Corporate Research Project 1

Corporate Research Project

Thomas Gibson

The University of Kansas

Corporate Research Project 2

Ticket Operations

As someone who has a passion for sports, I have always wanted to pursue a career in the

sports industry. I have begun preparing for life after college, which includes researching possible

career opportunities. A Career that always stood out to me is Ticket Operations in college

athletics. Ticket Operations is best described as, managing aspects of ticket operation pertaining

to customer service, ticket sales and operations, distribution of marketing materials, special event

preparation, administrative information systems, and marketing and sales reporting (UNE) One

particular position I researched is Assistant Director of Ticket Operations. Assistant Director of

Ticket Operations responsibilities consist of assisting customers looking to purchase tickets over

the phone, through email, and face-to-face interaction. Furthermore, it is common for employees

in Ticket Operations to assist with game day responsibilities such as operating ticket windows.

Along with an overview of the position, it is important to detail how to start a career in ticket

operations, the everyday responsibilities, and how communication plays an important role.

Ticket sales are a significant portion of revenue for most Division I programs. Therefore,

Ticket Operations is one of the most important departments in college athletics. As college

athletics grow universities must find ways to continually fund the expenses of their athletic

programs. Tickets are one of the many ways universities fund their programs. Elizabeth Wanless

and Lawrence W. Judge in their journal titled Improving Collegiate Ticket Sales: The

Importance of a Trained Sales Staff, point out the importance in finding funding for Division I

programs. Most athletics programs are not self-sustainable and rely on student fees or

institutional dollars to maintain status and competitive balance (Wanless, Judge). Therefore,

the University values every dollar the Ticket Operations staff can help contribute. Since

universities value the money Ticket Operations bring in, a lot of responsibilities fall on the
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employees of the department, specifically, the Assistant Director of Ticket Operations. A start in

Ticket Operations commands a starting salary of approximately 30 thousand a year. Luckily

there are opportunities for promotion in Ticket Operations. If you were to be promoted to

Director of Ticket Operations you could expect a salary around 80 thousand dollars per year

(Glassdoor).

On November 2nd, 2017 I was given the opportunity to interview the Assistant Director of

Ticket Operations at Texas Tech University. During my interview I wanted to first learn how to

enter the Ticket Operations career field. Brett Hof started his career in Ticket Operations at

Texas Tech University. Texas Tech in located in Lubbock, Texas and is home to one of the

better athletic programs in the Big 12 Conference. Hof attended the University of Kansas and got

his degree in Strategic Communications. Strategic Communications is a common degree among

the Ticket Operations field, but Communication, Marketing, and Management are also common

degree paths .Hof also attributed his communications internship he had at the University of

Kansas as an important resume builder. He said students looking to start a career in college

sports should find a way to get experience in any way or field possible (Gibson). After

graduation Hof started as a post-graduate intern in Ticket Operations and has recently

transitioned into Assistant Director of Ticket Operations. Hofs specific responsibilities include

cooperating with season ticket holders through phone calls and emails and assisting the Director

of Ticket Operations in management of ticket operations at home events.

A main focus of my interview was the daily responsibilities of The Assistant Director of

Ticket Operations. Those responsibilities include working with every sport Texas Tech offers.

The most lucrative sport that Texas Tech offers is football. Texas Tech has an accomplished

football team with 36 bowl appearances, which ranks 17t all-time (Sports Reference). The Texas
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Tribune outlined the 2015-2016 revenue of Texas Tech athletics and tickets produced

approximately eleven million dollars in revenue for all of Techs sports. Football contributes

approximately nine of the eleven million (Texas Tribune). Obviously, football is the most

profitable athletics program at Texas Tech. Therefore, Brett and the other employees must focus

a lot of their time towards the football program. During the football season, Hof spends most of

his time on the phones with vendors, season ticket holders, and other customers looking for

single-game tickets. It is Hofs responsibility to make sure customers are able to easily complete

transactions as well as answer any questions they may have. In order build loyalty with season

ticket holders you must do your best providing excellent customer service. One challenge that

can arise is retaining season ticket holders from season to season if the teams arent producing on

the field. Unfortunately that is mostly out of the Ticket Operations control. Furthermore, Hofs

schedule must be flexible because he must be available for home football games and other

weekend sporting events. The Texas Tech Ticket Operations department consists of eight

employees. For the department to run smoothly, all the employees must be on the same page

(Gibson). Communication between the department and building relationships with each other is

essential to the success of the department.

Duke University, a high level Division I program, describes the Assistant Director of

Ticket Operations as a position that requires the skill to communicate with the public,

employees, and vendors in a positive manner (Duke Athletics). These values are important to

many Ticket Operations departments including Texas Tech. I went into detail with Brett Hof

about communication in the office. He said that a lot of his day is centered on talking to

customers; therefore it is essential to be patient, positive, and respectful throughout his day.

Building a relationship with the customers helps to ensure their loyalty and helps make his
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department successful. Communication is just as important across the office as well. Hof and his

co-workers communicate through many different mediums. For example, Hof must be effective

in communicating through email, on the phone, and face-to-face with his co-workers. Hof

highlighted the importance of continuing to develop his communication skills. Essentially, the

key to a successful Ticket Operations department is striving to effectively communicate with

customers and co-workers.

Through researching Ticket Operations, specifically the Assistant Director of Ticket

Operations, I have been able to gain an in-depth look at the career. I have more respect and

knowledge for what it takes to one-day find myself working for a Division I Ticket Operations

department. I have realized the importance of the department as a whole by looking at how much

revenue tickets bring to Universities. Furthermore, I was able to get a clear picture of the every

day life of an employee in the Ticket Operations department, and I was able to see how

important communication can be in this particular career.

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References

Gibson, Thomas. Personal Interview. 2 November 2017.

Glassdoor. (2017). Ticket Operations Salaries. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/director-of-ticket-operations-salary-SRCH_KO0,29.htm

Duke Athletics. Goduke.com. (2016, September 30). Job Description: Assistant Ticket Operations

Manager. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=211198449

Sports Reference. (2017). Texas Tech Raiders Index. Retrieved November 07, 2017, from

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/texas-tech/

Texas Tribune. (2017). Texas Tech Athletic Department Revenues and Expenses . Retrieved November

07, 2017, from https://college-sports.texastribune.org/colleges/texas-tech-university/

Wanless, E., & Judge, L. W. (2014). Improving collegiate ticket sales: The importance of a trained sales

staff. Journal of Facility Planning, Design, and Management, 2(2) Retrieved from https://search-

proquest-com.www2.lib.ku.edu/docview/1730204725?accountid=14556

UNE. Manager Of Ticket Operations - ATHLETICS. (2009, January 05). Retrieved November 04,

2017, from https://www.unh.edu/hr/job-specs/manager-ticket-operations-athletics

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