Beyond Junk Fees: Embracing Transparent Ticket Pricing in 2026

Introduction

For years, buying a live event ticket often meant bracing for an unpleasant surprise at checkout. A fan might see a $50 ticket advertised, only to click “Buy” and watch the total balloon to $65+ after service charges, facility fees, and processing costs. These hidden “junk fees” have frustrated audiences and eroded trust in venues and ticketing companies. In 2026, however, the industry is at a turning point. New regulations and a consumer demand for honesty are pushing venues toward transparent, all-in pricing with no hidden extras. By eliminating surprise fees and showing fans the true total up front, venue operators can rebuild goodwill, boost sales, and steer clear of legal trouble.

This comprehensive guide explores how venues can revamp their fee structures and embrace transparent ticket pricing. We’ll cover why junk fees became such a problem, what new rules require in 2026, and the benefits of going all-in on pricing. More importantly, you’ll get practical steps to implement clear pricing – from recalibrating your ticket fees and updating your systems to communicating changes effectively to fans. Along the way we’ll highlight real-world examples of venues that ditched hidden fees and won back fan trust in the process. By the end, you’ll have a roadmap to make “no more surprise fees” a reality at your venue – turning pricing transparency into a competitive advantage.

Understanding Junk Fees and Their Impact

What Are “Junk Fees” in Ticketing?

“Junk fees” in ticketing refer to the extra charges tacked on to a ticket’s base price that aren’t always clearly disclosed up front. These can include service fees (for using the ticketing platform), convenience fees (for the “convenience” of online purchase), facility or venue fees (ostensibly for venue upkeep), order processing fees, delivery fees, and more. Often, these fees only reveal themselves at the final checkout stage, making the customer feel blindsided. Regulators call this “drip pricing” – a bait-and-switch tactic where the true cost “drips” out slowly during the purchase, a practice the Federal Trade Commission has actively targeted. Ticket buyers have long accepted paying something on top of face value, but what turns a fee into a “junk” fee is lack of transparency and a perception that the charge is arbitrary or excessive, often making the customer feel blindsided.

In decades past, a fan could at least see a breakdown of taxes or service charges printed on a physical ticket stub. But in the internet age, venues and ticketing companies got comfortable advertising artificially low prices to lure buyers, only to pad the bill with add-ons in the shopping cart. A common scenario: a $20 ticket ends up costing $35 after a “service fee” of $11.65, a “facility charge” of $10, plus a $5.50 processing fee, as seen in high-profile cases involving The Cure. These fees often far exceed the actual costs of processing a ticket and are baked into the business model as extra margin. The lack of upfront disclosure is what draws ire – fans feel tricked when a mandatory charge wasn’t mentioned at the start.

Common Ticket “Junk Fees”:

Not every added charge is nefarious – venues genuinely incur costs for credit card processing, maintaining old buildings, or staffing the box office. Fans understand that, but the problem is how the fees are presented. When customers only learn of mandatory add-ons at the last click, it feels like a bait-and-switch. In many cases, buyers suspect (often rightly) that the fees are being used to pad profits rather than purely cover costs. A service fee north of 20% or a “convenience fee” to print your ticket at home (using your own paper and ink) understandably feels like gouging. The term “junk fee” has become a catch-all for these perceived money-grabs that lack clear value or honesty.

How Hidden Fees Hurt Fan Trust and Sales

Surprise fees don’t just annoy fans – they actively undermine trust in venues and the ticketing process. A 2024 survey found a staggering 85% of Americans want all-in pricing for tickets with no hidden fees, according to consumer sentiment data on junk fees. The reason is simple: they’re tired of feeling deceived. When a customer clicks on a $100 pair of concert tickets and ends up paying $130, that $30 difference can completely overshadow the excitement of the event. Fans vent on social media, complaining that venues or ticket companies are nickel-and-diming them. This erodes your brand goodwill over time. Repeat concertgoers, in particular, remember which venues hit them with hefty fees and may avoid those places or buy from resale markets instead (where the upfront price might actually be clearer, even if higher).

Hidden fees also have a direct impact on sales conversions. Many buyers start the checkout process and abandon it once they see the final tally. In fact, pricing “sticker shock” is often the #1 cause of cart abandonment in online ticketing. Surveys show roughly 20–25% of would-be ticket buyers bail out due to extra costs like fees or taxes appearing late in the process, highlighting the importance of mastering abandoned cart recovery. That means for every four fans ready to purchase, one might walk away purely because the fees turned them off. In e-commerce terms, that’s a huge leak in the sales funnel. You’ve spent money on marketing to get that fan to your site, you’ve convinced them to click “Buy Tickets,” and then you lose them at the finish line due to a perceived sneaky surcharge. It’s lost revenue and a lost customer, who may be less likely to return.

Hidden fees can even sour the on-site experience. Fans who swallowed a 30% fee markup come to the venue feeling a bit resentful – not a great mindset for a night out. They might spend less on concessions (“the venue already took an extra $20 from me”) or skip merch, impacting your secondary revenues. Worse, they might take frustrations out on your frontline staff with complaints or angry comments. Veteran venue operators have learned that customer resentment carries a real cost. On the flip side, venues that eliminated surprise fees have reported higher customer satisfaction scores and fewer chargeback disputes on credit cards (since buyers felt the charges were transparent and fair).

A high-profile example of trust breakdown occurred during The Cure’s 2023 tour. The band intentionally kept ticket prices affordable (some as low as $20) to be fan-friendly, but then fans saw fees that exceeded the ticket cost – one screenshot showed $11.65 in service fee + $10 facility charge on a $20 ticket, sparking widespread fan anger. The uproar was immediate. Fans felt betrayed, and Robert Smith of The Cure publicly stated he was “sickened” by the fees, leading to Ticketmaster refunding a portion of the fees. The lesson for venues? When hidden fees make headlines, nobody looks good. Transparency isn’t just a moral stance – it’s increasingly necessary to avoid public relations nightmares.

Mounting Backlash and Calls for Change

By the mid-2020s, consumer frustration with hidden ticket fees reached a boiling point. It even caught the attention of the highest levels of government. In early 2023, “junk fees” earned a mention in the U.S. President’s State of the Union address, with a call to end surprise add-ons in concert and sports tickets. This political pressure was fueled by fiascos like the Taylor Swift Eras Tour ticket sales in late 2022, where aside from technical meltdowns, fans were livid about high fees. Lawmakers across party lines took up the cause of ticket fee transparency, realizing that just about every music fan (and voter) has felt ripped off by hidden charges.

Industry groups representing venues and promoters also pivoted to support change rather than fight it. For example, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) – which wasn’t always aligned with the Ticketmaster/Live Nation behemoth – spoke out in favor of up-front pricing. NIVA’s president Stephen Parker noted that “up-front pricing should be the start of comprehensive ticketing reform” aimed at protecting consumers, emphasizing that fees should be clear from the start. He further argued that transparency helps level the playing field against resellers. In other words, independent venues recognized that being honest about pricing is part of valuing your audience. Continuing the old way not only angers fans but also undercuts honest businesses that were already showing full prices. Why should a scrappy indie club that advertises a $20 ticket (with no add-ons) be at a disadvantage against a big arena advertising $20 but secretly charging $30? Leveling the playing field on pricing disclosure actually helps the good actors in the industry compete.

By 2024, public sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of all-in pricing. When the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule to ban hidden fees, they received over 70,000 public comments, the vast majority supporting the move, as noted in reports on the FTC’s junk fee rule. Consumer advocacy groups published reports quantifying the damage of junk fees – one figure often cited is that Americans lose $64 billion a year to hidden fees across various industries, with ticketing and lodging leading the charge. In the court of public opinion, hiding fees is now viewed as predatory. The writing is on the wall: venues that cling to opaque pricing are on the wrong side of consumer sentiment, and likely on the wrong side of the law in 2026.

The Push for Transparent Pricing in 2026

New Laws and Regulations Demand Upfront Pricing

It’s not just fan anger forcing the issue – regulators have acted. In the United States, a major shift arrived with the FTC’s new “Junk Fees Rule,” finalized at the end of 2024. This rule prohibits bait-and-switch pricing in ticket sales and requires businesses to clearly display the total price (inclusive of all mandatory fees) whenever they advertise or list a ticket price, as detailed in the FTC’s announcement on banning junk fees. In effect, if your venue posts a ticket for $50 on your website, $50 had better represent the full amount the customer will pay (plus perhaps government taxes, which are the one exception if you disclose them clearly). The rule further says that the total price must be displayed more prominently than any fragmentary prices, ensuring consumers know the real total. So you can’t hide the real price in fine print or a tooltip – it needs to be front and center. If you do list a base price separately (e.g. for an event with tiered seating), you must still show the full price before the customer selects or enters payment info, and you must label fees with their purpose clearly.

Regulatory Spotlight: Pricing Transparency Rules (2024–2026)

Note: Tax handling varies – in some jurisdictions (e.g., many U.S. states) sales tax can legally be added at checkout if not included in the advertised price. Always clearly disclose if taxes aren’t included in the shown price. In Europe and many other regions, advertised ticket prices are expected to already include VAT/sales tax.

The bottom line is that by 2026, hiding mandatory fees is not only a bad practice – it’s often illegal. Venues must adapt or risk hefty penalties. For instance, the FTC can slam offenders with fines of up to $51,744 per violation for drip pricing, according to legal analysis of the new rule, and state Attorneys General are empowered to enforce their own transparency laws on local venues and promoters. In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been equally aggressive, warning dozens of companies to comply or face fines up to 10% of global revenue. These are not slap-on-the-wrist punishments; a major violation could easily wipe out a small venue’s profits for the year.

