HomeTown Highlights from NADC 2023
HomeTown took center stage at this year’s National Athletic Directors Conference – literally! At the opening reception of the NFHS and NIAAA – National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association #ADConf23, HomeTown announced that we are re-committing ourselves to our original founding vision, of delivering a premium, education solution that helps Athletic Directors save more MONEY, save more TIME, and create greater IMPACT for the students and programs we serve. This was only one of the few epic highlights from the event. HOMETOWN HIGHLIGHTS ANNOUNCED STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHOOLFUNDR The partnership with Schoolfundr will allow HomeTown to offer a unified experience for fans and donors, helping you raise money for your programs quickly and efficiently. Bringing Schoolfundr’s platform to HomeTown’s clients provides the optimal fundraising experience with: Best In Class Features: The platform is purpose built for K-12 athletics, with customized options and reporting tools that help you raise more money than ever before Best In Class Support: You’ll have a hands on fundraising coach to guide you every step of the way, making fundraising less work for you and your staff than on any other platform Best In Class Pricing Model: Other fundraising platforms take 20% or more of the funds you raise; Schoolfundr lets you keep all of the funds you raise with ZERO platform fees or subscription fees Our team is ready to help you get started. Schedule a call to learn more about how we can start saving your school money today! OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF THE WELCOME RECEPTION We were incredibly proud to sponsor this year’s opening night reception! Our team welcomed thousands of Athletic Directors with a live band, exciting announcements, dancing, peer networking and of course, food! What an amazing way to kick off the weekend. 2023 HOMETOWN CUSTOMER AWARDS We know none of the work we do matters without the support and commitment of our customers. For the last decade, we have been proud to partner with passionate school leaders, who work every day to create amazing experiences for students, in the classrooms and in all extra-curricular activities. Check out this year’s 2023 HomeTown Customer Award winners and see how they are making an impact at their school and within their community. HOMETOWN RAFFLE Drumroll, please…Congratulations to Jason Fowler from East Mecklenburg High in NC who is the lucky winner of the HomeTown game-day ready raffle prize – a custom pair of HomeTown AirPod Max headphones! We can’t wait to see these shine on the sidelines. NADC DOOR PRIZE WINNERS One of the most exciting parts of the conference every year is participating in the NADC Door Prizes! This year HomeTown entered two items into the raffle, and we are over-the-moon for our winners. A massive congratulations to Cora Lanter from Severance High School who was the recipient of our $1,000 donation towards their next fundraising campaign. This could not have gone to a more deserving school, as Severance High School just opened its doors in the fall of 2019. The HomeTown team is proud to support your programs! Stephen Nolan, a retired Athletic Director from New York won a custom WHOOP fitness and activity tracker, including a one-year membership! If you weren’t able to attend the event this year, we’ve got you covered. Set up time with a HomeTown expert to talk about how we can help you better manage events, increase engagement, expand your social media presence, collect donations, and manage funds.
Announcing The 2023 HomeTown Customer Award Winners!
