ReWork Consulting

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A Guide To Sourcing A New Ticketing System For Visitor Attractions And Events

Man Sourcing A New Ticketing System For Attractions And Events Bookings

A Guide To Sourcing A New Ticketing System For Visitor Attractions And Events

Ticketing systems in the attractions and events industry are a completely different concept from what they were, even a decade ago, thanks to technological developments. It is no longer about a customer being able to simply book a ticket online and receive this via email, app or post.

Now, ticketing software can support tiered ticketing, encourage upselling, allocate discounted entry, allow gifting and use data-driven technologies to apply personalisation and help attractions learn more about their customers/visitors. Some services even provide more advanced capabilities.

With an increasingly busy population who expect to be able to book experiences within a few clicks and receive instant automated information, receipts and confirmations, outdated or clunky ticketing and booking systems can seriously impair an attraction’s ability to secure visitor bookings.

Bad user experience or running into technical problems can prevent a customer from completing a booking and that is something the industry cannot afford to swallow. Moreover, the cost of ticketing software is a considerable outgoing for attractions so it’s essential to procure the right ticketing system for an attraction. 

The right ticketing system is not measured only by the technology’s capabilities but also by how effectively clients and ticketing partners work together.

ReWork Consulting specialise in partnering attractions with the right ticketing suppliers, adept with the technology and the mindset to fulfil their needs. We have years of experience working within the industry with everyone from small local attractions to huge global entertainment companies. We make it a top priority to stay engaged with the ticketing technology market, from leading ticketing system providers to smaller or emerging software companies, and to ensure we’re aware of trends.

We streamline the procurement process and make it easier for attractions to be aligned with suppliers that are the best fit by thoroughly evaluating them against their long-term business objectives and goals. Because we have procured solutions as operators,  we understand what a massive undertaking selecting and implementing the best ticketing system is.

Sourcing a new ticketing system for visitor attractions and events is time-consuming, often takes essential personnel away from key responsibilities and burdens them with navigating a highly technical and overwhelming array of potential software options.

In this guide to sourcing a new ticketing system for visitor attractions and events, we will take you through some key processes and help you approach procurement in a way that is far more likely to end in success for your business, your teams, and your customers.


Firstly, Do You Really Need A New Ticketing System?

Before exploring alternative ticketing software partners, reassess your current supplier relationship – what are the problems? 

If the system lacks capabilities, it’s worth discussing requirements with the supplier. Sometimes the technology is more advanced than the client realises. Perhaps, the supplier has misunderstood the client’s needs and failed to steer them towards features that could make the system work better for them.

Have you over-complicated your offering, taking it out of step with industry best practices? Perhaps these changes have made it more difficult for the supplier to support you with their solution. 

If considering a new ticketing system due to a strained supplier-client relationship, address communication breakdowns and disputes first. It’s crucial to exhaust possibilities with the current provider before opting for a costly and time-consuming change. Sometimes the inability of the supplier to meet expectations can be blamed on a rushed or ambiguous procurement process. Therefore, even if you do end up deciding to explore new opportunities, valuable lessons can be learned.


Understanding The Opportunities

One of the disadvantages of not using a ticketing consultant when sourcing a new ticketing partner is that you don’t have an expert on hand. This means you, or someone in your business, will need to learn about the types of ticketing models on the market, the areas they each specialise in and the features they each provide.

While some ticketing providers focus purely on ticketing functionality, many cover other areas including retail, catering, CRMs and so on. Some can offer data-driven personalisation for your visitors, manage annual passes and memberships, offer dynamic pricing models and use customer data to give you enhanced insight into your visitor’s needs and preferences.

With technology changing so rapidly and advancements being made in AI-assisted technologies, features for ticketing systems are becoming more vast by the day. Whilst it may be tempting to return to the shortlist you made the last time you looked at software providers, chances are the landscape has changed considerably since. Therefore, it’s important to learn about and understand the latest and emerging capabilities of the ticketing software industry.

Of course, rather than placing this burden on yourself or your team, you could turn to ReWork. We know the technology, we understand the market and we have unique insight and access to it. With an ear to the ground and our eye on the ball, we’ll be able to point you towards the right ticketing model for your attraction or event and be able to explain the features to you, without all the technical jargon. This is something we have just completed earlier this year when we undertook a ticketing market review for one of the world’s largest attraction operators. They are experts in their field of entertainment and have been a household name for almost 30 years, but when they needed guidance on the current ticketing market, it was ReWork’s expertise they turned to.


Developing A Brief For New Ticketing Systems In Attractions

It’s important to make some of your decisions before scoping out potential suppliers. You’ll find that there are many ticketing software options and heading to market without a clear idea of what you need will be overwhelming and will waste time. It’s also essential to know and have your teams agree upon what is needed from the software and the partnership. Setting out a brief for your ticketing software procurement project is essential for staying on track and ensuring all parties understand the desired outcomes, as well as the steps deemed necessary to reach this.

