In 1988, Tracy Noll walked into Eisenhower Auditorium to say hello to a friend. Almost four decades later, she is still there.
Tracy Noll.
“I had been working in a local drug store for six years and going to college at Penn State,” she says. “One day, when I was in between classes, I stopped by to visit an old high school friend who was an administrative assistant. As we chatted, she asked if I was interested in a part-time job, as she knew the ticket manager, Jill Baldi, was looking for help. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in Jill’s office in my blue shorts and a white sweatshirt, being interviewed. I walked in the building to say hi to a friend and walked out with a new job I wasn’t even looking for.”
After nine months as a part-time employee, a full-time position opened. Tracy applied and got it. What followed was a steady climb through the ranks. She moved from assistant ticket manager to ticket manager to director of sales, and beyond, while also taking on additional responsibilities along the way.
“I have worn many hats over the years,” Tracy says. “I’ve overseen marketing, fundraising and IT in addition to ticketing. I was even given the option of remaining the marketing director versus the sales director at one point, but I just couldn’t give up being attached to ticketing.”
Tracy (right) celebrates Halloween with her Penn State ticket office peers.
For Tracy, that decision was not about titles or advancement. It was about the part of the job that has kept her passionate.
“I love interacting with patrons, the good and the bad. I’ve always enjoyed it when I encounter a screaming patron who believes the world is coming to an end because they didn’t get what they thought they should have. Listening to their concerns, letting them know they’ve been heard and then explaining what actually happened and how we can resolve the issue to keep both sides happy had always given me a rush.”
With time came more promotions and even more responsibilities.
“A couple of years ago, the Director of Finance announced that she was retiring,” Tracy recalls. “At that time, we merged the sales department with the finance office, and I assumed [my current] position as Director of Business Services. My primary responsibility is to oversee the finance operations and fiscal stability of the Center for the Performing Arts through strategic planning, reporting and daily financial transactions, along with continuing to oversee the operation of the Arts Ticket Center. I now negotiate Broadway deals, handle settlements and I’ve even booked my first artist.”
Over time, Tracy realized that her career was bigger than any single role or organization. That understanding came into sharp focus in New Orleans in 1993, when she attended her first BOMI (now INTIX) conference. It was an experience she describes as life-changing. “I had worked in ticketing for five years prior to attending BOMI. I loved everything about ticketing and interacting with patrons. It wasn’t until I attended that conference that I realized how large the industry was and the variety of positions that existed. I met so many people who welcomed me into this big, beautiful family. I came back with so many ideas on how to improve the way we were doing business. But even more than that, I came away with friends that remain part of my ticketing family today.”
Tracy (right) and Jill Baldi at INTIX 1993.
Tracy and ticketing peers on the 1995 San Diego INTIX cruise.
Tracy (second from left) with Russ Stanley, Christine Igoe and Robert Bennett at INTIX 2006 in Boston.
A night out for dinner with ticketing friends at INTIX.
That realization, that ticketing was not just a job but a vast, interconnected profession, stayed with her. She has attended every annual BOMI/INTIX conference since 1993, as well as eight summer conferences. It did not take long for Tracy to want to give something back to the organization.
“After attending my first conference, I was so excited to spend time with people who understood ticketing and all that came with it. I wanted to give back, so I volunteered with the Awards Committee. Back then, we were all sent a huge package of nomination forms that we had to read before attending the conference. At the beginning of the week, the committee would meet and review all of the applicants and discuss who should win each award and why. [It was] a far cry from the way we handle it today. I just served my second year on the Awards Committee, and we now access the documents through a secure online portal and rank each person on their different qualifications. We have no idea how anyone else on the committee is ranking their candidates, and we don’t know who is going to win until they are announced at the INTIX Awards lunch.”
Work on numerous committees eventually led to board service and to a deeper understanding of what it takes to sustain an organization like INTIX.
“Serving on the board was a real eye-opener,” she says. “Peeking behind the curtain of what makes that annual conference happen each year was a real learning experience. There were a lot of big personalities around that boardroom table, and coming to a consensus was often challenging. I felt like I was surrounded by some of the most brilliant people, and I learned so much just by listening to them.”
Tracy, third from left, with past board chairs Joe Carter, Jennifer Aprea, Karen Sullivan, Linda Forlini, Angus Watson, Jane Kleinberger and John Harig.
