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Posts Tagged ‘Box Office’

Buying Broadway Tickets Within Budget

October 22nd, 2009
broadway tickets
Al Terry asked:


Of course, the most common way to buy Broadway tickets is through the box office of the theaters. Through the box office, you can either buy tickets in advance or for the day of the performance. If you purchase your Broadway tickets, by phone, or through the online resources of the theater concerned, you will still need to pick up your tickets from the ‘will call’ at the box office. This is all very fine, and you will have to pay the face value of the tickets.

For those who know, they have means to buy their Broadway tickets at slightly reduced prices than the face value of the tickets.

Below Face Value Tickets

Many shows on Broadway offer Broadway tickets at special prices for specific groups, such as for students and children. These special priced tickets are for specific locations within the theater. There are also certain programs on offer, where through an annual subscription, you have access to inexpensive or free Broadway tickets for a variety of shows. Take a look at some of the ways to avail Broadway tickets below face value:

Group Tickets – Most Broadway or Off-Broadway theaters offer tickets en bloc at a discount, which could be as much as 15 to 20 percent. ‘Group’ may vary from theater to theater as well as from show to show, but would normally be referred to as between 10 to 20 people. You can check the show’s website to find out whether group discounts are on offer or not. There are a number of ticketing agencies that deal solely in group sales of Broadway tickets.

Student Discount Tickets – Many theaters provide students’ discount Broadway tickets for particular shows, especially during the preview period. Details for such ticket sales can be obtained from either the theater’s website, or from the box office.

Lottery/Rush Tickets – A limited number of lottery tickets are sold prior to the show time. About 3 hours or so before the start of the show, lottery cards are distributed. The winners are announced about 2 hours before the show. These are Broadway tickets sold at reduced prices. There are certain discounted seats available that the producers are keen to sell. Not all theaters and neither do all shows offer such rush/lottery tickets. You need to check the show’s website or the theater’s box office. These Broadway tickets are available for cash only.

Standing Room Only (SRO) – For certain shows, certain theaters offer standing room only tickets. These are certain designated places in the theater, especially at the back of the auditorium, where one can watch the show, standing up. Such SRO Broadway tickets are only sold once the show has been completely sold out. These tickets also come highly discounted. You need to check the show’s website, or check with the box office to see if such tickets are available.

If you happen to be a senior citizen, certain theaters do offer senior citizen discounts for certain shows. These are some of the ways you can procure inexpensive Broadway tickets.



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All you Wanted to Know About Getting Chorus Line Tickets

September 21st, 2009
broadway tickets
Al Terry asked:


Chorus Line tickets are being sold through different sources online and in New York itself, possibly even at impressive discounts of half price if you know some tricks for finding tickets. There are currently 39 legitimate theaters on Broadway. Located in Manhattan, New York in the prestigious and renowned Theater District near Times Square at Broadway. Every fall season new openings occur and some of these become huge mainstream hit. The productions draw huge audiences through advertising and these tickets become expensive due to many factors. The shows sell out, demand becomes extremely high and ticket brokers will charge hefty fees for profit. The production values of these shows are also high adding to the cost, for example think about the salaries of Hollywood actors who often are cast in the more exuberant Broadway shows, as well as the costs of props, lighting and music. Broadway tickets are easy to find for quite a few productions at real bargain prices.

How To Find Your Chorus Line Tickets

If you are heading to New York and need to see the hot premier of A Chorus Line some discounts can be found. There are several discount Broadway ticket forums and information sources available on the Internet to show you how to discover your savings. There are a couple of different agencies that sell the

majority of Chorus Line Tickets at original value. Some may however charge an extra

service fee, adding to the cost of your tickets. Purchasing your Chorus Line tickets from the box office will not save you any money, but assure you a seat at the venue safely with little hassles. If you are in dire need of any Broadway tickets you can always find them from ticket brokers if you are willing to pay high overcharges and service fees.

