We recently completed the 10th Annual Worldwide Hoops Pool for the NCAA Basketball Tournament and it was a great success. Each year, college basketball fans from Worldwide Ticketcraft’s staff and many of the Company’s clients enter their selections in our March Madness bracket competition hosted by CBSSports. We had a record of 76 brackets entered in 2013. To our honored list of past results, we add Scott Phillips as our 2013 Champion (who had the high score of 105 points) and Krissi Diers with the most games selected correctly (43 out of 63). Congratulations to Scott who is a first time player and to Krissi who was our Pool’s first champion back in 2004. This year, our second place finisher was Krissi with 100 points and we had a tie for third place with 96 points among Linda Forlini, Toby Antonson, and Joan Enters. From Worldwide Ticketcraft’s staff the top finisher was Brian Rogers with 95 points. We look forward to 2014 and hope all the participants will join again and invite many more. For information about joining next year, please contact Mark Turner (mark@wwticket.com).
By Rob Caicedo
1. Its not as hard as it used to be.
Online ticketing was an intimidating prospect with websites to manage, tickets to distribute and fraud to deal with. This kind of service is no longer out of the reach of small box office managers, dance studio instructors and administration. Worldwide Ticketcraft offers a service called Tickeroo to provide smaller venues a pain free way to offer ticketing sales online. All you need is a desire to sell more tickets to your events.
2. Your customers are probably already used to it.
Purchasing a ticket online is not unlike many of the purchases that your customers are already making from venues such as airlines and concert halls. The process is similar to just about any online purchase and most venues will offer Print at Home ticketing to make it even more convenient. There is typically a convenience charge, a fee associated with events that is typically understood and expected in purchasing tickets. This convenience fee is typically how the venue will pay for this service. There is also opportunity in selling other items to your performances such as videos, flowers and t-shirts. These would all be pre-paid along with the tickets.
3. You can reap valuable marketing information
One of the best things about selling your tickets online is that you establish a database of customers that you can contact again and again whenever you release a new performance, have game announcements and even follow up with after the show. Customers will leave e-mails, phone numbers and billing addresses giving you a powerful list of marketing information that can be exploited for e-mails, postcards, surveys and give you a great resource for spreading the word about your venue.
4. Your event can gain traction through social media
Spreading the word is a valuable asset in today’s world where instant gratification has become what is normal. By creating a Facebook Page or a Twitter feed about upcoming events and offering discounts through these social media groups, you can literally “go viral”. Other organizations such as Groupon and Living social might get you an “in” with a certain audience but the audience that you reach through social media is reached through “likes” and recommendations and will have more weight in a future purchasing decision.
5. Online reach is further than your box office
Getting your patrons on your Facebook page gets you more exposure and will open your venue up to a larger market. A market that started with the information gleaned off of the patrons that first ordered their tickets online through an organization such as Tickeroo. The Web is global, just to be able to expand a local audience of potential event goers is worth at least trying out online ticketing sales. Organizations are investing in your events by setting you up for free. With a little effort, you can have the best ticket sales yet.
People visiting your site will buy on impulse and for its convenience. They don’t have to drive to the box office or wait in line to buy tickets. This gives you an edge over the traditional way of selling your events tickets and is definitely worth seeing what online ticketing can do for your box office.
Legends of golf — Nicklaus, Trevino, Palmer & others — gather to raise money for Dana Quigley’s ailing son
By Brian Biggane
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
PALM CITY —
In putting together a golf foursome for the ages, one couldn’t do much better than Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino.
That quartet, along with the likes of Raymond Floyd, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite, were among 22 pros who gathered for Sunday’s pro-Am fundraiser at Floridian Golf Club to benefit Devon Quigley, the son of Champions Tour veteran Dana Quigley of West Palm Beach.
Devon Quigley is continuing his rehabilitation from a near-fatal car accident in November 2011 that left him incapicitated with a traumatic brain injury.
“We’re sort of an intimate group; we know each others’ families,” Crenshaw said.
