SUBMITTED PHOTO COURTESY Randy Feere
Guest Services Representative Jatinder assisting a customer buying tickets over the phone.
Having worked at the Esplanade for the past 10 years as a Theatre Technician, I recently took the opportunity to leave the comfort of the theatre to take on a term position as the Guest Services Supervisor.
From hiding in a dimly lit room at the back of the theatre to working in the spotlight of customer service, to helping orchestrate guest experiences at both the Esplanade and Co-op Place, this was a challenge I was excited to undertake.
With the addition of Co-op Place to our area of responsibility in the recent years, it’s my job to lead and manage the team of Guest Services Representatives in both venues. With a little shuffling of job titles and roles, a new team was established to take us through our first full year, post COVID, of events within both venues.
From the moment a new event is confirmed, the Guest Services team is involved, working in close coordination with various staff the show is ‘built.’ This is something that happens for every ticketed event that takes place, including art classes and experiences, external events like trolley tours, Medicine Hat Tigers games and all shows, from small ensembles in the studio theatre to the biggest rock concert at Co-op Place.
The same tried and tested process will always take place. An event initiation form is received, containing all of the details, this information is entered into our sales system, and an event with coordinating performances is built, images are created and graphics uploaded by the marketing team, show descriptions and biographies are added, ticket prices are entered, seating configurations are adjusted and finally before this goes live on the system and seen by the public, it is sent for final approval to promoters, before going live and on sale.
At the Esplanade, we have a membership program which along with other perks includes presale privileges. All Esplanade-presented shows will be open to members first, which allows them to access the best seating. Following the members presale, email subscribers then get the opportunity to purchase tickets before finally going on sale to the public.
Once on sale, all ticketing is available online through TIXX.ca, this is the only online site that sells tickets direct for the Esplanade or Co-op Place.
Unfortunately, even shows in Medicine Hat now have a secondary resale market, offering tickets at greatly inflated prices. If in doubt please call the box office or come in and speak to our Guest Services representatives. They will be happy to help you choose your tickets.
Naturally, as a city-run facility, not only do we provide tickets for events, we can also help with the Fair Entry program, the sale of bus passes, city gift cards and information about other events occurring in our venues.
Without an excellent team of guest services professionals, we could not provide the service we do. We constantly strive to improve what we offer by actively listening to guest feedback and monitoring trends, hopefully enhancing the service that is offered to the public.
I look forward to seeing you at an event in one of our venues soon!
Paul Francis is Guest Services Supervisor at the Esplanade
