Like many, Dan DeMato didn’t plan to enter the ticketing industry, let alone become a legend. In fact, if it weren’t for a call out of the blue in 1985 from a friend at the New York Mets, he might have continued his career in pharmaceutical production. But that call changed everything. You might even say that Dan hit a home run that day.
Dan at the New York Mets circa 1990s.
“Back in the day, when a baseball team had a chance of making post-season play, it was pretty much hard tickets and quite a chore to get ready if you had 10,000 or 15,000 season ticket holders,” Dan explains. “One day, the season ends, and then a couple of days later, you are playing playoff games, hoping to get through to the World Series. So, long story short, if you are in the race, it takes six or eight weeks to send out invoices, put tickets together, and send them out to the customers for the potential games. I was asked to help on a part-time basis with a bunch of other people. They were bringing in extra hands to do what had to be done. I kept my full-time job in the pharmaceutical business and worked pretty much every night and weekends for a while.”
Although the Mets didn’t make the playoffs that year, they did the next; in fact, they won the World Series. By then, Dan had accepted a full-time role with the organization to work on a computerized ticketing system, Ticketron. “It was a great opportunity,” he recalls. “A lot more exciting than what I was doing.”
The 1986 World Series Championship Ring ceremony. L-R: Co-owner Fred Wilpon, GM Frank Cashen, Dan and Co-owner Nelson Doubleday.
Dan's 2000 National League Championship ring (Subway Series) and 1986 World Series Championship ring, which Dan calls “an incredibly generous perk of the job.”
Dan spent 23 seasons with the Mets. During that time, his office ticketed World Series and National League Championship baseball games and numerous Shea Stadium concerts by artists including the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, among others.
“Those are things you don’t forget,” he says. “For the Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels Tour, we had 60,000+ people for six days … For baseball there were times we would sell 7,000 to 10,000 tickets as walk-ups on game day. That doesn’t exist anywhere anymore … but [I remember] lines of thousands of people at your ticket windows to purchase for that night's game or that day's game. That kind of stuff was incredible.”
Dan continues, “Another big memory for me is we sold over three million tickets a year several times back in the day. The National League used to count attendance by who showed up, not by the tickets you sold, so the paid attendance was whatever the turnstile was that day. If you look in the record books, the Mets are at 2.7 million paid attendance in some years, but we sold over three million tickets to get that many people to show up. Those are some pretty big numbers.”
Dan DeMato.
One of Dan’s most significant memories is of Sept. 11, 2001, when Shea Stadium became an emergency command center after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Ten days later, an unscheduled Mets versus Braves game was held.
“President Bush and the Commissioner of Baseball decided that America needed baseball again,” he says. “We had to create and sell tickets for a new event while we were doing a whole bunch of other things to help the cause. It was quite an undertaking, selling out 55,000 seats quickly, implementing new security, and preparing for the post-season again. We were in a race for post-season, which would happen in a few weeks, but that game was as memorable as anything in my career. It was a very impactful game that the city needed. We won on a late-inning home run by Mike Piazza, but it was about much more than baseball. It was all about recognizing those who had fallen.”
Braves and Mets players hug at home plate on Sept. 21, 2001.
Dan reflects on his time with the Mets with pride, particularly the legacy of leadership he helped foster.
“A former coworker and I counted 35+ people who went on to become managers, directors or vice presidents in ticketing at other venues, that had gotten their start with us at the Mets. That’s one of the things I’m most proud of, that we were doing something right and that a lot of people went on to be leaders in our industry.”
Dan credits his own success to mentors like Bill Ianniciello, who hired him at the Mets, and John Giglio. “They are two incredible ticketing professionals who really taught me that … if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right. They allowed me the ability to grow in the organization, and that never left me.”
Dan (far right) with L-R, mentors John Giglio, Bill Ianniciello, Joan Sullivan and Bob Beatty.