At HomeTown, we are thrilled to announce and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our top clients with the 2023 HomeTown Customer Awards! These awards recognize excellence in various athletic categories and highlight the lasting impact these leaders have on their communities, their students, and their schools. Let’s cheer on the remarkable individuals and teams… MVP (Most Valuable Player): Tom Keating from the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IA) Tom Keating, the illustrious recipient of the 2023 HomeTown MVP award, stands as a true luminary in the realm of K-12 athletics, not merely confining his impact to the borders of Iowa but resonating across the entire nation. His role as a transformative force has not only laid the groundwork for an indomitable foundation but has also cultivated an unparalleled presence among member schools in Iowa, a testament to his unwavering dedication to elevating the high school athletics experience. The passion that Tom exudes in his commitment to enhancing the high school athletics journey is nothing short of awe-inspiring. His fervent advocacy for the indispensability of digital ticketing goes beyond mere rhetoric — it’s a tangible force for change. Tom’s resolute efforts have not only resulted in remarkable year-over-year growth in Iowa but have sent ripples throughout various states, compelling schools and athletic programs to embrace digital ticketing practices within their communities. Tom’s loyalty to HomeTown is nothing short of commendable, reflecting a profound belief in the strength of the established partnership. This allegiance serves as a resounding endorsement of his commitment to the triumph of K-12 athletics and the widespread adoption of digital ticketing in the state. With an unparalleled vision, Tom foresees the myriad benefits that this partnership will usher into Iowa, showcasing a forward-looking perspective and an enduring dedication to the long-term, positive impact of HomeTown’s solutions in the region. In acknowledging the key contributors to the success of our partnership, it is imperative to extend our appreciation not only to Mr. Keating but also to commend the invaluable efforts of Chelsea Clark and Jess Morgan from the IHSAA office. As the designated point persons for their adept utilization of HomeTown, they have played pivotal roles in ensuring the seamless integration and success of this collaboration. Their dedication and expertise have significantly contributed to the overall accomplishments of our shared objectives. The IHSAA has demonstrated consistent year-over-year expansion through the implementation of digital ticketing, facilitating streamlined access to over 1000 events and successfully retailing more than 500,000 online tickets annually. Rookie of the Year: Andy Dorsey from East Paulding High School (GA) The Rookie of the Year award recognizes a new HomeTown client who has quickly adapted and excelled in utilizing our platform. Andy Dorsey, the Athletic Director at East Paulding High School, has taken the Rookie of the Year title by storm. East Paulding High School began using the HomeTown platform in Fall 2023. Within just a few weeks, Andy began utilizing HomeTown’s extensive suite of capabilities – like custom seat maps, social media, and event reporting – to quickly enable his community with a seamless event experience. Andy’s ability to efficiently integrate HomeTown into East Paulding High School and community showcase his commitment to excellence. His fresh perspective has brought innovation to East Paulding High School, making him a standout Rookie of the Year. Since the start of the Fall season 2023, East Paulding High School has hosted 47 events, selling over 12,300 tickets and 116 season tickets and sports passes. The speedy adoption of Hometown digital ticketing in this community sets an example for what’s possible for athletic programs who use the platform. Team of the Year: Northside ISD (TX) The Team of the Year award celebrates the collective effort, teamwork, and outstanding results achieved by a group or department within a HomeTown client organization. The Athletics Department at Northside ISD has been named the 2023 Team of the Year. Their collaborative approach to utilizing HomeTown Ticketing has not only enhanced the fan experience but has also significantly contributed to the overall success of Northside ISD events. The NISD Athletics Department demonstrates a steadfast commitment to teamwork through communication, proactive event preparation, and true partnership with the HomeTown team to ensure smooth event operations, especially as it pertains to the implementation of digital ticketing. Their dedication to providing fans with a smooth and enjoyable experience sets them apart as the Team of the Year and sets the bar at a level of excellence which all HomeTown clients should strive towards. “We are pleased, honored and humbled to accept this award. A very special thanks to everyone at HomeTown Ticketing for selecting the Northside ISD Athletics Department. And an enormous salute to all of this year’s nominees each of whom made incredible contributions to their communities, their students and schools.” – Jay Govan, Assistant Director of Athletics, Northside ISD To the innovators, community leaders, and hometown heroes, you are the way forward. Your commitment to ensure students have memorable experiences during their academic career is one we admire and love supporting through our platform. As the year comes to a close, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the 2023 HomeTown Customer Award Winners. Your dedication, innovation, and commitment to excellence serve as an inspiration to the entire HomeTown community.