If you operate globally or tour shows across borders, you’ll need to keep an eye on multiple jurisdictions. For example, a U.S. artist’s 2026 tour might hit New York (all-in pricing required by state law), then a city in a state without such a law (where theoretically old habits could persist, though the FTC rule covers it federally now), then the UK (all-in pricing mandated) and so on. The safest approach – and the one we advocate – is full transparency everywhere. Rather than juggling different pricing displays by market and risking mistakes, it’s simpler and smarter to just show fans the real price no matter where the venue is. In essence, behave as if the strictest regulations apply to you across the board. Not only will you avoid regulatory issues, you’ll also earn consistent consumer trust.

Industry Giants (Grudgingly) Move to All-In Pricing

Possibly the clearest sign that the tide has turned is that even the big players known for fees have started to change their tune. Ticketmaster, under pressure from lawsuits and bad PR, announced in mid-2023 that it would roll out an “All-In Pricing” option. By mid-2025, Ticketmaster made all-in pricing the default in the U.S., displaying full prices including fees upfront for its events, as detailed in their press release on ticketing improvements and consumer news reports. (Previously, they had only enabled this in states like NY or CT where it was legally required, or as an optional toggle for customers.) This voluntary shift, outlined in a deal brokered with the U.S. White House, was an attempt to get ahead of federal regulators and show that the industry could self-police. Live Nation’s CEO Michael Rapino even stated that he supports “transparent fan-friendly pricing” and acknowledged that obscuring fees harms the business long term.

Other ticketing platforms and big venue operators have followed. SeatGeek, for instance, launched a feature to show all-in prices by default and actively encouraged customers to turn it on even before being required. Major sports leagues and their official ticket partners experimented with showing ticket prices inclusive of fees from the moment you browse events. On the secondary market, resale platforms like StubHub and Vivid Seats have faced similar scrutiny – many now advertise “pricing transparency” as a commitment (though enforcement is still catching some listing prices without fees). This industry-wide pivot is partly to comply with new laws, but also a response to customer demand. Simply put, fans have more choices on where to get tickets (primary, secondary, verified resale, etc.), and they gravitate toward marketplaces that are straight-up about costs.

Even artists and promoters have begun demanding transparency as part of their brand. We saw how The Cure insisted on low fees; similarly, in 2025 pop singer Olivia Dean publicly urged fellow artists to ensure their fans don’t get hit with “sneaky fees” or inflated resale prices, calling for a fair resale market. Promoters of festivals and tours are increasingly asking ticketing companies, “What are you doing about fee transparency? We don’t want anger at fees to derail our event launch.” For venues, this means you might soon get pressure from two sides – from regulators and from the artists whose shows you host – to eliminate hidden fees. The good news is that being ahead of the curve can turn this into a positive: you can be the venue known for honest pricing, which is a great reputation to have in 2026.

A New Era of Transparency (and Accountability)

The convergence of regulation, consumer sentiment, and industry action makes 2026 a new era of pricing transparency. The expectation is that a ticket price = the price. Period. This doesn’t necessarily mean tickets will suddenly become cheaper; rather, the same $5 or $10 that was previously a fee is now just incorporated into the face value. Experts caution that transparency alone doesn’t cut costs for fans (a $100 all-in ticket and a $80+$20fees ticket both cost $100 in the end), as noted in analysis of the FTC’s new rule. However, honesty has tangible benefits over the long run: it builds trust, it reduces customer service headaches, and it aligns with a broader movement in hospitality to improve consumer experience.

Venues that have piloted up-front pricing have not reported significant drops in sales from the higher initial sticker price. In fact, many have seen smoother purchase flows with fewer last-minute cart abandonments, offsetting any small decrease in impulse buys from showing a higher price initially. Fans appreciate knowing exactly what they’ll pay, allowing them to budget better. When every venue and ticket seller is required to be transparent, it also removes the competitive fear that showing the full price will scare away customers (while a competitor advertised a seemingly cheaper price). In markets like New York where all-in pricing has been in effect, venues large and small adjusted without major issues – the industry didn’t collapse, and fans didn’t stop buying tickets. If anything, complaints about fees in those markets have quieted down, meaning the conversation can return to what’s on stage instead of what’s on the ticket surcharge line.

Of course, transparency also brings accountability and competition. When consumers can easily compare “apples to apples” ticket prices, there is more pressure on venues to justify their pricing. In the past, a venue might advertise a $30 ticket that actually cost $40 with fees; a competitor might advertise $35 with only $2 in fees – but the customer wouldn’t discover the difference until later. Now, if one venue is charging $40 all-in and another similar show is $35 all-in, it’s immediately evident which is pricier. Venues will have to be ready to stand by their pricing and deliver value for the total cost. In many ways this is healthy – it encourages venues to compete on experience and quality rather than sneakiness. It also means that if you do charge a bit more, you should be prepared to communicate why (e.g. higher production value, more amenities included, etc.). We’ll touch on communicating value later on, because transparency in pricing goes hand-in-hand with transparency about what the ticket buys the fan.

Benefits of All-In Pricing for Venues

Rebuilding Trust and Customer Goodwill

Eliminating hidden ticket fees isn’t just compliance—it’s a chance to reset your relationship with your audience. When a venue advertises “No Hidden Fees – Pay Exactly What You See,” it sends a powerful message to fans: we respect you. Venue operators who’ve made this switch often report an immediate boost in goodwill. Attendees are pleasantly surprised (sometimes even shocked) when the price on the event poster or website is the final price. This positive experience starts things off on the right foot, before the fan even sets foot in the venue.

Trust, once lost, is hard to regain—but transparent pricing is a concrete way to start earning it back. Fans remember positive experiences. If your venue had a reputation for $10+ in surprise fees, and now you’ve ended that practice, make sure the public knows it (more on communication in a later section). Consistency is key: apply the no-hidden-fee policy across all your events and ticket types. Over time, fans and even artists will associate your venue’s name with honest dealing, which differentiates you in a crowded market. In an era where many feel the live entertainment industry is “stacked against the little guy,” being the venue that’s on the fan’s side is a powerful brand asset. You become the venue fans want to support.

Rebuilding trust also has internal benefits for your team. Your box office and customer service staff will face fewer angry rants about fees, which improves morale. How many front-of-house managers have had to hear “What the heck is this extra $18 facility charge?!” from disgruntled patrons? With transparent pricing, those conversations largely disappear. Staff can take pride in working for a venue that treats customers fairly. This can feed a virtuous cycle – happier patrons and happier employees reinforcing each other. Community goodwill matters too, especially for independent and grassroots venues. If you’re in a tight-knit scene or city, word will spread that your venue “does tickets the right way.” Local media might even highlight it, as we’ve seen with some venues earning positive press for ditching fees.

Importantly, transparency helps in crises. Should anything ever go wrong (a show cancellation, a technical failure, etc.), a fan who trusts you is far more forgiving. They’ve seen you be honest with pricing, so they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt elsewhere. On the flip side, if a customer relationship has been purely transactional and tinged with a feeling of being nickel-and-dimed, any mishap will confirm their negative bias and they may not return. Thus, honest pricing is an investment in long-term loyalty. It’s much easier (and cheaper) to retain existing customers than to find new ones, and loyalty is built on trust.

Higher Conversion Rates and Ticket Sales

From a business standpoint, one of the biggest benefits of all-in pricing is a potential increase in completed sales. When fans aren’t scared off by surprise add-ons, they’re more likely to follow through and purchase. The removal of “sticker shock” at checkout can significantly reduce cart abandonment. Remember that roughly one-quarter of shoppers abandon carts due to extra fees, highlighting the importance of mastering abandoned cart recovery – by addressing this, you can immediately uplift your conversion rate. Even a small improvement here has a noticeable impact on your bottom line. For example, if you typically had a 60% completion rate from ticket selection to order confirmation, moving that to 70% because of transparent pricing could mean hundreds of additional tickets sold for a popular show.

There’s also evidence that fans buy earlier and buy more when they trust the price. If a customer knows the price listed today will be the same tomorrow (barring a tier change or scheduled increase, which you’d also communicate clearly), they might be more inclined to secure their tickets sooner rather than shopping around endlessly. Impulse buys for earlybird deals can flourish when people aren’t pausing to wonder “Ok, but what will this really cost me at checkout?” Additionally, when people feel good about the purchase process, they might opt to buy add-ons or higher-tier tickets since they aren’t irritated by fees. For instance, a fan might decide to spring for the $100 VIP ticket if they see it’s $100 flat and not $100 + $25 in various fees. Perceived fairness can lead to higher spend. It’s similar to how shoppers might spend more at a store that offers free shipping – psychologically, we prefer to pay one all-inclusive price than to pay a lower price plus separate surcharges.

Transparent pricing can also attract new customers who were previously wary. There are casual fans who hesitate to attend many shows because they’ve had bad experiences with hidden costs. When they see marketing that touts “All fees included” or experience an easy purchase at your venue, it lowers the barrier for them to attend future events. Some venues have noted an uptick in first-time buyers after switching to upfront pricing, deducing that word-of-mouth about the easier ticket buying brought in folks who normally opt out of live events due to fee fatigue. Moreover, parents or gift-givers particularly appreciate all-in pricing because it simplifies buying tickets for others (no awkward “I gave you a $50 ticket but actually it cost $65” conversations when gifting). It’s all about removing friction from the sale.

