Etix

Prism.fm’s The Live Music Industry Podcast #34 – Inside Etix with Chris Battaglino and Michael Reklis

Jared McEntire — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 04:28:51 +0000

In February 2026, Etix’s Chief Product Officer Chris Battaglino and Director of Sales for Music Venues Michael Reklis joined Matt Ford on Prism.fm‘s The Live Music Industry Podcast for a candid chat exploring what it takes to provide scalable, successful ticketing in today’s shifting live event landscape, plus the impact of dynamic pricing, AI, ticket resale, and more. So pop in some earbuds, sit back, and enjoy watching and reading more below.

Interview transcript abridged for length.

Matt Ford: Michael, Chris, thank you so much for coming on. Really appreciate it. Good to see you, man.

Michael Reklis: Absolutely.

Matt Ford: Well, Michael and Chris both play important roles over at Etix. I was at the Etix Blast Conference, which was always so fun but also really informational, and I was surprised by the things you guys have going on. We also had some very important conversations around the state of the industry, which is in a really curious place right now. So I’m grateful to have you both on the podcast to talk about what’s going on with Etix, your vantage points on the economy, and all those topics.

Why don’t we start with introductions? Who are you both, what were you doing before Etix, and what do you do now?

introductions

Michael Reklis: Yeah, so I’m Michael Reklis. My official title at Etix is Director of Sales, with a specialty in music venues. Before Etix, I was a concert promoter in North Carolina. I worked as many different jobs in the music industry as I could — being an assistant at a booking agency, working at a venue, running my own promotions company, interning at a label, basically anything I could get my hands on.

About 18 years ago, I started working at Etix, which was supposed to be a two- or three-year gig just to understand the ticketing industry. But here I am. Now, I focus on helping music venues, performing arts centers, and really anyone selling tickets choose Etix over competitors. Along the way, I also work closely with Chris and the product team, helping move the product forward and figure out what our clients need. That’s my elevator pitch.

Matt Ford: Love it. How about you, Chris?

Chris Battaglino: Thanks, Reklis. That was a great introduction. I’m Chris Battaglino, and I run the product team here at Etix. Unlike Reklis, I didn’t have a long background in the industry before joining, but after about 13 years, I’m slowly figuring it out. Like Reklis, I didn’t expect to be here this long, but once the claws get in, it’s hard to get out.

We’ve got a great team, we have a lot of fun, and the industry always offers new opportunities to build exciting things and be part of something meaningful.

Company Scale & Operations

Matt: What’s the scope and scale of Etix? Whatever numbers you can share — tickets sold, customer base, number of venues, fairs, museums, etc.

Michael: We’re based in North Carolina, with several offices in the U.S., plus offices in China, Japan, and Germany. China is mainly a development office that works closely with Chris’s team. Japan and Germany handle Asian and European operations.

In 2025, we sold over 100 million tickets. That’s ballpark — we’re not submitting to an official census here.

Matt: That’s incredible. The scale of what you’re doing is really impressive. How do you balance work across fairs, venues, and other verticals?

Chris: Honestly, the initiative is always on everything, all the time. Years ago, things felt more cyclical — fair season, busy season, slow season. Now there’s no slow season. Everything is always busy.

One example is kiosks. We originally built freestanding ticket kiosks for casinos about six years ago. We thought it would be a niche product, but music venues loved them. Now they’re in clubs and performing arts centers all over the country.

Product Innovation & Marketing

Matt: How does marketing fit into this strategy?

Michael: We have a marketing agency arm called Rockhouse Partners, which started as a separate company and was acquired by Etix in 2011. Now it functions as Etix’s in-house marketing agency, working exclusively for Etix clients. They handle digital ads and promotions across music venues, festivals, fairs, museums — basically everything.

Whether you’re selling museum tickets or EDM festivals, you’re using the same platforms: Google, Meta, TikTok, and so on.

Octave point of sale

Matt: Tell me about Octave — your point-of-sale system.

Chris: We started beta testing Octave in summer 2024. We now have double-digit clients using it regularly, plus festivals and one-off events. Feedback has been great.

