Anyone care to do a Public Records search...

[Lewis the Pike]

to see how much the contract of exclusivity of ticketing for OSU events, that Ticketmaster paid to be able to charge ticketing fees for every event?

[wickerbill]

As a season ticket holder, my fees aren't really any higher than before and I get a lot more flexibility and options are a lot better with the ability to reprint tickets and email tickets to friends if we can't go. One of the few times I don't have a problem with ticketmaster.

[Lewis the Pike]

I am just seeing how much they rake us Dodger fans over the coals with processing fees and all; it makes me sick.

[wickerbill]

I think my season ticket fees are $30 or so for basketball and the same for football. It's per season ticket account, not per ticket. We had to pay before they had TM about the same amount and the customer service provided by the university was absolutely awful. It used to take at least 3 phone calls to get my address successfully changed after I moved. Now I can log on and do it online.

It's not a per ticket fee with convenience fees, mailing fees, and every other BS fee that TM comes up with for the concert tickets I buy.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

this is a very common practice. The alternatives are not all that attractive for schools, since they would need to buy and online ticketing system, manage and support it themselves, plus deal with all the payment card industry security requirements.

Plus there is the breadth of marketing, etc.

I really think this is a non-issue, and I'm not sure why you bring it up.

http://www.sportsvenue-technology.com/market_reports/maximising_revenue_from_sports_ticketing.html

Internet Ticketing Hype
A single feature does not a ticketing system make.

First Prime International Software is heavily involved in the admissions industry, which includes the arts, sports and other forms of amusement. Our primary product in this market is Box Office Xpress.
You've just got to have Internet ticketing, right? Of course you do. Or, at least, you should plan for it in your not too distant future. But at what lengths should you go to make sure you get it? How important is it in comparison to everything else involved in ticketing?

When looking for Internet ticketing, should that be the driving factor in your decision process for a ticketing system? Many companies have sprung up in recent years who are betting on that. They offer a varied range of features that lend themselves well to the benefits of the Internet. But what else have they got? Do they offer the breadth of features you've come to expect from an in-house ticketing system? The answer, quite simply is, no ... not even close. Some promise added functionality in the future.

So here we have in-house ticketing systems scrambling to incorporate Internet ticketing. And we have Internet ticketing companies praying for a full blown in-house system. Guess who has the easier job.

Why the powerful fascination with Internet ticketing? The answer is, it's the latest craze, and it's been hyped beyond belief with wondrous sales projections. But most importantly, beneath the hype, it truly does have the potential to improve public relations (through convenience). But it can diminish it as well, for organizations that capitalize on personal contact. Will it cut operating costs? Only if you charge the per ticket fee to your patrons on top of your normal ticket price. Will it otherwise make you more money than your organization currently brings in? Highly unlikely, unless you depend on national sales.

But does Internet Ticketing warrant the obsession to have it above all us? Of course not. Internet ticketing is nothing more than a feature. Just like the countless other features your ticketing software already has. It may be one of your more important features, but that is truly the extent of its worth.

Internet ticketing ... definitely one of those features to be sure is included in your next in-house ticketing system.

[Lewis the Pike]

Actually; it's pretty easy;

I use www.brownpapertickets.com for my shows. I heard about it from Doug Stanhope; He books 3000 seat arenas with assigned seating. $.99 transaction fee, and 3% of total transaction, which he absorbs himself.

It's better than the sodomizers of the ticketing industry, ticketmaster.

Also, I think we have a pretty healthy MIS Program, and could eaily keep it in house, and providde EXCELLENT experience for our students.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

Actually; it's pretty easy;

I use www.brownpapertickets.com for my shows. I heard about it from Doug Stanhope; He books 3000 seat arenas with assigned seating. $.99 transaction fee, and 3% of total transaction, which he absorbs himself.

It's better than the sodomizers of the ticketing industry, ticketmaster.

Also, I think we have a pretty healthy MIS Program, and could eaily keep it in house, and providde EXCELLENT experience for our students.


I have personally examined more than two dozen approaches to Athletic Department ticketing, and it is not as simple as you are trying to make it; and you totally failed to address the marketing/reach aspects of outsourcing companies.

