We’re entering the home stretch of 2025, INTIX member-readers. The fourth quarter. The last three months of the year. And as the months get colder in many parts, the tickets get hotter. This time of the year, the hot seats are at NFL games, big touring shows and, very soon, live holiday programs.

While ticketing professionals fill these live events with eager fans, many of them are also fans. With that in mind, we asked the membership, “What is your hot ticket as 2025 comes to a close?” As always, responses were as varied as the association’s membership.

Vegas, Baby!

They say that New York is the “City That Never Sleeps.” Well, Las Vegas is the city that never stops getting cool events no matter what time of the year it is. But the last three months of 2025 are proving to be quite eventful in Sin City.

Rob McSparron, Operations Manager for VegasTickets.com, says, “The show I’m most excited about is Alanis Morissette at Caesars Palace. Her residency kicks off next month. As a true ‘90s kid, she was a constant soundtrack to my formative years. I’ve caught her a couple of times at festivals and doing guest spots, but never a full Alanis concert. Pairing that with Caesars, which is such a phenomenal venue, feels like the perfect combo. It's the kind of show that reminds me why being based in Vegas is such a gift!”

Toby Baptist, Vice President of Operations for LasVegasTickets.com, adds, “I always look forward to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas every December. Country and rodeo lifestyle take over the whole city!”

Also hitting Vegas will be Margo Malone, Senior Manager of Season Ticket Members and Special Projects for the San Francisco Giants. She says, “Follow the yellow brick road and you’re sure to find me, a certified Oz junkie. My holiday season plans include going to Las Vegas to see ‘The Wizard of Oz’ immersive experience at The Sphere. Also, when Part 2 of the movie ‘Wicked: For Good’ is released on Nov. 21, I’ll be one of the first in line … well, online, to buy tickets! I may even dig out my copy of ‘The Wiz’ on VHS and watch that, too, reliving the time I portrayed Dorothy in a halftime dance performance at San Jose State!”

It's Showtime!

But you don’t have to go to Vegas to see a big stage production. You don’t have to go to Broadway for that matter either. Blumenthal Arts CEO Tom Gabbard is crossing the pond: “Nov. 12, I’ll be in London attending the world premiere of a live immersive production of ‘The Hunger Games.’ It is also the opening of a new venue, Troubadour Canary Wharf.”

Holli Campbell, Senior Director of Partnerships for TodayTixGroup.com, is especially excited for ‘Masquerade,’ the new immersive retelling of ‘Phantom of the Opera.’ She relates, “Growing up in New Orleans, I would beg my parents for tickets to whatever show was touring through. For my 10th birthday, a family friend pulled some strings to get us a backstage tour after a performance of ‘Phantom.’ Since then, the show has occupied a special place in my heart, and I can't wait to relive some of that magic with my sister when she visits next month.” 

Ashley Voorhees, Vice President of Patron Services for the Omaha Performing Arts, has one of the fullest calendars of our interviewees. “Well, this week alone, I’m seeing ‘Nation of Language’ and then I’m going with my kids to see the Broadway musical, ‘The Outsiders’ at the Orpheum Theater. We are the first stop on their tour. Then, I’m wrapping up the week celebrating 20 years of the Holland Center on Friday with a celebration concert!”

And, finally, Daniel McBride, Senior Director, Ticketing & Experiences, at the United States Golf Association, is hitting the Great White Way in Manhattan: “I’m going to see ‘Operation Mincemeat’ on Broadway. As a history buff, especially World War II, I’m very excited to see the show that has gotten rave reviews from its start in London’s West End!”

Where Are You Going, Old Sport?

Of course, the months of October, November and December feature some of the biggest sporting events of the year. College football is especially intense at this time of the year. Just ask Shawn Robertson, Business Development Consultant for RevPro. He says, “My next big-ticket item is seeing my beloved Michigan Wolverines battle the USC Trojans at the historic LA Coliseum on Oct. 11. I’ll be wearing some maize and blue apparel and cheering loudly against the hometown team.”

He continues, “I have no real connection to Michigan, but I’ve been a fan since I was a wee child. It started because I had/have relatives in Ohio. And, as a petulant child — [chuckling] not much has changed — the best way to annoy my uncle and cousins was to cheer for Michigan against the Buckeyes in 1978. A Michigan victory that year sealed the deal, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Let’s Go Blue!”

No Ticket? No Problem. INTIX Members Still Have Fun!

