It’s no secret that purchasing event tickets from a reseller probably means spending more. Obviously, “middlemen” want to make a profit just like anyone else.
But how much profit is too much? After all, the customer can always walk away if the price is deemed too great. Caveat emptor, as they say.
Alas, it’s not that simple. In today’s point-and-click culture, it’s very easy to make a poor choice. And the ramifications may go beyond simply getting a bad deal.
Recently, the administrative team for the Jacksonville Symphony found that some online searches for its concerts actually directed potential customers away from the best ticket source: the Symphony itself.
The team Googled “Jacksonville Symphony Organ Concert” to locate tickets for one of its upcoming events. What came up in a box titled “Events” was a list of potential options for that search criteria. The applicable one selected, several ticket sources appeared.
Not one of them was the Symphony itself.
This may be a consequence of Google’s search engine optimization process and how various sites use it. The Symphony may be able to arrange that its posts be promoted in the Google results, but that could require a significant financial expenditure.
For the organ concert in question, one of the sites offered a range of prices — depending upon the desired seating section — of between $44 and $202 per ticket. Another offered a range of $45 and $206. A third ranged from $54 to $247.
Compare that to the price range offered by the Symphony: $27 to $57.
A quick search of other events, some presented by the Symphony, others by different local venues, turned up similar results.
One can easily imagine that the consumer, either in a hurry or being unfamiliar with online ticket purchasing, might become confused and miss out on the actual, far-more-affordable price.
But cost is not the only consideration. In the case of the Symphony at least, purchasing tickets from a third party means cutting oneself off from communications important to concertgoers.
“We do our best at the Symphony to try to give our patrons a comprehensive set of communications before they come to the concert,” said Nichole Rivera, marketing and public relations manager for the Jacksonville Symphony.
These communications, normally in the form of “Know Before You Go” emails, tell patrons where they can park, what to do if running late, directions to the venue.
But resellers don’t provide that service. Once the transaction is complete, the relationship ends.
In addition, the Symphony remains attentive to the concerns of its patrons.
“If you purchase a ticket through our website and you need help with anything — or, if you don’t want to purchase it on the website, and you’d rather speak to somebody — we have comprehensive services from the box office that can help you navigate everything,” said Rivera.
For instance, a patron may not want to put a credit card number online. Or there may be a question about seating.
In fact, the Symphony maintains a physical box office at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. It’s open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and also 90 minutes prior to each of the concerts.
For those wishing to buy online, the best place to go is: jaxsymphony.org. The Symphony also maintains an arrangement with TicketMaster.
