Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Inside Ticket Box or Outside ???

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Topic: Inside Ticket Box or Outside ???

Paul Cassidy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 549
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 07-22-2002 10:13 AM

I've seen many instances of outside Ticket box's in the US and other countries , Not any in NZ as yet , Question is where do you make the most ? selling the tickets or combining the Ticket and Refreshment Sales at one location , as we used to have a separate ticket booth and Nibble Nook but found people would not buy as much from the Refreshment stand in this way , until we sold the tickets and offered them food & drink at the same time , what is your experience with this ???

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A KIWI eats,roots & Leaves.

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-22-2002 01:49 PM

In a smaller cinema a combined ticket/concession stand is ideal. In that setting it can increase the per caps. But in larger theatres, the 12, 15, and 20 plexs (and up), traffic control becomes an issue. When you have 700 to 1,500 people per set the amount of lobby space required to accomadate them almost requires seperate box office and concession stands. Now whether the box should be inside or outside is a seperate issue that has more to do with exposing your patrons to the elements than per caps.

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 07-22-2002 05:11 PM

In every US theater I've been to, the box office window has ALWAYS been separate from the concession stand.

Manhattan theaters with an outside box office include the Angelika, Lincoln Plaza, Loews Village VII, Sunshine Cinema and Village East. At the Angelika and the Lincoln Plaza, the box office is outside and the auditoriums are below street level (via escalator).

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Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 07-22-2002 06:08 PM

There are also security concerns with having an outside & detached box office. Any time the management has to shuttle change through a crowded lobby or entry is an easy oppertunity for a robbery. I think inside but separate from concession is best. But for smaller venues, it helps with staffing during the slower seasons to have a single box computer / ticket printer at the concession stand.

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Paul Cassidy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 549
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 07-23-2002 01:28 AM

This is what I found in Hawaii , we went to one Signature Complex and they had an out side Ticket box and the Larger Dole Cannery 18 had a combined ticket and Food & Beverage queue ? still I found the outside one to handy as you could quickly find out what was on , buy the Ticket then enter and buy at my leasure rather than be rushed while buying tickets , with our own cinema I found with an inside box the public would tend to use your amenities as they pleased even if there were signs "Patrons Only"

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A KIWI eats,roots & Leaves.

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Adam Fraser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 499
From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 07-23-2002 12:37 PM

For our one-screen we have the box office as soon as you enter the door, in the same area as the concession. That eliminates the people asking to use your ammenities because they have to buy a ticket to even get past the front door.

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Adam Fraser
www.pinestheatre.com

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John Scott
Master Film Handler

Posts: 252
From: Oakdale, MN, USA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 07-23-2002 12:41 PM

>There are also security concerns with having an outside & detached >box office. Any time the management has to shuttle change through a >crowded lobby or entry is an easy oppertunity for a robbery.

I've seen a number of theatres with separated or isolated box offices with pneumatic tubes in their box to shuttle change back and forth from the box office to the stand, as well as cash drops. From talking to the management at these locations I have found that most like that sort of system and find it safe and convenient as long as the tubes don't break down and get stuck (which from the way they talk happen a couple times a year).

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Tony Ratcliff
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 216
From: Madison, IN, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 07-23-2002 01:01 PM

My theatre is circa 1938.
We still use the original box office - people pay outside before they come in. But we only use it on the weekends or when we expect to be really busy.
During the week we run box out of a separate setup in at the front of the concession stand. This eliminates a head count. I can just have me and one other person run the whole theatre.

Tony Ratcliff

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