Beyond the box office

If you want to sell tickets independent of your box office, consult box office staff on the

best way to go about it. The box office, venue manager and everyone in your company

should know about any ticketing schemes. Box office staff should also know whether

door sales are available so they can advise people.

It can be a good idea to supplement a fixed location box office by taking tickets directly

to your target markets (e.g. by setting up a temporary ticket booth in the quadrangle of a

university). However, if the ticketing system gets too complex you run the risk of double 

selling seats or creating confusion in the market. 

Be careful with the established ticketing agencies to which you've allocated a percentage

of tickets for sale. Once they've sold their allocated tickets, they will often say the event is

sold out even though there may be many more seats available at the door. It is a good

idea to do spot checks by ringing them as a potential buyer.

The easier it is for

people to buy tickets

the bigger your

audience will be

Bruce Connew

3

Buying behaviour

To produce effective communication tools, you need to know your audience. What will

capture their attention? What will hold their interest and what will motivate them to

attend your event? This is known as the AIDA principle:

A

ttraction They're attracted to pick up your image or flyer

I

nterest They've read the copy and are interested in what this can offer them

D

esire They want it

A

ction They purchase it.

Building on this principle, remember that your target market needs to hear about your

product five or more times before it registers with them. You also need to ensure you

deliver the experience you promise in terms of booking and attending the show. And

finally, carry out basic research (e.g. surveying, developing a mailing list) to help you

attract the same people to future events.

24

Smart arts

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