“We’ve all sort of been through the wars, but when something like this happens we know it could be our kid. When the idea was brought forth we said, ‘What a nice thing; we’ve got to do it.’ So we’re only too happy to be here for Devon and Dana.”
Nicklaus took a leading role in the fundraising, hosting a party Saturday night that featured an auction at which Nicklaus and Player offered themselves up to the highest bidder for an 18-hole round. The winning bid was well into six figures, and the auction as a whole raised more than $400,000.
Then came Sunday, where the 22 pros were paired with 72 amateurs, with a goal of raising another $1 million.
“It’s a great cause,” said Palmer, who traveled from his home in Orlando to participate.
“Dana has been a great friend of mine for years, and to see this accident happen is very sad. I just hope that all of this will make it turn, (and) things like this could help make that happen.”
Quigley, who will be among many in the group competing in the Allianz Championship this week in Boca Raton, called the turnout “incredible.”
“This is what the golf community is about: People helping people,” he said. “All our stuff is predicated on charity. Devon has met and knows every one of these guys, and what can you say?”
Devon Quigley, 28, suffered life-threatening injuries the night of Nov. 30, 2011, when his BMW slammed into the back of a truck. Police didn’t offer his father much hope when he arrived at the hospital.
“They told me to go home,” Dana Quigley said. “They’d call me when it was over.”
Fourteen months later, Devon Quigley, who was not covered by medical insurance, is off medication and making progress.
“He’s home in Rhode Island; my ex-wife takes him for rehab every day,” Dana said.
“He’s moving his head now; when he coughs he can lift it back up without help, which is a huge improvement. (That’s) a major breakthrough for a kid they said was never going to make it.
“It’s very, very tiny improvements, the kind that only a family that’s living with him would notice. But they’re huge improvements for us. It gives us a lot of encouragement.” As Quigley spoke, his famous guests were showing their stuff on the driving range, Crenshaw and Kite sending one ball after another on a perfect line while the ever-loquacious Trevino was giving an impromptu lesson to a group of awestruck junior golfers who were serving as caddies for the event.
“This is the easiest game there is,” Trevino assured them. “The ball is just sitting there, waiting for you to do something with it.”
Nicklaus arrived a bit later than most, flying in from his Lost Tree Village home in a helicopter. After a lengthy photo session, he rushed back to take a few more practice swings before the scramble format got under way.
“Friends help friends, and golfers help golfers,” he said. “We had a friend who needed help, and we’re here.”
Asked about the Saturday night gathering, he replied, “We just opened our house. We had a nice group. All those guys opened their hearts and their wallets. They’ve got several hundred thousand dollars more than they expected, so it was really nice.”
As Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Trevino gathered for photos, Crenshaw, himself a winner of 28 events including a pair of majors, stood back to observe.
“It’s a treat to get them together,” he said. “That’s an unbelievable thing in itself. We know it’s seldom, but it’s extremely special and meaningful when it does happen.”
If you are reading this and both your feet are here planted firmly on Terra Firma, you survived the latest concern about the world coming to a dramatic end today, December 21st.
It is already tomorrow in Australia and I hear the outback is in full swing and the aborigines are the first to smile, snicker and cheer that they made it to the new calendar day without any help from the Mayans.
Even better news is that Worldwide Ticketcraft is open and ready to assist with your order for the remainder of this year – and the next!
Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Buone Feste Natalizie, Mo’adim Lesimkha, Chena tova, Joyeux Noel, Fröhliche Weihnachten – and many more. To the other 181 languages that I could not list here because my pen would run dry – same to you!
Yes that time of the year is upon us. You can see and feel the change that overtakes us at this point of the year. People smile longer, walk a bit slower and even drive a bit more cautious (everywhere but here in South Florida of course). Yup if there is a petition to have this wonderful feeling all year long, I will sign that petition 365 times.
So I must ask you – have you been naughty or nice! I hear that the “New Naughty” is the new Nice. Not sure how that all works but I guess we will find out when we peer into our Xmas Stockings Tuesday. By the way here in Florida, we put sand in stockings instead of coal. It is much easier to obtain and lasts longer.
