By: Diane Benjamin
The results of two shows, one in November and one in December, are now posted: http://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-1612
Both shows made money. but both reports show a problem.
Who BUYS tickets to a show and doesn’t attend? Both reports show more tickets were sold than the total of people who actually attended – even though 331 tickets were comped for the November show and 220 in December. Can these reports be trusted?
The comp tickets are typically ones given away to radio stations and other media outlets in exchange for promotional perks.
I realize that. Still they SOLD more tickets than the number of people who showed up – leaving out the Comped tickers.
It is common for corporations or similar groups to have tickets for ALL shows as part of an advertising package. Many times those tickets go unused, so that would show more tickets sold and then not be reflected in actual attendance. That’s one possibility for the difference.
Wouldn’t those be Comped tickets? Sold means somebody paid money for them. Or, are you saying somebody like State Farm bought a bunch of tickets to hand out and nobody used some of them?
While I believe the arena should become the new home for the Public Works dept no shows at events are not uncommon at all.
Hundreds of people paid money and didn’t show? Really?
Yes, it is very common that tickets given to someone (even though the giver actually paid for them) go unused. Or think of it this way….a season ticket purchase for 20 events counts as 20 tickets sold, but if the buyer only attends 15 of the shows then the actual attendance will be reported as 5 lower than sold tickets. Happens all the time. Tickets sold will NEVER be the same numbers as actual attendance.
Makes sense except the Coliseum doesn’t sell season tickets to shows that I know of.
YEP! Just like the county fair. When say, Country Financial gets 1,000 tickets, they have SOLD (it’s an advertising write off) and IF they give 500 away, then 500 went unused.. So it reality, NO person bought the tickets and didn’t go, it’s unused tickets that sponsors, advertisers, box holders, etc DID NOT USE. But they ARE counted as sold.
Fairly common practice in the “events field” to “pillow” the numbers!!