Elevating the Consumer Experience is the Future of Ticketing for CTF Panel Leaders

Continued improvement of the consumer experience is front and center for the ticketing business. With massive lobbying money being spent by companies like Live Nation and allies in music management villainizing ticket resale as the root cause of all industry and consumer problems, professionals in that space are honing in on how to fight that narrative through elevating the experience, and being mindful of the ever-rising cost of attending events that consumers face.

“More than ever, it’s crucial that we stand together, act with integrity, and prioritize what’s best for our customers, our peers, and the long-term health of the industry,” says Lena Siegendorf, COO of Premium Seats USA. “Lets do the right thing, because the future of our business depends on it.”

Such talk – elevating the consumer experience and capturing the modern fan – was centered in two of the main panels on Thursday at the Coalition for Ticket Fairness conference in Florida. Siegendorf was one of many industry leaders speaking on a retail-focused panel in the morning, while other experts focused on fan support in the afternoon.

There is no question that competition for the consumer dollar is fierce. Market conditions and continued inflation of ticket prices at the box office mean higher expectations.

“Obviously there’s a lot going on right now in ticketing,” says Ben Kruger, CMO of Event Tickets Center and the moderator of the morning panel discussion. “Ticket prices are rising and inflation means a higher cost of living across the board. Ponying up the money for non-essential experience is a challenge and will probably continue to be – but fans are still showing up.”

The key message in the morning from the experts was that live event professionals can continue to develop closer relationships with their clients, and benefit from understanding what the event-going consumer is truly looking for with their purchase.

Invest in storytelling and engage them. Highlight the experience they can have with their friends. Become an asset to the local media so they know to turn to you if there’s a story about an event that you can share your expertise on. All of these things can help position professionals in the ticketing space to better tell the story and serve consumers.

The afternoon panel – Enhancing the Ticketing Experience – focused on the underside of that customer service – primarily dealing with issues inherent to the modern ticketing ecosystem. The increased reliance on digital-locked mobile ticketing systems – designed with hampering competition from ticket resale marketplaces in mind – has created significant barriers in customer service that ticketing companies must navigate.

“For marketplaces, we are always navigating the process of getting tickets to consumers, and having to explain to them why that might not happen until the last minute, or how to access them if they’ve already been sent,” says Kevin Lemke, VP of Strategy at TicketNetwork. “There is a lot of confusion and urgency, and if not handled well, that contributes to a lack of trust. But that’s what we’re here to resolve with the services we provide.”

Customers are faced with an onslaught of negative coverage of ticket resale platforms, largely fueled by that same industry lobby seeking to paint their competition as rife with fraud. Marketplaces must simultaneously ensure that sellers are following policies – delivering orders to buyers on time and as described – and that buyers aren’t abusing the system either, filing false claims and chargebacks to get their money back even after tickets were delivered and worked.

“The key is that we are all working together to create as much efficiency as we can, even in the most inefficient part of this business,” says Daniel Weisbaum of Victory Live of needing to police both sides of a ticket delivery system that is largely forced to take place on the third party system of the box office ticketing provider like Ticketmaster or AXS. “This is about keeping the trust of the customer, as well as the partnership between the marketplace and the seller.”

“This craft is not just about knowing the market; its about providing an efficiency in terms of delivery, building an awesome mobile-friendly app, or whatever your niche may be at helping consumers find the content they want.”

Continuing to grow and evolve as the system itself grows and evolves is paramount for all players in ticketing and ticket resale. Lawmakers are being pushed by consumers and businesses alike for changes to the ticketing world, and staying on top of how to navigate those changes is they key to keeping both customers and suppliers happy.

“The biggest challenge that companies in ticketing face in this system is communication between sellers and the marketplaces,” says Lemke. “If we find out about issues too late, we can’t resolve them before the event. And staying ahead of those issues proactively is so important if we want to avoid negative experiences.”

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