Baycourt Community & Arts Centre and Eventfinda's winning combination

It feels like we are working with colleagues rather than a supplier or third party. Eventfinda has a true desire to understand your needs and meet them.

Reena Snook

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager

Summary

Opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales in 1983, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre has been Tauranga’s premier performing arts venue for over four decades. 2023 was their biggest year yet, holding over 200 individual events, selling 60,000 tickets and beginning a brand new ticketing partnership with Eventfinda at the end of the year.

With a strong community legacy, Baycourt is committed to delivering meaningful outcomes that benefit the people of Tauranga, meaning their ticketing provider needs the technology and capability to provide state-of-the-art ticketing services, as well as understand the necessity and importance of manaakitanga (customer service/hospitality/respect). Their partnership with Eventfinda is based on a shared desire to put the customer at the heart of every interaction.

We were looking for a true ticketing partnership rather than a transactional relationship. We wanted to work with an organisation that was interested in who we are, our values and our people, and who could help us achieve our vision. Eventfinda ticked those boxes.

Reena Snook

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager

Baycourt holds a unique position in Tauranga both due to its history in the region and for its strong community focus and engagement. Reena Snook, Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager at Tauranga City Council said,

“On average, 70% of the events we host each year are local/community-led which is unique in Aotearoa and part of the reason why the community feel so connected and passionate about the centre and its kaupapa (purpose). The remaining 30% is a mix of international and domestic shows (music concerts, comedy, drama, dance, talks and ideas etc.), small business events and other non-performance events.”

Baycourt operates under five core values:

Manaakitanga (respect and hospitality)
Kairangatira (excellence)
Pono (trust and integrity)
Kaitiakitanga (guardianship)
Mahi tahi (teamwork and collaboration)

“Coming out of our 40th anniversary we’re committed to building on the good work of our first four decades and living up to our name - continuing to put the interests of our community first. It’s important for us to maximise our opportunities to ensure we’re a creative space that’s inclusive, accessible and innovative.”

As such a unique regional venue, Baycourt experienced some unique ticketing challenges:

Balancing the different needs and requirements of their community vs commercial hirers.
Finding a solution that allowed for a level of self-service so hirers could have more ownership and control of their ticketing needs and where venue staff had more involvement in the end-to-end process.
Streamlining business processes to improve productivity, reduce manual processes and enhance their level of service.

Thanks to their strong values, they had a clear vision and guide for the type of organisation they wanted to work with,

“We were looking for a true ticketing partnership rather than a transactional relationship. We wanted to work with an organisation that was interested in who we are, our values and our people, and who could help us achieve our vision. Eventfinda ticked those boxes.”

We required a ticketing solution that understood the nuances of regional theatre. We have a really strong community remit so we needed a partner that could offer as much care and support for our grassroots productions as they would for a large-scale international event.”

Contract negotiations can be challenging but I found Anna and James refreshing, open to any feedback and happy to learn…I really appreciated how easy that was.

Reena Snook

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager

As their existing ticketing contract was ending Baycourt decided to go to market and assess what ticketing options were available. As a council-owned and operated venue, Baycourt was required to go out to the market using a comprehensive Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Snook said,

“The procurement process is a valuable tool to review and assess suppliers in the market against what it is you want to achieve. It’s a very formal and admin-heavy process, but for us it was important to use a method that could support the decision-making process and ensure the best outcome for Baycourt.”

Standard procurement templates weren’t a good fit for this ticketing procurement so Snook, alongside TCC’s procurement team, created a tailored document that could be applied to the intricacies of the ticketing industry. Suppliers had just under three weeks to prepare a submission to be assessed and scored by a panel,

“Our panel consisted of venue staff, as well as a local industry professional and procurement specialist. We strongly felt there should be representation from our local venue hirers on the panel as we are so community-driven - we wanted it to be a collaborative effort.”

Following in-person presentations and lengthy deliberations, the council also required comprehensive cyber security investigations,

“Digital security was a crucial component of this procurement. It involved robust testing of the Eventfinda infrastructure to ensure it would meet the council’s high standards. This took several weeks of investigations but the council’s digital team ultimately endorsed Eventfinda’s systems and digital practices.