HomeTown partners with Schoolfundr to create a better experience for students
A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS Today at the opening reception of NADC, HomeTown took the stage and recommitted ourselves to our original founding vision of delivering best-in-class, education specific solutions that help athletics and school leaders better manage events, increase engagement and loyalty, and streamline all aspects of activity management. For the last decade, we have been proud to partner with passionate school leaders , who work every day to create amazing experiences for students, in the classrooms and in all extra-curricular activities. We saw an opportunity years before Covid to help schools transition from paper to digital ticketing, allowing them to provide a better experience for their fans and supporters, while at the same time, saving Athletic Directors time and budget, reducing headaches, and decreasing the financial risk and security concerns that arise when accepting cash for activities. Some of the same coordination, workflow, communication and financial headaches that our schools experienced in the pre-digital ticketing world, is now occurring in the fundraising world. We have schools who continue to “sell products” like candy, candles, and mattresses – which is a huge logistical and inventory hassle, and only receive 20-30% of the proceeds. Others made a leap to early online fundraising, however they are seeing 20-25% being taken by companies, raising questions from parents, boosters and the community about fairness and equity in these challenging financial times. As we engage and speak with thousands of leaders every year, helping solve this fundraising challenge was top of mind. And as we examined our own customer behaviors, more than 20% of our high schools were using HomeTown for some form of donation, roundup, or fundraiser, to raise needed funds for their programs. HOMETOWN & SCHOOLFUNDR When HomeTown decided to partner with an online social donation platform, it was important that their values aligned with ours. Schoolfundr exists to help school communities grow for the well–being of the students they serve, and most importantly, their entire fundraising suite is no-cost to use for schools. Schoolfundr’s flexible fundraising technology empowers users to create custom, online fundraising campaigns that are easy to manage, free to create, and simple to contribute. And best of all, 100% of donations go to the school, minus standard credit card processing fees (of about 3%). With this partnership, we’re enabling a more comprehensive athletic experience, allowing clients to easily recognize and manage their money across fundraising and ticketing activities. CUSTOMER IMPACT As we start launching fundraisers at schools, the impact seen by Athletics and activities leaders is clear. “I’m very excited about the partnership between HomeTown and Schoolfundr. As an experienced HomeTown customer, I’m well aware of the impact that advanced digital tools can have on my program. Our District has already had a great experience running multiple campaigns using the Schoolfundr platform, and Schoolfundr is now going to revolutionize the way we fundraise, and how we manage our finances across the entire athletic department.” – Haley Stewart, Athletic Director, East Gaston High School The partnership with Schoolfundr will allow HomeTown to offer a unified experience for fans and donors, helping you raise money for your programs quickly and efficiently. Bringing Schoolfundr’s platform to HomeTown’s clients provides the optimal fundraising experience with: Best In Class Features – The platform is purpose built for K-12 athletics, with customized options and reporting tools that help you raise more money than ever before Best In Class Support – You’ll have a hands on fundraising coach to guide you every step of the way, making fundraising less work for you and your staff than on any other platform Best In Class Pricing Model – Other fundraising platforms take 20% or more of the funds you raise; Schoolfundr lets you keep all of the funds you raise with ZERO platform fees or subscription fees Ready to get started? Schedule a call to learn more about how we can start saving your school money today!
Production Show Shirts, Dues, and More!
The show has been cast, you’ve had your first read-thru, you’ve started blocking… now the work begins. Blocking alone is time consuming, but you have so many more tasks to do and it feels like there is never enough time in the day to complete them. Let your Hometown Box Office do some of the production organization heavy lifting for you! Did you know that you can utilize your Box Office to: Collect t-shirt sales for the cast and crew? Manage all of your orders in one place by sending out a link to your cast and crew for them to order t-shirts through a private event*. You’ll get real-time reporting, the money will go directly to the school, and you do not have to worry about collecting info or cash by hand. Plus, you still get to work with your school-approved vendor. Collect thespian or production dues? Similar to collecting t-shirt information, you’ll send out a link to your cast and crew for them to pay their dues through the private event* feature. You’ll have access real-time reporting to see who has and hasn’t paid, the money goes directly to the school, and you do not have to worry about collecting cash by hand. Sell program ads? When you create an event to sell ads for your program, you can ask for custom information* at checkout. For example, you can collect how they would like their name to appear or what their shoutout message should say. After checkout is complete, all of this information is available to be exported so you can simply copy and paste it into your program. Wondering how to make it happen? Reach out to your Client Success Manager to learn how to set this up. Not a HomeTown school, but would like more information? Please schedule time with our performing arts experts to get started today. *HomeTown’s in-house platform has many unique features including creating private events that are not visible to the public and custom questions to gather information. There are seemingly endless ways to use your HomeTown Box Office.