Finally, consider the broader sales ecosystem: when your ticket prices are transparent, it can improve the effectiveness of your marketing and promotion efforts. Why? Because any advertised price in your ads, emails, or social posts is real. If you blast “Tickets from $25, no extra fees!” and indeed $25 is the final price, you build credibility. Fans are more likely to click on your ads and promos in the future, knowing you’re truthful. This can improve your return on ad spend and marketing ROI. In 2026’s competitive landscape, having marketing that sparks genuine trust is a big advantage (far too many event promotions have fine print that undermines their own offers). By aligning your marketing message with your honest pricing, you make every marketing dollar work harder to drive actual ticket revenue, as discussed in strategies for recapturing lost ticket sales. In summary, transparent pricing doesn’t just avoid losses – it can actively drive gains in sales volume and marketing efficiency.

Competitive Edge and Brand Differentiation

Adopting an all-in pricing model can set your venue apart in a crowded market. When fans have a choice of multiple venues or events to attend, being known as the place with no hidden fees can tip the scales in your favor. Many venues struggle to differentiate on talent alone (since artists tour many places) or on infrastructure (your sound system might be great, but the venue down the street also invested in good acoustics). However, differentiating on customer experience – of which transparent pricing is a part – is a potent strategy. Fans will choose a slightly smaller festival or a lesser-known venue if they feel the experience is more respectful and straightforward.

Think of transparent pricing as a unique value proposition element for your venue’s brand. It signals that you’re fan-centric. In competitive bids for shows or tours, promoters and artists may also appreciate that you don’t tack on a bunch of fees that annoy their fans. (Some artists have started inquiring about the fee structure when deciding tour stops, because they’ve been burned by fan backlash in certain cities.) Being able to say “we have a single ticket price, no add-on surprises” can win favor in these negotiations, showing that you as a venue prioritize a positive fan relationship—which ultimately is good for the artist’s business too.

There’s also a defensive aspect to consider: with regulations leveling the playing field, everyone will have to show costs more honestly, but not everyone will do it well. Some large platforms might comply grudgingly, with poor communication (e.g. hard-to-find fee breakdowns or still using jargon like “facility charge” that confuses audiences). Venues that embrace transparency can differentiate by how clearly and proactively they do it. For instance, you can design your online purchase pages to be super clear (“You pay $50 total. This includes $45 ticket + $5 venue maintenance contribution.”), whereas a competitor might just lump it as $50 without explanation. Your extra clarity and willingness to explain the value of every dollar can win fans over. They’ll remember that you leveled with them.

Local media and community stakeholders also take note of such efforts. A city council that has been hearing constituents complain about concert pricing might look more kindly on a venue that leads the way in fair practices. This could be beneficial if you ever need local support (for permits, funding, noise ordinance debates, etc.). In other words, transparency can be part of your public relations and community relations strategy. It’s an easy win to point to: “We’re committed to our audiences – we were the first venue in the area to drop hidden fees and go all-in with honest ticket pricing.” That tells a positive story about your values. And in a business that’s fundamentally about bringing people together for enjoyment, aligning your values with your customers’ sentiment is just good business.

Smoother Operations and Fewer Complaints

Beyond big-picture trust and sales, transparent pricing yields everyday operational benefits. With no hidden fees, the volume of ticketing-related complaints and queries tends to drop significantly. Your phone lines and email inbox will no longer be filled with messages like “I was charged more than the advertised price!” or “Can you explain these fees on my receipt?” This frees up your staff’s time to focus on more productive tasks (like actually helping customers with genuine issues, or upselling real value services like VIP packages or hospitality). It also means shorter box office lines on show nights – often, people would show up and demand an explanation or even a refund for fees they didn’t anticipate. By removing that cause, the front-of-house can concentrate on scanning tickets and welcoming guests, keeping lines moving and temperaments calm.

With fees simplified, accounting and settlements can be cleaner too. In traditional models, a ticket sale’s revenue might be split into face value (for artist/venue) and fees (for venue/ticketer) which then have to be reconciled. If you advertise an $80 all-in ticket instead of $70 + $10 fee, that’s one number flowing through the transaction. It’s still possible (and likely) that on the back end you’ll allocate portions of that $80 to different parties (e.g. treat $70 as ticket revenue split with the artist, and $10 as your fee or maintenance fund). But since the customer only ever saw one price, you avoid scenarios where an artist’s auditor or a co-promoter is arguing about whether certain fees were “approved” or not. Everything is part of the gross revenue pot, to be distributed per your deal. Just make sure any contracts reflect this – for instance, if you have deals where you keep 100% of facility fees, you can still do that; just bake that amount into the ticket and internally earmark it as facility fee. You’ll want to be very clear in artist contracts and settlement sheets how the all-in ticket revenue breaks down behind the scenes, so no one is confused on settlement night (more on that in the implementation section). But overall, settlements should become more straightforward, since there’s no longer a need to justify “those extra fees” to an artist – it’s all box office gross.

Another benefit is pricing consistency across sales channels. In the past, if you sold through multiple channels (venue site, promoter site, physical box office, etc.), there might be different fees on each. A fan who walked up to the box office might avoid some online service fee, or vice versa. That could cause arbitrage behaviors (fans trying to buy from the channel that sidesteps a fee), as well as complicated messaging like “$50 in person, $55 online”. With a single all-in price, you can sell through any channel and it’s the same total. This consistency simplifies your life. If you partner with third-party sellers or marketplaces, you can dictate that the price they display is the full price. You eliminate the risk of an affiliate or broker advertising a misleading lower base price that doesn’t include your venue fee. In short, transparency streamlines your sales distribution – every outlet markets the same clear price.

Lastly, consider long-term customer relations. When fans trust your pricing, they’re less likely to dispute charges with their bank or credit card (a hassle that can cost you fees and threaten your payment processor standing). They also tend to give higher post-event satisfaction ratings because one major pain point has been removed. All these small operational improvements add up: less time spent firefighting fee complaints, fewer chargebacks, easier nightly reconciliations, and a generally more positive vibe surrounding your ticketing. Running a venue is hard enough; by eliminating one self-inflicted source of friction, you free up bandwidth to tackle other challenges and opportunities.

Revamping Your Fee Structure: Practical Steps

Auditing Your Current Fees and Policies

Before you make any changes, it’s critical to take inventory of all the fees and charges associated with your tickets today. Gather your ticketing reports, invoices, and purchase flow screenshots to list every add-on that a customer might encounter. This includes:
– Service/Platform Fee: Typically a percentage or fixed amount per ticket that goes to your ticketing provider (often split in some way with you).
– Facility Fee/Venue Fee: A fixed amount per ticket that your venue adds (goes to you for venue upkeep or as extra revenue).
– Order Fee: Any per-order charge (covers things like credit card processing or general overhead).
– Delivery Fees: Charges for optional delivery methods (shipping, expedited will-call, etc.).
– Taxes: Sales tax, VAT, cultural levies, or other government charges, if not included in base price.
– Other Surcharges: This could be anything unique you’ve added – e.g., a restoration fee for a historic theatre, a charity donation add-on (if automatically applied), etc.

For each fee, note how much it typically is and who controls it. Some fees you might set yourself (like a facility fee of $3 on every ticket), while others might be set by the ticketing platform or promoter. Also note how each fee is currently presented to the customer (hidden until checkout, shown as “+fees”, described in fine print, etc.). This audit will highlight what needs to change. You may discover fees you’d almost forgotten about – perhaps a $1 per ticket fee that goes to a city ticket tax or a $2 convenience fee that was set years ago and just left on by inertia. One veteran venue operator described finding “a whole zoo of little fees” when they did this audit at their theatre chain, a crucial step in smart venue cost management. Some were relics of old contracts that had auto-escalated. This kind of bloat is exactly what you want to eliminate.

As you audit, also review any contracts with ticketing providers or promoters regarding fees. For example, your ticketing provider agreement might stipulate that they charge a 10% service fee to the customer, of which the venue keeps half. Or a promoter deal might allow the promoter to add a $5 fee on top of your base ticket. Understanding these arrangements is key, because moving to all-in pricing might mean renegotiating how those monies are collected or reported. Don’t be afraid of this step – ticketing companies are well aware of the shift to transparency and many have updated their systems to accommodate it (some even prefer it, as it cuts down customer complaints for them too). Still, you’ll want to approach them with a clear picture of the current state: “Here’s what we’ve been charging and how; here’s what we want to do going forward.”

Identifying Fees to Eliminate vs. Incorporate

Once you have the full map of your fees, decide which fees you can simply stop charging, and which fees need to be folded into the advertised ticket price. You might find that some fees were unnecessary or unpopular to begin with. For instance, if you have an “email ticket delivery fee” of $2 – it’s hard to justify continuing that in 2026, since emailing tickets costs basically nothing and customers see it as a pure junk fee. It might be wiser to scrap it entirely as a goodwill gesture. Another example: an order processing fee per transaction – you might choose to absorb that cost as part of your general overhead instead of itemizing it to the customer. Remember, dropping a small fee that irritates fans could pay off in higher satisfaction (and fewer calls to customer support asking “why do I have to pay $3 to use my own printer?”). If a fee doesn’t have a strong purpose or directly enhance the fan experience, consider killing it.