It was there, Tracy says, that she learned as much by listening as by leading. Tracy says that her most meaningful leadership role came during a period of real uncertainty.
“Our financial picture was gloomy, and we were not sure we were going to continue to exist if we stayed on our current path. The decision was made to close the expensive physical office in New York City and take the office virtual.”
Looking back, Tracy considers that moment her proudest professional accomplishment, not because it was easy, but because it mattered.
“I’m most proud of being the INTIX board chair at a time when the organization was in crisis … A lot of hard decisions were made during that time, but I feel that it was a pivotal time for the organization and helped us become the successful organization we are today.”
Tracy (right) with other former board chairs, L-R: Linda Forlini, Kay Burnham, Derek Palmer, Maureen Andersen and Jennifer Staats Moore.
Beyond governance and leadership, INTIX also became a source of lifelong relationships.
“I have met some of my dearest friends at BOMI/INTIX. At this year’s conference, Danny Frank introduced me as his INTIX wife to his actual wife. So many of us have watched each other’s kids grow up, deal with tragedies in our lives and celebrate our successes. My INTIX family has definitely had the biggest impact on me. Only those in this crazy industry can understand what you are going through on a day-to-day basis. The memories that make me smile aren’t fit to share in an article. Let’s just say we knew how to have fun!”
Tracy with Danny Frank (left) and Robert Bennett (right).
In 2008, Tracy was invited into another layer of industry leadership when she was asked to join a small, forward-looking group.
“Dan DeMato, the president of FutureTix, asked me to become a charter member of a select group of blue-chip ticketing professionals referred to as the Ticketing Industry Leadership Team, or TILT … The focus of this group has been to identify and discuss the merits of various ticketing trends and their impact on the future of the entertainment industry. To be asked to be one of the 12 respected, innovative and savvy industry leaders to participate in this group was a great honor.”
Tracy’s long arc of service and involvement with INTIX was formally recognized in 2025 with the Patricia G. Spira Lifetime Achievement Award. Earlier, she was the recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Ticketing Professional honor and the 2011 Spirit Award.
“I knew Pat Spira and worked with her to plan the 2004 conference in Philadelphia,” she says. “To be honored with an award with her name on it that recognizes my accomplishments over the past 37 years is the highlight of my career!”
Surrounded by her daughters, Tracy Noll celebrates receiving the Patricia G. Spira Lifetime Achievement Award at INTIX 2025 in New York City.
But for all the boardrooms, committees and conferences, the moments that have stayed with Tracy the longest are not the ones attached to titles or accolades. They are the moments that unfolded quietly, often behind the scenes, when the work became personal and empathy mattered as much as expertise.
One of those moments came in the fall of 2025, when Tracy booked Sam Barber, the first country act at the Center for the Performing Arts in decades.
“It was a nerve-racking experience,” she says, “worrying about reaching a new audience and wondering if it would sell well or flop.”
The show became one of the season’s highest-selling events, with 72 percent of the audience visiting the venue for the first time. But the numbers were not what made the night unforgettable.
Weeks before the concert, Tracy received a call from a mother in Canada who had lost her son, Ethan, in a car accident. Ethan was a devoted Sam Barber fan, and the family was traveling to the show in his memory.
“She was wondering if there was any way to have Sam dedicate a song to Ethan. I reached out to his management, and they said they would discuss it. Two weeks later, the mother called again to see if there had been any progress. We told her that we had passed the request on and that we wouldn’t know until they got to the venue,” Tracy says. “My heart was just breaking for them.”
Quietly, she began helping by improving the family’s seats, arranging a meet-and-greet and ultimately giving up her own front-row seat so some family members could be together right by the stage.
“Ethan’s mom sent me videos of him singing his favorite Sam Barber song, images of the roadside memorial and information about fundraisers they have done in his honor. I knew I had to do more for this family,” Tracy recalls. “I told them that the five brothers in the orchestra could go back for the meet and greet [that we had in the contract], which I was now thankful to have not given away [in a contest]. She begged to have the eight-year-old who listens to Sam’s music night and day be included. I knew it would be challenging to get him down to the meet-and-greet from the balcony [where he would be sitting with his parents to ensure he could see the show]. My daughter, two friends and I had seats in the front row, and I was holding two additional seats beside us in case my nephews joined us. I offered the family three front row seats (including mine) and was able to get one more seat with the other group [that I had moved to the 12th row]. They were so appreciative, and [my daughter] Morgan agreed to keep an eye on the eight-year-old and the twin 14-year-olds.”
