Q&A With Joseph Rixon, SHU ticket manager

Assistant Athletics Director for Ticket Operations Joseph Rixon: I got started in ticket sales through a required internship I had with the ticket office at my alma mater, Liberty University starting in 2005. I worked in the ticket office as a student worker until I graduated in 2008. After working in minor league baseball for one season, I came back to Liberty to serve as their Asst. Director of Ticket Operations. After 7 years there I felt there was time for a change, as I also wanted to be closer to my family in South Jersey, so the position at Seton Hall became available and I was hired by Bryan Felt prior to the 2015 season.

What recent changes have been made to enhance your staff? Has there been any new direction given in how to approach the sales and if so, how has that changed from previous directives?

In the summer of 2018 we began a partnership with Learfield-IMG College Ticket Solutions. With the new staff it gave us the ability to start fresh and develop them into being a full-service operation. Whether you were having an issue with your online Account Manager or needed to purchase tickets, any of our staff could assist you and really be a “one stop shop” and provide our customers with solutions to whatever their needs were.

What new resources/equipment have you had in recent years that allows you and your staff to better perform the requirements of the job? Are there any other resources or technologies expected or being considered for the future?

Last year we made all of our student tickets digital, which was a major step in the right direction for us. We did roughly 3,500 student transactions at the windows, which took time and attention away from our season ticket holders and providing them with the attention I really desired us to provide. By moving student tickets onto an online portal, we were able to take the time and energy we spent assisting them and moved it into improving our communication with student season ticket holders and adding additional employees to our phone bank.

This off season we also upgraded to the “new” Account Manager. Fans will find that the process of reprinting, transferring and reselling their tickets will be easier than before. We also were the first collegiate partner of Fevo, which is a group sales software solution that makes planning a group night a breeze. Groups can customize their sales page, provide multiple seating options and even fundraise for their cause as well. Best of all, fans who purchase tickets can send the link to their friends and their proprietary software will make sure you and your friends sit together.

Last year the student section tickets sold out for the men’s basketball team, which I am assuming is the first time in a while. How was that made possible? Is it expected again and how is the school looking to make that happen?

While we were sold out of the main student section, we still were able to accommodate all of our students for almost every game, even if it meant providing tickets in a different area of the Prudential Center. We know that students are a big part of our home court advantage and if we can get them into the building we will certainly do that if we can.

The key to having the success we’ve had the last two seasons on the student season ticket front comes down to getting freshman on board. That means going to every event, whether it be the various orientations over the summer, move-in day, the block party and pitching the Seton Hall basketball experience to them.

What is in store for the men’s basketball mini-plans this year? Any information you are able to provide on grouping of opponents, sizes, prices, etc. would be great to hear.

We will offer a three-game plan that will include Michigan State, Maryland and Villanova. The only six game mini-plan we will be offering this year is the “Pick Your Own”. We want to give our fans the flexibility to choose the games that work best with their busy lives. While pricing has not been released, it is a great deal available to fans who may find that a full-season ticket package isn’t best for them or want to get a taste of Seton Hall Basketball before committing to a full season.

With the university having to work with the Prudential Center, what are the inherent difficulties working with a venue that has professional hockey and countless shows/performances throughout the year and how does the university contend with those difficulties? How is the working relationship and how has it evolved over the last decade or so?

The Prudential Center is a fantastic partner for us. While there are some inherent challenges that come with working with a professional venue, such as scheduling, very rarely do those issues affect our office. We pride ourselves on having a great relationship with their ticket office staff.

Who is involved in the background work in setting up the men’s basketball schedule before it is given the okay and what is the process like in setting it up?

Scheduling is done by the coaching staff and administration, so unfortunately my insight into that area is limited.

The readers of the site have commented previously on the seats in the mid-court area that are sold presumably to business interests but are not always used and how it does not present well on television. How are those business relationships forged? Is there anything that the university or the businesses have looked into or done to have more of those seats filled on a more regular basis?

We have seen those comments and do understand how it may look on television. However, per our agreement with the Prudential Center many of seating areas in question are purchased through them as part of a “platinum” package, so there is little we can do to assure those seats are used. However, we do plan on providing an insert with season tickets this year that gives our fans some ideas on how to make sure their season tickets are used even if they cannot attend.