These mentors also taught Dan the importance of empowering others. “I have always believed in delegating and letting people make decisions. That philosophy helped elevate people to new roles … Bob Beatty and Curtis Howells were also longtime industry mentors. Bob was at Madison Square Garden for many years, and Curtis runs Consolidated Printing. I turned to them many times. They are all the best in the business.”
In 2008, Dan left the Mets and founded FutureTix, a consulting firm with, as the name suggests, an eye on the future.
“There were several reasons I started FutureTix,” he says. “The Mets were moving into a new stadium, Citi Field, and I knew the commitment would be 70-, 80-, or 90-hour weeks at times. I felt like if I was going to make that commitment of time, I wanted to do it for myself and a startup business. Also, my son Patrick needed more attention, and I wasn’t spending enough time with him. I thought running my own business would allow me to work the hours when I needed to work them while still being able to spend time with family.”
Dan and son Patrick.
Dan with seven of his eight grandkids and other family members.
As it turned out, the Mets became FutureTix’s first client.
Initially, Dan was on his own, but it didn’t take long before he surrounded himself with others, a group of expert advisors from various genres that he called the Ticketing Industry Leadership Team, or TILT.
“There were about a dozen of us, and we would meet several times a year to talk ticketing,” he says. “They were also there for me as we got different types of clients … That group still exists and has been very important in the whole process.”
2015 FutureTix Ticketing Industry Leadership Team. Front row L-R: Curtis Howells, Josh Logan, Daniel Kim, Bob Beatty, Dan, Danny Frank, Brendan Bruss and Joe Carter. Back row L-R: Veronica Lawlor, Wendy Brown, Joan Sullivan, Tracy Noll, Karen Sullivan, Russ Stanley, Tom Gillis and Doug Lyons.
FutureTix quickly grew, securing clients like the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Francisco Giants and MGM Properties. Dan credits his daughter Kelly Brennan, who joined FutureTix early on, with helping to elevate the business. “She is a very sharp, analytical and creative person with a great personality. We challenged each other to get to the next level. Within a couple of years, we had seven people working with FutureTix across the country in different capacities. We would work with venues, ticketing platforms and third-party vendors … and as you say, the rest is history.”
Cheese Head Kelly Brennan in Green Bay.
Dan has always valued diversity in ticketing, working across multiple verticals from sports to performing arts. “Every venue has the same goal — you want greater attendance, happy patrons and to drive additional revenue if you can — but the way they get there is different … Over the years, we have worked with clients in all 16 verticals [the way we broke the industry out].”
Of the many success stories at FutureTix over the years, Dan really enjoyed working with Medieval Times. “It was the first time ever that we were talking about how you sold tickets to a castle, as opposed to an arena or a theater,” Dan recalls. “They had nine castles across North America, and at the time, they were selling two million tickets per year, which was quite surprising to me. They were looking to get into more technology and had been doing many things manually. We had a lot of knowledge about things they wanted to do. That was a fun engagement.”
Dan has been a member of INTIX for most of his career. He served on the Board of Directors for three years and has been a frequent speaker, panelist, exhibitor, sponsor, and donor. He has many fond memories of annual conferences, including when he donned a tall chef’s hat and served breakfast to attendees. “That was one of the best times I had,” he says. “I looked forward to it and really enjoyed it.”
Board member chefs Adam Rubin and Dan DeMato serve an INTIX breakfast.
Dan speaking at the 2015 INTIX conference in Denver.
This legend’s many contributions to INTIX and the ticketing industry did not go unnoticed. In 2015, he won the Patricia G. Spira Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I will share a story with you about receiving that award, which I think only a couple of people know. I think enough time has passed that it’s OK,” Dan says. “I was running behind on a meeting and didn't realize that the award ceremony had started. We were exhibitors at the time … and I said to myself, I’m going to stop at the booth to pick something up and do one thing there, and then I’m going to go over to the award ceremony.”