It handles food, beverage, merch — pretty much anything venues want to sell. Having clients we already trust willing to test new features has been huge. Their feedback helps us iterate quickly.

Secondary Market & Seat Relay

Matt: Let’s talk about secondary ticketing. What does Etix offer here?

Chris: We built Seat Relay because venues kept telling us they were missing revenue, data, and control over customer experience. About 24 months ago, we started developing an integrated secondary marketplace.

Venues can enable it event-by-event. Customers can join waitlists for sold-out shows, and later this year, we’re launching peer-to-peer resale. That means tickets are transferred safely, original barcodes are invalidated, and new barcodes are issued, eliminating fraud.

Michael: Our philosophy is to give venues control. Some want secondary sales turned off entirely. Others want to embrace it. We want to support both approaches.

All-In Pricing

Matt: What are you seeing with all-in ticket pricing?

Michael: Historically, Ticketmaster tried all-in pricing in 2011 after EU regulations, and it killed their sales in the U.S., so they rolled it back. But now that everyone has to do it, the playing field is level.

Our data shows most venues see similar or slightly higher sales after switching. Anecdotally, though, consumers still react strongly to upfront pricing.

Chris: Clarity is key. We’ve redesigned checkout flows to clearly communicate all-in pricing so customers understand exactly what they’re paying.

Economy & Live Entertainment

Matt: What are you seeing in terms of the economy and its impact on live events?

Michael: People are being more thoughtful with their spending. Venues need to price carefully — tickets, concessions, everything. Costs are up across the board, from labor to supplies.

Chris: We see a tale of two cities. Large venues and arenas are thriving. PACs and mid-sized venues are fairly resilient. But small clubs, especially 100–400 cap rooms, are hurting. Inflation, interest rates, and reduced disposable income are all factors.

Michael: That said, the industry moves in cycles. When you’re on the downside, it usually means you’re closer to the upswing. Hopefully 2026 brings that rebound.

AI & The Future of Ticketing

Matt: How is AI changing your thinking?

Chris: AI is absolutely here to stay. We’re already seeing chat-based ticket buying, smart search, automated customer service, and fraud detection. I see a future where customers simply say, “Buy me the same seats as last time,” and the transaction happens instantly.

Michael: Security is the biggest challenge. AI makes life easier for good actors, but it also empowers fraud and scalping. Our responsibility is to stay ahead of that — protecting venues, fans, and payment systems.

Closing

Matt: This was incredibly informative. I really appreciate your time, insights, and partnership.

Michael: Thanks for having us.

Chris: Yeah, thanks, Matt.

Matt: Here’s to a great 2026 — optimism all around.

How to Keep Up with Etix Updates: The Essentials

Wendy Beasley — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:39:46 +0000

Our mission to innovate and improve never stops, so we’ve carved out options to stay current with new Etix updates and releases in ways that fit your schedule and workflow.

OUR ROADMAP TO THE FUTURE

Stay in lockstep with the Etix Product team through our Product Roadmap: a panoramic view of what’s on deck, what’s in progress, and what’s headed to the field.

Bookmark the roadmap to check for updates, and if something interesting catches your eye, drop us a line to try it out for yourself.

STAY SHARP WITH NEW RELEASES ON OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE

Explore product release notes, new offerings, and updates fresh out of the Etix oven in our extensive Knowledge Base, curated by our training experts. While you’re there, dive into more than 1,600 articles (and growing) including how-tos, best practices, and detailed guides for getting the most out of the Etix platform.

LEARN LIVE WITH ETIX WEBINARS

Our educational webinars are kind of like awesome Saturday morning cartoons about Etix, except they’re on Tuesdays and Fridays, and not animated, and with no cereal commercials. But still equally as awesome!

TUESDAYS ARE FOR TRAINING

Our Training team knows quite a bit about the Etix system. Lucky for us, they provide a multitude of ways to learn at your own pace – including live webinars twice a month covering everything from update overviews to detailed walkthroughs of system tools. As always, training services are completely free for our client partners so that you’re empowered to become a system expert yourself!