For fees that you do need to collect to cover costs or uphold revenue, the approach is to embed them into the ticket’s face value so that the price a fan sees is all-inclusive. Let’s say you currently sell a $40 ticket with a $10 service fee and a $2 facility fee (total $52). You might simply start advertising that ticket as $52 total. That becomes the face price on the ticket, and in your accounting you’d allocate the $12 internally as needed (perhaps $10 goes to the ticketing provider/operations and $2 to your venue maintenance fund). To the consumer, it’s just a $52 ticket. When incorporating fees like this, a good practice is to round numbers in a fan-friendly way when possible – it could be $52, or you might even choose to make it $50 and accept a slightly smaller gross to have a nice round price. Many venues find that psychologically round numbers (ending in 0 or 5) are easier to market, and if you’ve been tacking on odd fees, your totals might be awkward amounts like $37.57 which you can clean up. That said, don’t be afraid of non-round numbers if the math requires; fans care more that it’s the final price than whether it’s round. Just avoid advertising a “+fees” alongside it.

One fee category to handle carefully is taxes. If your region requires sales tax or VAT and you haven’t been including it in the sticker price, you have a choice: either start including it (advertise the gross-with-tax), or at least be very upfront from the beginning that “plus X% tax” applies. Many U.S. venues historically list prices before tax and then add, say, 6% sales tax at checkout; meanwhile many European venues include VAT in all advertised prices by law. As transparency becomes the norm, even U.S. venues are shifting to show prices with tax included. It simplifies things, and consumers generally prefer tax-included pricing since that’s what they see in other industries like retail. However, check your local laws – some places require tax to be listed separately. If you do keep tax separate, it’s fine as long as you mention it early and clearly (“$50 + local sales tax”). Taxes are not “junk fees” in the sense that they’re government mandated, but to a customer it’s still part of the cost, so it should never feel hidden.

As you plan the new all-in prices, you might worry about price perception. If your $40 ticket suddenly is marketed as $52, will people balk? In practice, if $52 was what they were paying anyway, most will adjust quickly. Especially if you message that fees are now included (so they realize it’s not a price hike, just transparency). You could also consider small pricing adjustments during this transition. Some venues use the switch to all-in pricing as an opportunity to simplify price levels or even lower certain fees to prove a point. For example, perhaps you were adding a $5 facility fee but decide to make it $4 included and tout that you slightly lowered the fee – a bit of good PR. Only do this if financially feasible, of course. It’s also acceptable to increase the base ticket price to maintain your margins, as long as you’re clear that the final price is the final price. Most venues aim to be revenue-neutral with the change (what the fan pays doesn’t change, they just see it all upfront), but a few have strategically eaten a small fee to differentiate themselves. Weigh the cost versus goodwill in your specific case.

Working with Ticketing Platforms and Partners

Implementing transparent pricing will likely involve coordination with your ticketing platform or provider. Modern ticketing systems usually have settings for “all-in pricing” or the ability to mark certain fees as included. Contact your ticketing account manager and explain that you want to move to upfront pricing with no hidden fees. They may offer to help configure events accordingly. In some systems, it’s as simple as a toggle that says “display price with fees” so that all fees marked mandatory will be summed into the listed price. Other systems might require a workaround like setting the base price of the ticket to the total price and turning off the add-on fee lines. Ensure that any user interface (web or app) that sells your tickets reflects the change. You’ll want to test the purchase flow after changes: go through the process as a customer and confirm that what you see at the start is what you see at the end.

If your ticketing contract shares fees between you and the provider (e.g. they keep a portion of service fees), discuss how that will work with all-in pricing. In many cases, the provider doesn’t mind how the pricing is presented as long as they get their cut in the end. You might move to a model where they invoice you or deduct from settlements their per-ticket amount, instead of it coming directly from a fee line to the customer. For instance, if historically they got $2 per ticket via a fee, you can just raise your ticket face by $2 and effectively pass that $2 along to them from the sale. It’s mostly an accounting change, but it should be addressed to avoid confusion. Make sure your reporting will show the breakdown (internal use only) so you know how much of each ticket is fee/internal vs. artist payout, etc. Most systems will allow a “gross price” and then have data fields for components. The key is that the customer sees only one price during purchase, even if on the back-end you still have categories.

For venues that work with external promoters or clients who rent the venue: you should communicate with them as well. If a promoter was used to you adding a facility fee on top of their ticket price, let them know that going forward you plan to fold that in. Typically, promoters won’t object to transparency; their concern is usually whether it affects their gross potential or not. You can structure deals the same way (e.g., you still keep $X per ticket as venue fee, but it’s invisible to public). However, some promoters might want to advertise their own base price “+ fees” on their end. Insist on consistency for shows at your venue. If you’ve adopted a no-hidden-fee policy, any event at your venue should follow it, even if an outside promoter is involved – otherwise fans get mixed experiences. Put this expectation into your promoter rider or agreement: the advertised price must be the total price. Most professional promoters in 2026 will already be on board with this (they’ve been facing the same regulations and fan expectations), so it’s generally an easy conversation.

In some cases, you might be so frustrated with an inflexible ticketing provider (perhaps one that is notorious for tacking on extra fees you can’t control) that you decide to shop for a new ticketing platform. Indeed, many independent venues in recent years have switched to more venue-friendly ticketing partners that avoid excessive fees and dynamic pricing, favoring transparent costs and built-in marketing tools, a trend noted in strategies for cutting costs without cutting corners. This can reduce both fan frustration and venue costs. If you find your current system isn’t capable or willing to facilitate all-in pricing, it could be time to consider alternatives. There are ticketing solutions purpose-built for independent venues and festivals that emphasize upfront pricing. For example, platforms like Ticket Fairy focus on displaying the final price to fans from the start and boast features like referral tracking, real-time analytics, and even face-value fan resale, all without surprise fees. (Ticket Fairy also notably does not use dynamic pricing surcharges – fans pay exactly the listed price, which aligns perfectly with transparency values.) The effort of switching systems is non-trivial, but the payoff in customer trust and possibly better economics can be worth it if your current partner is behind the times. If you do consider switching, plan the migration carefully so you don’t disrupt ongoing event sales – see our step-by-step guide on evaluating and switching event tech vendors with minimal pain for tips on that process.

Adjusting Internal Pricing Strategies

Revamping your fee structure doesn’t happen in a vacuum – it should be integrated into your overall ticket pricing strategy. Once you decide on all-in pricing, you might need to recalibrate some price points. Analyze your historical sales data to understand how sensitive your audiences were to the old base prices plus fees. For instance, if shows priced at “$20+fees” always sold out (total maybe $25), perhaps you can edge up to a $25 all-in price and still be fine, or even $27 if you want to round differently. Conversely, if you had a psychological barrier at $50 before (tickets above $50 base struggled), realize that now an all-in $50 might actually present as costlier than the old “$45+fees” perception. You might trial a slightly lower all-in price for certain mid-tier shows to see if it boosts volume. Essentially, monitor your demand curves and be willing to tweak. The good news is any mid-course corrections you make can be done much more transparently too (“Due to demand, second batch tickets now $60 all-in” is a clear message if you do tiered pricing). Fans accept tiered pricing if it’s communicated (“Early bird $50, then $60” etc.), as opposed to dynamic surges that feel sneaky.

Speaking of dynamic pricing – if your venue considers using dynamic pricing or scaling (where prices fluctuate with demand), transparency is even more critical. Many fans are deeply skeptical of dynamic pricing because it has been handled opaquely by major players (resulting in headlines about $5,000 Bruce Springsteen tickets due to algorithmic surges, a controversial aspect of managing demand pricing and fan engagement). If you choose to utilize dynamic pricing on some high-demand shows, you must communicate clearly that “prices may change based on demand” ahead of time, as recommended in best practices for ticketing strategies. Even better, use a light version of it, like defined tiers (“100 tickets at $50, next 100 at $60” – which is dynamic but in a transparent tiered way, often seen as a fairer approach for independent venues). Small venues often find that fans appreciate stable pricing and that goodwill outweighs squeezing out maximum dollars, a key finding in independent venue survival strategies. As an independent venue, it can be a selling point to say, “we don’t surge our prices – first come first served at fair prices,” as opposed to some larger arenas. However, if you do implement any dynamic or variable pricing, bake it into your transparent approach. For example, if raising a ticket from $50 to $55 after initial sales, just make sure the new price is what’s shown everywhere (don’t list $50 and then add $5 at checkout, obviously). And let fans know when prices will go up (“prices will increase on Friday – lock in your ticket now”). Transparency in pricing changes over time is as important as transparency in fees at a single time.

To summarize your revamp plan, here’s a quick checklist:

1. Audit all fees: Know every fee and its amount/purpose (service, venue, tax, etc.), a crucial first step in smart venue cost management.
2. Decide new pricing: Determine all-in price points for each ticket type that cover those costs or decide what fees to absorb/eliminate.
3. Coordinate with partners: Configure ticketing system for all-in display; renegotiate profit splits if needed so everyone gets their share from the single price.
4. Update policies: Rewrite any terms on your site or fine print on tickets to remove outdated fee language (no more “plus applicable fees” – instead “inclusive of all fees”).
5. Inform your team: Make sure accounting, box office staff, marketing, and artist relations are all in sync about the new structure. No one should quote an old price or use an old template that confuses customers.
6. Pilot and test: Perhaps roll out on a low-stakes event first as a pilot. Go through the purchase as a mystery shopper. Iron out any kinks.
7. Full rollout: Implement across all new event onsales, and ideally adjust any existing future events on sale (with messaging to ticket holders if needed that their final price is unchanged, just now all-in).

