Linda Forlini
Ticket Philadelphia
What were you doing in 1979?
I was a Junior in High School, listening to disco and punk. Excited about the approintment of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Sid Vicious died — that was tragic for me. I loved punk and the Sex Pistols were great. The movie "Alien" came out and scared me to death. "Dallas" was on TV, and I know that I wanted to know what was going to happen next to this family in Texas. I spent my summers at the Jersey Shore working at Castle Dracula scaring people to death — it was a blast!
What drew you to INTIX?
In 1985, I was involved in a stage accident that altered my trajectory for life. I was studying Stage Management and Technical Theater — that was what I wanted to do, but it was not my destiny. I was given the job of Box Office Manager at the theater I was working in as a lateral move. I had no idea what I was doing, what happened beyond the proscenium and I needed help. It just so happened that the college had just purchased an automoated ticketing solution called Select Ticketing — PASS — so I also needed to understand what a computer was and how to work it, so the leadership at Select Ticketing turned me on to BOMI. I reached out to Pat and the rest is history.
Talk about a mentor you met through INTIX and how that person helped better you personally and professionally.
The first person that helped me navigate the waters was Aspen Olmsted. He was with Select Ticketing, we were both so young then and he was the programmer for the system. It was and still is a relationship I value, and I feel fortunate to have worked with him from 1985 to 2016. He is now a professor and has left the industry. Pat Spira was also a mentor that helped me along the way. There are too many to mention that I still lean on, you know who you are and I thank you.
What’s an INTIX membership benefit that has been especially helpful to you?
I used to comb through the membership directory when I needed help. I know I am dating myself, but they were invaluable to me as a newcomer to the industry. I still have some of them, I am sorry that I do not have more — I love going down memory lane, seeing a name and remembering something they did or said and smiling.
What business challenge has kept you awake at night the most over the course of your career?
Keeping up with emails keeps me up at night. I get about 150 a day — it is unrelenting. That on top of everything else just compounds the stress levels of late nights, early mornings.
Given the constant advancements in technology, what’s the best way to maintain the human touch and personal service in ticketing?
I always take time to stop and talk to my staff on a personal level. Ask them about life, check in when they are sick and make sure that they know that I appreciate that they came to work today and that we are in this together. I may not be on the phones or in the trenches with them but I have their back — always. I speak for them, protect them and make sure they feel important and valued every day. I also try and feed them as much as possible — happy staff means happy customers.
How do you see INTIX leading the way into the future of ticketing?
Partnering with our Technology providers — they are on the leading edge and INTIX needs to be there to support and be on the journey with them. Soon our websites are going to go the way of the box office and be used minimally. Watch out for Google and Amazon — they may play a very big part in the future success of the live entertainment business.
What’s your favorite INTIX memory?
The New Orleans conference in 1993. We had a fabulous gala and costume party — we were in NOLA, so we did as NOLA does. The next day I woke up and there were 10 Hurricane glasses — they had to be 18 inches tall — in my hotel room, the memory is sketchy. I made it down to the conference at lunchtime and came across Pat in the lobby, she was complaining about the attendance at the morning sessions and she vowed in the lobby very loudly — INITX will NEVER host another conference in New Orleans. And that edict held true until 2017. I was much older and wiser this time — I attended the sessions in the mornings. I am not sure why that memory is so clear to me, even to this day. I think I felt that I contributed to the decision Pat made which affected the entire Association.