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Austin Ballet in the spotlight

How True Tickets helped the Austin Ballet convert shadow audiences into tangible CRM growth and revenue.

PROJECT

In the summer of 2023, Ballet Austin was fresh off back-to-back record sales in 2021 and 2022. Despite this, the ballet found itself facing a pivotal decision, as their recent success also brought with it the emergence of bad actors — something many ticket issuers experience with their most popular holiday shows. One of the more heart-wrenching stories involved a grandmother who paid $500 for non-existent tickets, leaving her and her granddaughter both in tears in the Long Center lobby. Ballet Austin decided to act.
WHAT WE DID

 Ballet Austin partnered with True Tickets to provide the secure digital ticket delivery service that dozens of Tessitura network clients already relied on, at that time. 
CLIENT

Ballet Austin

TIMELINE

Summer 2023 – Fall 2024

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The company sought a transformative solution that would elevate their patron experience while also addressing the increasing chaos bad actors and unauthorized resellers were causing. In June of 2023, Ballet Austin partnered with True Tickets to provide the secure digital ticket solution dozens of Tessitura network clients already rely on.

This case study details several impactful before-and-after comparisons to help venues assess if True Tickets could be helpful for their organization.

  • Implemented True Tickets’ secure digital delivery with dynamic QR codes
  • Enabled controlled sharing workflows to trace transfers end-to-end
  • Synced every delivery and share back into the Roundhouse’s Tessitura CRM
  • Surveyed every attendee (not just the ticket buyer) for richer audience insight
  • Mapped audience networks via shared-ticket pathways
  • Deployed dynamic content blocks driven by booking behavior and preferences

BEFORE TRUE TICKETS

  • Reseller Issues: Nights punctuated with unauthorized reseller issues were the norm, resulting in box office staff spending countless hours trying to resolve often unresolvable problems — leading to exhausted staff dealing with frustrated and sometimes angry patrons.
  • Financial Hindrance: Ballet Austin would set aside 5% of the house for “panic seats” to deal with unforeseen ticket issues. 115 seats a night for 15 nights at an average ticket price of $71.50 meant the ballet was sacrificing over $120K in potential revenue to address ticket issues for The Nutcracker.
  • Prior Ticketing: Fumbling with Print-At-Home Tickets (PAHT) and physical copies created delays, leading to long lines, irritated patrons, and flustered ushers.
  • Chargebacks & Disputes: Chargebacks and disputes posed a constant threat. An inability to prove ticket delivery and receipt or adherence to terms left the ballet with little recourse and a lot of risk.
  • Unknown Shadow Audience: Research showed, if a patron comes to 3 ballet performances in 18 months, there is a high likelihood they will become a long-time supporter. However, in the past, Ballet Austin only knew the identity of the ticket buyers. The Ballet would only know about recipients if they personally reached out and identified themselves.

AFTER TRUE TICKETS

  • Reduced Reseller Issues: No box office lines and minimal ticket issues at the door. Not only was sharing tickets easy, but when issues did come up, box office staff were able to resolve them quickly because True Tickets captures the information of the person using the ticket, adding it to the venue’s database directly and in real-time.
  • Continued Financial Success: This year, the ballet only held 1% of the house back and they “rarely had to tap into them.” Selling the additional 4% of the house resulted in the ballet exceeding their previous 2022 record revenue by $76K.
  • Streamlined Ticketing: Lightning-quick scanning expedited the entry process, minimized wait times, resulting in a 93–95% scan-in rate (the highest ever). The “scanned” ticket status indicator allowed patrons to go in and out of the building to take pictures on the terrace and enjoy the downtown view, while helping the ushers keep their lines moving.
  • Proactively and Preemptively Mitigating Chargebacks: The ballet was able to proactively identify and act against suspicious brokers (preemptively refunding over $80K in orders). 98% of the refunded tickets were then sold to actual patrons. Thus far, the ballet has received only ONE chargeback.
  • Building the Audience of the Future: The 32,574 tickets for the ballet’s 15 show run of The Nutcracker resulted in 2,432 new patron registrations of patrons that attended the show. This means 2,432 more patrons they can now market to over the next 18 months to identify the next generation of long-term ballet supporters.
IMPACT AND KEY OUTCOMES

A STANDING OVATION FOR BALLET AUSTIN

Ballet Austin stands as a beacon for cultural institutions navigating the complex landscape of contemporary audience engagement. The partnership with True Tickets is the epitome of embracing new ways of working to drive success. It is a narrative of resilience, innovation, and a commitment to elevating the patron experience — one that is a dynamic, interactive, and ever-evolving part of the Ballet Austin experience.

As other cultural institutions look to change the narrative in 2024 and beyond, the spotlight is not just on the stage but on the transformative power technology can have in reshaping their future.

While the Ballet expected True Tickets to deliver financial and operational impact for the organization, what they didn’t expect was how True Tickets would help endear them to their patrons, establishing meaningful relationships with their real-life audience through providing exceptional customer service.

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balletaustin
 “Thank you so much for your thoughtful and complete letter detailing what happened with the tickets for December 23rd to the Ballet Austin Nutcracker. I so appreciate you notifying me and spending so much time in trying to rectify this problem with the third party. I am beyond impressed, and this will make me a future season ticket holder and proud supporter of your organization. I firmly believe in the arts, and the city of Austin is lucky to have you and this ballet company in their community.” 
Ballet Austin Patron(via email)
 “Ballet Austin: you’re my hero. Got a call today from Ballet Austin letting me know that my Nutcracker tickets that I bought in August were through a scammy stupid third party reseller. And that they were onto them. And that Ballet Austin had already refunded the vendor and so I could seek a refund of the gouged price. And offered to sell me back my tickets at a fair price.”
Ballet Austin Patron(via email)
 “We had a magical experience last night at The Nutcracker. . . The thing is that we made a mistake and bought our tickets from a third party. . . To make a long story short, the tickets that we purchased had been canceled by Ballet Austin long ago because the seller violated their no-resell policy. Of course, we were never told and were facing the possibility of missing the performance. But the staff at the ticket office were incredibly gracious. They explained what happened, asked us to report this to our credit card company, provided written evidence, and gave us two excellent complimentary tickets. It is refreshing to deal with organizations that empower their employees to the point of making decisions like this. We are incredibly grateful for the way they handled it. That’s how you build a loyal customer base.” 
Fernando(Google review)
 “First, I want to say thank you so much for helping me with The Nutcracker tickets on Saturday the 21st. You were so kind and helpful at a time that I was very upset. Even though it was not your problem, you did everything you could to help, and the tickets I did get from the ballet were wonderful. We certainly enjoyed our day! I want to let you know that [the unauthorized third-party reseller] actually did refund our money for our tickets. So, at least I did not have to go through the bank and trying to get our money returned because of fraud.” 
Denise(Google review)
 “I wanted to let you know Vivid refunded my tickets from the letter you sent me! Thank you again for reaching out and for the assistance in getting new tickets. It is a memory with my dad that I will cherish forever.” 
Madi(Google review)
 “I hope this email gets to you. You were so wonderful to me and my friends last Saturday and I want to thank you again. We had such a wonderful time! It was a first ballet for my friend and her daughter. They were enchanted. The performance was my first Nutcracker at the Long Center. The changes since I saw the ballet at the Performing Arts Center were stunning. It couldn’t have been a better night. I will certainly be back! Also, I wanted to share that I did get my money back. I didn’t even have to enlist UFCU to help me. When I saw the money back in my account, I was incredulous. Happy endings are so sweet.” 
Melinda(Google review)

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