Box Office Best Practices

HANNAH MEINKEN | AUGUST 2016

GOALS

IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

ADDRESS BOX OFFICE EFFECIENCY

CREATE REPEAT CUSTOMERS

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Box Office is the Information Center

« Daily Activities –  Transactions, requests,

concerns

« Patterns of Business –  Slower or faster onsales –  Memberships and

conversion to subscriber

« Reporting & Analysis –  ATTENTION: don’t run a

report unless you actually use the data

EVERYTHING IS CENTRALIZED THROUGH BOX OFFICE

COMMON PATRON PAIN POINTS

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Confusion « Poor experience while buying

« No message/confirmation or FAQs

« Sub-par patron support –  No clear way for patrons to get help if

there’s an issue

« Trouble identifying staff and volunteers –  Especially when there’s not a

physical box office

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« Struggling to find the event or the link to purchase online

« Waiting on the phone

« Waiting in physical lines, outside the venue or in the lobby

Impatience

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« No e-mail confirmation

« Refunds –  No outlined policy

« Disorganized Box Office

« Distracted staff and volunteers

Lack of confidence

UNDERSTANDING PATRON EXPERIENCE

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Before the event

« Discover events

« Purchase tickets

« Bring others to event

HOW DO PATRONS…

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During events

« Arrive and enter event

« Find and interact with box office staff and volunteers

« Get questions answered

HOW DO PATRONS…

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After the event

« Engage post event

« Decide if they want to come back

« Get motivated to spread the word

HOW DO PATRONS…

ADDRESSING BOX OFFICE EFFECIENCY

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Operations may be

your challenge,

but they shouldn’t be

your patrons’ challenge.

Rules to live by…

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« Timing of on-sales

« Box Office hours

« Marketing future events

« Dynamic pricing

« Promos and incentives

Plan and optimize sales

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Test Equipment and Processes

« Create equipment list

« Test all hardware

« Update software

« Validate logins

« Check Wi-Fi

CREATE REPEAT CUSTOMERS

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Expand Your Reach

« Sell tickets in locations aligned with the audience you want to reach –  Make your Box Office mobile –  Provide discounts to

generate buying excitement

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Use email alerts before and after

« Last minute changes

« Logistics –  Parking, road work,

construction, etc.

« Synopsis of event

« Special offers from other vendors

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Make people feel special

« Acknowledge new and long-time patrons

« Review patron profiles

« Use VIP alerts

« Leave a note in their seat

« Curtain speech

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Engage +1s « Connect with ticket

buyers to help with outreach to their guests

« Turn a +1 into a repeat customer

« Offer deals to first time attendees

TAKEAWAYS

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Takeaways « Box Office is the heart and

brain of an organization

« Documented processes, preparation, and backup plans are essential

« Patron experience should be evaluated from all angles

« We’re here to help!

THANKS! www.vendini.com

hello@vendini.com