Strike Up The Band
Strike Up The Band – For Battle! Drum roll please…it is time for the annual Battle of the Bands competitions to happen throughout the United States. As you start to prepare for your show and the competition(s) that you might be participating in, we wanted to highlight a few things on how HomeTown can help make planning and organizing this year’s competition easier than ever before. Tickets You can streamline all ticket purchases online so that every school participating can encourage their parents to purchase tickets in advance. You also can sell tickets at the gate the day of the competition. By creating multiple ticket levels, you could have a ticket level dedicated to each participating program and then with our reporting, you can share with each school how many tickets were sold for their program. Band Merch Have some awesome band merchandise that your band and band parents will love? Stay organized with these sales by sending out a link to your families for them to order their gear through a private event* set up in your box office. You then get real-time reporting, the money will go directly to the school and you do not have to worry about collecting info or cash. Plus, you still get to work with your school-approved vendor. Concessions* Do you sell concessions to raise more money for your program? The HomeTown platform allows you to sell concessions through our point of sale system. This allows you to take credit card payments or cash as well as have real-time reporting to know exactly how much you sold at the end of the day. Plus, the school can receive a direct payment for those funds. Feel free to reach out to your dedicated Client Success Manager to learn more on how to set this up. Not a HomeTown school, but would like more information? Please schedule time with our performing arts experts to get started today. *HomeTown’s in-house platform has many unique features including creating private events that are not visible to the public and concessions. There are seemingly endless ways to use your HomeTown box office.
Spotlight on Auditions with HomeTown
As we embark on a new school year, you are bound to wind down and start planning for a successful program this year. Every production starts with the highly anticipated auditions. Who will get the lead? Is this the right monologue? You know…the time when everyone overthinks every detail. While your students are worrying about how they should deliver their monologue, HomeTown can help you stay organized with the details that matter to you. You can use your box office to set up an Audition Event. These types of events are complementary and are at no charge to the registrant or you. Just part of what we offer your school/organization. By setting up the registration process in your HomeTown box office, you can: Segment time slot sign ups so you can space auditions out Automatically send a confirmation email with PDF attachments of monologue(s) and/or scene(s) to prepare Ask up to 15 questions at check out that can be exported into Microsoft Excel For example, you can gather parental information, ask about schedule conflicts, vocal part, role(s) desired and more. You can also send out notifications with important updates to everyone who registers in advance. For example, vocal warm up will take 15 minutes prior to auditions beginning, costume measurements will be taken after you audition, etc. When you are able to condense some of this admin work and schedule out the audition process, you will be able to focus more on the audition itself. Feel free to reach out to your dedicated Client Success Manager to learn more on how to set this up. Not a HomeTown school, but would like more information? Please schedule time with our performing arts experts to get started today.