Tracy continues, “I told the family to meet me by the doors to the star dressing room area at 8 p.m. for the meet-and-greet. All nine appeared wearing their new Sam merch. I told them I needed to take the sponsor back first for a quick photo op and that I would return for them shortly. Before retrieving them, I asked Samatha, his tour manager, if Sam knew the story. She said she had given him an overview. I decided in that moment to show Sam the video of Ethan singing his favorite song. He was visibly moved. I opened the door and told them to come in, and a few paused, knowing I had said that I was pushing the limit by having five of them come back there. I waved my arms and told them to all join in. I had our staff photographer there to get pictures of them with Sam. They had him sign every piece of merch they had purchased, as well as their memorial shirts. Knowing the opening act had just finished and we were well over the contracted five-minute meet-and-greet, I looked at his manager, and she said, ‘Five more minutes’ with a smile on her face. Sam was so wonderful and kind to this family. It meant the world to them.”
Sam Barber (back row center) with Ethan’s family during the meet-and-greet.
And the story didn’t end there. “As we left, I told the family that one of my daughter’s friends couldn’t make it, so I had one more front-row seat for them. They all immediately agreed that it should go to Liam, Ethan’s twin brother. He was so humble and said someone else should take it. What I didn’t know at the time was that Liam had been at the same party that Ethan was at that fatal night. Liam tried to get Ethan to leave with him, but he insisted on going home with his best friend. Liam feels an overwhelming amount of guilt for not forcing the issue. He finally agreed to take the seat, and Morgan got video of all of them singing along to Sam’s songs and shared them with the rest of the family.”
Tracy adds, “I heard the second song start from the lobby and realized it was Ethan’s favorite song he was singing in the video. I didn’t hear a dedication and was hoping Sam didn’t forget. The concert continued, and I watched from the back of the house … The feeling of love in that room was overwhelming. I could see the rest of the family swaying to the music and videotaping several songs. Sam sang his last song and left the stage. I held my breath, hoping he would come back out.”
When Barber returned to the stage for an encore, he said, “I’d like to take a second to dedicate this last song to a kid named Ethan, who was a big fan. His family is here tonight. I met them, and they are just the sweetest people who drove from Canada, and I know this kid is looking down from heaven, I feel it, I swear. This last song is Dancing in the Sky.”
“Tears were pouring down my face,” Tracy says. “What a perfect song for such a wonderful family.”
After the show, strangers embraced the family. The next morning, Tracy found the set list taped to her office door. Highlighted in bright yellow was Sam’s handwritten note beside the last song: “Dedicate to Ethan.”
“Knowing the family had stayed in a local hotel that night, I sent a picture of it and said if they had time to stop by before leaving town, they could have it. The family stopped by not long after, said they would be framing it and asked if they could get a photo with Morgan and me. What an incredible experience.”
“This couldn’t have happened at a better time,” she says, noting that it was just after the Presidential election when negativity was rampant. “I felt totally beaten down by it all and wondered if there was still good left on this earth. [This experience] reminded me of what I enjoy about my job and why I’m still here after 37 years.”
Not every unforgettable moment in Tracy’s career carried that kind of emotional weight. Some arrived with humor instead, like another that took place on a day when the Goo Goo Dolls were in town.
“It was the day of their concert in our auditorium, and I was heading out the back door past the stars’ dressing room area that afternoon. I encountered a rather short man dressed in a black sweatshirt and black jeans, who I assumed was part of the event crew setting up the stage.”
They chatted casually for several minutes before Tracy went to meet the family members and friends who would be joining her for the show. Nothing seemed unusual until the curtain went up. The man she had spoken with earlier was Robby Takac, one of the two founders and core members of the Goo Goo Dolls.
Tracy’s photo of John Rzeznik (left) and Robby Takac (right) of the Goo Goo Dolls.
Moments like these, tender, surprising and deeply human, continue to anchor Tracy to her work, even after nearly four decades. Her sense of purpose is tied to the people she has helped along the way, including students, young professionals and colleagues who are finding their footing in an industry that is often invisible from the outside.