Fridays are for fraud fighting

The Etix Fraud Prevention team specializes in chewing bubblegum and putting a whoopin’ on fraud… and they’re all out of bubblegum. Join our crew live for Fraudy Fridays: a new webinar series unpacking the latest scams, chargeback traps, and ne’er-do-well antics that cause annoying (and often very expensive) ticketing headaches.

Can’t make the webinars live? Watch replays along with 50+ more archived videos in our Knowledge Base Video Library.

SCHEDULE YOUR TEST DRIVE

Are you an Etix client who wants to try more new features? Not an Etix client yet, but want to see how we could make a difference for you?

BONUS TIP: THE REAL ONES KNOW

If you spend as much time in Etix Box Office as we do, chances are you’re already a step ahead when it comes to system improvement updates thanks to our in-platform notifications. Whether it’s a bell notification or an on-screen popup, think of them as our little notes passed to you in class with the juiciest, most detailed news about what’s fresh with Etix. Check yes or no if you think the new Layout Design Editing Suite is cute.

Etix Ticketing Features & Updates – Summer 2025

Jared McEntire — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 17:21:24 +0000

Summer temperatures are rising fast here at Etix HQ in North Carolina—but our innovation teams have been turning up the heat for a while now, rolling out fresh product features and system tools that make it easier than ever for you to sell more tickets.

Get caught up on some of our most exciting product innovations and latest system features with Octave Point of Sale, Etix Event Discovery Network, and more!

Octave Point Of Sale

Octave has had a heck of a year! With V1 out in the wild, Octave produced impressive results for those adopting our new integrated point-of-sale system:

Single night concert – 55 devices, 11,000+ food and beverage transactions (about 29 per minute)
Multi-day music festival – 8 devices running merch sales, 5,000+ transactions
Hopscotch 2024 – 32 devices, 3800+ transactions on night one
10-day Food and Beverage Festival – $3.5 million in beverage sales, $6 million+ total processed

Etix Event Discovery Network

If you’re connected to the Etix Event Discovery Network, you’re already seeing how results are amplified when you meet fans where they discover their music. The Etix Event Discovery Network has grown with nearly twenty new partners on a regional and national scale, including a partnership with streaming powerhouse Spotify.

344 Active Venues

16.1 Million Clicks

578k Tickets Sold

$20+ Million Total Revenue for Venues

75% Purchased by New Customers

Etix Sell

Say hello to Etix Sell, our upgraded ticket-selling application. We’ve streamlined and simplified our sales application with the essentials you need to unlock your potential to sell tickets wherever and whenever you need an open box office. Designed for quick sales on a T-Ranger tablet or desktop, transactions require the bare minimum amount of clicks to keep your lines moving. Plus, all transaction data is populated immediately in the Etix system for reliable reporting.

Etix Sell joins Etix Scan in our new class of products designed to provide scalable, versatile solutions for core functions of your event sales and operations.

Dynamic Pricing

Maximize revenue and match demand for your most desirable seats with Etix Dynamic Pricing. This highly requested feature provides much more than just the ability to inventory between price levels. Need lightning-fast flexibility to flex price levels on big onsale days? Etix Dynamic Pricing can automatically alter prices based on demand, a set schedule, or sales volume. Have sections that aren’t quite selling how you’d like? Dynamic Pricing allows you to shift underperforming inventory to a lower, more attractive price point without the need for discount codes or flash sales. Plus, (you guessed it) everything is trackable through Etix reporting for an accurate final audit.

Second-Generation Mobile Ticket

Shine the spotlight on your brand! We’ve added more customization options than ever to our mobile ticket templates so your brand is front and center. Add your logo, colors, and custom messaging to layouts for individual, group, and package tickets to build brand recognition for your fans and your validation staff. These next-gen tickets are cached to be available without internet access and can be added to the purchaser’s Apple and Google Wallets for convenience.

Bulk Editing

Save time and avoid manual updates by using our revamped bulk editing tools! Make changes to multiple performances, including the performance name, price code-assigned inventory, date and time, ticket headers, sales schedules, and more.

Security | 3-D Secure Case Study

We take fraud prevention and protection very, very seriously. Our fraud prevention and product teams are continuously working to identify trends and connect with partners who can offer support for new solutions.