Better Ways To Find Chorus Line Tickets At Discounted Rates

A nice tip for saving a lot of money on Chorus Line tickets would be to locate call partial view or obstructed Chorus Line tickets. These seats will offer tremendous savings, but you will be missing part of the stage view due to obstruction from props or the architecture of the Theater. Discount codes are often released to the public for almost every show on Broadway. Many people are unaware that you can receive over 50% off your tickets with these discount codes. The codes can be used at the box office directly or from participating ticket sellers. Many times people will post these codes secretly online and a quick keyword search may be all you need to get an inexpensive Chorus Line ticket. Students from supporting schools may find that just having a student id on hand can provide huge saving on Broadway tickets. In order to take advantage of this you must travel to the theater early, at least a few hours. Heading to the theater early, especially for a sold out show, has other advantages. When a production does not sell out, or if cast members had tickets on hold and their family or friends could not attend these seats will open up and be available at half price. The seats are almost always some of the best in the theater. There are also standing room area’s of some New York Theaters. These Chorus Line tickets will provide an outstanding view of the full stage and a discount off of original value.

New York newspapers will provide you with everything you need to find reviews, ticket prices and box office grosses of every show playing on Broadway. Take advantage of these resources, a little research can help you find any ticket for any show. Chorus Line tickets will be available for months in advance. So if you have time and know what dates you will be in New York City, you can save a lot of hassle and obtain great seats at a reasonable price.



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Get the Best Sport and Theater Tickets Online

June 24th, 2009
event tickets
Al Terry asked:


Did you know that you can get the best sport and theater tickets online? The Internet has made life very convenient indeed, gone are the days when people had to go through a lot of trouble while trying to obtain tickets to their favorite sporting or theater event. They had to make a mad scramble to the box-office on the day of the event or end up paying way above the face value of the ticket by purchasing it from a scalper.

Purchasing Sports And Theater Tickets Online

If you need to get the best sport and theater tickets online you can visit the website of an authorized ticket broker. The most convenient method in which you can get the best sport and theater tickets online is from an authorized ticket broker.

You have to be careful in selecting a broker who is registered and has no complaints against him at the Better Bureau of Business. You can check out client testimonials and once your doubts are satisfied you can proceed with the task of purchasing or booking tickets to the events of your choice.

Authorized ticket brokers operate their website online 24/7 and have designed their websites to be easy to navigate. Their sites are secured using the latest software available and by using encrypted servers. They list the shows that are currently running on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They provide details about the shows, their run time, warn if the shows are inappropriate for children and enable customers to view the seating arrangements of the shows. The rates for orchestra, mezzanine and premium tickets as well as the seats that are available are listed. Last minute tickets are also listed. They will also offer information about shows that are expected to open soon and customers can pre-book tickets to those shows too. The tickets they offer come with a guarantee and group bookings are also offered. Tickets to sold-out events are also available as they have their sources. The tickets may cost a little bit more than their face value but they do go through the trouble of getting the seats of your liking and save you a whole lot of hassle that you may otherwise have to go through.

When you book the best sport and theater tickets online from an authorized ticket broker you need not worry about having to rush to the box-office on the day of the event. No queues to stand in instead you can book tickets to shows in Broadway, NYC from your Los Angeles condo! The tickets are delivered via Federal Express within 24 hours of purchasing them or after they go on sale.

You do not have to pay mind-boggling rates to local scalpers in a desperate haste to watch the show or sporting event. In fact you might well be taken for a ride by the scalpers who may sell you fraudulent tickets or invalid tickets. You end up losing money, wasting time and energy and end up going back home disappointed and upset. Instead if you book the best sport and theater tickets online in advance you can spend a memorable evening in the company of your loved ones.