Then, there are those INTIX members who like to take a break from selling seats and filling seats. One such ticketing pro is Ebony Hattix, Director of Guest Relations and Arena Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies. She says, “I am looking forward to watching, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ both in black and white, with my mom after Thanksgiving. It is our tradition, and I love it!”

Also staying put is Russell Thompson, Box Office Manager & Event Coordinator for State University of New York at New Paltz’s School of Fine & Performing Arts, College Theatre. He states, “For the upcoming holidays, my wife and I have agreed to gift each other a New York State Lifetime Empire Pass. This pass affords day-use admission/entry to all New York State Parks. We live in the mid-Hudson Valley, have family across the state and plan to live here for a while. We love the outdoors and are planning on enjoy these wonderful resources.”

As for Dawn Zappitello, Senior Manager, Park Arrival and Guest Relations for Walt Disney World Resort, she has tickets. But it’s not to a concert or major sporting event. “I was lucky enough to secure tickets to the book signing for Kenny Chesney's new book, ‘Heart Life Music’ at the historic 1920s Tampa Theater. I am a huge Kenny Chesney music fan, with about 20 concert shows under my belt, and I’m excited for the opportunity to hear him do what he does best: Tell stories. Kenny is a true troubadour, and I am sure this intimate event will not disappoint. I am just giddy with excitement!”

Putting the Concert in Concerted Effort

Finally, for the rest of our interviewees, the allure of live music is what drives them to buy tickets themselves. Some are even traveling considerable distances to see their desired shows.

Taylor Jewell, Marketing & Ticketing Director at the Singletary Center for the Arts, says, “This October, I’ll be heading to Louisville, Kentucky, for ‘Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons.’ Stardew Valley is one of my favorite games — easily top five — and it holds such a special place in my heart. Plus, it’s a frequent topic of conversation with my student ticket associates! I can’t wait to experience the soundtrack performed live and, even better, to share it with some of my favorite friends.”

Not to be outdone is Marissa Topham, Fine Arts Box Office Manager at the Caine School of Arts’ Fine Arts Center. She says, “The biggest event I'll be attending from now to the end of the year will be a concert with Sleep Token in Oakland, California. It will be a special event for me because one, I've never been to Oakland or San Francisco, so I'm looking to explore it with my partner; and two, I was not able to get tickets to the show in Salt Lake City [the closest city to her] and was in two or three different queues when the tickets went on sale. This was the only city that we were able to snag tickets in! Plus, a week off work is a very exciting thing to anticipate! I leave next Tuesday!”

Most are staying put, though. Anthony Esposito, Senior Vice President of Ticket Operations for the Atlanta Braves, says, “One [event] that I am really looking forward to is happening next weekend at Gas South Arena in Gwinnett, Georgia. It is Andrea Bocelli live in concert with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Two of my four daughters play violin in their school orchestra, so it will be really cool for them to see a professional orchestra in person. And they do not know that we are going, so it will be fun to see their faces when we get there!”

Brianna Pena, Director of Ticketing for the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, states, “This October, I’ll be seeing Chappell Roan live on the 10th. I first saw her open for Olivia Rodrigo when I didn’t know her music and completely fell in love with her performance. It feels really special to now see her headlining her own show. Calling her a phenomenal performer is not a good enough word to describe her!”

Liz Baqir, Associate Director of Ticketing Services for CalPerformances will be out of commission for a couple of months starting in mid-November because she is getting a second knee replacement. “That is my big event of the fall — no ticket required!” she cracks wise. “The week before my surgery, I have tickets to two shows that I'm really excited about: Jesse Welles at the Fillmore in San Francisco and Patti Smith at the Fox in Oakland. Jesse Wells is an up-and-coming new obsession, and Patti Smith is an old one. They are both poetic, political musicians who inspire me, and I'm looking forward to being fortified by their performances before I take a couple of months off.”

Finally, there is David Winn, Box Office Manager for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Associate Director of Tanglewood Ticketing. “Here in New England, we take Halloween very seriously,” he says. “To that end, the movie ‘Hocus Pocus’ has always been a holiday favorite. As a gay man, I think there is some genetic disposition to worship Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. When we announced that the movie would be part of the Pops Fall Season, Rich and I had to buy our tickets. Luckily, we did so right away. So, on Oct. 30, I will be sitting at Symphony Hall to watch and listen to the movie with the live orchestral soundtrack being played by the Boston Pops Orchestra!”

Oh, but we can’t end this article without Vegas creeping back into the discussion somehow, can we? Can we, Mr. Winn?! Sheepishly, he added, “All that being said, what I’m really looking forward to is seeing ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at The Sphere in Vegas during the 2026 INTIX conference!”