When a busy venue reached out for help last winter, we connected with 3-D Secure to triangulate a solution to add purchase protection and reduce fraud without decreasing sales. We documented those results in a case study. (Spoiler: the good guys win!)

COMING SOON

Seat Relay: Fan-First Ticket Exchange

At last year’s Blast in Raleigh, we proudly announced Seat Relay: our fan-first, fully-integrated secondary platform where Etix ticket holders can securely resell or transfer tickets. Seat Relay was developed in-house, prioritizing venue and fan protection, ethics, and best practices to facilitate peer-to-peer sales and transfers, add waitlist options for sold-out shows, and ultimately provide a user-friendly, trustworthy fan experience.

With Seat Relay, you gain transparency and control of how your tickets are exchanged while retaining the security and data privacy you expect as an Etix system user. Buyers get real Etix tickets with Etix customer support and become YOUR new customer. Oh yeah–you’ll still own your data 100%. No ifs, ands, or buts.

We’re rolling out Seat Relay this summer, so check in with your sales representative to see if your venue is a good fit for beta testing.

New Etix Hardware

The Etix product workshop isn’t all 0’s and 1’s! Our equipment team has been hard at work designing and patenting custom hardware solutions to meet the specific needs of our partners. Keep an eye out later this year for new Etix equipment out in the field that’s tailor-made to make your sales better, stronger, and faster.

Etix Ticketing Features & Updates – Safer Transactions with 3D Secure 2.0

Jared McEntire — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 19:44:48 +0000

3D Secure 2.0 is an authentication method for card-not-present transactions like online purchases. This technology aims to verify the person using the card for the transaction is the actual cardholder—and not a criminal or other unauthorized person.

SPEEDY SECURITY WITH REAL-TIME TRANSACTION REVIEWS

With 3D Secure 2.0, a merchant sends information to the customer’s bank (called the issuer or issuing bank) in real time. This information combines transaction-specific information like card details and contextual information such as the customer’s device ID or order history. The issuer uses machine learning to review the information provided and determine the likelihood of fraud. Based on the assessment, the bank does one of two things:

APPROVES THE TRANSACTION

If the bank believes the cardholder is the person making the purchase, the bank will authorize the merchant to proceed.

CHALLENGES THE TRANSACTION

If the information provided doesn’t match the norm or seems suspicious, the bank requests additional authentication. The customer needs to share a one-time password obtained via email or text. If the customer is authenticated during the challenge process, the merchant is safe to proceed. If not, the transaction is flagged as a high risk for fraud.

3D SECURE VENUE PARTNERSHIP STUDY

To help explain the tangible, financial benefits of 3D Secure, we partnered with an Etix client to conduct a study of results from adding 3D Secure transaction reviews to a multi-day event.

RESULTS FROM IMPLEMENTING 3D SECURE

76%

decrease in number of chargebacks

83%

decrease in chargeback dollar amount

$120k

prevented from loss due to chargebacks

Perhaps equally as impactful, the event reported ZERO percent drop in sales volume. This figure, coupled with the amount of staff time and frustration saved by dealing with fewer chargebacks, further creates a compelling case to consider an option like 3D Secure if chargebacks and fraudulent purchases are recurring issues for your business.

drop in sales volume

time saved and frustration avoided

HOW CAN I GET STARTED?

Want to see if 3D Secure or other fraud-fighting options are a fit for your venue? Our Client Services Team is here and happy to help get you started in the right direction.

Etix Ticketing Features & Updates – February 2024

Jared McEntire — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 20:46:29 +0000

Grab your favorite hot beverage, and let’s shake off those winter blues with a fresh product roundup! Check out highlights, innovations, and updates from the last twelve months, plus a peek at what’s coming next from Etix.

Scan AND Sell with the Etix Parking App

Improve your guests’ parking experience and sell more efficiently at your events. Sellers can now scan to validate presold parking passes and sell parking from the same app, providing a fast and easy way to keep the vehicle lines moving.

