This week The Insider gathers up the latest ‘revolving door’ action at The Ticket Factory, Wasps, Really Useful and more.
All change over the summer in the ticketing scene. After five years Stuart Cain has departed The Ticket Factory. Cain oversaw significant development work on the Birmingham-based agency’s AudienceView white-label solution – winning awards along the way – but The Insider understands that The Ticket Factory owners Lloyds Development Capital (which purchased the parent NEC Group off cash-strapped Birmingham Council back in 2015) wants bigger returns. Cain has now joined Midlands-based Wasps RFC and its Ricoh Arena as Commercial Director. Earlier this summer Lisa Brown also departed The Ticketing Factory to join Manchester-based Ticket Arena as Client Services Director.
Peter Monks, who had eight years at The Ticket Factory until 2013, is downing his gin bottles and returning to the fold to provide ‘interim stability’ before Richard Howle joins as the new MD after working out his notice at Really Useful Theatres group.In his role as Commercial Director, Howle was overseeing Really Useful Theatre’s transition to the group long-awaited TopTix platform – currently nearing completion across RUT’s properties. Sources confirm that the rollout of TopTix at Really Useful will be completed in October 2017 prior to Howle’s departure. The Insider understands that Mark Guymer, fresh from much-debated demise of Sky Tickets, is taking Howle’s former desk – reporting into Rebecca Kane-Burton, who is one year into her role as CEO of Really Useful Group – and will be charged with rebuilding RUG’s ticketing team.
Still no permanent MD for Eventim UK. The German bosses seem happy with interim cover Dale Ballentine who was stepped up from Strategy Director after the departure of CEO Simon Presswell (the ex-TM UK boss who managed two months longer at Eventim than he did at TM). The group’s recent accounts show UK ticketing service revenues at €10.89m (up from €9.146m the previous year). The 19.2% growth is noted “above our group-wide average.” Sources at Eventim say they are not recruiting for the MD’s role currently and will see how things shape up in UK. Eventim is working out its final sales volumes under its SMG arenas contract (ts largest volume contract in UK) before TM picks up the full allocation so next year’s accounts are unlikely to be as healthy. But, sources say, “Eventim Germany has plans to maintain volume in the UK through various new client wins.”