Many companies have guarantees for their ticket sales.  Most websites, including the largest internet resale marketplace, only offer a full refund if a buyer has a problem with tickets.  Another popular site offers a 125% money back guarantee if there are problems with the tickets or if they do not arrive in time.  That is great, but it does not address the fact that tickets are not just items, they are part of an experience.  For the parent dealing with unmet expectations and disappointment, the “extra” money back doesn’t matter.  For the person who drives 2 hours each way, or plans a weekend trip and books travel and hotel rooms, offering back money after the fact is not acceptable.

How is what we do different?  Well, we don’t just hide behind a guarantee to get sales.  We actually stand behind everything, and if there is a problem, we work to make it right so that the experience can be salvaged.  In the moment, the experience is often more valuable than the money.  Unfortunately, we screwed up on an order last night where we mistakenly re-printed a set of Indiana Pacers tickets and our customer had the original set which had been invalidated.  It was a simple mistake that slipped through the cracks, but it left a customer of ours at the gate with tickets that would not scan.  Instead of simply saying, sorry, we’ll refund your money tomorrow, we immediately went to work to make sure our customer got into the game they had planned their evening around.  It turns out, the customer ended up getting a substantial upgrade to lower level seats that were much more expensive.

Epictetus, a stoic philosopher, once said, “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do” (Discourses 3.23).  That is what we do.  We say all the time that we are fans of events who know what having a good experience means.  We mean that.  We aren’t just people answering phones who follow a script; we use our brains and we relate to our customers.  We want people to work with us because they know that we have their back.  Even on the rare occasion when we screw up; we have our customer’s backs.  That means when there is a problem, we don’t just hide behind a guarantee, we go out and make it right for our customer on the spot to make sure that they have a good experience.  We know what we want to be, and we do what we have to do.

Today we were asked a question that comes up periodically.  After ordering tickets, (incidentally through a 3rd party), a customer asked, “I am a little nervous about the legitimacy of the tickets, are these tickets definitely real?”  Now, there are a few things odd about this.  First, it seems that this question would probably have been better suited to be asked prior to a purchase.  Second, the question itself is odd.  It would be akin to going to a restaurant, ordering, and when the food arrives, asking the waitress for reassurance that the food sitting on the plate in front of you is not going to give you food poisoning.  It seems that research in advance would have been more prudent.  And just as no waitress would ever say yes to that question, how could you expect that we would ever answer that your tickets are in fact fake?  Completely aside from the fact that we would never sell fake tickets, if we were scheming or a shady business, why would we say yes?  That would be stupid.

This is NOT what we look like after a sale.

The fact is we don’t work like that.  Perhaps some people in the ticket business have the reputation of being dirt bags (some deservedly so, no doubt), but that is really in a category different from us.  We are normal people.  We are fans of events too.   And we care that people have a good time.

This is what we look like after working with customers to create a great experience.

In fact, because of the skepticism we sometimes get because of the implication we are lumped in with the bad guys, we actually work harder to take care of people. In fact, we took a poll of people in the office, and 100% of our staff we asked said that they thought we were nice people to work with and have our customers’ best interest in mind.  Facts are facts, and numbers never lie.

We hate when things go badly, and we work hard to make sure that they never do.  We always have people available to talk in an emergency situation, and if something does go wrong we work to make it right, right away.  We’re not just in the business of selling tickets, we are in the business of selling experiences too, and that includes much more than just the time you are sitting in your seats.  As we have grown in the last year, we are happy to have more and more people realizing that and coming back to us time after time for their ticket purchases.

What?  My bracket?  The NCAA tournament hasn’t event started yet!  We don’t even know the field!

I’m asking about your bracket for The Bachelor.  The season is nearly over, and the real question is not who will win on the show, but who will win your bracket challenge.

The truth is that everything is better if you can make it into a competition.  While each season of The Bachelor promises to the be most dramatic season ever, you can make it the most awesome season ever by “winning” the season.  Because when you win, you win.  That pretty much says it all.

We are asked different variations of the same question all the time  – “Are prices going to go up down for these tickets?”  “If I wait, will prices drop?”  When is the best time to buy tickets for this event?”  “Does the price go up if it sells out?”

It’s a question that we can honestly answer every time — we have no idea.  If we did, it would make our job a lot easier.  The market for tickets is subject to the same fluctuations as any other market, such as the stock market, oil futures, etc.

There are plenty of examples of the market moving in both directions.  In 2012, Auburn football tickets tanked as the season progressed, while Vanderbilt football tickets steadily increased in value.   In 2011 you would have done well to wait until late to purchase Colts tickets.  In 2012, you would have done well to purchase them early.  Tickets to the NCAA South regional in 2012 increased dramatically when it was apparent that Indiana and Kentucky were headed for a highly anticipated rematch. Tickets to the 2006 Final Four in Indianapolis dropped in value when two football schools (LSU, Florida), a west coast team (UCLA), and a small program (George Mason) completed the match ups.  If two teams are undefeated going into a huge matchup the value increases, sometimes substantially (e.g. Colts vs. Patriots 2008, Alabama vs. LSU football 2011).  In that case, you would have done well to buy early.  If a team loses one or more games just before a huge game, prices drop (e.g. Arkansas vs. Alabama football 2012).

It is particularly tough to gauge when value is tied to individuals.  Look at how much the 2011 Colts without Peyton Manning struggled to fill the stadium.  When Andy Roddick was the top draw at many smaller American tennis tournaments, you can imagine it hurt ticket value when he exited early.  Unfortunately we had that happen a few times in Indianapolis.  Conversely, When the top 8 seeds all advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2011 Western & Southern Open, the value of tickets increased dramatically anticipating a superstar weekend.  An injury or illness can hurt value, while a surprise appearance can help it.

Then there are other factors.  Game time can change.  A 9pm weeknight game is less desirable than 7pm.  A Sunday afternoon football game is often more desirable than a night game.  Something like College Gameday on campus can change the value.  A sellout increases demand which increases value.  Poor weather can hurt ticket sales.

Studies have shown that sitting in the rain is no fun.

The best time to purchase tickets is when you find the right tickets for you at a price you are comfortable with.  It’s great to “catch” the market at the best time, but unless you have a time machine, it is incredibly difficult to know when the market is at a tipping point.  If you do happen to have a time machine, we definitely have a position open for you at Fanfare Tickets.  In the meantime, we are always happy to talk to you and help you make the best decision for you!

The band Imagine Dragons played a show last night at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis and they were incredible!  Even though we had sold quite a few Imagine Dragons tickets for the show, most people in our office didn’t really know much about them.

It turns out they are fantastic.

Check out this video one of their songs performed live:

Of course, that is not from last night, but you get the general sense of what they are. Great show.  They also hinted that they would be back in Indianapolis later this year, perhaps opening for a band at a larger venue.

We, and many other fans, will be anxiously looking forward to it!