Create User Personas

Your users are not all the same! Our persona-based settings allow you to automatically assign role-based permissions when creating new users. Your users will have access only to the permissions they need, and we’ll tailor system communication and education with more relevance to their individual user persona.

Ticket Header Templates

Add essential ticket info with ease! Our updated Ticket Header Templates allow you to customize and instantly populate your ticket header text on an event-by-event basis with variable info including date, age restriction, event times, presenter, performer, websites, and much more! We’ll save you time and add a little sanity back to your performance builds by automatically adding these important event details to your ticket headers.

New Cobranding for Purchase Confirmation Emails

We’ve expanded your cobranding capabilities with new purchase confirmation email branding, enabling you to better control the look and feel of your customer-facing communications. Apply your branding to Etix purchase confirmation emails so your customers can easily find important emails from your Organization, Venue, or Performance in their inbox.

Template Builder for Memberships and Credentials

Build and batch-print custom cobranded digital and physical membership assets with the new Template Builder for Memberships and Credential Layouts. Creating and replicating membership pass layouts that reflect the look and feel of your organization has never been faster or easier!

One Scanning Interface to Rule Them All!

We’re standardizing our access control applications to make your ticket scanning experience as simple as possible. Our new universal validation app unites all of our scanning hardware, providing an identical user experience no matter which device you are using to scan tickets.

The Etix Event Discovery Network

More and more fans are engaging with music discovery channels like streaming platforms and event aggregators to explore new artists and discover where their favorite acts are performing. The new Etix Event Discovery Network allows Etix venues and events to surface across multiple partner platforms for greater visibility and increased ticket sales. This backend feature is specifically designed for venues to provide only the details necessary to get your event info in front of fans and nothing more. Your data is still your data!

LOOKING FORWARD AND COMING SOON

A New, Integrated Point-Of-Sale Solution

Because we know your food, beverage, and merch sales are essential to your big-picture success, we’re rolling out a brand new, integrated point-of-sale solution to help you capture more complete customer data, consolidate reporting, and streamline your event operations. Get ready to raise your vending experience by an entire Octave! (nudge nudge, wink wink)

Etix.com Redesign

Good news, everyone! We’re fully redesigning Etix.com, our event discovery website! We’ve listened, learned, and adapted for a fresh take on our proven online customer experience. An improved event search is only the beginning–brand new organization and venue pages incorporating our new cobranding tool will follow in early 2024.

Apple Pay for Mobile Web

A feature that has been highly requested by fans and venues alike! With more than 50% of all online Etix purchase transactions occurring on an Apple device, we expect to see heavy customer adoption of this popular digital payment option.

OC Fair & Event Center Selects Etix as New Ticketing Partner

Jared McEntire — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 22:14:12 +0000

Download Full Press Release

Costa Mesa, C.A., December 5, 2023 – OC Fair & Event Center has announced a new partnership with leading fair ticketing provider Etix. The Costa Mesa-based fair and event complex will use Etix’s web-based ticketing suite to sell admissions online and on-site for its dynamic, year-long calendar of events, including its famous 23-day fair and festival, the OC Fair, and its summer concert series at Pacific Amphitheatre.

“At OC Fair & Event Center, creating the best customer experience possible is central to everything we do,” said Dan Gaines, Entertainment Director at OC Fair & Event Center. “Our new partnership with Etix is built on a shared commitment to provide the best ticket purchase process and customer support in the industry. We look forward to an exciting future with Etix where we can exceed customer expectations for excellent service.”

The Orange County Community Fair Corporation was formed shortly after Orange County was founded in 1889. Over a century since, the OC Fair has grown from a small, three-day celebration to a 23-day festival that is one of Orange County’s most eagerly awaited annual events.

“We’re honored to welcome OC Fair & Event Center to the Etix family,” added Etix Director of Sales, Scott Sloyer. “The OC Fair’s story over the last century is one of ingenuity and growth. We’re proud of our platform’s flexibility to meet the needs of the OC Fair & Event Center as they push forward into another era of continued success in Costa Mesa.”