“I have had several students who have graduated and stayed in the industry,” she says. “Others have taken the skills they learned while with us and used them in a totally different industry.”
Back when Tracy began her career, formal pathways in ticketing were limited.
“When I originally started in this industry, there were little to no educational opportunities to learn about this business. While there were majors in college that could help you on your path, you usually had to start at the bottom and learn as you go.”
That has changed, even within her own family. Today, both of Tracy’s daughters work in ticketing, continuing the family’s connection to an industry that has shaped so much of her life.
Tracy and her family.
“My daughter Morgan was able to get a degree that emphasized arena management, which is a huge change from when I went to school,” Tracy says proudly. “The reason this is an option is due to the fact that those who do these jobs are willing to teach these classes.”
Despite those changes, Tracy believes one thing has never shifted.
“I’ve always said that I would hire someone for their personality over their skill set. I can teach someone to sell a ticket, but I can’t make them care about the patron and want to help them any way that they can.”
That philosophy extends to how she supports people entering the profession today and what she recommends they do, which is to surround themselves with a network of knowledgeable people to assist in the learning process.
“Attending the Wednesday Wisdom sessions is an easy first step in that direction,” she recommends. “If you are struggling to find a solution, there are dozens of experts on the call to ask for help.”
Tracy (second from right) out for dinner with INTIX friends.
Tracy also encourages young professionals to look beyond their own organizations.
“If there is a regional ticketing association in your area, join it. And obviously, attending the annual INTIX conference is a must. If your organization can’t afford to send you, apply for a Professional Development grant from INTIX.”
And once they arrive, Tracy urges them not to sit on the sidelines.
“Attend the mentor session where you will immediately find people who want to assist you.”
Tracy (center) with Jennifer Staats Moore and Debra Duncan.
Tracy also offers this advice to those who are starting out or working to build a strong foundation: “Take chances while you’re young and before you start a family. There are so many job opportunities in this industry right now. Look at what’s out there and go for it. Find an exciting city to live in or a job you are truly passionate about. Get as much experience as you can so that when you are ready to settle down in your forever job, you have the qualifications that will push you to the top of the list of candidates.”
Despite all the changes she has witnessed in the industry, Tracy says the decision to stay has never been difficult.
“I always thought that I would retire at the age of 58,” she says. “But I feel like I still have something to offer. I can’t say there was ever a time I felt like walking away.”
That sense of purpose is not rooted in titles or longevity. It comes from a belief that the work matters and that how you treat people matters even more.
“Taking care of your customers is the most important lesson I’ve learned,” she says. “Don’t talk at them, listen to them and let them know they’ve been heard.”
It is a philosophy shaped over many years, one she held even when decisions were unpopular or inconvenient. She recalls a group of longtime patrons, her self-described “dirty dozen,” who were upset when subscriptions ended and seat guarantees disappeared.
“Their seats weren’t the best seats in the house, but they felt they were their seats, and if they couldn’t have them, we were going to lose them [as patrons].”
So, Tracy listened. She kept track of their requests. She took care of them. Years later, when a new membership model required those same patrons to become donors, the relationships she had built mattered.
“Because I had taken such great care of them,” she says, “they didn’t hesitate to donate and become members. Many of them gave more than the minimum gift.”
She notes that only three of the original group remain as the years have passed, and “they have all made me swear I won’t retire as long as they are still coming.”
When she’s not working at creating magical moments for others, Tracy enjoys spending time with family and friends. “We have Kentucky Derby parties [and] go white water rafting. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with Kenny Chesney. I attend at least one to two concerts a year, and I usually go to one with my best friend Kim Rimmey and the other with my family.”
Tracy (back row center) enjoys a Kentucky Derby party with friends.
Tracy (right) with Kim Rimmey at a Kenny Chesney concert.
Tracy and her family tailgating at a Kenny Chesney concert.
After nearly four decades, Tracy Noll still measures success the same way she always has, not by titles or ticket counts, but by whether people felt heard when they walked away.
She never planned a career in ticketing. She never planned to stay this long. She simply walked into Eisenhower Auditorium one day to say hello to a friend and kept showing up, year after year, doing the work, listening closely and caring deeply.
And almost forty years later, she is still there, a true ticketing industry legend.
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