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All You Need to Know About Broadway and Theater Tickets

June 7th, 2009
broadway tickets
Al Terry asked:


Broadway and theater tickets are so popular that there is constantly more demand for them than the supply. With many theaters offering resident New Yorkers as well as the multitude of tourists, a selection of Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off Broadway shows, it is surprising that many people do return home disappointed!

Getting Broadway And Theater Tickets

If you desire to get Broadway and theater tickets, there are many options available. You can get them the old fashioned way, by waiting at the box-office on the day of the show. This method is not guaranteed as you may wait patiently in a queue only to be greeted by a full house sign. You would also need to be at the venue well before the program starts, thus wasting time and energy.

There are some people who like to try their luck. They wait at the box-office hoping that some one will sell them extra tickets that they had for the show. Some do get lucky and watch the show, but most people again end up planning an alternate entertainment other than the magical evening at Broadway.

Some of us like taking risks and end up scouting for a local, unauthorized scalper. We pay good money for rather cheap Broadway and theater tickets. Beware! There are frauds present who make huge profits by selling invalid or fraudulent tickets to the tourists. The same problem occurs when you purchase tickets from unauthorized individuals online at auction websites.

TKTS booths are another solution to getting Broadway and theater tickets, but there are a few drawbacks with them also. One is that they do not accept credit cards and there is no guarantee that they will have tickets for the desired show. Though, you may get day-of-the-performance tickets at good discounts, as much as 25-50%.

Rush tickets, standing room only tickets, lotteries, concession tickets etc. are available at some of the venues. You need to find out about them at the place of the show only. There are special occasions like the Kids’ Night on Broadway 2008. This is scheduled to be held on February 5, 6, 12, and 13.. On this occasion, children between the ages 6 and 18 years can watch the shows for free with tickets mandatory for adults only. Just go online and check all the information that you need as it will show you all the great deals such as the Kids’ Night on Broadway 2008.

The recommended mode of purchasing Broadway and theater tickets is from an authorized ticket broker. They are online 24/7 and you can make the bookings either by logging online or by calling their toll-free number. The tickets are delivered at your doorstep and you can purchase front row, orchestra or mezzanine tickets of your choice. Last minute Broadway and theater tickets as well as sold out tickets can be fetched with the minimum hassle. They have a huge inventory ensuring that you will not be disappointed and all the tickets come with a guarantee. Purchase the best tickets with the least bit of trouble from an authorized ticket broker and enjoy your NYC vacation



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Great Ways for Locating Sports Event Tickets

May 21st, 2009
event tickets
Al Terry asked:


When looking to purchase sports event tickets there are many option available.   Each option has advantages and disadvantages such as price, timing and ease of locating.   For someone who money is not a concern finding great seats quickly is a very simple task.   For someone who is looking to save a lot of money and still want great seating to a premium event the search may become frustrating.   These are some tips which show all the options available and may help you secure your sports event tickets.

The first option is always the best course of action.   This would be to locate the venues box office and call the earliest possible on the day the tickets go on sale.   You may use the Internet to search for say “New York Yankees Ticket Sales” and find the date, time and phone number for when the sports event tickets go on sale.   You will want to call the box office and may spend a lot of time trying to get through to secure the tickets to the event.   This option offers you great face value pricing and the disadvantages are that you may not get through and end up with less then desired seats.   The event may be so far in advance that the game you have tickets to can be a bad match up or not one of the great games of the season.

The next option is to use a ticket broker to purchase your sports tickets.   This way of purchasing sports events tickets may cost an average of thirty percent more over face value, but will guarantee the seats you desire, last minute and no risk of a fake ticket.   When locating and purchasing tickets through a broker ensure they are licensed and make sure you call or email for any promotional codes which may be used through checkout.   These codes can save you ten percent or more and sometimes eliminate the service charge.

The above two examples are the extremes of purchasing sports event tickets.   One will save you money but will not guarantee great seats to a great event.   The second will guarantee you these but the cost in price may be to much, especially for a popular premier event.   These tips will help you get the best of both worlds.

