So many unsold tickets

[TerrenceIsTheMann]

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:28pm

I've been wondering lately... why don't shows sell unsold seats at very low prices to college students and other NYC locals? Rush and lottery are usually available, sure, but there are still always unsold seats during the week as they are highly priced. Can someone with some business smarts explain to me why they just don't sell the tickets? 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:44pm

I think the problem is that if you sell all the remaining seats cheaply, why would anyone buy them in advance?  I mean, if you see a show isn't selling well, and you know they'll give away whatever's left for $40 right before curtain, why would you ever pay $160 in advance, knowing you can get the exact same seat right before the show?  The idea with rush is that since it's a limited quantity with only 20-30 seats available per show typically, a lot of people won't risk it and will still order tickets in advance at full price to make sure they get a seat.  If there's theoretically 300-400 seats available at the rush, though, most people would probably just wait and would never pay full price.  The idea of limiting it to college students or other "select" groups could make this a bit more feasible, but I think they'd still run into a lot of trouble getting people to buy in advance and would lose even more profit as a result.

[KCW]

Posted: 3/5/16 at 4:51pm

By no means an expert, but if they were to offer that, then people would rely on that, creating more demand at a much lower price. 

Edit: was writing before this was posted, but the one before summed it up

Updated On: 3/5/16 at 04:51 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/5/16 at 6:46pm

I haven't worked at a Broadway theater, but I have worked in box office and marketing at regional theaters and, trust me, we went around and around on this subject. Not only would the theater like the extra money from selling discount seats, but it is demoralizing to the cast to play to an empty house.

 

That being said, it is very difficult to decide what discounts you can offer without cutting into your gross and ending up further in the red. As one can tell from this board alone, news of deep discounts travels fast.

[_IrisTInkerbell]

Posted: 3/6/16 at 7:30pm

I wonder if you could target very specific groups. Say send out an email blast to people from the area who have already seen the show and offering them cheap last-minute tickets to encourage them to come back with a friend?

Just an idea from the top of my head, but I've certainly been frustrated by theaters not selling spare tickets more cheaply in order to get butts in seats, as they say...

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 3/6/16 at 8:08pm

GavestonPS, thanks for your answer. Makes sense.

[SLSigafoos]

Posted: 3/6/16 at 8:19pm

I'm sure many of us on here are Audience Rewards members, no? Instead of having tickets and experiences available when you hit a certain level of points, I've often wondered why they don't offer last-minute or day-of reward seats to frequent ticket buyers. Say, having 2,000 tickets in your account might not get you an advance free seat to Kinky Boots using your actual points, but you could be on the list to fill mezzanine seats in the house when ticket sales are low. Or, every 1,000 points gets you $10 or $20 off a ticket rather than needing 6,000 points to earn a mezzanine seat. I just think it would be better for the house to be full, than not. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/6/16 at 10:43pm

Because the(AR) don't have the freedom to make those choices. Only the producers do.

 

[And Peggy]

Posted: 3/6/16 at 11:04pm

Because of the reasons outlined by Broadway 61004 and GavestonPS and the fact that nobody has figured out a solution to that conundrum yet. When someone does, they'll be set for life. 

[Caitiecait92]

Posted: 3/6/16 at 11:47pm

I've been entering online lotteries and they do offer discounted tickets of you don't win. Kinky Boots offered $69 "orch" tickets and $49 "mezz tickets, in other words the last two rows of the mezz are $49 and the remaining seats are $69. I can't tell you how many times I show interest in seeing a show and check ticketmaster and practically the whole theater is available the day before! I'd like to know how they get people to spend $100 a ticket the day of a show. I wish 2 hours before a show they put some tickets on TDF. I'm waiting for the day (and I'm sure it's coming soon!) when the tkts booth will offer online services. That would even be an idea. Have the regular sales through the TKTS booth then two hours before the show sell remaining tickets on a TKtS app. 

[Dave13]

Posted: 3/7/16 at 12:42am

Obviously, this isn't a Hamilton thread.