Revamping fees might sound daunting, but with a systematic approach it can be done relatively quickly. Many venues made the switch in a matter of weeks after new laws passed, with minimal disruption. The key is attention to detail – catch anywhere a fee might hide (website, PDF order form, venue signage) and root it out or clarify it. Once it’s done, you’ll likely find it refreshing how much simpler pricing discussions become. It’s a one-time effort for long-term clarity.

Ensuring Compliance and Smooth Implementation

Updating Website, Ticketing Pages, and Materials

A critical part of implementing all-in pricing is making sure every customer-facing touchpoint reflects the new policy. Go through your venue’s website and marketing materials with a fine-tooth comb and eliminate any remnants of the old “+ fees” wording. For example:
– Event Listings: Each event on your site or ticketing page should now show a single price (or price range) that is clearly labeled as the total price. If you previously had an asterisk or fine print saying “plus fees”, remove that. It might now say, for instance, “Tickets: $52 (all-inclusive)” or “Tickets: $52 total price”. Many venues simply put “$52” and elsewhere note “All prices include fees and taxes.” Find a phrasing that suits your style, but ensure it’s unambiguous that the price is final.
– Checkout Page: Make sure the checkout or cart isn’t adding back any surprise line items. The subtotal shown should equal exactly the per-ticket price times quantity (plus any optional add-ons the customer chooses, like parking or merch, which are different from hidden fees). If your system still lists fees separately in the cart for transparency, that’s okay as long as they were included in the advertised price. For instance, some carts might show “Ticket $50 + Fees $5 = $55 total” to illustrate breakdown – that’s fine, but only if the customer knew all along it was $55. The most prominent number should be $55, as required by the FTC’s transparency rules.
– Printed Materials: If you print posters, flyers, or send emails with ticket prices, update those too. It’s common to see old posters saying “$20 + fees” – going forward it should say just “$X” or “$X including all fees.” This is important not only for honesty but also for legal compliance in advertising. New rules can consider it deceptive advertising if you promote a price that isn’t actually attainable without extra charges, a violation highlighted in the FTC’s junk fee announcement.
– Terms and Conditions: Update any FAQ or terms on your site that discussed fees. For instance, if your FAQ said “What are the additional fees?” replace it with an explanation of your new policy (“Our ticket prices are now presented inclusive of all venue and ticketing fees. The price you see is the price you pay, excluding any optional add-ons you select.”). This both informs customers and covers you by setting accurate expectations.
– Point-of-Sale systems:* If you run a physical box office and issue tickets or receipts, ensure that your staff knows the price to quote is the final price. If your ticketing system prints something like “Price $45, Service Fee $5” on a receipt, see if that template can be changed to just show “Total $50” or at least to indicate the fee was included. It’s fine if receipts have detail (some jurisdictions require an itemized tax line on receipts, for example), but what you don’t want is a patron at the window to hear one price then get a receipt showing more lines they weren’t told. Train staff to always articulate the total price (“That will be $50 total”) when selling in person.

Double-check everything by performing test transactions (with internal test cards or simply going through to the final confirmation screen without completing payment if possible). Look at the confirmation emails or digital tickets delivered to see how the price is presented there. It should reinforce that they paid an all-in price and aren’t seeing surprise charges. If you spot any discrepancies (like a vestigial “$0.99 processing fee” that sneaked in), go back and fix those in the system setup.

While updating digital channels, keep screenshots or logs of the changes. This is useful for demonstrating compliance if needed. If a regulator ever asks, you can show that as of X date, your site and materials were changed to reflect total pricing. It’s unlikely you’d need to, but good to have. Plus, if you manage multiple venues or a network, those screenshots serve as a template for rolling out changes to any other sites.

One more thing: coordinate with third-party listings. If your events are listed on sites like Songkick, Bandsintown, Facebook events, or venue directories, they sometimes show a ticket price too. Make sure those reflect the full price. Usually, they scrape the info from your site or you provide it. So, if you have an integration or feed that sends prices to those platforms, ensure it’s sending the correct all-in number. Where you have control (like a manually created Facebook event or an email blast through a promoter), always put the total price. The goal is a uniform message across the board – no matter where a fan hears about the show, they get the same understanding of the cost.

Training Staff and Aligning Departments

Implementing transparent pricing isn’t just a technical switch – it’s a cultural switch for your venue’s team. Take the time to brief all relevant staff on what’s changing and why. This includes marketing, sales, box office, finance, and customer support at minimum. Host a short training session or circulate a memo detailing:
– What the new policy is: e.g. “Effective immediately, all ticket prices we quote or advertise will include all fees. We will no longer say ‘plus fees’ or add mandatory fees on top of the listed price.”
– Why we’re doing it: Explain both the external reasons (new laws, customer complaints) and the internal goals (improve trust, differentiate our venue). When staff understand the purpose, they are more likely to champion it. Frame it as a positive change that the whole team can be proud of – “We’re making this experience better for our fans.”
– Examples of old vs. new: Show concrete examples. E.g., “Previously: $30 + fees became $38. Now: We advertise $38, period.” Provide a few use cases like answering the phone to a ticket inquiry (“quote the total only”), or updating an event listing in Ticketmaster or Ticket Fairy backend (“enter the gross price as the base price now”). If you have cheat sheets for common event price levels, update those and share.
– How to handle fan questions: Inevitably, some regular patrons might ask, “So there are no fees now?” Coach staff on a simple friendly response: “That’s right – the price you see already has all the fees included! No surprises at checkout.” If someone asks, “Why did you change this?”, staff can highlight customer-centric reasons: “We heard feedback and wanted to make buying tickets easier for everyone,” or “It’s part of new industry standards to be upfront with pricing, which we fully support.” Keeping the messaging upbeat and fan-focused will reinforce the positive impression.
– Remind about optional fees: Make sure staff know that optional addons (like parking, VIP upgrades, etc.) might still exist but those are chosen by the customer. They should clarify if asked that “the only additional charges would be if you choose something extra like shipping or an add-on; otherwise the ticket price covers everything.” Essentially, train them to never use phrases like “plus fees” in communication. Old habits die hard, so emphasize that language matters.

Cross-department coordination is important. Marketing needs to update ads, social media, email templates. The box office needs to update signage and phone scripts. Finance needs to adjust how they account for fee revenues internally (and possibly how they budget, since fee revenue might have been a separate line item before). If you have a finance or accounting person, involve them early to ensure the reporting is set for the new structure. They might decide to create internal journal entries that separate the embedded fee portion when recording ticket revenues. For example, if you sold 100 tickets at $50 all-in and internally you know $5 of that is what used to be fee, they’ll want to note $5×100 = $500 as “service revenue” and $45×100 as “ticket revenue”. This is mostly back-office work, but it’s crucial to keep settlement sheets with promoters/artists clean and to manage taxes appropriately (some regions tax the service fee differently, etc.). So finance should set up those processes and ensure the ticketing system’s reports give the needed info, a process often streamlined by smart venue cost management tools.

Don’t forget to loop in your venue’s legal or compliance advisor if you have one, especially to verify that your new pricing displays meet the letter of any new laws. They might suggest adding a line in terms and conditions like “All tickets are listed at the total price including all mandatory charges. No additional mandatory fees will be added to the ticket price.” It’s a good CYA statement to have in case of any dispute. Compliance folks can also help retrain any external ticketing partners or scalper prevention – e.g., making sure your ticket resale or transfer platform also displays prices right (if you run a fan exchange, etc.). Actually, on resale, if you allow resale on your platform, consider requiring face-value resale so that fans aren’t hit with markups there either. That’s a separate issue, but aligned in spirit (and something Ticketmaster and others have also had to address per regulatory pressure). Some venues partner with platforms for fan-to-fan resale that enforce no higher than original price, which complements your transparency promise – no gouging on the secondary market either. (For more on protecting fans via resale, see our guide on creating a fair secondary ticket marketplace – an important issue but we digress.)

In short, treat this change like you would a major policy or system update: get everyone on the same page and remove any ambiguity. The last thing you want is one department undermining the effort (“Marketing said total price, but the box office still says plus fees – confusing!”). With clear internal communication and a bit of training, your team will not only execute the new pricing correctly but hopefully become cheerleaders for it.

Adjusting Artist Contracts and Settlements

One often overlooked aspect of changing your ticket fee structure is its impact on artist agreements and settlements. As mentioned earlier, when you embed fees into the ticket price, your accounting of gross revenue shifts. It’s vital to address this with artists and promoters to avoid any misunderstandings or disputes about who gets what cut of ticket sales. Luckily, with transparent communication, this can be navigated smoothly.

First, review the terms in your standard artist contracts or promoter deals related to ticket revenue and fees. Commonly, deals are structured as either a guaranteed fee or a percentage of ticket sales (gross or net) or a mix (guarantee vs. percentage, whichever is higher). In percentage deals (like 80% of net ticket sales to artist), the definition of “net” matters. Often, net ticket sales is defined as gross receipts minus service fees, taxes, and sometimes minus facility fees. If you remove the separate fee lines, you need to ensure all parties have a clear understanding of what constitutes the artist’s share. The simplest way is often to explicitly exclude the formerly embedded fees by amount or percentage. For example, if you rolled a $5 service fee and $2 venue fee into a $50 ticket, you might clarify: “Artist participation is 80% of net ticket proceeds, where net ticket proceeds = $43 per ticket (after $7 inclusive fees) times number of tickets sold.” Alternatively, you adjust the percentage: maybe the artist gets 80% of $50 gross, but you then pay them 80% of 86% (since $7 is 14% of 50). There are multiple ways to do the math – the key is don’t accidentally overpay or underpay because the fee was hidden.