OC Fair & Event Center will join Etix’s growing roster of fairs and festivals across the nation, which includes the California State Fair, Minnesota State Fair, the North Carolina State Fair, the New York State Fair, the Oklahoma State Fair, and the State Fair of West Virginia.

Currently, Etix partners with more than 150 fairs of all sizes in the United States, providing adaptable online and mobile ticketing for midway and gate admissions, custom websites and apps, convenient kiosks, cash drawer management, parking and point-of-sale solutions, as well as reserved and general admission grandstand seating for events and concerts.

About Etix

Founded in 2000, Etix is an international, web-based ticketing service provider, processing more than 55 million tickets per year in 40 countries. As the largest independent ticketing company in North America, Etix provides flexible and secure ticketing solutions, digital marketing services, and robust e-commerce fulfillment. Etix is proud to work with 1,800 venues, including fairs, theaters, arenas, music clubs, festivals, performing arts centers, casinos, and more. Headquartered in Morrisville, N.C., Etix has offices in Houston, Birmingham, Phoenix, Austria, China, Germany, Holland, and Japan, as well as a full-service digital marketing agency in Morrisville.

Top 10 Etix Ticketing Features & Updates of 2022

Jared McEntire — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 20:23:36 +0000

With each new year comes reflection on our accomplishments in the last. At Etix, we’re constantly hard at work to make sure our system is the best it can be so that your business thrives year after year. So as we celebrate the kickoff of 2023, let’s take a look at our biggest breakthroughs, innovations, and updates of 2022!

1. Automated Payment Plans

Our new automated payment plans automatically charge customers’ cards on specified dates, meaning your box office staff no longer have to manually process payments. It has never been easier to offer incremental payments for those bigger purchases, passes, and packages.

2. New Custom Performer Tool

Clubs and concert venues rejoice! With our new Custom Performer Tool, you can easily create Custom Performers while building Performances in Etix Box Office or Express portals. Add images, bios, headliner or support roles, genre categories, videos, websites, and social links to Custom Performers in the same workflow as your show build. And forget the need to worry about updating artist info in multiple places. Custom Performers will save and feed directly to the Etix API.

Speaking of the Etix API, we’re always improving and building new ways to connect with the Etix system, and 2022 was no exception. Explore the many ways your organization can integrate with our open API to grow your business and sell more tickets.

3. Kiosks!

Etix Kiosks had a big 2022, continuing to be a cost-effective solution to staffing challenges and long wait lines. With hardware flexibility to fit the self-service needs of events large or small, and the same robust Etix ticketing system you trust, we expect our kiosks to remain a game changer for venues in 2023.

4. Sell Multiple Memberships

Patrons can now purchase multiple individual memberships online and at your box office in a single order with the ability to add or edit individual member details. This improvement will allow groups, friends, or families to purchase multiple memberships in the same order, at the same time, and with a single charge–all while maintaining individual member information.

5. Mobile Ticket and Validation Enhancements

Your fans spent more time than ever on their phones in 2022, so we’ve continued to improve the ways they interact with your venue through their mobile devices.

Mobile ticket background colors can now be customized based on venue, performance, or price code levels, providing a visual aid for your staff to quickly identify different types of tickets for multiple venues or concurrent performances.
Our new Digital Membership Passes can conveniently be saved to your patron’s digital wallet on their mobile device, ensuring they never have to experience fumbling through cards and passes at your points of entry.
And finally, it’s easier than ever for fans to keep all of their Etix mobile tickets in one place with Apple Wallet. iOS users can now choose between adding a single ticket or multiple tickets from an order simultaneously to Apple Wallet.

6. RFID Wristband Bulk Fulfillment

Need to fulfill large quantity orders of RFID passes? No problem! We’ve developed the ability for to quickly write and fulfill high volumes of RFID wristbands, enabling festivals, fairs, and large event teams to quickly find and access orders, associate RFID chips with serial numbers, and mark orders complete and ready to ship.

