CEO's Corner: A tale of supply and demand
3/14/2022 12AM
This column was originally published by Current in Carmel.
President/CEO Jeff McDermott
Mother’s Day, May 8, will be extra special this year for more than 1,500 patrons who will join us at the Palladium to see 17-time Grammy-winner Sting and his band. The Center for the Performing Arts is proud to attract high-caliber performers like Sting, John Legend, Steve Martin and Martin Short, Harry Connick Jr., Ben Folds, Sheryl Crow, Tony Bennett and many more.
Many have wondered (and bemoaned) how tickets for this concert sold so quickly. The short answer is huge demand, as this rock icon typically plays much larger venues. His current tour includes the 12,000-seat Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., and six shows at the 2,300-seat London Palladium – the other Palladium, as we call it.
Sting’s concert at our Palladium, one of the smallest rooms on the tour, will be uniquely intimate. Had he been available for 10 shows here, we might have sold out 10 times.
Some have wondered about third-party ticket brokers grabbing up blocks of seats. Although ticket reselling is legal in Indiana, we did take steps to limit that practice. In the run-up to the public sale date, we provided presale opportunities to donors, sponsors and series subscribers, as they have been our greatest supporters since we opened, as well as members of our free eNews mailing list and to Sting’s official fan club. We placed limits on individual purchases and on the number of tickets available each day, closing sales when we hit those daily limits.
Still, the seats sold with unprecedented speed. Yes, tickets are now being offered for resale at exorbitant prices. But buyer beware: Resale offers may not be legitimate. Use caution if you choose to buy from a reseller or through social media.
We are thrilled that artists like Sting are choosing the Palladium as a preferred venue. We plan to continue to bring performers of this stature to Carmel. Please know that we also will continue to do our best to offer tickets in the most fair and equitable manner possible.
Jeffrey C. McDermott is President/CEO of the Center for the Performing Arts and the Great American Songbook Foundation.
