In part one of this two-part feature, we spoke with three INTIX members who had experienced near-disaster while ticketing live events and how they and their colleagues acted and reacted in order for their respective shows to go on. But let’s say you haven’t experienced an emergency power loss or cyber-attack right before the curtain comes up or the ball is kicked off. Let’s say such a calamity is one of your greatest fears and concerns.
Fortunately for you, January’s INTIX 2025 Annual Conference & Exhibition will feature a workshop titled “The Show Must Go On: Mobile Disaster Planning 101” that will identify and break down the various ticketing disasters and provide guidelines on how to start creating a mobile disaster plan.
Who will be dispensing this valuable information at the Jan. 28 seminar? Several ticketing industry professionals who have experience with mobile disaster scenarios. One of the speakers will be David Winn, Box Office Manager for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Associate Director of Tanglewood Ticketing, who was featured in part one. He says, “My role will be talking about disasters that we’ve overcome, and I will definitely speak about July 19 and the [faulty] CrowdStrike update that caused a global IT outage.”
Veterans of Live Event Disasters Share Their Tales and Emergency Preparedness Plans
If you are a venue operator or ticketing or box office manager, and you and your staff run into a real-life crisis event — one that threatens a major performance or game or other live event that you’re hosting and are responsible for. What do you do? What’s your plan? How will the show go on? In part one of this two-part series, we talk to three INTIX members who have been through such emergencies and lived to tell the tale.
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Christina Allen
Another “Mobile Disaster Planning 101” speaker will be Christina Allen, Senior Manager, Box Office, for the Ottawa Senators. She says, “Our workshop at INTIX this year will include going over the building blocks to creating a successful disaster plan and then breaking it down into smaller disasters so you’re prepared for anything that will come your way. … Not only will you leave with the tools to create your own plan, but you’ll also learn from others’ lived experiences.”
Hayley Chapman, Senior Director — Ticketing Business Operations & Strategy for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Partnership (MLSE), will also be joining Winn and Allen. “This is the session to be at!” she exclaims. “We are going to discuss various instances that we have faced over this past year and key steps to prepare so you can walk away with a framework on how you would start emergency planning at your venue.”
Hayley Chapman
So, what are the one or two most crucial parts of any good mobile disaster preparedness plan? Chapman was quick to answer: “There are two key parts to ensuring you are ready: one, making sure you have thought through all the possibilities of what could go wrong to prepare. This means having all the key people at the table and ensuring they have a voice and own the solution/confirm it is possible. And two, communication and practice. This part is all about testing out your solutions and ensuring they can scale. Where would you need support? Would you need additional staff to handle an outage? How would you navigate different events/different venues? What does fan communication look like? Communicating to all those who might be impacted is pivotal.”
Allen says the most important part of the Senators’ emergency plan is the team’s “go basket” or “ticketing disaster kit.” This kit includes a printed copy of the organization’s disaster plan and the most important phone numbers, an emergency barcode for scanning, iPads and QR codes that link to the Senators’ account manager site. But the most important items in Allen’s opinion? “Carbon copy slips! We can use these in lieu of the pre-printed tickets or for any seating issues. With limited walk-up on event days, for us, it will usually make more sense to use these carbon copy slips versus digging out the hard copy tickets.”
Allen describes the team’s disaster plan as a “living document” that addresses not just the big disaster that may happen, but all the little ones that can or have happened as well. She adds, “When you’re consistently reviewing your plan or learning from what I call ‘mini disasters,’ you’re just getting more prepared for the next time something goes sideways. With every disaster — big or small — there’s something to learn, and we need to make sure we’re updating our plan in those moments before we forget and just move along.”
And in those instances where a game or an event is cancelled due to an unforeseen emergency or disaster, what is the most important thing to communicate to ticketholders in the aftermath? Chapman says, “I think we all got a lot of practice with this during COVID. Fast communication is sometimes more important than perfect communication. What I mean by that is, you might not have all the answers, but it is important to take the fan on the journey!”
If you haven’t already registered for INTIX 2025 in New York City, what are you waiting for? Click here to register today!
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