GCSU now offers online ticket sales
Audience members can now buy and print performance tickets from their home computers – all day, every day.
Tina Alvarez, senior secretary of the theatre department, spent hours on the phone selling tickets to a number of productions. The year’s most popular events like “The Nutcracker” and the “GCSU Holiday Concert” sold out.
“It’s a daunting task – answering six-hundred phone calls,” Alvarez said.
Previously, tickets were only available for purchase in the office of the theatre department or at the box office before the performance.
“Selling online is just another way to make buying tickets easier, and it lightens our load,” she said.
Russell Auditorium, where most productions are held, can seat nearly 1,000. Even performances like “The Rover” and this week’s Jazz Band concert can have long lines stringing from the door.
“I’m anxious to see what results we get for the Jazz concert,” Alvarez said. “We had great success with the online ticket process last week with ‘The Rover.’ We were so afraid, but it worked! The lines moved so fast.”
Those who wish to buy tickets online will find the process simple and quick. A printed receipt with a barcode is your ticket to the show. The departments now have four barcode scanners to check tickets and zap through the lines.
Tickets for the March 5 and 6 performances of the GCSU Jazz Band at 8 p.m. in Russell Auditorium are now available online. The rest of the season’s productions are also listed on the online ticket box office.
“This is an exciting moment for the university,” said Karen Berman, theatre chair, in a press release.”It has taken almost every department from financial operations, to IT, to the university webmaster, to the auditor’s office, to the dean, to business and finance, to the assistant chief information officer to make this happen.”In only a few months, the university has gotten the Web site up and running, selling tickets left and right.
“It really puts us out there, having a program like this.” Alvarez said. “It’s about time we joined the online generation.”
GCSU is now one of nearly 100 colleges with an online ticket office through University Tickets.
Aside from at-home convenience, the online office allows the production staff to profile their audiences. The ticket sales are analyzed, showing how many people attended including how many are students, children or senior citizens.
Sophomore theatre major Stacey Silverman said she enjoys getting free tickets as a cast member but likes the idea of online ticket sales.
“It’s nice to be able to send a link to my parents and say, ‘Hey, this is my show’,” Silverman said.
Alvarez expects ticket sales to increase considering how easy it is to buy tickets using the new Web site.
To purchase tickets online, visit www.gcsutickets.com and create a user account. Once logged in, click on the event for which you wish to buy tickets, and complete the transaction using your MasterCard, VISA, Discover or AMEX card.
Guests may still purchase tickets in person or by phone. They are available in Porter Hall or at the box office. Eventually, the department hopes to incorporate the use of the Bobcat Card, making it even easier for students to buy tickets.
For more information concerning online ticket sales, e-mail Tina Alvarez at tina.alvarez@gcsu.edu or call (478-445-4226).
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Mar 6 2009. Filed under Features.
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