A cliché perhaps, but noting how themes and conversations change and develop throughout the day(/s) has always felt to me to be as worth paying attention to at conferences as what is being presented on the stage. Indeed, at #TPC2023, the relentless pace of change (that old constant) itself in our industry at the moment, was just such an evolving and recurring topic.
Thanks as always to the organisers for a great Ticketing Professionals Conference (and for still letting me tag along, despite not having held a purely ticketing role for almost 15 years now), and to the programming team for inviting The Audience Agency to once again present - we hope you enjoyed the session if you caught it. Beyond that, though, here are three key moments that particularly resonated with me this year:
1. Inside the Metaverse
Starting with a keynote entitled 'Inside the Metaverse'.... literally delivered from within the metaverse!... was very engaging. Truth be told, although its potential for our sector and society can't be overstated, I've often felt indifferent to metaverse-related topics. That said, short of delegates also attending the keynote from inside the Metaverse (there's always next year) you couldn't really ask for much more immersion in a theme from a conference session.
2. Automation, Optimisation, Personalisation
More generally, I'm sure I'm not alone in being delighted that automation, optimisation, and personalisation concerning ticketing, marketing, pricing and audiences are now common topics at conferences across the cultural sector. The crux of the matter, for arts organisations in 2023, feels less a question of the ability to harness the technology to ultimately become more customer-centred, than of the strategy, broader organisational buy-in and effective implementation required to fully realise that ambition. Food for thought.
3. Starting small
Interesting seminars delivered by Ticketsolve, Royal Court and Peppered demonstrated that starting small can still bring you significant results quickly, if you integrate automation at the point of purchase. We heard how integrating web automation not only into ticketing, but also into synchronised mailing, signage and CRM, means that, with effective org-wide planning, you can automate but still stay as personal and flexible as you ever need to be, all within a reasonable budget.
Bonus Moment!
However, my best moment of the conference (and any recent work event) was our own Stephen Miller winning an inaugural TPC mug. Stephen spoke passionately throughout the morning about entering the prize-draw, and dedicated significant time to zeroing in on the piece of merch he most coveted. A shining example of how any objective can be achieved with the right strategy, approach, and focus. Congratulations Stephen ?
Stephen Miller celebrating with his brand new #TPC2023 mug