Elevate Your Game-Day Experience with HomeTown Social Media
We are excited to begin introducing HomeTown Social Media, our brand new innovative social media automation feature powered by BoxOut, designed specifically for athletic directors and administrators. HomeTown Social Media is set to revolutionize the way you promote your events, engage with your audience, and drive ticket sales. In this blog post, we will explore the key features and benefits of HomeTown Social Media, and how it will enhance your game-day experience this fall. Effortless Graphic Creation With HomeTown Social Media, creating professional-looking graphics for your game-day promotions has never been easier. Our intuitive platform syncs with BoxOut’s graphic tools and allows you to effortlessly design graphics that are pre-populated with relevant event data from HomeTown. Say goodbye to time-consuming graphic design processes or the need to hire expensive design resources. HomeTown Social Media empowers you to create eye-catching visuals that will captivate your audience. Save Time and Money HomeTown Social Media is all about efficiency and cost-effectiveness. By automating your social media marketing, you can save valuable time and resources. This new integration enables you to create content once and seamlessly distribute it across all your social platforms with just a few clicks. This means less time spent on creating and manual posting – and more time focusing on what matters most. Drive Attendance One of the primary goals of HomeTown Social Media is to help you increase event attendance. Our powerful features, in collaboration with BoxOut, allow you to preload all existing schedule information, including dates, game times, opponents’ names and logos, and venue details. Additionally, HomeTown Social Media will include direct links to your ticket purchase page, making it incredibly convenient for fans to buy tickets with just a single click. With HomeTown Social Media, you can effectively drive attendance and ensure that every event you host is a resounding success. Promote Your Staff and Student Athletes We understand the importance of showcasing your staff and student athletes to help foster community pride and support. HomeTown Social Media provides you with a platform to highlight the talent, dedication, and achievements of your team on game days and every day in between. Share engaging visuals and compelling stories that will resonate with your hometown and create a sense of excitement and anticipation leading up to events. Boost Fundraising HomeTown Social Media goes beyond just promoting events; it also offers powerful marketing opportunities for your fundraising campaigns. You can leverage our platform to promote your fundraising initiatives – while streamlining the donation process seamlessly within the ticket purchasing path. By combining event promotion, ticket sales, and fundraising efforts, you can maximize your overall fundraising potential with HomeTown and drive support for your school or organization’s financial goals. Elevate Your Brand and Communicate Effectively With HomeTown Social Media, you can elevate your brand image and effectively communicate your important announcements to your audience. Our professional graphics will make your social media posts stand out like the pros, capturing the attention of your followers and conveying information in a visually appealing way. Present a consistent and polished brand image across all your social platforms, creating a memorable and engaging experience for your audience. As a special offer, we are excited to provide our customers with a FREE annual Premium license to BoxOut, valued at $2400, when you sign up to use HomeTown. This exclusive bonus is our way of driving further adoption of HomeTown Social Media and ensuring you have all the tools you need to maximize the impact this fall. At HomeTown, we’re confident that HomeTown Social Media is going to be an absolute game-changer for athletic directors and administrators, providing a comprehensive social media automation solution tailored to your needs. By effortlessly creating professional graphics, saving time and money, driving attendance, promoting your staff and student athletes, boosting fundraising efforts, and effectively communicating with your audience, you can take your game-day experience to the next level. Get ready to elevate your brand and engage your community like never before with HomeTown Social. To learn more about HomeTown Social Media and how it can benefit your school or organization, get in touch with our team today. We are here to support you every step of the way. Click here to start elevating your game-day experience with HomeTown Social Media!
How to Increase Ticket Sales for Your Spring Musical
When planning for the spring musical, it’s important to remember that a marketing and ticketing strategy will ensure that you generate as much revenue as possible! Now’s the time to get your ticket sales ready. Tell your guests how to get tickets When promoting your upcoming show remember to always include information about how to purchase tickets. Having a QR code on every show poster or a link on every social media post will make it easier for your guests to purchase tickets and support your show. Related post: Increase Ticket Sales by Using Social Media Previous slide Next slide Put your tickets on sale early Digital ticketing makes ticket sales more accessible to your audience. Make sure you give your guests plenty of time to purchase their tickets. Tickets should go on sale at least a few weeks before opening night. Give cast and crew early access With HomeTown, you can use Presale codes to allow cast and crew early access.You can use a unique one-time-use Passcode to allow teachers to redeem just one complimentary ticket across all performances. Season Tickets can be used to allow your guests to purchase tickets for all performances in one transaction. Related post: Simplify Your Theatre’s Season Ticket Package Keep tickets on sale through curtain It’s important to keep your tickets available for sale through the curtain, or even 15 minutes after. With HomeTown, your box office inventory is always live and your guests can quickly receive their digital ticket before scanning it at the door. Keeping tickets on sale as long as possible streamlines your box office line and reporting while increasing sales. Related post: 5 Ways to Promote Your Events To learn more about HomeTown’s platform set up a demo with our team. They’ll work with you to answer any questions you have and share the features that will most benefit your program.
