Welcome from the Board Steering Committee and Next Generation Thoughts

That is the question we are constantly analyzing! As a children's theater, we sell unfixed season tickets packages and "tickets" to classes in our theater academy. Surprisingly, there is not much cross-over between these two constituent groups currently. And as we are trying to cross-market and up-sell to these patrons, because we have segregated these two types of Tessitura events by Mode of Sale, we have a nearly impossible time selling them on the web in the same shopping cart, and cannot currently sell them in the same order in Tessitura. If we remove the MOS segregation between product types, do we loose our ability to report and track the detail on these very different purchases. This is just what we are currently doing, but shifting the way we handle this could open the doors to many more cross-marketing opportunities. Perhaps even cross-consortium up-selling!

Karyn,

a perfect illustration.  So how might you redefine the way events and reporting are defined and handled, so that you could meet your goals to cross-sell and report?  

Alan

Here goes ... these are some ticketed elements that dont fit into traditional event/ticket models, which we currently manage by building a performance per day with zones representing time slots (tours, restaurants) or a perf per month as a form of inventory management (merchandise, vouchers etc).

Tours: Requirement for some form of time-based entry module, without need to build a performance for every possible product, time slot and date. Ideally supports the addition of multiple on-demand tours at the same time, without requirement to build ‘on spec’ inventory in advance. Would require tracking of ‘inventory’ (ie # of customers allowed per tour).

Integration with guide/staff availability?

Restaurant meals: Either as an open voucher or at a timed 'sitting'. Ideally we could nominate the restaurant and/or the date and time of the ‘event’ at point of purchase from some kind of pre-defined set of allowable values, without the requirement to set up “performances”.

Also a means of tracking redemption of open-dated vouchers.

Parking: Either as an open voucher or for a specific date or time period.  Vouchers that can carry credit along the lines of Gift Certificates

Merchandise, preferably with inventory control. Currently only option is  to build ‘performances’, which come with all the baggage of often irrelevant dates, times, season structure.

Group tickets.  A single ‘ticket’ that represents a group purchase. A common example is education perfs where a single order confirmation is issued to the teacher in lieu of a ticket for each attendee.

Performance ticket that includes a redeemable bonus component (eg free or discounted drink, parking, program etc)

Meant to add that an issue we struggle with when compiling a package order that includes 'real' elements like performances with open or nominally dated elements like tours, vouchers, restaurants is the notion of a 'consumption' date, ie for date based reporting purposes when do we say the package actually occurred.

Parking is an area we have struggled to slot nicely into the system, especially selling and tracking/reporting on tickets for participants who park on a regular basis and feel the 'normal' one-off parking rate is too expensive when it is a regular cost and on top of their event ticket.

One of the challenges we're facing right now is how to handle complex multi-day educational and community events, where customers attend one or more components of an event, including required and optional sessions, concurrent breakout sessions, and meals.  In addition, we want to capture the name of each individual attendee, not just the customer name.  And, of course, we'd like to offer customers the convenience of online registration.  These events are really more like mini-conferences than elevated events, single tickets or packages.

It would be fantastic to have the system recognize membership levels and automatically apply qualified discounts as well as print additional "tickets" along with their purchase that contain invitations to events or rewards coupons.  Possibly even change the ticket design of the performance ticket issued to include additional entrance privileges on it.

We also struggle with simplifying the process of proper recognition of tickets that contain a donation component.  It would be nice to be able to designate a portion of the ticket cost as a donation and have that donation reflected in the contributions area, not just in the ticket purchase, without having to add a contribution to the ticket order manually.

I like Kay’s idea but would like to see it expanded to constituency as well as membership. This would be fantastic for our customer with special access requirements, they could have special tickets designs and it will ensure that they always get the correct price.

Wouldn't it be interesting if a ticket stopped being a piece of paper that gets you into one show, but instead becomes a way to customize your experience - that 'ticket' knows your membership level, what ancillary events you should get into (pre-show events, post show parties, exclusive online content,etc), and if the point of service and scanning systems in our buildings could instantly register and access it - so you wouldn't have to flash cash for concessions, parking, merchandise or other stuff?   And wouldn't it be great if you could take that functionality on the road - to other venues, to house parties, to conventions/meetings, etc...

And wouldn't it be interesting if that "ticket" that's not a ticket was something that most people carry with them all the time?  Like their cell phone?

Thanks to everyone for the very thoughtful responses to the first set of questions.  We're going to take a first stab at consolidating all the thoughts into a concise and organized "definition" of "ticket" and "event" as they might exist in the Next Generation platform.   In a few days, we'll run those definitions by you to make sure we captured everything and for further refinement.

In the meantime, here is another set of questions to respond to.   This may be a slightly more challenging exercise.    Here goes:

What else is part of handling a contribution, solicitation, or ticket sale that is not currently part of entering the ‘discrete transaction’ in Tessitura?  Are there multiple discrete transactions or tasks that link together to form more of a process, perhaps even tasks that cross different people or departments, and involve Tessitura and non-Tessitura functions?  What is the difference between “processing discrete transactions (a ticket sale, a contribution)” and actually managing patrons relationships and experiences?    What tools or capabilities would help you manage the entire process(es)?

Let's hear your thoughts!

Alan

Alan, I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're talking about but...

I'd like to see an easier way to record and view "Contacts" and by Contacts I mean everytime a Constituent is contacted by us or contacts us.  I think the way things work now is pretty damn good but its not totally comprehensive.  My colleagues still rely quite heavily on paper files and I'd like to see that disappear.  Sure we can attach documents but that's a separate area from the actual Contacts tab where we record things like soliciations and tasks.  Of course there is the Contacts - Contact Log to see all contacts but it doesn't give a whole lot of information. 

I don't think I want to get into specifics but I can envision a place to see everything at once with the option of clicking through to view documents including those that were sent to the constituent (emails, letters, postcards etc.) and those that the constituent sends to us.

Just a though.
Dale

I feel like I'm going out on a huge limb here (and not being connected to reality), but I wonder if this is some kind of web-based application that gives you a top level view of the patron's history - Contact, Promotions, Ticket History, Contributions, Research, Documents, Notes, etc (or whatever these modules look like in the future), with the ability to dive deeper into the details as you see fit.   So, you're on a phone call or box office transaction with Mrs. Jones.  You see her "patron profile" or whatever, and when you want to know what she's bought, donated, how you've solicited her, did she register a complaint, receive a donation slip, open an email, etc...that's just a click away through this top level screen. 

Taking the info with you, when you're our at a donor visit and not at your computer, presents another issue - you can't print it all out but maybe it's available to you from your mobile/cell phone? 

Jodi

I love the idea of making this information available from a mobile phone - as well as the ability to update the info while you are on the road.

From a contribution-transaction standpoint, there has been much past discussion at the Conference regarding a more streamlined “Moves Management” system for fundraising – basically a marriage of the current “Contact” information being added to the Research notes/information screens, the Solicitation info/Contributions, and the Customer Service Issues tab.  Right now, it is cumbersome to view all of this information in one place for the entire donor cycle.  Consequently, we haven’t found a way to make the leap from the world of hard-donor file to electronic customer profile yet… 

Sara