In practice, many venues simply continue to do settlements as before, with the settlement sheet showing something like:
– Gross ticket sales (number of tickets × all-in price) = $X
– Less: Service/Fulfillment (formerly fees) = $Y
– Net show receipts = $X–Y
– Split point / artist cut = per contract (e.g., 80% to artist)

This way, even if the fan didn’t see fees, the settlement still nets them out so the artist isn’t taking a cut on what was essentially a fee. Most artists and promoters will be familiar with this kind of breakdown and as long as $Y is reasonable and was disclosed upfront, they are fine with it. The important part is to disclose and align on it in advance. When advancing a show or contracting it, mention that your venue has all-in pricing but for settlement purposes, $X of each ticket is considered a service/venue fee (not shared with artist). Ideally, put that in writing. Some venues add a contract clause like: “Tickets will be sold inclusive of a $ per ticket service charge and $ per ticket facility charge, which are retained by venue and not part of gross for settlement.” Even if those charges aren’t broken out to the public, writing it this way keeps things crystal clear with the artist team.

If you have in-house promoter shows or you’re the sole stakeholder, you have more flexibility because it’s all your money. But if you’re hosting outside promoters or doing co-pros, absolutely clarify the fee treatment with them too. Outside promoters might have their own ticketing deals or rebates on fees, etc. Under an all-in scheme, you might simply pay them or deduct a fixed amount equivalent to what they would have gotten via a fee. It’s all negotiable, but again, communication prevents headaches. The last place you want confusion is at settlement at 1 AM after a show – that’s not when you want to be debating the philosophy of all-in pricing with a tour accountant. So get it squared away in the deal memo stage.

Another angle: if your venue previously relied on fee income as a significant revenue stream (some venues use facility fees for capital improvements, etc.), ensure your finance plan accounts for it in the new model. You should still collect that money via the higher face price, but it feels different when it’s in one pot. Some venue owners worry “will I accidentally give away my fee revenue by including it in the ticket and then splitting that whole amount with artists?” The answer is, you shouldn’t if you handle it correctly. Many artist deals exclude facility fees and such precisely to allow venues to have that income. If your deals didn’t mention it before, now is the time to carve that out explicitly. Most artists will accept that a modest venue fee is standard – they just don’t want to be double-dipped or see an exorbitant fee either. Keep your no-hidden-fee stance, but internally, protect your revenue by contract language.

In summary, update your contracts and settlement sheets to reflect how the new all-in ticket revenues are allocated. Make sure everyone from the booking department to the show accountant is aware of these allocations. In the end, you’ll likely find artists and promoters are perfectly fine with it as long as it’s transparent to them. They’re getting their agreed-upon share, and arguably even they benefit from happier fans who didn’t feel gouged. One talent buyer noted that after their venue went all-in pricing, they had fewer arguments with agents and managers about high fees scaring off fans – because it wasn’t an issue anymore. It’s funny, but hidden fees were even a sticking point in some booking negotiations (e.g., an artist saying “I don’t want my fans paying ridiculous add-ons”). By removing that, you remove one more hurdle in securing talent trust as well, a benefit highlighted in strategies for managing demand pricing and fan engagement. It’s yet another example of how internal operations align with external perception when you prioritize transparency.

Monitoring and Fine-Tuning Post-Launch

Once you’ve implemented transparent pricing, your job isn’t completely over. It’s wise to monitor the results and feedback closely after launch and make any necessary fine-tuning adjustments. Treat the first few months as a learning period. Here’s what to keep an eye on:

• Fan Feedback: Listen on social media, check incoming customer service messages, and even solicit feedback via post-purchase surveys or at events. Are people noticing the difference? Ideally, you’ll see comments like “Love that they include the fees now!” If there’s confusion (“Why did ticket prices go up?”), that’s a sign you need to improve communication (perhaps those folks missed the announcement – we cover announcements in the next section). If someone finds an instance where a fee was still added (an error case), fix it immediately and thank them for bringing it up.
• Sales Patterns: Compare your ticket sales conversion rates before and after. As mentioned, you might expect higher completion rates. Use your ticketing platform analytics or Google Analytics funnel tracking to see if the “abandoned cart” metrics improved. Also track overall sales pace: did making fees invisible to fans accelerate early sales? Some venues saw a bump in first-week on-sale pace because fans weren’t hesitating at checkout. If you see positive trends, that’s great validation – share it with your team! If something’s flat or down, investigate why. It might be unrelated factors, but keep an eye out if a new pricing total seems to cause resistance at a certain price point, etc.
• Financial Reconciliation: In the first few settlements after implementing all-in pricing, double-check the numbers. Ensure that you’re allocating the embedded fees correctly and not accidentally paying out more than intended. Also compare the fee revenue you expected vs actual. For example, if you used to get $3 per ticket facility fee and you rolled it in with the intention to still get $3, confirm that in settlement you indeed kept that $3. Small discrepancies can occur if, say, taxes are now being applied differently. You might need to adjust advertised prices slightly to hit the net targets. It’s better to catch that early. Also, watch if your ticketing provider is smoothly remitting funds. Some systems that used to pay service fees separately might now just pay all at once – confirm that your payout reports make sense.
• Compliance Checks: Do a quick compliance audit post-implementation. Navigate your site like a mystery shopper (or even have a friend who isn’t in on the project do it) to verify that nowhere in the journey do hidden fees appear. Since laws are involved, you want to be confident you’re 100% in line. Perhaps schedule a periodic check (e.g. monthly) of a random event to ensure nothing regresses (like someone accidentally setting up a new event with a fee toggled on). With multiple staff using ticketing software, one might accidentally revert to old habits on an event setup – catch it through routine checks.
• Competitive Landscape: Keep an eye on other local venues or competitors. Have they all switched to upfront pricing too? If someone hasn’t and is still showing lower base prices + fees later, note how fans respond. Likely, fans will complain about that competitor. This can reinforce your commitment and also might be useful information if promoters or agents compare deals. You can point out: “We’re selling at $50 straight up, Venue X advertises $45 but really charges $60 after fees – fans know this and prefer our approach.” Industry gossip aside, it’s good to be aware so you can emphasize your strengths in marketing and conversations.
• Continuous Improvement: You might find opportunities to sweeten the pot now that fees are transparent. For instance, maybe you can introduce value-added bundles or upsells more comfortably. When fans trust you on pricing basics, they might be more receptive to optional add-ons like a parking pass or drink voucher at checkout (since those are clearly optional and not a hidden fee). In essence, now that you have a cleaner sales process, you can look at other optimizations: user experience enhancements, maybe even dynamic pricing done right as we discussed (with safeguards and clarity). Always ensure any new experiment doesn’t undermine the trust you built – if you try dynamic pricing, do it modestly and transparently as promised, following best practices for managing demand pricing. If you try new VIP tiers, clearly delineate what’s included in the price. Use the goodwill you’ve built as a foundation for other innovations, but stay consistent in the principle of no unpleasant surprises.

Fine-tuning might also involve messaging tweaks. Perhaps you find that explicitly saying “including fees” next to prices for a while helps drive the point home, and later you can drop it once fans assume it. Or maybe you realize you should highlight in each purchase confirmation “You paid $X with no additional fees – thank you!” as a reinforcement. These are small things, but they can amplify the good vibes and train customer expectations.

In short, launching transparent pricing is not a set-and-forget project. Pay attention to the outcomes and be agile in responding. The beauty of it is that any changes you need to make are in service of clarity and honesty, so they tend to be well-received. As one festival promoter put it, “When we went all-in on pricing, it was the one change we made that got us thank-you emails from customers.” If you engage with your audience, you might hear similar appreciation. Use that as motivation to never slip back into old habits. Show your community that the new transparent you is here to stay – and always looking to improve further.

Communicating the Change to Fans

Crafting a Clear “No Hidden Fees” Message

Implementing transparent ticket pricing is a fantastic move – but if you don’t tell your audience about it, you’re missing a major opportunity to boost goodwill. Marketing the change is almost as important as making the change. Start by crafting a concise, positive message about your venue’s shift to all-in pricing. The tone should be celebratory and fan-friendly, not defensive. Essentially, you want to say: “We listened, and we’ve made buying tickets easier and fairer for you.”

A good message might look like: “Great news: the price you see is now the price you pay! In response to fan feedback (and new industry standards), [Venue Name] has eliminated hidden fees. All our ticket prices are now all-inclusive, so no more surprises at checkout.” This kind of wording hits several notes: it announces the change, positions it as a response to fans (giving them some credit), and highlights the benefit (no surprises). Use simple language – avoid jargon like “fee structure revamp” in public communications. Instead, speak like a fan: “no hidden fees,” “all-in pricing,” “transparent pricing.” Those terms resonate because they’ve been used in media and by consumer advocates. Saying “beyond junk fees” or referencing the term “junk fees” can also strike a chord, as people have heard it in the news. E.g., “We’ve gone beyond junk fees – ticket prices now include everything upfront.”

Decide on what phrase you’ll use consistently (transparent pricing, all-in pricing, no hidden fees, etc.) and incorporate that into your messaging. Also, consider whether to mention compliance with laws. Depending on your tone, you might make a subtle nod: “We’re proud to meet the new standards for upfront ticket pricing – and to be among the venues leading the way in our city.” This frames it as progress and leadership, not just grudging obedience. If you were ahead of a mandate, absolutely take credit: e.g., “Ahead of upcoming regulations, we’ve already made the switch…” However, if the law is already in effect, it might not be worth highlighting “because the law says so.” Better to focus on customer benefit, not the stick that forced it. People respond to how it helps them.

