This story is brought to you by the INTIX Women in Entertainment Technology Program.
People travel to Las Vegas for the gambling, the live entertainment, the glitz and the spectacle. And they also go for the … baseball? Yes, during baseball season, the Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and the Las Vegas Stars, draw big and consistent crowds at the Las Vegas Ballpark. The team, the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, has played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) since 1983 and won the PCL championship twice (1986 and 1988).
Annette Evans
The woman most responsible for putting butts in seats to see them play is Annette Evans, currently the Box Office Manager for the Aviators and the Las Vegas Ballpark. She says, “My primary duties and responsibilities are to oversee all day-to-day box office operations, as well as assist our sales team with their group sales reservation and season ticket holders.”
It is a job Evans is very well-suited for, considering she has been working in ticketing and live entertainment in the Las Vegas market since she was 18 years old. She started as a ticket seller at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2009 and eventually served as an usher/ticket seller at the Joint at the former Hard Rock Hotel. “Since then, I have worked at a few different box offices in various positions on the Las Vegas Strip,” she says. “I always joke that ticketing is in my blood, as my two oldest sisters also worked in the ticketing industry at various MGM properties.”
So, in her current post, what does she consider to be the favorite part of her job? Her answer: “My favorite part of work would be seeing the end result of a long day at work. Whether it’s at a concert performance or a baseball game, going into the venue and seeing the crowd having a great time watching a band that has been on their bucket list for years or watching their favorite team play is such a rewarding feeling that I am lucky enough to experience almost daily.”
But there are always challenges in a demanding position such as hers. What does she personally still find hard? “I would say digital ticketing is probably the most challenging part about my job,” she says. “We have a lot of older generation guests who have been going to baseball games for years and who don’t quite understand why we have transitioned to digital ticketing. However, my staff is amazing and [they are] always willing to patiently work with them and show them step by step how to navigate our app.”
When times on the job get tough, Evans relies on past counsel to get her through. One of her favorite pieces of advice she has picked up along the way is: “Today may be someone’s first time experiencing your venue. I have instilled it into my staff members to treat everyone as if it is their very first time at our venue and give them a memorable experience to make them want to come back again.”
Repeat business is key in a market where a team like the Aviators has to rely on the local population as much as the steady stream of tourists visiting Vegas and just looking for an Aviators souvenir. The Aviators’ name is in reference to aviation pioneer Howard Hughes, one of Sin City’s most famous former residents. Among the former Major League Baseball greats who have taken the field for the team over the years are Roberto Alomar, Sandy Alomar Jr., Ozzie Guillen, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk.
Evans loves the history and four-decade lore of the team. But what she really liked talking about was an aspect of her success that she touched on throughout our conversation. The importance of a well-trained staff! Evans was especially eager to offer some advice to young women reading this article who are just starting out in the ticketing and live events space. “The ticketing industry is a small world,” she says. “Always respect everyone around you. You never know when you’ll run into them again or need them.”
As we reach the end of 2023, is Evans generally optimistic, pessimistic or a mix of both heading into the new year with regards to ticketing? “I am definitely optimistic about heading into 2024 with live events!” she says. “I feel like the industry is growing larger than ever, and we can always come up with new ways to make a guest’s experience memorable.”
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