Where Were You On September 11, 2001?

By Steve DeMots, SVP Business Development, Tickets.com

Where were you September 11, 2001?

I was at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa outside of Miami, where the IAAM Arena Managers Conference was being held that year. I remember that it was a Tuesday morning, and it looked like it was going to be a decent day- which was good because the conference golf tournament was that day. We were going to play the Blue Monster, the famed golf course at Doral, and it had been raining for days. I remember getting ready and turning on the news, which I never do, and Katie Couric was talking about a small plane that had mistakenly hit one of the Twin Towers. Then all of a sudden, while I was standing there, another plane hit the other tower.

Stunned, but still thinking these were accidents because that is all that Katie could come up with, I gathered my things and went to join the rest of my industry friends and acquaintances on the driving range. You have to remember that we lived in the dark ages before smart phones and wireless Internet, so we all stood around, talking about what was going on- and getting updates from latecomers. It was all speculation at the time, but the reality of what was going on was starting to set in. Amazingly, after what must have been a discussion, someone made the decision that the golf tournament was still going to be held. We started playing, oblivious to what was really going on- until the phone calls started coming in. A worried spouse, a frantic venue operations manager, and in some cases someone who was actually in one of the buildings. Someone in my foursome was truly talking to someone who was running down the stairs of one of the towers. I didn’t know it at the time, but my cousin was in the Pentagon, fortunately on the other side of the building. I don’t know if anyone finished 18 holes that day, my group didn’t. We headed back to the club house with sick feelings in our stomach and joined others around the TV- and didn’t move for hours.

There we were, about a hundred entertainment industry veterans, all down in Miami- far away from everything. It took a while for the reality to sink in- then the warnings were being issued, flights were being canceled indefinitely, trains were stopped, cell phone traffic was jammed- and we realized this was something that was going to affect us all. The ones who were on top of things started reserving rental cars, or planning to use the cars they had already to get home. It wasn’t long before there were no more cars to rent. You can imagine the stories- of folks from Atlanta sharing a rental car with someone from Cleveland, because it was “on the way”. Five people piling in a compact for a drive to California. For me, single and without any place I really needed to be, there were far worse places to be than at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. Everyone was trying to leave, and no one was coming in. My room was upgraded to a suite with a view of the 18th green of the Blue Monster. Three of the four courses were wide open to us- we just grabbed golf carts and played as much as we felt like, which wasn’t that much. But most of the time we sat in the area outside of the restaurant, where there were a number of TVs’- just watching it all and soaking it in.

After a few days, some flights began to open up, and the rest of us started leaving. I was on one of the first flights out of Miami, a Continental flight that had about 10 people on it. As I looked down as the plane lifted off the ground, I knew I would always remember this particular Arena Managers Conference, and those that I shared the experience with.

Tickets.com Hits a Homerun with IAAM Event at Fenway Park

It started off just like any other Tickets.com conference social event; great weather, a popular destination and a great group of people. The only disappointment that day was the Red Sox losing a home game to the Baltimore Orioles 6 runs to 2. Scoreboard aside, the Tickets.com party suites were abuzz with a buffet of food and beverages, a surprise appearance of the 2004 and 2007 World Series trophies and a power attendant named Dennis. We better start planning for the next event now if we want to keep up with the fantastic fan experiences!

Venues Today: Blending of Primary and Secondary Still Causing a Stir Between Ticket Pros

ANAHEIM, Calif. & LAS VEGAS — There’s little doubt that the merging of the primary and secondary ticket markets is underway, but just how close are the two sides to coming together as a single industry? Two recent panels at industry conventions — one for ticket brokers, the other for venue managers — show that both sides are far apart on many issues.

Ticket brokers who gathered in Las Vegas July 24-26 for Ticket Summit said they were still frustrated with major ticket companies over what they considered to be roadblocks to the buying and selling of tickets. Just days later, facility managers and box office professionals gathered at the International Association of Assembly Managers conference in Anaheim, Calif., July 25-29 and told a panel of ticketing professionals that they still didn’t believe they were getting their fair share of secondary revenue.

Ticket Summit was a mix of the primary and the secondary, hosting a panel that featured Eric Baker from Viagogo, Greg Bettinelli of StubHub, Jeff Lapin from Razorgator, Derek Palmer from Tickets.com, Jeff Scheman from TicketNetwork and Chris Tsakalakis from eBay.