We appreciated Eventfinda’s openness with our digital team. They provided all information requested and were always respectful, timely and transparent throughout the process.”

Once this was complete, contract negotiations could begin.

“Contract negotiations can be challenging but I found Anna and James refreshing in their approach, open to any feedback and happy to understand our needs. When new ideas were brought to the table we had honest and upfront conversations about how we could get to a solution that worked for all parties. I really appreciated how easy that was.”

This process was about finding a ticketing partner, not a supplier. Regional venues can become just one of many in the portfolio but with Eventfinda we feel like we matter.

Reena Snook

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager

Eventfinda was selected by the panel but what made our software and organisation stand out?

“Eventfinda has always been very active in the industry and keen to engage with venues, regardless of whether they’re contracted partners or not. Before we entered into the RFP process Eventfinda was already known to us thanks to their proactive and personable interactions at regular industry events such as EVANZ conferences.

We knew from other colleagues throughout the country that Eventfinda is an excellent partner. Understanding the experience of other comparable venues was a good guide as to how successful the Eventfinda solution could be - Toitoi’s glowing recommendation was a positive indicator that Eventfinda could easily work in a Baycourt context,” said Snook.

The RFP criteria had a very methodical, mathematical and analytical scoring system. But, it was the people behind the organisation that elevated Eventfinda above the rest. Snook remarked,

“Eventfinda is so lucky to have people like Anna and James leading their waka. They’re easy to work with and solutions-focused, I know they care about finding a solution and they have our best interests at heart. This process was about finding a ticketing partner and an equal, not a service provider. Regional venues can sometimes become just one of many in a larger portfolio but with Eventfinda we feel like we matter.”

The human aspect was a key driver but the technology toolkit created the winning combination,

“Eventfinda had the proven experience of delivering a successful solution at comparable venues, offered the greatest flexibility for self-service functionally and offered the best solution for managing free ticketed events where we’re able to bring more of this in-house practically and cost-effectively. Previously, managing capacity for a free event could be more time-consuming than a paid event and also expensive. And finally, their comprehensive and user-friendly reporting tools are designed with the end user in mind - we love how easy it is to get the information you need at a moment's notice.”

After the first training session, our fears were eliminated...The team can have an event listed and ready to go on sale in half an hour now. The transition has been quite revolutionary for us and our hirers.

Reena Snook

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager

Baycourt had been with their previous supplier for nine years so they naturally had fears about the move, particularly how their clients and audience would handle the transition.

“Anna prepared a fantastic transition plan. It was really clear what steps we needed to take to make the transition realistic and achievable. Based on our experience to date, we’re confident we can navigate through any challenges with Eventfinda,” said Snook.

Baycourt opted to have the ability to load their ticketed events themselves as part of their ticketing offering when they switched to Eventfinda under the protection and systems agreement.

“We definitely had reservations around bringing the event build process in-house but it was something we really wanted to take control of ourselves. This was a big change to our process so there was a lot of nervousness but that was so quickly alleviated by Anna and MC,” said Snook.

MC provided on-site and remote training sessions to get the Baycourt team up and running,

"We had a two-week window to get started and MC was great. She acknowledged up front that change can be scary but reassured us that she would be there to support us so we didn’t ever feel thrown into the deep end. Her training was very methodical and took the team through all the necessary steps. We utilised video calls to see things in real-time and used the how-to guides alongside test events to navigate through real-life scenarios.

After the first training session, our fears were eliminated. The team can have an event listed and ready to go on sale in half an hour now. The transition has been quite revolutionary for us and our hirers.”

The benefits of Eventfinda reported by the Baycourt team

Baycourt’s ticketing service is now optimized for increased speed and ease of use.
Eventfinda is designed to balance commercial and community needs.
Addressed productivity and efficiency concerns, 30 minutes is all they need to get an event built.
Greater sense of ownership as a result of moving the listing process in-house.
Ownership of event set-up creates a closer relationship with venue hirers and means we have a greater understanding of their ticketing needs.
Offering self-service to hirers gives Baycourt a competitive advantage.
Reduction in email communications between Baycourt and their ticketing partner.
Convenience to issue complimentary tickets themselves instead of via the ticketing provider's team.
Greater access to behind-the-scenes functionality and modernised software.
Eventfinda has already surpassed the expectations of the venue and its hirers.
Customer service on the spot thanks to the quick resolution of ticketholders' queries.

