'Choose your seat' now available at Tulsa PAC
BY JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer
Friday, November 30, 2012
11/30/12 at 4:57 AM
The Tulsa Performing Arts Center is now offering patrons the opportunity to choose the exact seats they want for most of the performances in the facility's three most-used theaters.
The PAC has upgraded its online ticketing system ( tulsaworld.com/mytix) to include interactive seating maps, which will show the position of all available seats within a given theater.
The new system is in place for performances in the smaller Williams and Doenges theaters, as well as in the Chapman Music Hall. It also is available for the various regional venues - such as the VanTrease PACE and Claremore's Robson PAC - that use the PAC's online ticketing site for their performances.
Patrons can also make use of the old system, which would select the "best available" seats for the price.
The "Choose Your Seat" option is the result of the PAC's work with Tickets.com. The Tulsa PAC is one of two Tickets.com clients chosen to test this new technology.
"The Tulsa PAC always strives to listen to our customers," said Terri McGilbra, the PAC's ticket office manager. "Interactive seat maps are what customers want. Now through our partnership with Tickets.com, we are able to provide them along with a better online ticket buying experience."
Marketing Director Nancy Hermann said the new technology adds no additional fees to ticket prices.
John Walker, president and CEO of Tickets.com, said: "When the Tulsa Performing Arts Center identified its audience's desire for more options in the online purchase process - like choosing their own seats - we were excited to (offer) our ProVenue platform, which allows the Tulsa PAC to manage these interactive seating maps itself, giving them great flexibility in delivering service and convenience to the ticket-buying public."
However, the shows presented at the PAC by Celebrity Attractions, which is largest company among the PAC's major users, are not a part of the "Choose Your Seat" option.
Ed Payton, chief operations officer for Celebrity Attractions, said: "We'd love to be able to offer this option, but given the volume of tickets we sell and the complexity of sales reports we need, the system as it is now just isn't able to handle it. There are still a few bugs. ... that need to be worked out."
Payton said Celebrity Attractions will still sell its tickets through the PAC's ticketing website, using the "Best Available" function.
"Our patrons will be able to do everything they have been able to do through the PAC's site, except select specific seats online," Payton said. "And once the issues we have with the system now are resolved, I'm sure we'll take advantage of the new system."
Original Print Headline: 'Choose your seat' available at PAC
James D. Watts Jr. 918-581-8478
james.watts@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
The Tulsa Performing Arts Center is one of two Tickets.com clients that will be testing a new system that lets patrons select specific seats when purchasing a ticket for a performance at the venue. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file
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