The group of students were visiting from Hogeschool van Amsterdam, one of the largest institutes for higher professional education in the Netherlands. Read all about their visit – in their own words – below.

 

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After arriving at Ticketmaster`s headquarters in the heart of London and receiving a warm welcome from its team manager Doug we finally got the chance to have a look at the office. Even though Ticketmaster is one of the top 10 e-commerce businesses in the world, the working atmosphere is quite relaxed yet professional. Stylish interior, accompanied by amusing games like table-tennis makes Ticketmaster a fun place to work at. 

After receiving delicious donuts with some traditional English tea, we were excited to hear about the whole process of ticketing and all the other surrounding activities. We were fascinated to learn about their fresh and innovative business culture and the great way they treat their employees. In general the team is very young, or at least remained young and seemed to be motivated and committed to what they are doing. For about an hour we could hear and learn about many interesting topics concerning the business of events and tickets. It was amazing to have had this great opportunity to get a further insight into the way Ticketmaster is operating. We learned a lot and are very grateful. All the best to this amazing team!

—Tim Peckels, Ananda Jhinkoe-Rai, Maxime Henry, Samira Hajipour, Elroi Ghaleb and Terrence Gaertner

 

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In late September, Ticketmaster UK welcomed 31 international students from Hogeschool van Amsterdam. After being issued our tickets, the theme of the day clearly set by the title “Life of a Ticket”, we were indulged in the spoils of the office (donuts, coffee and a quick wack of table tennis) and then we settled into the day’s presentation. 

Doug Smith, our host for the day and Head of Business Operations for Ticketmaster UK, shared with us his experience from the industry and his knowledge on “the life of the ticket”, otherwise explained as the process behind the issuing of a ticket. Despite the simple summation of the title, the ticketing process was revealed to be very complex and technical. We were impressed by the weight given to customer service – preferring to provide an end-to-end customer service rather than merely a once-off service. The technical support involved in the process was astounding to say the least. Most notably though we were amazed and happily surprised by their company culture.

Here at Ticketmaster, they firmly believe in open communication, rather than discipline to resolve issues. Where mistakes do occur, staff are retrained to prevent its reoccurrence. The team bears the consequences, not the individual. It was evident that this approach keenly adopted by HR was truly welcomed by staff, reflected in the vibrant and highly productive atmosphere of the office (the four-storey slide, tipi tent and dynamic workspaces definitely helped this as well). We left the day feeling truly inspired from Doug’s presentation and keen to return for a slip on the slide. 

Until next time Ticketmaster, thanks again! 

—Maika, Darcy, Patrick, Marine and Justin

 

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As students of the University of Amsterdam we were given the opportunity to get to know more about the whole ticketing process of Ticketmaster. Doug Smith, Senior Vice President Business Operations, told us all of the ins and outs of the ticketing process. 

On Wednesday morning 28 September 2016 we arrived at the HUB of Ticketmaster Europe. Immediately we were very impressed about the atmosphere of the office. A pool table, table tennis table and donuts made it a really cosy and pleasant office to work at. It was really cool that we received a ticket at Ticketmaster. Kind of ironic.

 

amsterdam_getstarted.jpg     amsterdam2.jpg

 

We were very surprised by the fact that the ticketing process at Ticketmaster is still really IT based and therefore involves a lot of coding. Even though understanding the coding is not very easy, Doug managed to explain this in such a way even students could understand it. 

Fun fact: they always know where you are, because they know more about you, than you will ever know (consumer data).

Wanna know even more about the life of a ticket? Visit Ticketmaster UK yourselves at Ticketmaster.co.uk!

—Nick Vrolijk, Laia Aycart, Vili Virta, Daan Geerlings, Bodile van Werkhoven and Thomas Hulzinga

 

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On Wednesday 28 October, we – a group of students at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences – visited the Ticketmaster headquarter in London. The hospitality was fantastic and the people at the company was very eager to tell us more about their business. 

What struck our attention, was that there are many different aspects within the daily work routine at the Ticketmaster company. Various departments are working together to activate and promote shows via their online ticket shop and through marketing activities. 

Something else that caught our attention was that they take care of their employees very well. Through training plans and leisure activities (including slides, table football plays and even a pinball game), the company helps their employees in relaxing between their busy working routines. 

Within the company there are many different departments which are closely related to each other in order to function. The example that immediately pops up in our head is the example of the ticket launch in where one employee activates a concert ticket and makes a financial error (due to the wrong input within the company’s back office). This can lead to problems with promoters or artists and cost the company a lot of money. Therefore, there are multiple checks upon the work employees produce so errors can be prevented or narrowed down. We also feel that therefore teamwork is the most important value in the company: every team member needs to be involved and responsible in order for the company to succeed.

The company visit has inspired us a lot, and it has given us new insights in the ticketing industry.

—Sander Stijnen, Frank Munoz, Merle Springer, Renske Wijma, Amelia Ebanks and Savanna Balke

 

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On 28 September, we visited the ticketmaster office UK giving all ears to the lecture they presented. What surprised us first was that they made some real tickets like we’re going to an actual concert. After we entered the office with our ticketmaster tickets, we received a warm welcome with doughnuts and some cups of coffee. The atmosphere of the office was informal and comfortable. The presenter Doug Smith was full of passion trying his best to give us some practical information with providing the insight of ticketing industry. The most important part is that they make their tickets go to the hands of ticket buyers. There are several methods to achieve and several rules to protect the tickets against fraud.

They are dependent on promotors and other workers related to making events and concerts because the ticketing is possible after the whole preparation is completed. Time management, accuracy and preciseness is the essence of their job. Ticketing is so close to our lives without our noticing how complicated these systems are running. However there are some hidden contents and profundity that we can find out. It was a great opportunity to take a general views of what they’re doing. So we really appreciate their programs.

—Sjahad Alladien, Pierre Heurtault, Lisa Mokesch, Lobke Sander and Dongkyo Yeom

 

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On Wednesday 28 September we (students of the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam) visited the headquarters of Ticketmaster in London. The day started off with a nice bus trip to the building. When we walked in, we got our ticket to Ticketmaster and a nice guy was waiting for us, offering us our morning coffee and donuts. The colourful office and the relaxed environment immediately made us feel at ease. First thing we noticed was that there was a pool table, table tennis table and a pinball machine. The presentation started with some jokes and the question how many different nationalities were in our group. After that, the real presentation from Doug Smith started which thought us some very useful things and gave us some very interesting information, for example: the impact little mistakes can have and how they handle failing employees (they shoot them). He also told us about the old way of programming they use (if it works, don’t change it). We were surprised to hear that in the UK they still sell mostly printed tickets, instead of sending the tickets to the customer’s phone or email-address, what is normal for us.

Overall it was fun and interesting to visit you. Ticketmaster, thank you for saving the morning, your hospitality and the amazing experience!

—Lars Aalders, Johanna André, Mariska Bouterse, Jairo Kleiboer, Cas Hogenhout