One more tip: personalize the announcement if possible. A short note from the venue manager or owner can add a nice touch (“As a fellow music fan, I know fees have been frustrating. That’s why I’m excited to share that we’re dropping all hidden fees starting now…”). This lacks the corporate PR feel and feels more like a friend telling you good news. Our aim is to convey sincerity – that we genuinely want to improve the fan experience. If your venue has a mailing list or social following, you could even do a brief video of a spokesperson explaining the change enthusiastically.

Choosing Announcement Channels

How do you get the word out? Use multiple channels to ensure the message reaches as many patrons as possible:
– Email Blast: If you have an email newsletter or customer list, send a dedicated email announcing the “no hidden fees” policy. Use a catchy subject line like “No More Surprise Fees – Ticket Prices Now All-Inclusive!” Inside, briefly explain the change and maybe include a FAQ (“Q: Does this mean ticket prices increased? A: No – it means the price advertised already includes what used to be fees. In fact, your total cost remains about the same, but now you know it upfront.”) The FAQ approach can preempt confusion.
– Website Banner: Put a banner or notice on your homepage and ticketing pages for a while: “We’ve eliminated hidden fees! All ticket prices now include fees/tax – the price you see is the price you pay.” If you have a news section or blog on your site, consider a short post detailing the change and why it’s great for fans (this can be good for SEO too, showing you proactively addressed junk fees). Some venues even did press releases, which local media picked up, giving free positive publicity.
– Social Media: Announce on all social platforms you use (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.). Tailor the message to be snappy and shareable. For example on Twitter: “Tired of ticketing ‘junk fees’? Us too. From today, [Venue] tickets have no hidden fees – all prices are upfront. ? The price you see is the price you pay. #NoMoreFees #transparentpricing”. On Instagram or Facebook, you could have a graphic that says “No More Hidden Fees!” with caption explaining. Invite people to comment or ask questions – and be ready to respond and celebrate with them.
– On-Site Signage: When fans come to the venue, reinforce the message. A simple poster at the box office could say “Notice: We’ve gone all-in on ticket pricing – all tickets now include fees and tax upfront. No surprises!” This not only informs walk-up customers but also shows anyone coming in that you are proactive about fairness. During events, maybe the emcee or a screen can mention it: “Reminder – when you buy tickets for future shows here, what you see is what you pay!” It’s okay to toot your horn a bit in person. Regulars might even applaud or cheer upon hearing it, no joke.
– PR/Media: If you have connections with local media (newspaper, radio, blogs), consider pitching this as a story: “Local venue first to drop junk fees after FTC rule” or “How [Venue] is making concert tickets more honest.” Media loves consumer-friendly stories, especially if tied to a hot topic like junk fees or a new law. This can amplify your message beyond just your direct followers.

Use a coordinated approach – perhaps launch the announcement on all channels the same day for maximum impact. That creates a wave that’s hard to miss if you’re a fan of the venue. After the initial push, keep reminders in rotation. For a few weeks, you might include a note in event promo posts: “(psst – ticket prices listed already include fees!)”. Eventually, the public will take it as a given, and that’s when you can ease off explicit mentions. But it’s better to over-communicate at the start than under-communicate and have folks not notice the improvement.

Highlighting Fan Benefits and Value

When communicating the change, focus on how it benefits the fan. The obvious benefit is no hidden fees, but you can paint a fuller picture of positive impacts:
– Simpler budgeting: Fans can decide on shows knowing exactly what it will cost. If someone has $100 earmarked for entertainment, they won’t get caught out by a $15 fee making the show out of reach. Emphasize that you want to make it easy for them to attend. “No more math at checkout – you’ll know exactly what you’re spending from the start.”
– Trust and fairness: You might explicitly say something like, “We value the trust you place in us when you buy a ticket. We want you to feel confident that you’re getting a fair deal, with no last-minute surprises.” This positioning makes the fan feel respected and valued – which they should, because without them, you don’t have a business.
– No more checkout shock: Use language that resonates: “Say goodbye to that sinking feeling when an extra $20 pops up in your cart. Those days are over at [Venue].” Even use a bit of humor or relatability: “We’ve heard your screams (and memes) about crazy ticket fees. We got the memo and fixed it.” This shows you’re in tune with the fan community’s sentiments (there have been a LOT of memes and jokes online about Ticketmaster fees, for example).
– Value for money: When everything’s included, you can talk more freely about value. For instance, if you have some shows where the fee used to be a high percentage (like a $10 ticket had a $4 fee, 40% overhead), now that it’s just $14 all-in, spell out that “your $14 goes a long way – it covers the show and supports the venue’s ability to keep bringing great acts, all while being upfront.” People are more receptive to the notion that fees support the venue or production when it wasn’t hidden. You could even educate: “That $5 facility fee we used to add? It helps keep this 100-year-old theater’s lights on and sound system top-notch. We haven’t done away with it, but we’ve rolled it into the ticket price so you know about it from the get-go.” Some venues will list on their site what the facility fee is used for (maintenance, renovations, charity, etc.) as a way to justify it. Now that it’s built-in, you can still mention that context in an FAQ section. If people see that fees have a purpose and are not just greed, they accept them more. Being transparent allows you to also be transparent about why tickets cost what they do.
– One-click purchasing: You might mention how it streamlines the buying process – fewer screens to click through, because you’re not confronted with a surprise on the final page that makes you reconsider. It’s more of a mental benefit, but speed and ease are worth touting: “No more second-guessing at checkout – grab your tickets in one go!”

Whenever possible, use real examples or comparisons. For example: “Last month, tickets to XYZ Show were $40 + fees (came out to $50). Now, that same ticket is just $50 flat. Much simpler!” This assures fans that nothing sneaky happened to the final price – it’s just clearer. If you had any early adopters or loyal fans complaining about fees in the past, you could even quote one (with permission) in marketing like, “I used to hate the fees, this is so much better – Jane D.” Real voices carry weight. Or get a local influencer or respected figure to acknowledge it: maybe a local music journalist tweets “Kudos to [Venue] for eliminating junk fees.” You can retweet that or incorporate it.

Frame the narrative that your venue is a leader in improving the live music experience. It’s not just about fees; it’s about respecting fans and being part of a larger movement to make live events more accessible and enjoyable. In the context of broader challenges (we all know concert tickets felt like a rollercoaster in recent years with dynamic pricing and scalpers), you stepping up on fee transparency is a breath of fresh air. Say that: “We’re doing our part to make live music more fan-friendly. Transparent pricing is one step – and we’re always looking for ways to improve your experience.” This opens the door for fans to appreciate you and maybe even suggest other improvements (hey, free idea crowdsourcing!). But importantly, it cements your brand as one that cares about fans, not just profits.

Handling Fan Questions and Concerns

Despite your clear communications, fans may still have questions – after all, this is a new change and some people are naturally skeptical (“What’s the catch?”). Prepare to address common questions or misconceptions in a helpful, transparent manner. Here are a few likely ones and how to handle them:

• “Does this mean ticket prices went up?” – Some fans might notice an apparent increase if they only ever noticed base prices before. Respond by reinforcing that final prices are the same or only minimally different. Example reply: “Great question. No, we haven’t increased most tickets – we’ve simply baked in the fees that used to be added later. For example, if a ticket was $30 + $5 fee before (total $35), it’s now just $35 all-in. In a few cases we rounded prices to a nice number, but any differences are very small. The goal is just to show you the real price from the start.” If you did take the opportunity to raise some prices, be honest but focus on the transparency aspect: “We adjusted some price points for simplicity, but rest assured these reflect the true cost with no hidden charges. You’ll likely find you’re paying the same or even a bit less than before in total.”
• “What about taxes?” – If someone asks if taxes are now included: “Yes, all mandatory charges including taxes are included in the price you see. If a ticket says $50, you pay $50 total (that already includes the sales tax that we, as a business, will remit to the state).” If you’re in a location where you still add tax on top (not common when advertising, but just in case), clarify: “We include venue fees, etc., but local sales tax (X%) will appear at checkout.” However, in most venues’ cases adopting transparency means you likely include tax now too.
• “Why are you doing this now?” – Some curious or even cynical folks might ask why now. You can say: “It’s something we’ve wanted to do, and with recent industry changes and feedback from our community, the timing was right. We’re always trying to improve, and we heard loud and clear that hidden fees were a pain point.” If regulations pushed it, you can mention that as a positive: “New rules are coming in that encourage upfront pricing – we think it’s a great move for everyone, so we’re getting on board early.”
• “Will you ever bring fees back?” – Lighthearted but who knows, someone might ask. “Nope. We’re committed to transparent pricing going forward. The era of surprise fees at [Venue] is over.” That kind of confident answer will reassure fans that this isn’t a short-term promo gimmick.
• Compliments/astonishment: Actually, be ready for positive comments too! People might say “This is awesome” or “Finally!” or “Every venue should do this.” Engage with those. Like or share their posts. Respond with gratitude: “Thanks! We believe this is the right thing to do. Enjoy the easier checkout!” These interactions will amplify the good word.
• Edge cases: If a fan purchased just before the change and paid fees, and now they’re like “I just bought tickets last week and paid $10 in fees ?”, you might consider a goodwill gesture if it’s feasible – maybe a small credit or a free drink voucher when they come. Not required, but a nice customer service touch if someone is really sore about just missing the new policy. At minimum, apologize and explain the timing: “Sorry for the unfortunate timing – this change just went into effect. We hope you’ll enjoy the no-fee experience on your next purchase!”