So, watch the holiday movies and TV shows to get in the spirit, drink the eggnog (if you can afford it this year), bake the cookies, cook the ham – and get ready because Saint Nick is on the way.
New Years 2013. Can it be true – so soon? Hey can anyone tell me where the last 365 days went to?
According to our friends at Wiki “New Year’s Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome. With most countries using the Gregorian calendar as their main calendar, New Year’s Day is the closest thing to being the world’s only truly global public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the
new year starts”.
The beginning of a New Year, new ideas and a new outlook towards fellow man – right? For those old enough to remember Guy Lombardo bringing in the New Year in the 60’s & 70’s with his band of merry men then passing the baton to Dick Clark – we remember and salute you. How nice to gather in front of the TV and usher in 12 Midnight – yelling, screaming, carrying on, along with kisses and hugs. A recent poll showed that less viewers watch “the ball drop” in Times Square. Could it be that we no longer recognize the musical acts (or what they’re singing), or is it the fact that we are sick and tired of seeing Ryan Seacrest pop up everywhere.
(See I told you he pops up everywhere)
Happy Holiday and Happy New Year to all
(even to those yet to be clients of Worldwide Ticketcraft)
By Robert Zingarelli
Hanukkah
So simple – a Meshugana can understand the meaning of this wonderful holiday!
With Christmas approaching and all the cheeriness that comes with it, I asked a very simple question to friends, and fellow coworkers recently as to whether or not they knew what the celebration of Hanukkah was. The answers and dumfounded looks were startling at the very least. Although I had a pretty good idea, I did some quick research of my own, I found the simplest explanation available and I would like to share it with you.
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. The name Hanukkah commemorates the re dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks – way back in history.
Simple enough for starters – right? I continued to read further.
A Menorah is a candelabrum with eight candle holders in a row, plus the all important ninth candle holder. Once the Jews had retaken the Temple from the Syrians they wanted to rededicate it to God and restore its ritual purity. Eight days worth of oil were needed to complete the ritual purification, but they were only able to find one. They lit the menorah anyway and miraculously the oil lasted for eight full days. Wow was my reaction and now I am beginning to see how this event took shape.
Talk about a divine intervention! Come on, 1 day of oil made into 8 days.
Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas. Because many Jews live in Christian societies, over time Hanukkah has become much more festive and Christmas-like. Jewish children receive gifts for Hanukkah – often one gift for each of the eight nights of the holiday. Many parents hope that by making Hanukkah extra special their children won’t feel left out of all the Christmas festivities going on around them. Even though the two holidays have vastly different religious and historical origins and focus, both Christmas and Hanukkah are a beautiful opportunity to open up one’s house and heart and spread some joy.
Now this is making sense. I know some Jews that have Christmas trees in their homes. New times bring new ideas and I personally welcome change.
A popular Hanukkah game is spinning the dreidel, which is a four-sided top with Hebrew letters written on each side. Any number can play. Each player has a bank of 10-15 pieces of candy, or small coins. At the start everyone puts one of their pieces into the pot. When it’s your turn you spin the driedel, depending on which face is uppermost you give or receive pieces from the communal pot. Now I understand what a dreidel is – yeah. I knew it was spun like a top, but I was unaware of the winnings involved.
Candy and small coins – count me in. One must wonder if this game has evolved into bigger jackpots with kids sneakers costing over $100 these days.
I asked Some of my Jewish friends the same question about what Hanukkah means, and some responded that it was not that important of a Holiday as others. I understand what they’re saying but I don’t agree. After becoming educated as to how this celebration truly started –
I am amazed. Oh and by the way – Happy Hanukkah.
Light hearted humor for Hanukkah:
If Your Computer were Jewish Your “Start” button would be replaced with a
“Let’s go. I’m not getting any younger” button.
My mother once gave me two sweaters for Hanukkah. The next time we visited, I made sure to wear one. As we entered her home, instead of the expected smile, she said,
‘Aaron, what’s the matter? You didn’t like the other one?’
