorrow. But I’ve learned to appreciate every day and stop once in a while to take it all in and enjoy the ride.”

You May Also Like

• You Are a Ticketing Professional? OK, What Exactly Do You Do?
• A Customer Asked You What?! True Stories from the Ticket Office

Want news like this delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to the Access Weekly newsletter, your ticket to industry excellence.

Tags: Leadership , COVID-19 , Coronavirus , ticketing pros