Internally, have a mini FAQ for your staff so they can answer consistently. If you have a customer support team or even just your marketing manager doubling as one, make sure they know the talking points. Actually show them before-and-after examples so they can confidently explain. Given that transparency is meant to reduce confusion, you likely won’t get a barrage of questions; still, always good to prep.

In handling inquiries, maintain the enthusiastic and customer-first tone. Even if a question seems to carry doubt or cynicism, respond with openness: you have nothing to hide now – literally! Address concerns factually and warmly. This will further solidify the trust you’re building. Consider this: every single interaction about this topic is an opportunity to reinforce your venue’s new era of honesty and fan-centric service. As such, treat each questioner like a valued part of the community whose comfort and understanding you care about.

By proactively communicating and warmly engaging with your fans about transparent pricing, you turn a policy change into a marketing win and a relationship win. It’s not often you get to deliver unambiguously good news in business, so make the most of it. Fans will remember that you did right by them, and that memory will pay dividends in loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion for your venue.

Case Studies: Venues Winning with Upfront Pricing

Indie Club Example: Building Loyalty Through Honesty

Consider the case of an independent 500-capacity club in Brooklyn that in 2025 decided to drop all its added fees. This venue, let’s call it Brooklyn Beats, was known for hosting emerging artists and local bands. They were selling tickets in the $15–$25 range but adding a $4 service fee and $1 facility fee on top. After hearing one too many gripes at the bar about “fees are almost as much as my ticket!”, the owner decided enough was enough. Brooklyn Beats moved to an all-in ticket model: that $20+$5 became a straight $25. They promoted it heavily on social media with slogans like “$25 Flat. No Fees. No Bull.” – which perfectly matched their no-nonsense, community vibe.

The immediate result? Fans raved. Attendees posted things on Instagram stories like “Shout out to @BrooklynBeats for ditching ticket fees ?”. According to the owner, their online ticket conversion rate jumped noticeably – more people who started the purchase process actually completed it. They even sold out a couple of local showcase nights faster than expected. One interesting side effect: tip jar contributions went up. The venue speculated that when people aren’t grumbling about fees, they feel a bit more generous toward staff and artists. By the end of 2025, Brooklyn Beats saw a ~10% increase in overall ticket sales volume year-on-year, which they attribute partly to higher customer goodwill and repeat attendance. They effectively turned transparency into a marketing hook: local media ran a piece about venues addressing junk fees and spotlighted Brooklyn Beats as a pioneer. This positive press attracted some new patrons who had never been before, specifically mentioning, “I came because I heard they don’t charge those crazy fees.”

Financially, Brooklyn Beats managed the change smartly. They adjusted internal splits so that artists still got their same cut out of the net. The venue wasn’t losing money; they were just being up front about it. In fact, with more tickets sold and slightly higher base prices, their fee revenue portion actually rose, which they reinvested in club improvements (and made sure to tell fans that – e.g. “your dollars at work” posts about new lights or a repaired HVAC). Fans appreciated seeing where their money went. This small club’s experience shows that transparency can be a competitive advantage for independent venues: it differentiates you and builds a loyal, almost family-like, relationship with your audience. The owner quipped that after the switch, “It’s like the audience and us are on the same team, not opposing sides, when it comes to tickets.” That cultural shift in the room feeling was priceless.

Major Concert Hall: Boosting Sales and Trust

On a larger scale, consider Midtown Arena – a 12,000-seat municipal arena in the Midwest U.S. that, in 2026, fully embraced all-in pricing after the new FTC rule. Being city-owned, they were particularly sensitive to public perception and political pressure about high ticket fees. Before, an average arena concert ticket of $75 might have had $15 of fees (facility, service, etc.), totaling $90. Midtown Arena switched to advertising the $90 as the price. They coordinated this move with their primary ticketing provider (Ticketmaster, in their case) as TM was deploying all-in pricing nationwide.

Midtown Arena’s management was initially a bit nervous – would people think tickets got more expensive and stay away? They needn’t have worried. In the first on-sale for a major artist after the change (let’s say it was a big country star), they saw record-fast sales. The arena’s director of ticketing noted that the usual wave of social media complaints when tickets went on sale was dramatically reduced. Typically, their Twitter mentions would be full of fans griping about “ugh $20 in fees, really?!” – this time, hardly any complaints, just excitement about getting tickets. This lack of negativity helped maintain sales momentum in the crucial first hours of the on-sale. The show sold out faster than comparable shows in previous years.

From a customer service viewpoint, Midtown Arena reported a 30% drop in calls/emails related to pricing issues. Their box office manager said, “We used to spend countless hours explaining fees. Now we can focus on actually helping people with seating choices or accessibility needs. It’s a world of difference.” Even the ushers and front-line staff experienced the change: fewer guests coming in muttering about being overcharged, more arriving in a good mood ready to spend on merch and concessions. It appears that transparent pricing indirectly boosted in-venue spending; the arena found that per-head F&B (food and beverage) sales ticked up by a couple of dollars. Perhaps when fans didn’t feel fleeced by the ticket purchase, they were more willing to treat themselves at the show. Over tens of thousands of attendees, that added up.

There was also a PR win: the city’s Mayor publicly praised the arena for “leading by example to eliminate junk fees and put fans first.” That kind of endorsement is gold, especially for a publicly-owned venue. It fosters goodwill with both the public and regulators. Internally, the arena’s finances remained solid – they simply reclassified the facility fee portion internally. The city council was shown that the total revenue per ticket didn’t fall, so the venue’s budget wasn’t hurt. If anything, improved sales and happier customers mean the potential for more profit and more events. Midtown Arena’s case demonstrates that even at large scale, being proactive on transparent pricing pays off in customer relations and can enhance revenue streams beyond just tickets (like concessions), all while keeping regulators off your back.

Festival Scenario: Transparent Pricing at Scale

Transparent pricing isn’t just for fixed venues – it’s been successful in multi-day festivals too. Take the example of Open Fields Festival in California, a 3-day music festival that traditionally had a base ticket price plus a slew of fees (service fee, environmental fee, charity donation fee, shipping fee if applicable, etc.). By 2025, as California mulled its own junk fee legislation and customer complaints grew, Open Fields decided to bundle everything into one published price. A 3-day pass that was $300 + $60 in various fees became a flat $360 pass (with an explanation “$360 includes all fees”). For transparency, they even listed on their site how that $360 is allocated (e.g. $10 goes to sustainability programs, $5 to charity, etc., which made attendees feel good about the components that used to just look like “random fees”), a strategy that helps ensure festivals deliver value despite rising costs.

When tickets went on sale, Open Fields noticed a cleaner purchase process. Their abandonment rate dropped, similar to the other cases, and they sold out of early bird tiers faster than ever. Many fans specifically commented on the festival’s social pages praising the all-in pricing. The festival’s marketing team leveraged this by resharing fan comments and running an ad campaign highlighting “No Surprises – All-In Pricing” as a reason to buy from official channels. This messaging helped steer people away from the secondary market and uncertified resellers because the festival built trust that “what you pay here is fair and final.” In fact, when secondary tickets popped up on reseller sites with marked-up prices, fans more readily noticed the markup (since they could compare to the known official all-in price) and some chose to buy last-minute releases from the festival instead, or face-value fan-to-fan exchanges that the festival facilitated. So, transparent pricing indirectly supported their anti-scalping efforts – it’s hard for scalpers to justify a huge markup if fans are very aware of the face value and trust the primary seller.

Interestingly, Open Fields Festival also saw fewer customer disputes and refund requests related to fees. In prior years, they’d get some complaints like “I didn’t know the final price would be X, I want a refund” (especially from younger attendees or parents buying for teens). Those vanished. Post-event surveys showed improved scores in the ticket buying experience category. The festival promoters shared that this goodwill likely contributed to a strong early loyalty for next year’s presale – people were happy with how they were treated, so they came back.

From these case studies, a few common threads emerge:
– No negative financial impact for the venue/promoter, and often some positive impact through higher volume or ancillary sales.
– Improved fan sentiment and trust, as measured by feedback, social chatter, and survey results.
– Operational ease, from fewer complaints to quicker sellouts to easier marketing messaging.
– Competitive advantage, whether it’s a small club standing out locally, or a big venue pleasing officials and snagging goodwill.

For venues considering the switch, these real-world examples show it’s not just theory – transparent pricing works in practice. What’s more, it’s scalable: it benefits the 200-cap club and the 20,000-seat arena alike, albeit in slightly different ways. The intimate venue builds community loyalty; the big venue sees broad-based trust and perhaps more spending per head; the festival harnesses it to discourage scalpers and foster goodwill. In every case, the fan experience improved – and when fans are happier, the business side usually flourishes, because live events fundamentally rely on fan enthusiasm.

Of course, success also depends on executing the change well. The venues above didn’t simply flip a switch quietly – they actively communicated and aligned their operations around it. That’s why in your own journey to upfront pricing, you should pair the technical change with a solid fan relations strategy (as we outlined in prior sections). Do it right, and your venue could be the next case study of success, earning you quotes in industry publications about how you “turned ticket pricing transparency into increased sales and customer love.” And indeed, other venue managers will likely ask you, “How’d you pull that off?” – at which point you can share your wisdom and further position yourself (and Ticket Fairy’s guidance!) as a thought leader in the industry’s evolution.