7. Etix Box Office Features

Set up Low Ticket Alerts for Box Office users so that your staff and stakeholders will be notified by text or email when sellable inventory falls below a threshold of your choosing.
Our new Comprehensive Audit is–ahem–a comprehensive report that includes a complete representation of price codes where prices have been updated, breaking out the total of each price code and price combination.
Box Office users can now filter and sell by price level or by section.
Exchanges can now be made by Box Office users without creating new price codes, along with a new “exchanged” icon to easily identify the original or voided ticket information.
Speaking of exchanges, ticket orders can now be exchanged and converted directly into a donation for your organization.
Have a busy event calendar? Organization and Venue calendars can now be displayed in month or week views to feature more performances on your event page.
Buy X Get Y features are better than ever with enhanced reward scheduling, automation, and requirements, along with the ability to display a larger graphic for your offer.
Venues can now add presenter or sponsor information to display above or below performance name.

8. The Etix Parking App

Get ready for a fully integrated parking pass sales solution. Use the app to process card and cash transitions, set up price levels for different vehicle or pass types, issue complimentary parking for VIPs and rideshares, and keep tabs on your inventory in real time! Parking sellers can even distribute transaction receipts on the spot with our integrated mobile printer option.

9. Account Manager Updates

Throughout 2022, we made self-service even easier for patrons to manage their tickets and membership through Account Manager. Members and season ticket holders can now conveniently exchange their reserved seat tickets, edit their ticket delivery method, and view forwarded/received ticket history. These feature improvements save your box office team time, and just as importantly, offer your organization improved visibility into the tracking of ticket movement between patrons.

10. Enhanced Customization

We know that ticketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all game, so we’re always hard at work on new customization options to suit your venue’s unique needs.

Edit and customize the top line of your purchase confirmation emails.
Add custom variables such as guest names, performances, and order numbers to personalize emails.
View sent emails to track the frequency and number of messages sent by your organization.
Keep track of events at a glance by adding an Upcoming Performance Calendar to your Etix Box Office dashboard.

B-B-B-BONUS: Google Analytics 4!

Is your marketing team ready for GA4? We are at Etix! Beginning July 1, 2023, standard Google Universal Analytics will stop processing new data, replaced by the new Google Analytics 4. Etix is ready for the transition with a full integration, ensuring your ecommerce transaction data seamlessly makes its way to GA4 for full funnel visualization and marketing success.

Etix Founder/CEO Travis Janovich Named to NIVA Advisory Board

rhpwebops — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 16:01:28 +0000

Guest post by Michael Reklis, Etix

Last week the National Independent Venues Association (NIVA) announced the lineup for its advisory board, which consists of key live event industry executives including Etix founder and CEO Travis Janovich. Janovich is joined by prominent musicians such as Quincy Jones, Dave Grohl, and Killer Mike, and other tech companies, such as YouTube, Spotify and Lyte. Etix was one of the founding sponsors of NIVA, providing critical funding to allow NIVA to begin lobbying Congress as soon as possible.

The new advisory board will lend insights to both NIVA and the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF) as the live industry seeks to optimize its return from the live industry’s coronavirus shutdown.

Since its inception nearly a year ago in April 2020, NIVA has provided critical relief to and served as an advocate for the live industry, ultimately helping to secure the passage of the bipartisan Save Our Stages Act in December as part of the federal government’s larger COVID-19 relief package. Moving forward, NIVA and NIVF will continue to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent venues and promoters throughout the United States. NIVA offers a variety of ways you can contribute, from donations to merch purchases, membership, and more. Visit Nivassoc.org and #SaveOurStages!

Etix is excited to continue to lend its support to this great cause, and we look forward to seeing all of you at a live event soon!

Michael Reklis is Director of Sales for Music Venues at Etix. He is also a volunteer staff member for NIVA.

5 Tips to Manage Traffic Flow Through Your Museum

Wendy Beasley — Mon, 18 May 2020 14:49:07 +0000

Museums could be the first places to offer a haven for people who have experienced weeks of isolation. Their openings would signal the beginnings of a return for cultural experiences. As states and cities slowly lift stay-at-home regulations and put in place social distancing measures, it is crucial for patrons to feel healthy and safe in event spaces, but also have an enjoyable visitor experience.

