Conversations From The 2011 Billboard Touring Conference

  • By Anthony | Monday, November 14th, 2011

Last week, three members of the ShowClix team attended this year’s Billboard Touring Conference and Awards conference.

The event kicked off with opening remarks from Billboard Editorial Director Bill Werde, followed by remarks from ShowClix’s Director of Sales, Pat Lucas. Lucas’ remarks introduced a conversation about innovation in ticketing and the influence of social media, which was covered at length by the first panel of the conference, “How Exactly Will Social Sell Tickets?”

The panel featured a cast of cutting-edge minds across the industry from SongKick, Eventful, and ShowClix’s own Vice President of Business, Jeff White, as the panel emphasized the importance of social media in new ticketing innovations on the horizon:

Together, the panelists talked about a series of social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, and even Myspace (which all agreed was dead and gone for good), and attempted to identify ways in which each could be used to make money for artists and venues. While much of the emphasis was on Facebook, one thing many panelists agreed on was that by integrating products into larger platforms, artists and venues could benefit from all the tools they needed in a larger social space…

Another important discussion involved cross-platform integration, allowing artists to reach as many people over as many social networks as possible with minimal effort, allowing venues and artists to focus on making music and providing a positive fan experience. [via Billboard.biz]

White remarked that providing incentives through comped ticket service fees can generate a completely new wave of self-actualized buzz through an event’s audience and fanbase.

Later, ShowClix CEO Joshua Dziabiak represented ShowClix in a ticketing breakout session. After the discussion, Dziabiak noted, “I was most impressed with the progressive conversations that were going on this year at Billboard. It’s evident that technology is playing a much larger and more critical role than ever in helping the industry leaders move more tickets and extend their reach.”

With the web-based Crowd box office, mobile ticketing, social media marketing tools, and more exciting innovations on the way for 2012, ShowClix will continue to be an integral part of the ongoing evolution of ticketing technology.