Yes, we would absolutely recommend Eventfinda for their hands-on approach, and efficiency in building and listing events in-house...It’s excellent.

Reena Snook

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager

The feedback from the Baycourt team on the Eventfinda software has also been resoundingly positive, Snook said,

“Eventfinda is user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. One of the stand-out features is ticketholder information, this data is accessible in a one-stop shop for us to use.

Our Marketing team uses the capacity/sales reports to help tailor our marketing and promotions for shows and identify which shows need support easily and quickly.

Operations can now help and solve customer queries quickly and efficiently.

The Eventfinda ticket scanners have also been well received. Our front-of-house team found that they’re able to seat people much faster and reduce queue times. This has really added to the customer satisfaction levels”

When we are looking at live data and post-event reporting tools, it’s great to be able to view multiple shows at once. And, we can now email comps directly to the ticketholders which has been a great time saver for all parties and has elevated our service levels. We can personalise the messaging and it has a professional look to it – not like a standard system-generated email.”

Snook has no hesitation in recommending Eventfinda to other venues,

“Yes, we would absolutely recommend Eventfinda for their hands-on and collaborative approach, not to mention the technology that they bring to the relationship. Their solution offers a great level of control whilst also providing the backend support as and where needed."

From an ops perspective, it’s intuitive, easy-to-use functionality means someone with zero experience in ticketing can pick things up in less than a day.

On the relationship side, it feels like we are working with colleagues rather than a supplier or third party. Eventfinda has a true desire to understand your needs and meet them.”

Baycourt has a rich 40-year history of nurturing performing arts in Tauranga. We’re confident Eventfinda will support us as we continue to evolve and develop into the future.

Reena Snook

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre Manager

As they look ahead to the future, Baycourt can’t wait to share the self-service functionality with a selection of their hirers to give them greater ownership and control.

“We’re now planning a hirers hui with Eventfinda in attendance. This will be an opportunity for our local hirers to meet the Eventfinda team and to also understand the reasons why Eventfinda was appointed. We are looking forward to sharing some of the key functionality of the Eventfinda solution in person and how it can benefit our hirers and their events,” said Snook.

As part of our contract with Eventfinda, we were provided with two laptops, giving us the ability to enable ticketing services off-site for key clients at other locations. Snook said,

“This makes us agile, meaning we can set up a mobile Eventfinda box office wherever there’s a need across the city”

They are also keen to start using the Add-on feature to upsell food, beverage and merchandise to ticket purchasers,

“We want to create a stronger and more connected brand experience for patrons before they even set foot in the venue.”

Has Eventfinda’s functionality changed how they will approach future events? Snooks says,

“We believe that Eventfinda will help us to create stronger relationships with our hirers. As a result of our transition to Eventfinda, we’re more directly involved and invested in ensuring the hirer receives great service - we have a genuine interest in maximising that experience. I know we now have some of the best technology at our fingertips, so it’ll be exciting to see what may come next.”

Baycourt is also considering introducing phone bookings as an additional service in the future as their confidence in the system and technology grows. This would provide a new way for patrons to interact with the venue, increasing their accessibility and visitor experience offering. Snook concluded,

“Baycourt has a rich 40-year history of nurturing performing arts in Tauranga and we’re confident Eventfinda will support us as we continue to evolve and develop across the next 40 years.”

baycourt.co.nz

Baycourt Community & Arts Centre and Eventfinda's winning combination

Summary

Feature focus

A community focus like no other

Choosing a ticketing supplier for a council-owned venue

Eventfinda’s winning combination

Eliminating fears of change and creating a strong capable venue team

The benefits of Eventfinda reported by the Baycourt team

Getting the most from Eventfinda’s technology

The future

Meet the team

Anna Magdalinos

Head of Ticketing

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