National Volunteer Week 2026 runs from Sunday, April 19 through Saturday, April 25, and is widely celebrated in the United States and Canada as a means of recognizing the impact volunteers make on society. During the week, organizations are encouraged to celebrate the individuals and community members who dedicate their time, talents and other resources to volunteering. The hope is to encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
The International Ticketing Association (INTIX) has benefited immensely from the volunteer service of its many members. We caught up with over a dozen such ticketing and live events professionals to get their takes on the value they have found in volunteering. Their responses were as varied as you would expect.
This IS What They Signed Up For
Most INTIX members interviewed for this feature have volunteered on association committees or given their time and experience as speakers at various INTIX events. One such individual is Matt Cooper, Vice President and General Manager, Audience Services and IT at the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. He has been a speaker at multiple INTIX conferences, sharing what he and his teams have learned when dealing with the issues of the day.
Cooper has found volunteering on conference presentations particularly rewarding, having first joined the Education and Programming Committee. Over the last couple of years, he has participated in sessions about managing remote workers, addressing credit card fraud and motivating team members. “In each case,” he says, “I've learned a lot from my fellow presenters and I've been able to use that information to support Ensemble Arts Philly.”
Brittany Pallozzi
Brittany Pallozzi, Director of Patron Relations for Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in New York, has volunteered with INTIX in several capacities. In 2024, she joined the Members Connection Committee, where she focused on fostering engagement and helping create a welcoming experience for members. At the 2025 New York City conference, she assisted with registration, and served as a badge scanner for multiple sessions, as well as helped raise funds for the Professional Development & Education (PD&E) Fund through a 50/50 raffle.
She states, “Each role offered a different way to contribute and connect. There’s truly something for everyone at INTIX, and that variety is part of what makes volunteering so rewarding.”
Not to be outdone is Julie Boeck, Ticket Office Specialist for the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center and Vetter Stone Amphitheater in Mankato, MN. She is currently a member of both the Conference Program & Education Committee and the Mentor Program through INTIX. Her first INTIX conference was in 2025 where she also volunteered to help sell 50/50 raffle tickets to benefit the PD&E fund.
She remarks, “I volunteered to raise funds for this committee because I strongly believe that everyone in our industry should attend INTIX and this committee helps get applicants there. I have only been able to attend one INTIX so far, and I can’t wait to go to my second conference!”
Eve Foldan, Ticket Operations Specialist at TD Garden, has also found value in volunteerism. So far, she has volunteered on the Program and Education Committee in order to get more involved with INTIX. “This was the perfect way to do so!” she exclaims. “I was also interested in hearing what the buzz was across the industry and staying connected to the conversations and ideas shaping the future of ticketing.”
Volunteering Means Upping Your Social Game
Ticketing Manager and Pricing Analyst Kate Halmos has always looked for volunteer opportunities with INTIX to meet and collaborate with other members. In a volunteer capacity, she has done everything from packing delegate gift bags to assisting with registration and wayfinding to scanning entries for conference sessions and workshops.
She says, “I chose to volunteer because it provided a valuable opportunity to engage more closely with industry peers. Volunteering allowed me to connect with professionals on a more one-on-one level, exchange ideas and learn from others’ experiences and areas of specialization within our niche industry.”
Jamie Brouse, Campus Box Office Manager at Bucknell University, has certainly upped his social game via INTIX volunteerism. Brouse notes, “I have chaired the Vendor Relations Committee, helped monitor discussion groups and assisted at registration. The most enjoyable conferences have been the ones where I get to talk to the most people. Sometimes it is gaining knowledge, and sometimes it is helping someone else with their struggles.”
Long-time ticketing pro Amber Patton may have left the business to become a Private Client Services Specialist at an unnamed financial firm, but her opportunities to serve INTIX over the years gave her many chances to make friends and contacts. She spoke on convention panels in 2018 and 2021 and was an INTIX Mentor from 2020 to 2024.
She states, “Getting involved with INTIX pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way. Sitting on panels early on forced me to find my voice and actually use it, which turned into real connections and a stronger network.”
