But Mom, Chicago has it! Why can’t we?

Yessiree, that sound you hear is me whining so hard you serve me with a glass of chablis and a side of brie.

I know, I know, a whiner is not very flattering, but look at what one of my Chicago-born staffers found right off the Magnificent Mile in Chi-town!  When you see it, you’ll be whining too!

Yep, that’s right, downtown Chicago has Ticketmaster ATMs (Automated Ticket Machines).  Aren’t they pretty?  Easy to use and easy to put in any location, these machines not only make purchasing tickets for theater easier, but their simple existence helps remind people that live theater exists.  It helps keep buying a ticket to the theater “top of mind”.

I want one!  I want one!

But NYC shouldn’t have one.

We should have several.

Imagine ATMs like these in locations like Rockefeller Plaza, Empire State Building, the Staten Island Ferry, subway stations, NYU, big hotels,  etc.  This could be one of the easiest ways to sell more tickets and at the prices we want.  Put full price tickets in more places than discount tickets, and slowly but surely, we might start to gain some traction.

And speaking of traction . . . putting official ticketing sources in more places, and slowly but surely, we might also make a dent in the broker business that has been scooping up customers off the web faster than we can say “service fee”.

I know this idea makes some people nervous . . . but honestly, this is a simple one that will sell us more tickets.  And I’m not even saying these suckers should be in box offices, so no jobs are threatened.

But they should be around the city.  And when they add to our bottom line, we can all toast with a real glass of wine.

 

(Got a comment?  I love ’em, so comment below!  Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what’s on your mind!)

——-

FUN STUFF

– VOTE for Producer of the Year!  Click here!

– Learn How To Market Your Show with Email in the Email Marketing Seminar on Jan. 12th.  Register Today!

Related Posts

Podcasting

Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.

LEARN MORE