If you build it, they will come, and we have been shocked by how many people are buying tickets online. Of course, the Bay Area is home to a diverse number of internet companies and is just a short drive up the 101 or 280 from San Jose's Silicon Valley, so consumer familiarity with new internet options and a willingness to give them a whirl might be accelerated there. On their first day of Giants ticket sales this February, more than 50 percent of the purchases were completed online. Schlough says that soon he will actually have to limit the number of tickets available to Giants fans online, because the system is so efficient and fast that tickets might get sold out before people lining up at the stadium ever have a chance to buy them. The San Francisco Symphony and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have both experienced similar success.
Current numbers are similar in the Windy City.
But success doesn't come without effort. T icketing sites like that of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra would not and could not be successful without excellent customer service facilities in place. Laura Harding, communications manager for the International Ticketing Association, which is headquartered in New York, believes customer service is the key to online success. People cannot ask questions of their machine, so service is crucial. If such an operation is not in place, it's likely that the offline ticketing department in the box office will get swamped with computer-related questions about its sister site selling tickets online.