Moderator: Jason Stone Live Nation
Mike Carr Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Larry Fontana Nokia Theatre, Grand Prairie, Texas
Ed Neiss Fox Theatre Atlanta
Leslee Stewart Paramount Theatre (Oakland)
Brian Swanson Monterey Peninsula/Paradigm

Two main themes emerged from the meeting: ticket auctions and the fan experience. The small hall managers panel forecasted a ticket-auction future and an increased emphasis on the adage “the customer is always right.”

Live Nation’s Jason Stone, who runs the North Fork Theatre in Westbury, N.Y., said small halls often compete for the same talent among themselves as well as with arenas and amphitheatres.

Everything from the types of F&B available to the parking situation after the show needs to be adjusted to meet a particular artist’s audience. The fan needs to be comfortable and pleased.

While Stone said the panel wouldn’t expect Vans Warped Tour to stop at their halls, the speakers seemed to agree that the theatre setting can attract much more than the stereotypical opera or ballet audience.

AEG’s Larry Fontana, GM of Texas’ Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie, said that after 15 years of working in an amphitheatre setting, he can speak from experience when he says the theatre environment is much more comfortable.

“It constantly amazes me how the varying audiences accept the performance of the facility, whether it’s Slipknot or Sesame Street or Riverdance,” Fontana said. “The operation of the facility is geared toward making the customer happy.”

He said that even though some might think of the theatre setting as stuffy and uptight, when a band like Korn is playing, everyone still enjoys the layout and comfort.

Mike Carr of Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts also said coming to a small hall enables him to deliver a better patron experience than an arena.

Ed Neiss of Atlanta’s Fox Theatre agreed about the comfort level, stressing the importance of approaching the audience appropriately.

“It doesn’t matter which genre we’ve got,” Neiss said, “It’s in the facility and how we run it.” Neiss also stressed the importance of treating customers well and making sure the venue is well kept.

Neiss, who is retiring as GM in July, said that while the fan experience is so important, it’s also essential to remember the customer coming through the back door: the artist, agent and promoter. Fontana said that since some theatres aren’t well established as concert halls, a positive experience for the artist is extremely important to ensure they come back.

From the artists’ side, agent Brian Swanson of Monterey Peninsula Artists/Paradigm said many things are considered when looking at small halls. Artists sometimes even want to see 360-degree shots of a venue online.

“There are so many choices out there for us. ... The more information we can have as agents, the better,” Swanson said.

While small halls face certain challenges, being smaller than sheds and arenas and with less opportunity to sell alcohol than a nightclub, it’s no wonder the panel is concerned about scalping.

Neiss said Georgia would be a perfect candidate for ticket auctions because scalping is perfectly legal there. The panel seemed to agree that ticket auctions would benefit the industry. Neiss said auctions would democratize the market and allow fans to decide what they think a ticket is worth.

Fontana brought up the issue of flexible ticket pricing and said an advantage of ticket auctions is they provide documented proof of how much the tickets were sold for.

The panel said that their attendees like to be up front and aren’t worried about the price as much as the experience the halls offer.

“No one ever says, ‘Gee, I want the cheapest ticket. I want to sit as far away from that band as possible. I’m here for economy,’” Stone said, joking.

Neiss predicted what he called “yield management,” similar to airline and hotel room costs, where prices fluctuate based on the date of the event, would become part of the business.

“It’s the old story of supply and demand,” Neiss said. “Yield management is on its way.”