When adjusting to a new normal in the post-COVID-19 landscape, museums will need to consider new protocols and adjustments to evolving customer expectations. People will be wary of spaces that invite large groups of people without space to keep at least a few feet away from each other. Implementing and communicating proper social distance practices is key to your patrons feeling safe and central to any successful reopening.

Here are five tips we recommend to provide a safe and comfortable reopening space before your guests enter your museums:

1. Implement Timed Tickets

A great way to reopen your museum to the public, while maintaining social distancing, is by implementing timed-entry passes. Timed entry allows you to control the number of guests that are in your space at any given time by issuing a specific number of passes for each time slot. Timed entry tickets also ensure you have access control and can manage traffic flow to adhere to state guidelines for social gatherings.

2. Transition to complete contactless ticketing and admissions

Reducing the number of contact points the patron has between entering your museum and exiting is another way to manage traffic flow. Museums in China have implemented online-only ticket purchases and eliminated paper tickets to decrease interactions between staff and patrons. Patrons can only redeem their tickets by mobile, promoting no-touch scanning at the gate and smoother access control.

3. Integrate membership programs and donations

Adding a membership program is a great way to strengthen your connections with your community, allowing people to invest in your museum, show support, and gain exclusive rewards. Etix streamlines the membership process by integrating it with the ticket purchase process. Patrons can purchase and renew memberships as well as redeem benefits, all while buying admission tickets.

4. Provide smaller, private tours

If your museum relies on special exhibits and events to sell for revenue, consider smaller groups and private tours through timed entry options. For example, you can provide small group tours for older people at special times when traffic is less. The exclusivity will generate higher demand and can also be a membership benefit. Not only would it be a comfortable experience, but also more personal for your members.

5. Make your ticket exchange policies flexible

Consider flexible ticket exchange policies to encourage people who are sick or coughing to stay home, and come back another day. People are scared of people. Allowing customers to redeem their ticket on a different day can decrease the loss of revenue and promote better health standards.

COVID-19 presents a challenge to the future of our cultural experiences, especially in public spaces. When you reopen, social distancing protocols and guidelines need to be present and clear. Implementing these methods will help you provide safe and positive experiences for everyone.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MUSEUM TICKETING FEATURES

Client Success Story: Toppling Goliath Event Lottery Increases Customer Happiness

Wendy Beasley — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 16:28:32 +0000

Founded in 2009 in Decorah, Iowa, Toppling Goliath Brewing (TGB) hosts a taproom, restaurant, and 100-barrel system brewery. Their seasonal beers are highly anticipated and in great demand, so TGB hosts three bottle release events per year. These release events are attended by 4,500 people over nine sessions in a single weekend, and tickets typically sell out within 10 minutes. A recent event saw over 15,000 fans attempt to purchase, resulting in overwhelmed employees and a significant number of fan complaints.

Challenge

Etix has overseen brewery tour ticketing for TGB with great success; we recommended that their team reach out to Rockhouse Partners, our in-house marketing agency, to find a solution to help cut down on fan disappointment and backlash, and keep them motivated to try again for the next bottle release. The Rockhouse team suggested a ticket lottery that would not only improve customer satisfaction but also streamline the purchase process. The Mornin’ Delight release was the initial test run.

The Solution

The Rockhouse team created an online lottery form to capture information. A link to this form was sent out to TGB’s current email database; the lottery was also promoted on social media organically (no paid ads).

Over 7,000 people entered the lottery within the first 48 hours. The Rockhouse team worked to scrub the list to eliminate duplicate names or fake entries, then gave 4,000 randomly chosen people the option to purchase tickets for one of the nine sessions. The remaining fans who were not selected in the initial lottery were offered a discount coupon for merchandise. Five of the nine sessions sold out immediately, so a second-chance email was sent out to those fans who weren’t initially selected, offering them an opportunity to purchase for the remaining sessions.

The Results

The Toppling Goliath team was thrilled with the results! They sold out every session and had 80% fewer complaints from disgruntled fans than for previous release events. The Rockhouse team also achieved an astounding 74% open rate for the lottery emails (industry average for email opens is around 25%). In addition, by promoting the lottery via social media, TGB expanded its database for future marketing and outreach.