He continues, “I passed Tiffany on my way to the exhibit hall. She looked at me and said, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘I’m going to my booth.’ She said, ‘You need to be at the awards lunch.’ I said, ‘OK.’ And I went to the luncheon still not having any inkling of anything. Back then, if you submitted papers for that award the year before, they carried it over and used it again the following year, and I hadn't submitted anything the year I won. I walked into the luncheon and sat in the back of the room, probably two to three minutes before they said my name as the recipient.”
Dan speaking after receiving the 2015 Patricia G. Spira Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dan says, “The recognition from your peers is almost impossible to put into words. [I had] a lot of what I think are pretty substantial achievements in my life and [in the ticketing] business, but being recognized by your peers is the most meaningful thing that can happen to an individual. Everybody in the room stood up for me, and I was really taken aback.”
Shawn Robertson and Adam Rubin with Dan and his Patricia G. Spira Lifetime Achievement Award.
At FutureTix the following year, Dan created the John P. Buschhorn Ticketing Titan Award to honor a respected peer who had passed away. It is presented annually to a longtime ticketing professional who exemplifies the same values and excellence that “Bushie” (John) exhibited during his time with the New York Jets (known as the New York Titans when they started in the NFL), New York Cosmos, Ticketmaster and Madison Square Garden.
Joan Sullivan, Bob Beatty, Valeri Olsen, Dan, Karen Sullivan and Vince Rieger celebrating Karen's John P. Buschhorn Ticketing Titan Award (2021).
Dan, Curtis Howells, Maureen Andersen and Bob Beatty as Curtis receives the John P. Buschhorn Ticketing Titan Award (2018).
“John was a ticketing guy with a tremendous personality,” Dan recalls fondly. “Everybody wanted to talk to Bushie, as he was known … We started the award to keep his name and legacy alive. I just felt it was the right thing to do. I thought he was a consummate ticketing professional, much like Pat Spira, and what better way [to honor him]. So since then, every year, we've recognized someone in that capacity, all ticketing titans in my opinion.”
Among those titans is INTIX President and CEO Maureen Andersen, who won the award in 2017 and Russ Stanley, a legend with the San Francisco Giants and the most recent recipient in 2023.
Dan’s advice for future titans is simple: “Listen more than you speak. There are so many good people out there to learn from. Don’t be afraid to reach out. Organizations like INTIX are what it is all about. There are so many programs, things to do, and ways to learn, and we all don’t know what we don’t know. I learn stuff every day. With every new client I get, I continue to learn. My biggest advice would be, if it is worth doing, do it right, and be willing to listen to others’ opinions and thoughts. Delegate and, at the end of the day, make the best decisions you can.”
Dan with Bob Beatty, Russ Stanley and Steve DeMots at INTIX 2024 in Las Vegas.
For Dan, that applies to one’s personal life as well as one’s professional life. When Dan decided to leave the Mets, he was able to create more personal time, especially with his son Patrick, who he says, ‘taught me never to give up.” Two years ago, Dan moved from New York to North Carolina and now shares a home with his mom, Edna, who recently turned 90 years old. Dan credits his mom, and late father Dan Sr., both hard workers, with teaching him right from wrong.
Dan and Edna DeMato.
Dan and his late father, Daniel Sr.
Ticketing runs in the family, too. Dan couldn’t be prouder of his daughter Kelly Brennan and how she changed and grew FutureTix. Another daughter, Rachael Witkowski, also helps out at FutureTix periodically. Dan’s two other daughters are or have been involved in ticketing. Casey Greene worked for a number of years in the box office at Madison Square Garden, and Danielle DeMato works to this day at the David Koch Theatre ticket office at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Dan with four of his five kids.
“It wasn’t always my influence that led them into ticketing. They really just got there and did a part-time thing and then carried on,” he says. “Nobody goes to school for ticketing. But once you get involved in ticketing, it never leaves you … I have been blessed to work in an industry I love and to wake up every day wanting to go to work.”
Dan says, “There is the camaraderie and the willingness of colleagues to help, to reach out, to be there for others … And I love the fact that we put smiles on the faces of patrons and create lifetime and lifelong memories. That's why I do what I do.”
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