Seminar To Mix Footie Fan Engagement With West End Ticketing Wisdom

- STAR ticketing seminar to take place in London on 6 July- Sessions include football customer insight champion Mark Bradley- In depth look at new Consumer Rights Act with DLA Piper- Ticketing tech dissected by panel including Ticketmaster, TodayTix and Songkick The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) is bringing together experts from across the ticketing industry at a London seminar on Monday 6th July. The event is designed to allow professionals from different sectors to share intelligence on ticketing best practice, new technologies and techniques and changes in the law.Speakers include Mark Bradley, advisor to The FA, The Football League, SPFL and RFL, who will share insights into customer engagement in football–from grassroots through to international level–and the wider lessons that can be learnt.In other sessions, Ruth Hoy and Claire Sng of law firm DLA Piper will provide a legal update on the recently passed Consumer Rights Act, whilst representatives from Ticketmaster, Songkick, TodayTix, Nimax Theatres and Really Useful Theatres will discuss integration of venue and agent systems and how technology can improve ticket yields in the future.STAR Chief Executive Jonathan Brown said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone that works in ticketing, whether from music, theatre, sports or festivals, to meet their counterparts and learn something new about how different sectors operate. It might seem surprising to mix football with the West End for example, but there are always enlightening parallels that can be drawn between different areas of entertainment ticketing – all are welcome.”  Event details: Time + date2pm - 5pm, Monday 6th JulyVenueSt James Theatre12 Palace StreetLondon SW1E 5JA Schedule           2.00pm - THE CONSUMER RIGHTS ACT 2015Speakers - Ruth Hoy, Partner, DLA Piper UK LLP, Claire Sng, Senior Associate, DLA Piper UK LLPHailed as 'the biggest overhaul of consumer rights in a generation', the Consumer Rights Act, which received royal assent on 26 March 2015 with the main provisions coming into force on 1st October 2015, consolidates numerous pieces of existing legislation under one new set of regulations.The CRA covers, amongst other things, the supply of goods, services, digital content and unfair contract terms in B2C transactions. Ruth and Claire will outline how the new legislation will affect those involved in selling tickets as well as looking at the provisions in the Act which specifically focus on the resale of tickets and which came into force from 26th May.Ruth Hoy is the Head of the IP Group in London and is one of the global leadership team of DLA Piper's international IP group as well as global co-chair of DLA Piper's Fashion, Retail and Design sector focus group. Claire Sng is a Senior Associate in DLA Piper UK LLP's London Intellectual Property and Sport teams. 2.30pm - CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENTSpeaker - Mark BradleyCustomer engagement is changing football's mindset. An industry with a famously narrow view of its customers is now embracing the supporter perspective to the extent that growth 'without winning' is now a realistic and achievable goal.Sustainable increases in attendance are being achieved across all fan segments with some surprising results. One club, whose followers had a reputation for violence, anti-social behaviour and an intense dislike of away fans, has seen visiting fan numbers increase 15% season after season. Another lifted family season ticket sales from 450 to 7,000+ in just 4 seasons while remaining in the same Football League division. Another lost 10 of its first 15 home games this season, occupied the relegation zone throughout and yet has still driven up general attendance overall. The Football League also reports a 31% increase in junior attendance over the last 6 seasons. So what's going on?Mark Bradley, who's championed customer focus in sport since 2001, will describe the origins of this culture shift, take us on a tour of some key milestones along the way and trace some of the remarkable changes that have defined football's re-conciliation with its 'customers'.Mark Bradley is the founder of The Fan Experience Company: designed to help businesses grow through customer focus and engagement.  Mark delivers strategic growth programmes for a range of sporting organisations including The FA, The Football League, the SPFL, the RFL and many individual clubs in football and rugby, at grass roots, amateur, professional and international levels. 3.15pm - NETWORKING BREAK 3.45pm - INTEGRATION, DISRUPTION AND STANDARDS IN TICKETING TECHNOLOGYSpeakers - This session will be moderated by Andrew Sharp and panellists including Richard Howle (Really Useful Theatres), Laurence Miller (Nimax Theatres), Doug Smith (Ticketmaster), Merritt Baer (TodayTix), Stuart Cain (The Ticket Factory) Noel Edwards (Songkick), Bart van Schriek (Ingresso).We'll explore where technology is helping to improve distribution through agents and look at what stands in the way of greater integration of venue and agent systems at the moment and think about what or who might disrupt our market if we don't do it ourselves first. Is it time for the ticketing industry to work on agreeing technical standards for ticket information exchange? CostFREE FOR STAR MEMBERS£40 for non-members.A discount of £10 is offered for members of SOBOM, SOLT, UK Theatre, NAA or CPA. To bookFull info: star.org.uk/06July2015The closing date for bookings is 9am on Wednesday 1 July.Places are strictly limited, with a maximum of three places for organisations that are members of STAR and two places each for non-member. About STARThe Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) was formed in 1997 and is the leading self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticketing industry across the United Kingdom, with many of the biggest names in ticketing as members. STAR members include major UK ticket agencies as well as numerous venues and box offices in London and across the country. There are also associate members in other industries (such as travel) where entertainment ticketing forms part of their business and affiliate members who do not sell tickets directly to the public but support STAR's work. You can find the current membership list here.For more information: star.org.uk/