WINTER | SECTOR FOCUS
APPRENTICESHIP FIRST
PRETTY FLY
Ticketfly co-founder Dan Teree
has announced the creation
of a new company called Big
Neon, which plans to launch a
blockchain-enabled ticketing
platform.
The platform will leverage
digital assets protocol Tari to
manage the issuance and resale
of tickets. It hopes to combine the
primary and secondary ticketing
markets, allowing music
promoters to regain control over
their ticket sales and engage with
their fans.
It will be open source, meaning
ticketing companies all over the
world will be able to leverage
Big Neon’s codebase for their
own usage. Developers and
entrepreneurs who are working
on digital assets projects
related to in-game items, digital
collectibles, loyalty points and
more will be able to use libraries,
patterns and other code from Big
Neon to speed development.
Teree commented: “Big Neon
is still very much in development,
and we welcome contributors
who are passionate about
building the future of event
ticketing and digital assets to
collaborate with us.
“I think live entertainment
ticketing and blockchain
technology like the Tari digital
assets protocol are on an
inevitable collision course.
“With blockchain-based
management of digital assets
such as tickets, event promoters
will finally be able to recapture
revenues that are currently lost
to the secondary market. From
my vantage, it’s the biggest
innovation in the ticketing
industry since the first ticket was
sold online.”
Big Neon has already secured
multi-year, multi-million dollar
ticketing contracts with several
venues across the United States.
Jeff Whitmore, founder of San
Francisco club Public Works,
commented: “From what I’ve seen
so far, I’m pretty damn confident
the Big Neon team will deliver
more innovation and genuine
customer service in their first
year than the other ticketing
companies have in the last
decade.
“With Big Neon, I feel that
I’ve got a voice that is actually
listened to. And let’s face it, the
industry can use a good swift kick
in the $%#!. My money is on Big
Neon to provide that kick.”
In an industry leading collaboration,
STAR and the National College Creative
industries has developed a new ticketing
apprenticeship, with support from The
Ticket Factory as the first employer.
Melissa Halling, 21, has been recruited
by the leading ticketing company, owned
by the NEC Group, to undertake the one-
year apprenticeship. Upon successful
completion she will be the first recipient of
the ‘Apprenticeship Standard in Customer
Service Practitioner – Ticketing’.
Based at The Ticket Factory’s offices
in Birmingham, the apprenticeship
will rotate across various departments
including sales, contact centre and Box
Office, IT development, marketing and
client services – with a further one month
spent in the participants preferred area
of study. Additional off-the-job training
via workshops, the compilation of an
online e-portfolio and a final Apprentice
Showcase will also form part of the
assessment criteria.
Ticketing employers need trained and
qualified people to ensure that they are
able to benefit fully from the use of these
technologies.
Richard Howle, director of ticketing
for The Ticket Factory said: “Ticketing
is a brilliant industry which requires a
broad range of skills and expertise and is
full of opportunities. We are delighted to
welcome Melissa, whose enthusiasm and
desire to learn is infectious.”
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