“There continues to be this sense of unfairness by the consumer, the promoter and in many cases, the venue manager, that tickets for concerts in taxpayer-funded facilities are inaccessible to most people,” said Rod Pilbeam, executive director of AEG Ogden in Brisbane, Australia.

Pilbeam’s comment reflected a larger sentiment that still prevails among many facility managers — that buildings and box offices take large risks on concerts, often face excruciatingly tight margins and usually only see the negative side of brokers; namely counterfeit or misleading tickets.

“I’m getting squeezed by promoters who want a piece of every revenue stream,” said Michael Combs of the Tacoma (Wash.) Dome. “Our margins are shrinking all the time, but we log onto sites like StubHub and see tickets going for two to three times their face value, and we’re not seeing any of that income.”

The sense of inequity is coupled with a growing frustration towards aggressive ticket acquisition, where brokers use automated and non-automated means to purchase and resell tickets, along with an increase in secondary ticket listings that aren’t yet available to the public.

“We’re seeing a lot of this frustration communicated to the primary ticket companies because there are very few avenues for direct dialogue between the box office and those reselling tickets,” said Alan Rakov of Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange.

Primary ticketing companies were also the focus of frustration during Ticket Summit, with many brokers complaining that primary forays into secondary tickets could shrink overall market share for brokers.

Broker Russ Altman said he considered paperless tickets, like the ones used on the recent Tom Waits tour to block resale, to be an act of hostility toward the broker community.

“Why don’t the ticket companies stand up to the venues and refuse to develop technology that limits the ability of the buyer to control the ticket,” he said. “It’s our ticket, we paid for it and the ticket companies shouldn’t assist the venues in blocking us out.”

The paperless system Altman spoke of was developed by primary giant Ticketmaster, who recently purchased secondary marketplace TicketsNow.

“The big question is going to be how Ticketmaster balances out the needs of its primary clients while also continuing to rely on brokers to provide the inventory of secondary sites,” said broker Harris Rosner. “There have been some signs that Ticketmaster can move some inventory directly onto the secondary, but in our conversations with (Ticketmaster CEO) Sean Moriarty, he’s made it very clear that Ticketmaster will continue to work with brokers to supply the site.”

The other big disagreement between the two sides will likely center around customer data, said Jeff Lapin of RazorGator.

“Owning your customer is going to become more important than ever,” Lapin told the audience at Ticket Summit. — Dave Brooks

Another Successful IAAM Trade Show for Tickets.com

Tickets.com had an exciting several days of industry events at the annual International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM) conference and trade show in Anaheim, California. We were proud to sponsor the IAAM Board of Directors Dinner at the Bowers Museum on Thursday evening.

The Tickets.com dinner on Sunday, July 27, was a great opportunity for clients to meet each other and share success stories. The evening kicked off with a special Tickets.com limousine ride from the conference hotel to the Anaheim Whitehouse restaurant. Invitees enjoyed a beautifully displayed dinner and an evening of networking with Tickets.com staff and clients.



During the IAAM Trade Show, Tickets.com entertained attendees at our new booth and gave out Tickets.com-branded inflatable beach balls. We continue to showcase our new ticketing solutions and technologies.

We look forward to seeing you at the next IAAM Conference and Trade Show in Boston, Massachusetts July 24-28, 2009!

IAAM Conference and Trade Show Starts Today!

The 83rd year of the International Association of Assembly Managers Conference & Trade Show kicks off today, July 25, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets.com is there showcasing our ticketing solutions.

The IAAM Conference is the world's largest professional association dedicated to issues relevant to the management of public assembly facilities. The IAAM Trade Show is the largest trade show in the public assembly facility management industry.

Stop by Booth #1012 to see the ProVenue® Ticketing Solution.

Tickets.com Contributes Items to 2008 IAAM Foundation Silent Auction

Tickets.com is a Gold Donor for the 2008 IAAM Foundation Silent Auction. The auction is now open at www.iaamfoundation.cmarket.com.

Chicago Cubs field tickets, a San Francisco Giants suite, an old-style Ernie Banks jersey, and a suite at the Washington Nationals are among the items contributed.

The online portion of the auction will run through July 18 to support any pre-IAAM conference bidding. All items will then be displayed at the annual IAAM conference from July 26 - 28 in Anaheim. However, you need not be present to win as the online site supports "absentee bids" that will keep bidding for you up to the maximum you specify.

See you at the auction!