Other Options For Locating Sports Event Tickets

Using the Internet is a great way to locate sports event tickets for sold out and popular venues last minute.   Many times people buy tickets in advance and then have to cancel or not be able to attend.   Auction sites are a great place to first search for tickets and many can be had at face value.   Try to locate forums and groups related to “baseball” or “New York Yankees” these groups will be loaded with fans of your team and often post available tickets they are trying to sell.   If there are no tickets posted join the forum and post the sports event tickets you are trying to locate.   There is a nice chance someone will help you out and at face value.

Some last hope options would be to use a scalper to attend the event.   This is of course a horrible way to go about buying sports event tickets.   The chances for being taken advantage of are dramatic and even if the tickets are legitimate odds are you will pay as much as a ticket broker anyway without the guarantees a broker provides.   Instead, if you arrive at the event without tickets hoping to find some extras, try going to the will call booth and asking if any sports event tickets are available from cancellation.   If there are non left over, wait there and ask as people come to pick up their sports event tickets.   Many times these people will have an extra ticket or two that they want to sell for face value do to their company not being able to attend.



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How To Buy Sports and Concert Tickets Online

May 27th, 2008
event tickets
Jason Oconnor asked:


I’m always amazed when I meet someone who doesn’t know they can buy event tickets online. People often don’t realize that just because the box office says a game or show is sold out, doesn’t mean there are no more tickets available anywhere. You don’t have to stand in long lines or camp out overnight anymore. You can now get tickets to just about anything online these days. And all you’ll need is a credit card and an Internet connection.

Just like the book market and stock trading industry, the Internet has had a profound affect on the ticket industry as well. It has leveled the playing field, making it easier than ever before for anyone to purchase sold out, premium or hard-to-find event tickets. Since you don’t need to physically touch a ticket before you buy it, purchasing tickets online makes a lot of sense. The only things that differentiate various online ticket websites are trustworthiness, selection and price.

What kinds of tickets can I buy online?

You can buy just about any event tickets you can think of on the Web. You can get NFL season tickets, NBA playoff tickets, or World Series tickets. You can purchase tickets to the U.S. Open, Broadway or Las Vegas shows, world concert tours, NASCAR races, jazz concerts, circus and magic shows, and tickets to a thousand other events too.

It used to be that you either had to wait in a long line right before the tickets went on sale, continue calling Ticketmaster or the box office battling the busy signal until you finally got through (often right after the tickets were sold out), or participate in some shady deal outside the venue or stadium with a scalper, chancing arrest. All of these options were less than ideal. But now you can go to many competing ticket websites online and shop till you drop, all in the comfort of home or office.

The people who benefit the most by this are the consumers. We can now compare prices in a flash, find great seats that used to be only for people who knew someone important or who had season tickets, got a hot tip, or was somehow ‘in-the-know’. What else could we do? There was no other way.

But now it’s different. We have plenty of choices. And if you are willing to pay a price that is above face value, you can buy tickets to almost anything.

How do I buy tickets online?

You buy tickets online just like you would buy a book online: find a website that sells what you want, enter your credit card and shipping information and you’re done. Compared to going down to the box office weeks before the event and waiting in line when the tickets first go on sale, buying online is much better.

Actually, online ticket websites have been around for a while. There is Ticketmaster.com and Tickets.com, which have relationships with many venues, and are probably the most well known ticket websites. Ticketmaster.com for example, prides itself in not charging more than face value.

But since they don’t charge more than face value, there are some drawbacks in using Ticketmaster.com. For instance, they sell out of their tickets very fast. It’s not uncommon for a band’s tickets to go on sale and sell out in mere minutes. And you’re still waiting in line, just virtually. In other words, you are put into a queue when you log on to their site and find the event you want, and then you stare at a “processing” page till your turn comes up. You are then presented with any tickets that are left. If they’ve sold out in the meantime, you’re out of luck.