In the past there has been a re-shuffling of season ticket seats, due to the changing of the student section and Seton Hall benches I believe, and I wanted to see if you had any thoughts on if or why that may occur in the future?

A reseating has not occurred over the last several years and as of right now there have been no discussions regarding doing that in the future. However, if we continue to sell season tickets at the pace we are at now and seating becomes limited that may be something we address in the future in order to make sure the most loyal donors have access to the best seats.

Who handles marketing/PR/advertising for ticket sales and what campaigns or initiatives are being done to promote the team as it has another great schedule of teams lined up? How does the school approach marketing the more notable individual players (Myles Powell, previously Angel Delgado, Isaiah Whitehead)?

Several offices work in tandem to provide marketing for our basketball programs. These primarily include Sports Information, Marketing and the Ticket Office. While we try to limit how we use our players in regard to advertising and try to focus on the game experience and the quality product we put out on the floor, our goal is to build fans well into the future regardless of our players. However, our players are a great resource for us and their reputation for being really fan friendly and photogenic has helped us expand our fan base, especially among families and children.

We will continue to use every marketing tool at our disposal to promote Seton Hall basketball, this includes conventional advertising like billboards and television as well as digital media through platforms like Twitter and Facebook. One area we’ve put more of an emphasis the last two years has been community events. We’ve greatly expanded the Summer Caravan, which helps to get us in front of our fans throughout the Garden State promote the Seton Hall brand.

What must take place in terms of ticket sales for the university to open up the upper tier for games? What timelines/deadlines must be met to set that into motion?

There is an additional cost to opening up the upper level, but at the end of the day our focus is on the fan experience. If we believe that opening the curtain will improve or enhance the fan experience and in-turn help us make additional revenue, then we will pursue that.

When is the Big East scheduled expected to be finalized and released? How does the university work with other schools to ultimately sell tickets at home and on the road?

The BIG EAST schedule is released once the dates have been finalized by the conference. Much of the BIG EAST is in the same situation we are in, where venues are shared with professional teams who own those facilities, so the schedules take a little longer to finalize than many other conferences.

We do usually reach out to opposing schools to see if any of their regional alumni associations are interested in purchasing tickets or having a group outing. For road games we work closely with opposing institutions to get the best seats available for our team and player guests and in many cases, negotiating for similar seats at our venue if it is part of a home-and-home.

What is the process like for designing/creating the season tickets with school/player/mascot photos? Season ticket holders typically receive a small gift with their package each year, how is that gift decided on and put into place?

The process for designing/creating season tickets varies from year-to-year. For some years we try to keep the theme consistent with the men’s basketball theme. Last year that theme was “New Jersey’s Tournament Team”, so our tickets focused on that. This year it’s a little bit different and we are excited for our fans to see them.

We work very closely with the ticket printing company that designs those tickets to make sure that what is produced matches what our vision was.

In regard to our season ticket holder gift, we’ve tried to focus on something that is practical and our fans can use – whether it be a winter hat, cooler bag or this year’s gift, which I am also excited for our fans to see.

Finally, since you have taken the time to correspond with us and give an inside glimpse on a vital piece of the athletic department and its processes, we would like to give you the forum to talk on any subject or matter that we have not discussed. Any last comments you have for the Seton Hall alums/fans/community?

Fans can reach out to us with any questions or concerns through multiple avenues. On days with high call volume it may take longer to get back to someone than we would like, but if you leave a message we will get back to you. They can also reach out to me directly at joseph.rixon@shu.edu if they are not satisfied with their ticket buying experience and I will do the best I can to make it right.

Season tickets will be shipped by some time in October. If you have season tickets, you will receive an email in September confirming your address – please check to make sure that is the correct address.

Make sure you have taken care of your Priority Seating Premium. We will hold your tickets until you’ve taken care of that. Pirate Blue will be sending out those invoices soon.

We have several dates remaining for the Summer Caravan. They can be found here: https://shupirates.com/news/2019/6/21/general-dates-for-2019-shu-summer-caravan-announced.aspx. My staff and I will be at each one.