You also failed to mention PCI compliance, and that site does not specifically state that they are in compliance. There is a huge liability for a University and you simply cannot go with some fly-by-night organization like the one you posted.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

BTW - I'm not endorsing Ticketmaster or the approach that OSU has taken, I'm simply stating that you are vastly over simplifying the situation, the costs, the benefits, etc.

[Lewis the Pike]

no worries, you know you're stuff about IT type things;

I just think more information and transperency is ALWAYS a good thing.

[wickerbill]

It's a lot more complicated than just having a some college students throw together a system. I have an MIS degree from OSU, and trust me that a bunch of college students would have trouble building a system like this that works as well. Every ticket has a bar code that is scanned when you get to the event. If I decide I can't go and a friend wants to go, I can email him new tickets. Those tickets have a different bar code than my season ticket did and the season ticket code is deactivated. I can also log in and fully manage my account, renew tickets, change contact info, buy tickets to other events, etc.

All for a fee of less than the 3% fee you mentioned. I pay $30 total for my four football tickets and $30 total for my two basketball tickets. Before we had ticketmaster, we still had to pay a fee of around the same amount and in return we got horrible service with whatever system OSU had at the time. Maybe it was made by MIS students. :)

[OSUFan]

I am just seeing how much they rake us Dodger fans over the coals with processing fees and all; it makes me sick.

Well, there's your problem right there... being a Dodger fan. ;)

[Lewis the Pike]

Well, there's your problem right there... being a Dodger fan. ;)

HOW DARE YOU!!!! I will defend the Blue till the Death!!!

:officechair:

[snuffy]

HOW DARE YOU!!!! I will defend the Blue till the Death!!!

:officechair:

Hey everyone, Lewis wants to die, think we can help him along?:D

[OSUFan]

Hey everyone, Lewis wants to die, think we can help him along?:D

I'm not sure he wants to die but he sure wants to suffer. Oh, well, I know the feeling also being a Cubs fan.

[ARPoke]

It's a lot more complicated than just having a some college students throw together a system. I have an MIS degree from OSU, and trust me that a bunch of college students would have trouble building a system like this that works as well. Every ticket has a bar code that is scanned when you get to the event. If I decide I can't go and a friend wants to go, I can email him new tickets. Those tickets have a different bar code than my season ticket did and the season ticket code is deactivated. I can also log in and fully manage my account, renew tickets, change contact info, buy tickets to other events, etc.

All for a fee of less than the 3% fee you mentioned. I pay $30 total for my four football tickets and $30 total for my two basketball tickets. Before we had ticketmaster, we still had to pay a fee of around the same amount and in return we got horrible service with whatever system OSU had at the time. Maybe it was made by MIS students. :)

I highlighted a couple issues with your analysis, you would be much better served looking for someone with a technical degree, maybe someone from the Computer Science Department :)

Sorry, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to take the jab. I agree that the ticketmaster method is substantially better than the previous system, and it would be very difficult to manage a student developed system since a system like ticketmaster would require years of development.

[CaliforniaCowboy]

I highlighted a couple issues with your analysis, you would be much better served looking for someone with a technical degree, maybe someone from the Computer Science Department :)

Sorry, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to take the jab. I agree that the ticketmaster method is substantially better than the previous system, and it would be very difficult to manage a student developed system since a system like ticketmaster would require years of development.

My degree is from the Computer Science Department :biggrin:


Actually there are several commercial packages out there that athletic departments obtain and run themselves; I wouldn't recommend trying to build one from scratch.


(of course the computers that I learned on don't exist any longer; but hey, let's not go there)

[wickerbill]

I highlighted a couple issues with your analysis, you would be much better served looking for someone with a technical degree, maybe someone from the Computer Science Department :)

Sorry, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to take the jab. I agree that the ticketmaster method is substantially better than the previous system, and it would be very difficult to manage a student developed system since a system like ticketmaster would require years of development.

I agree. I just used MIS since that's what Lewis used. I know my limitations in coding and prefer to stay on the side that implements it and keeps it working rather than writing it. I do know enough and have been involved in enough projects to know that a system like the one OSU is using from Ticketmaster isn't something that can be thrown together by college students in any reasonable amount of time.