Why is it so hard to find sports and concert tickets?

One of the reasons Ticketmaster.com for example sells out so quickly is because the demand is often much higher than the supply and Ticketmaster is the top of the food chain, so to speak. Also, many other people besides consumers buy the tickets first. Many tickets are grabbed by promoters, tour sponsors, scalpers, marketers, radio stations, bands, fan clubs and stadiums, which often give preferential treatment to season-ticket holders seeking concert seats. Regular fans are frequently some of the last people to have a chance at that prized ticket.

So, if you don’t want to wait in an online queue, or you come up empty-handed at Ticketmaster.com which happens all too often, then your next online choice is to go to secondary market ticket broker websites. Examples of these are tickco.com, http://www.bestshowticketslasvegas.com, ticketsnow.com or http://www.clickitticket.com.

How do you find these tickets websites in the first place?

Either go to any of the websites mentioned directly above (since I have used each of them and know they are completely reliable) or use your favorite search engine and type in a relevant phrase. But be sure to be as specific as possible. You’ll have a much better chance of finding the tickets you want easily, and most importantly quickly, by typing in “cheap Boston Red Sox tickets” or “the musical Wicked in Los Angeles tickets” for example, than you would “baseball tickets” or “Broadway”.

Prices are often higher than face value in the secondary online ticket market. This is because service fees are added. You are paying for the convenience and the opportunity to purchase tickets to games or concerts that have already been sold out. And it is often much better than Ticketmaster.com since you are not waiting in a virtual queue and you are much more likely of actually getting the tickets you want, regardless of the show or game being sold out.

Another very important reason why these tickets cost more than face value, sometimes a huge amount more, is because of simple supply and demand economics. If there is a larger demand than supply for tickets to the Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna, the Red Sox in the playoffs, or the Super Bowl for instance, then prices will get higher. In fact, they will get as high as people are willing to pay.

The Princeton University economist Alan Krueger, who helped coin the phrase “rockonomics,” said “There’s a cadre of wealthy fans pushing up prices of popular acts.”

Critics of the secondary ticket market argue that consumers are made to pay outrageous prices. But these people need to re-learn fundamental economics. No one is “making” anyone pay higher prices. On the contrary, by being in such high demand, consumers are more than willing to pay the high prices. If we start to attempt to regulate the secondary ticket broker market, then we may need to review eBay.com and all the things being sold for what some people consider “high” prices. Let capitalism take care of prices, not regulations.

There are other benefits from using secondary market ticket websites. The ticket inventory on these sites is often in real-time, so you can see the most updated inventory of tickets for any show or game at any given time. They also frequently offer seating charts to see where you would be sitting. Just be sure that they have a secure and encrypted server to purchase your tickets from. Look for the closed pad lock on the bottom right of your browser when you are on the page that asks for your credit card number. As long as it is closed, you are safe to purchase from that website, since the closed pad lock means ‘encrypted’.

Along with speed, easiness and convenience, purchasing tickets online from a ticket website has another benefit. If you are traveling to another city and want to catch a show while there, such as New York City to see a Broadway play, Chicago to see a White Sox game, or Las Vegas to see a show, you can buy tickets online to almost all major events and shows going on in the city you’re traveling to. And you can do it in advance in the comfort of your home.

What other online choices do I have for buying tickets to shows and games?

Another option for buying tickets online is to go to the performer’s website. Performers or productions will often purchase blocks of tickets up front to sell to their preferred fans or website members.

For instance, you can sign up on your favorite rock band’s website, or favorite Broadway production website, and buy special pre-sales tickets for fans and fan club members. You may need to register at the website, but it could be worth it to have a place to buy sold out tickets and get newsletters and information on your favorite performers. If a concert, show or game is sold out, check back regularly as promoters, performers and venues often times release last minute tickets that are close to the event date.

Also, try searching the Web for pre-sale password codes for Ticketmaster or band Web sites.

