LETTER FROM MAUREEN ANDERSEN, President/CEO, International Ticketing Association

We all have an “elevator speech” for those moments when someone asks us “what do you do?”  I am sure, that like me, you have probably honed and distilled the speech into something like “ticketing for live events…entertainment…show biz,” then followed by even further explanations as they look at you strangely like a quizzical cocker spaniel.
This happened to me over the weekend when I struggled to explain to a good friend what INTIX does and is; what this association represents and what I did for my career, our life’s work. It dawned on me that keeping it simple is usually best. I turned to my friend Steve and said, “Well yes, when you first bought a ticket it might have been at a Ticketron outlet like I did at the Peaches Record Warehouse when I was young. But it is more than that now….we have evolved. For every legitimate ticket that someone buys to a game, a show, a concert, you have to remember that we are the professionals who make it all work.  We are the ones who set it up, create it, engineer it, who make it all work right…the professionals behind it all. We are the specialists.”
The truth is that no one thinks much about the tickets or the mechanics of it all, except when something goes wrong. It is quite the testament to the enduring transparency and trust of our industry that no one notices for the vast majority of their entertainment ticketing transactions.
The INTIX Code of Ethics promotes the success of the industry and its members by encouraging the highest standards of conduct for entertainment ticketing professionals to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the profession and the industry. As our long-time member and ethics champion Jack Lucas said, “Many years ago, I felt that there was a need to create ‘the code,’ because of the type of work that ticketing professionals do. We have always conducted ourselves in a professional, ethical and honest manner, but no one had actually taken the time to create a Code of Ethics.”
No one cares or pays attention until they are affected and the public is being affected. Countless states, cities, municipalities and countries are now grappling with the legalities, technology, fairness and access issues around the ticket transaction. It is incumbent that we, the ticket professional, continue to adhere to our road map and our code of honest, transparent and ethical behavior. And thanks to my friend Steve for the simple “what do you do” question on a Sunday afternoon. 

Please visit www.intix.org or call +1 212.629.4036 for further information on becoming a member and INTIX’s 36th Annual Conference & Exhibition including sponsorship, exhibiting and advertising.