Simplify Your Theatre’s Season Ticket Packages
For many loyal theatre enthusiasts, season ticket packages are a must have and an ideal way to support the arts in their local communities. What value can season ticket packages bring to your venue and how can you simplify the set up and ticketing process? Create Excitement and Loyalty Announcing an entire season of upcoming events can create excitement in your community and stir organic conversations about attending these events. By hyping up your new season and setting on sale dates for packages, you can motivate your community to purchase their package as soon as possible. Season tickets packages are also ideal for rewarding your loyal guests with savings while generating more revenue ahead of your season. Guests save on fees by purchasing their entire season at once. Drive Early Sales Automated renewals allow your returning season ticket holders to keep their seats for the upcoming season and give them first access to ticket upgrades, exchanges, and adding additional packages. Then, create a season ticket package purchase option online to allow new season ticket holders to easily purchase their packages. By offering season tickets ahead of releasing single tickets, you drive early sales for your entire run of shows and encourage eager theatre goers to become returning guests for your events by adding value through first access to tickets and features. Use Data to Your Advantage Once your packages are on sale, you can use real-time reporting to inform your marketing initiatives. Offer promotional rates at times where sales are slow or use reports to identify and target certain groups of guests, like renewing past season ticket holders who have not yet committed or signing up new guests. Detailed reports ensure that every cent is tracked and deposited directly into your account. This simplifies your accounting processes and introduces key check points into your revenue plan that can help you monitor your progress toward projected goals and targets. Related post: Communication, Capacity, and Cancellations: How HomeTown Can Help Work with Experts The HomeTown platform has the built-in ability to sell and renew season ticket packages as well as the support you need to easily set up and manage all of your ticketing. Our team has years of professional-level ticketing experience as well as technology and performing arts experience. We’re on-hand to help with your questions and any ticketing questions that your guests may have. To learn more about HomeTown’s platform and how to sell season packages and single tickets, schedule a call with our team. They’ll work with you to answer any questions you have and share the features that will most benefit your program.
Passes: Which Types are Right For Your School?
Season passes are one of the most common ways that schools use HomeTown’s pass feature, but which of these additional passes might benefit your programs? Here’s a look at a few ways schools use passes to drive ticket sales and offer their students, their families, and fans the options they really want. What are Passes? Passes provide an easy way for fans to purchase entry to multiple events at one time, while providing fans with flexible options. Select the events your school wants to sell a pass for, most commonly this is used to provide a single digital pass that grants access to an athletic season’s events. Then, fans receive one QR code via email or the HomeTown Fan App that can be scanned for entry. Multi-Sport Passes With a multi-sport pass, the passholder can access events beyond a single sport and athletic season. With one purchase, you can create a simple way for your most loyal fans to attend sporting events within the same season. This option can be especially useful for parents who have student athletes in multiple sports, for example a family who has a basketball player and a wrestler, may opt for multi-sport passes to access both of these winter sports. Related post: Benefits of Season Passes and Season Tickets for your Sports Season Student and Parent Passes Some schools opt to offer an exclusive and convenient way for students and parents to access multiple events with passes. Using our built-in passcodes feature, student ID numbers or a unique code can be given to each eligible person to unlock passes with a particular set of events or at a special rate. Family Passes Family passes can be set up to allow one pass to earn entry for multiple people in a family. Settings allow you to set a pass from one valid scan per event to multiple entry scans per event. Family passes can offer a set number of scans per event, allowing a family to attend events without worrying about purchasing single game tickets. Related post: Why Choose HomeTown Ticketing? Want to learn more about using HomeTown’s platform to sell passes and single tickets to your athletics events? Set up a time to talk with our team to gather the information you need and get started with our digital ticketing solution.