Putting Members’ Skills to Work in a Volunteer Capacity
Jacob Gauthier is very active in the industry, currently a box office agent at the Orleans Arena, V Theater and Saxe Theatre in Las Vegas. In that role, he is responsible for event sales — which can vary from booking the same seats, row and section for NCAA conference tournaments at the Orleans Arena or booking different shows separately at the V and Saxe Theatre for different days of a customer's trip.
Such skills should make him an ideal volunteer for INTIX for years to come. He says, “I am a new member. I need to get more involved, but have been pursuing meaningful ticket opportunities to establish more credibility.”
More veteran leadership credentials are offered by Robert Harte, Ticketing Services Manager at The First Ontario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines. In addition to overseeing ticketing operations, he develops cybersecurity and system outage procedures and manages and optimizes ticketing systems. Harte states, “I have volunteered my time with INTIX through committee service, as well as helped organize INTIX meetings with our local ticketing group. Being part of teams is very satisfying to me.”
Meanwhile, Dereth Salchak’s time as Ticket Services Manager for the Portland’s Centers for the Arts has certainly been helpful when looking to excel at various volunteer efforts. The day job calls for Salchak to manage staff, sales and customer service for the venue’s ticket office, while serving on INTIX’s Conference Program & Education Committee for the past four years has put the ticketing pro in a leadership role helping to shape the annual conference. Salchak remarks, “I wanted to be more actively involved in the community, and this was a fun way to meet other people in the industry.”
Choices, Choices
Donna Collins-Hertner, Assistant Box Office Manager for Senators Sports & Entertainment in Ottawa, has loved the selection of volunteer opportunities INTIX has afforded her and other members over time. She has personally volunteered on the Grant Committee for the past couple of years. It’s a strictly personal choice for her, as Collins-Hertner states, “I have received the grant in the past, and I appreciate how much effort goes into the process of distributing the funds. Without this program, so many deserving candidates would not have the opportunity to attend the BEST ticketing conference out there!”
Danielle Pope, Regional Director of Ticketing at OVG/Augusta Entertainment Complex, has focused her volunteer efforts on serving as a member of INTIX’s Professional Development Grants Committee. As such, she reads through requests and helps those who may lack the funds to attend INTIX’s annual conference. “After having received a grant myself,” she states, “I thought I'd give back to the committee that gave me the opportunity to attend a conference.”
Darren Coelho
Darren Coelho, Associate Athletics Director for Ticket Operations at San Jose State University, has perhaps gotten the most out of the broad array of volunteer roles INTIX provides. He says, “I have very much enjoyed volunteering on committees and speaking at the INTIX conference over the years. As far as committees, I have served on the Planning & Nominating Committees. With my ‘now retired-from-college-athletics’ friend Anita Guerricabeitia at Boise State, we launched the first version of the College Athletics breakout at INTIX 20 years ago in Boston.”
Looking Ahead
Our interviewees concur that the future looks bright for continued high levels of INTIX volunteerism. Very few downsides were discussed. If anything, Boeck says that “volunteering for a committee, group or fundraising activity is full of positives. First, there is the connection with others that is so valuable. And, second, it is an amazing way to learn more about our industry by making those connections. I think it is always important to learn something new and further one’s knowledge of the industry, and those connections really make that possible.”
Cooper agrees, adding, “Every volunteer opportunity has resulted in new and valuable relationships with other INTIX members for me. I especially like that volunteering provides an easy way to break outside of my business vertical [performing arts] to speak directly with professionals in pro and college sports or in other, more commercial venues. I've been able to bring valuable knowledge back to my organization as a result.”
For her part, Foldan says volunteering “made the INTIX community feel much more personal to me, and it's incredibly inspiring to see how many people are willing to share their time and expertise. I’d absolutely encourage anyone who’s curious to get involved. It’s a great way to learn, connect and contribute to the future of our industry. I’m looking forward to taking on more volunteer opportunities in the future!”
Finaly, Harte has recognized that volunteering with INTIX has improved his job knowledge and made him more confident in his abilities. From a larger perspective, he says, “Volunteering to me is always about the feeling you get when you know you have either helped someone in need, made someone smile or helped improve a cause that you really care about. Knowing that I have helped play a small role in moving the industry forward is an incredibly fulfilling feeling.”
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