Get 10% OFF your online order in the month of December with Coupon code: MENORAH
Written by R. Zingarelli
Feed the Hungry 5K Run in Delray Beach FL – Worldwide Ticketcraft participates in full force.
Written by: Robert Zingarelli
When a benefit, charity or good cause arises, our Worldwide Ticketcraft family responds in a big way. This time it was to help benefit the Keith Straghn Feed the Hungry Race in Delray Beach Florida. Mr. Straghn founded the drive and later succumbed to chronic heart problems while awaiting a transplant in 1995 at age 36. Since then the run has continued each year, growing in size and awareness.
Our troupe of 30 plus Super Heroes awakened bright and early to arrive for the 5K run, hours before sunrise on a Glorious Saturday morning in sunny Florida. We arrived in droves assembled like a Olympic team waiting for Turkey dinner that was 3 plus miles away. The youngsters included Amaya (2), Natalia (5), Yuditd (5) Thessaly (7) and Emaliese (8) – all with fixed eyes on our fearless leader, Kathy! As the starting line horn sounded, amidst the scream of cheers – we were off. Some of us were running, some were walking and some of us were playing catch up, but all still glad to be there for this important cause.
At the finish line, we cheered those walking and hugged as a happy family who supported each other throughout the race. For a much welcomed burst of energy and nutrition, we ate bananas and oranges, happily knowing that we participated in the Feed the Hungry 5K Run on November 17, 2012.
Ahh the seasons! Autumn, and old man winter approaching right behind it. When can the air be cleaner and the hustle bustle of everyday life, seem to slow down with folks smiling more everywhere you look (even in sunny Florida). The crowded streets of cities and the shop fronts, children and old alike, plain as could be – happier if only even until the New Year. Thanksgiving dinners, returns of long-absent sons, the smell of pumpkin pie – oh my!
Let us take a brief and humorous look back and remember that first Thanksgiving dinner and how far we have come since that time – and still carry on this wonderful family tradition.
Those lucky enough to arrive to the first dinner by horse used a straw made out of tobacco to use as payment for the stable boy. They would break it in half and give him the rest upon their departure. We believe this to be the first official use of “Valet Tickets” in America!
The first Thanksgiving feast had recipients enter with nuts and shrubs to show which side on the table they would sit on. We believe this to be the earliest form of admission “Tickets” known to Americans!
The Turkey of choice, after much competition, was adorned with a red dyed band of paper around his little neck to show his worthiness. We believe this to be the first use of “Wristbands” in America!
Like we have said before, where would America be without Worldwide Ticketcraft?
Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to gather and share time together. It is a good time to reflect on the past and create memories for the future. Please share your favorite Thanksgiving memory or a story that captures the spirit of giving – by simply telling a story to your loved ones. They will remember it for generations. Just like our first customers did – more than 400 years ago.
Eat well and remember to give thanks!
Visit us online and use coupon code NOV12 to receive 15% off your order.
15% OFF online orders in November
Coupon code NOV12
In anticipation of the busy season, we would like to remind you to order your tickets early.
Give us 4 weeks to produce your ticket order through the customer service department and we’ll give you 1000 FREE ticket envelopes.
Offer will not automatically apply. To take advantage of 1000 free ticket envelopes you will need to mention this offer to your customer service or sales representative at the time of placing your ticket order. Not valid for online orders. No minimum amount required. Offer good through March 2013.
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to create tickets for your next event, Worldwide Ticketcraft has your economical ticketing solution. Create event tickets easily with our DIY Horizontal Digitik back by demand and available now.
Simply choose your color and quantity followed by entering the event information to preview your ticket instantly online!
Tickets that are easy on the eyes. Conveniently offered online for 24/7 ordering.
ANNOUNCING…
$100 VISA GIFT CARD WINNER FOR JULY
- Donald M. -
Clarendon Car Cruise, New York
CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you for your participation.
Next Drawing: August 15, 2012
