Gary Lustig
LusTicks Consulting Services
What were you doing in 1979?
1979 was a few years before I joined INTIX. Ticketing was the farthest thing from my mind at the time
What drew you to INTIX?
I was hired by The Dallas Opera in 1983 to be their ticketing manager. They had lots of service problems after a difficult ticketing system implementation. I was hired to help them recover, but I knew nothing about ticketing. INTIX (then BOMI) gave me access to a group of people with vast knowledge and experience and an amazing openness about sharing it with someone like me.
Talk about a mentor you met through INTIX and how that person helped better you personally and professionally.
For me, there wasn’t one single person as a mentor. I do credit Pat Spira with my career, though. At my very first Conference, Pat came over, pulled me out of the corner I was hiding in, introduced me to some people who are now lifelong friends and colleagues (Angus Watson and Fred Maglione come to mind) and stuck me on a Committee. I never looked back from there. Her devotion to the organization and industry were inspirational.
What’s an INTIX membership benefit that has been especially helpful to you?
The ability to make connections. To me INTIX was LinkedIn before there was such a thing, and it still is.
What business challenge has kept you awake at night the most over the course of your career?
Keeping up with technology. Having worked mainly in the nonprofit sector, finding ways to keep up with ever-changing technologies is a challenge. Technology advancements have made some amazing things possible but there’s never a status quo. Once you’ve implemented some new technology, there’s no time to rest. You just move on to the newest advance.
Given the constant advancements in technology, what’s the best way to maintain the human touch and personal service in ticketing?
Technology is great for customers who want to use it, but we should never make it difficult or impossible for a customer to interact with a human if that’s what they want. When I was running Ticket Philadelphia we handled subscriptions for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Most subscribers would order online or by old-fashioned mail However, every year we would have groups of women who had been subscribing together for years. They would come into the office with their brochures and personal calendars. They’d spread it all out on a desk, sit with one of our team members for hours sometimes while they went through the concert schedule, their calendars and seating until they were all happy. It was a great thing to see. Bottom line: The key is just to be easily available, empathetic and have no rules in place that keep your teams from satisfying customers.
How do you see INTIX leading the way into the future of ticketing?
INTIX is a neutral and “safe” place. It’s really the only place to me that all industry sectors can come together and learn from each other in an open environment. It provides “fertile ground” for professionals at all levels of their careers. Everyone from new managers to seasoned veterans will always learn something new and valuable as a result of participating in INTIX. This adds great value to their orgaizations. INTIX is also striving to raise the profile of ticketing professionals in the entertainment and sports industries. The number of ticketing people who now sit at the executive levels of their organizations is growing dramatically. This is partly driven by INTIX leadership over the past few years. The status of ticketing professionals will continue to grow driven by the value that INTIX is providing to its membership organizations.
What’s your favorite INTIX memory?
It seems like there’s a new memory every year. If I had to choose one it was the San Antonio Conference. 1987. I co-chaired that Conference in only my fourth year in the industry. It was an amazing experience to see so many people learning and having fun at an event that I helped create.