Consultant Talking To Client


Teams and personnel across your business will depend on the attraction having a robust and efficient ticketing system/systems. Therefore, it can be helpful to consult a range of employees, from administration to front-of-house, to ensure you’re encompassing their priorities into your brief for a new ticketing system.

Then, there are a few questions you’ll need to consider to define your brief:

  • Would an all-in-one solution be right for you or might you need more than one system to meet different aspects of the business?
  • Who will manage this system and what skill set do they need?
  • What kind of relationship do you wish to have with your supplier/partner?
  • Who will be managing the implementation and do they have the resources to effectively project manage?
  • Who and how are you going to manage the ongoing relationship with the ticketing provider?
  • Which ticketing system features are essential for your business and will support your long-term goals and objectives?
  • Do you fully understand the pros and cons of your choice of ticketing system, including the impact your decisions will have on all areas of your business – spend per head, marketing, CRM, on-site experience, cross-selling/upselling, membership engagement, loyalty etc?


In our article What Technology Do You Need you will find some further guidance on things to think about before you head to market.

Essentially, we advise including an overview of high-level goals, objectives and broader requirements, followed by more detailed documentation that includes functional and non-functional requirements. The two documents should form a two-step procurement process, to ensure the most thorough evaluation for such a large business-critical investment.

A brief should be a guide as you approach sourcing a new ticketing supplier, but not necessarily a set of rigid instructions. Some flexibility may be useful as you may discover new opportunities or find yourself needing to compromise due to budgets, etc. However, referring back to your brief throughout this process will ensure you don’t move too far away from what it is you’re setting out to achieve.


Sourcing A New Ticketing System

Sourcing a new ticketing system is an involved process and it is essential to have a project team manager.

If you do decide to use a Ticketing Consultancy, like ReWork, then we will take care of much of the leg-work but it’s still essential to involve those who will be managing the partnership with the ticketing software provider going forward. After all, a good working relationship starts at the outset and must be established by those who will be taking it forward in the future.

After assigning the right personnel for the project, and defining the brief, you’ll head to market. Again, a ticketing consultant will be able to use your brief and their comprehensive understanding of what you need, together with their expertise, to build a shortlist for you. 

Without a ticketing consultant, you will need to research the market yourself. Using your brief, you can create a shortlist of ticketing providers who specialise in attractions and/or events. Recommendations can be useful but you may also wish to look into industry news to see which ticketing providers are having a positive impact on the industry.

Initially, informal discussions are key to ensuring basic needs can be met before arranging proper meetings and/or pitches.

When it comes time to listen to presentations/demos, ensure you reread the brief to remind yourself of what it is your business needs. It can be easy to be swept up by impressive features, comprehensive solutions and/or sales speak that may sound impressive but might not be particularly relevant to your business.

Pitching is a good opportunity to gauge the approach a ticketing provider will have to your partnership. Are they easy to communicate with or do you find yourself confused about the product? How well do they understand your attraction and your visitors? How much time do they spend talking about aftercare and ongoing management of the ticketing system after implementation? How much have they researched your attraction/venue, or digested and responded to your brief?

Once you get to the stage where shortlisted ticketing providers are meeting with you or presenting to you, it’s a good idea to include key personnel and to ensure voices from across the visitor experience – from marketing, bookings/operations, to on-site experience – are represented.

Pitch Meeting With Suppliers


Procurement Of New Ticketing Partners

When not managed properly, procurement can result in either selecting the wrong partners or selecting the right partners but not establishing the right working relationship. Either way, you could end up with a ticketing system that fails to serve your or your customers’ needs. This can create internal frustrations and therefore damage in-house relationships, as well as disrupt the visitor booking experience. Furthermore, badly implemented solutions are time-consuming and costly to solve. Better to take time, follow proper processes and get procurement right the first time. It is also essential to allow adequate time for staff to be trained in using new systems.

ReWork have devised a comprehensive strategic method which has proved highly successful for our catalogue of clients in the attractions industry. This is a basic outline of our approach to sourcing and implementing new ticketing partnerships:

  • Discovery – We visit your attraction/venue, meet the team, fully understand your objectives and business processes and then write the initial brief
  • Shortlist and Selection – Create a shortlist based on our market knowledge. Then follow our best practice documentation for the most effective procurement process
  • Implementation/Onboarding Support – During this process, we provide advice and guidance so that the project continues to be managed smoothly and within agreed timescales
  • Ongoing Partnership Management – Provide support on the long-term technology partnership, as well as commercial business consultancy

If you are considering a new ticketing system for your attraction, then bringing in the experts can help to ensure you source the right technology, establish the ideal working relationship and bolster your business with a technical solution that enhances your offering and streamlines your customer experience. ReWork has been supporting attractions globally by steering them towards new opportunities and taking much of the burden of procurement from already stretched managers and teams. To see just some of the success we have had, please see our case studies. If you would like to talk more about how we may be able to assist you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

For more attractions industry related news and commentary, connect with me on LinkedIn to join the discussion there.

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