21st Century Ticketing
In a recent New York Times article, Ben Sisario points out that not very much has changed about online ticketing since 1997. While I think we can agree that the role of the internet in everyday life has been completely transformed since the late 90s, online ticketing is still text-heavy and cumbersome.
Enter Andrew Dreskin-- a concert promoter and entrepreneur who is working to bring online ticketing into the social networking age. Dreskin founded Ticketfly, a web-based marketing company which has positioned itself as an alternative to larger companies such as Ticketmaster. Ticketfly has found its niche with clubs and smaller theaters, which appreciate a more personalized approach to business.
As Dreskin points out, "The needs of a club promoter are different than the needs of a professional sports team". TicketFly's approach makes purchasing easier for audience members, and allows smaller arts organizations to incorporate online ticketing into their infrastructure without the giant price tag or red tape. Additionally, the company offers web development services that facilitate the flow of information to and from social networks-- a service that's especially useful given the success of the word-of-mouth advertising that thrives in mediums such as Facebook or Twitter.
"Events are social by their nature," says Tom Higley, a dot-com entrepreneur in Boulder, Colorado. "People will actively click a link and buy a ticket when prompted by a friend or acquaintance, versus the same info sent from a venue or a team or an artist. That higher conversion rate is very interesting to people in the ticketed-event industry."
Enter Andrew Dreskin-- a concert promoter and entrepreneur who is working to bring online ticketing into the social networking age. Dreskin founded Ticketfly, a web-based marketing company which has positioned itself as an alternative to larger companies such as Ticketmaster. Ticketfly has found its niche with clubs and smaller theaters, which appreciate a more personalized approach to business.
As Dreskin points out, "The needs of a club promoter are different than the needs of a professional sports team". TicketFly's approach makes purchasing easier for audience members, and allows smaller arts organizations to incorporate online ticketing into their infrastructure without the giant price tag or red tape. Additionally, the company offers web development services that facilitate the flow of information to and from social networks-- a service that's especially useful given the success of the word-of-mouth advertising that thrives in mediums such as Facebook or Twitter.
"Events are social by their nature," says Tom Higley, a dot-com entrepreneur in Boulder, Colorado. "People will actively click a link and buy a ticket when prompted by a friend or acquaintance, versus the same info sent from a venue or a team or an artist. That higher conversion rate is very interesting to people in the ticketed-event industry."
Even if your audience is not one that is "on Facebook", in my opinion it's wise to start developing a social networking presence. While you may be skeptical about immediate results, in the long run, it could be a wonderful tool for attracting and maintaining larger audiences. The range of people involved in social networking expands every year. Who can say what it will be five years from now? There's infinitely more to gain than to lose.
posted by Chester Lee at
3:00 PM
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