You can check if your credit card company has pre-sales or preferred tickets put aside for cardholders. American Express has offered this benefit in the past.

And you can go to eBay.com or Craigslist.com to find tickets for sale by individuals. Here you need to be very careful however, since an individual can sell you fake tickets.

If you want the convenience, speed and ease-of-use, or if the tickets you want are premium or already sold out, then your best bet is to go to a reputable online ticket website which sells tickets above face value on the secondary market.

Check to make sure they have a secure checkout (as explained above), that they have a street address, phone number and privacy policy listed on their website, all of which show trustworthiness, and you should be fine. You can also check for seals such as Square Trade, the Better Business Bureau, or Thawte. If a site has any of these seals, and the link goes to a unique page verifying the authenticity, then you should be fine too.

The ticket websites mentioned in this article are all reputable websites that you can trust. Also, if the ticket website you are considering is part of Ticket Network Direct (TicketTransaction.com), then you can trust them as well.

If you find a website that you like, and have a good experience with it, then be sure to bookmark the site since you’ll probably want to buy tickets again in the future.

When searching for tickets online, I recommend that you open up a few browser windows, find the show or game you want to go to on each ticket website you’re considering buying from, check the seating charts and prices for the day you want, and compare the websites’ prices. Just be sure you are comparing the same exact days and seating sections across websites.

Gone are the days of camping out in line, out in the cold, overnight. Now we can all just hop on the Web in only our underwear, click around a few times and viola, our hard-to-find tickets are in-hand a few days later!



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Learning About Buying Theater Tickets in New York

May 24th, 2008
wicked broadway
Al Terry asked:


Broadway theater tickets in New York are always at a premium, especially in the case of popular and hit plays and shows. There are 39 theaters categorized as Broadway theaters, and more than 100 that are known as Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theaters. Broadway theaters are in midtown Manhattan and are in the area called the Times Square.

Theater tickets in New York, especially for the plays and shows on Broadway, are booked months in advance, and if you are unable to lay your hands on them through the Box Office, your best bet could be through some ticket brokers.

Tickets From Ticket Brokers

Many people visiting New York on a short notice, for business, or are on a vacation, may not have the wherewithal to book their theater tickets in advance. Even if you are a resident of New York, and need to take your business client out for a show on Broadway, buying tickets could be a problem. Your safest bet could be contacting a ticket broker for your theater tickets in New York.

Reputed and reliable ticket brokers can help you buy tickets for popular plays and shows that are currently running, such as Tarzan, The Lion King, Wicked, Mary Poppins, A Chorus Line, Les Miserables, among many others. A reputed ticket broker is a licensed broker, and is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers. In most cases, you can get in touch with ticket brokers online for your ticketing needs.

Tickets From Other Sources

Theater tickets in New York for plays and shows on Broadway, Of-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway can be purchased from sources other than through ticket brokers. Tickets bought from ticketing brokers, would normally be more expensive than those bought through the Box Office. Obviously, the broker would be adding service charges on top of the face value of the ticket. Through other sources, you may be able to purchase theater tickets in New York at discounted and affordable prices.

Most theaters on Broadway issue discount codes for most of the plays and shows. This is for marketing purposes, and if you are able to lay your hands on such a code, you can get a substantial discount. Discount codes can be accessed through the Internet.

As a student, you can avail of students’ discount, just by producing your ID. Such tickets can be procured through the Box Office only, and just before the start of the show. Theater tickets in New York for certain plays that have not yet become popular, or are not very popular anyways, can be bought at substantial discount - as much as 50 percent - directly from the Box Office.

Other discounted tickets are for seats that do not have a clear view of the stage due to a support column, or by a prop. These seats are available at huge discounts, if you do not mind missing the action in a portion of the stage. Standing Room Only theater tickets in New York are also available at discounted prices, if you do not have a problem of standing while watching a play.



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