Fandom Unpacked
Come inside the minds of the world's greatest leaders of live experience brands with the Fandom Unpacked podcast series. Featuring conversations with the leaders on the front lines of brands who shape our culture, join us as we dive into the powers and forces that drive audience connection, loyalty, and lasting fandom.
Hosted by Damian Bazadona (Situation), Peter Yagecic (A Mind at Work Consulting), and Maureen Andersen (INTIX).
Fandom Unpacked is powered by Situation – the world’s leading marketing agency for live experience brands.
Fandom Unpacked
How The Oracle Of O-pa Turns Patrons Into Fans
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The moment someone walks through your venue's doors, you can feel it: they’re carrying expectations, nerves, excitement, and a very specific picture of how the night should go. We sit down with Ashley Voorhees, VP of Patron Services at Omaha Performing Arts, to talk about what happens when venues treat patron services as far more than ticketing and treat every touchpoint as part of the show.
We dig into the real mechanics of building loyalty in live events and performing arts: the “know before you go” communication that prevents a bad parking experience from souring a great performance, the power of active listening when a patron is frustrated, and why flexible policies often create more long-term value than rigid rules. Ashley shares how empowering staff with de-escalation training, coaching, and scenario practice turns customer service into confident, cross-department problem-solving.
We also explore accessibility as experience by design, including Omaha Performing Arts’ Sound Shirt testing and how inclusive planning affects everything from reservations and sizing to arrival logistics and promotion. Then we look forward: one-click buying patterns, 24/7 purchasing behavior, frictionless entry, and the privacy questions that come with emerging technology in arts and culture.
If you care about audience development, customer experience, accessibility, and the future of ticketing, hit play and take notes. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review telling us what detail venues still underestimate.
Recorded Friday, September 25th, 2026
Hosts: Damian Bazadona, CEO & Founder, Situation & Maureen Andersen, President & CEO, INTIX
Guest: Ashley Voorhees, Vice President of Patron Services at Omaha Performing Arts
Producer: Peter Yagecic, Founder, A Mind at Work
Welcome And Guest Setup
Peter YagecicYou're listening to Fandom Unpacked, the series where we unpack modern fandom with some of the brightest minds in sports and entertainment. I'm producer Peter Yagecic, and our hosts for today's QA are Situation CEO and founder Damian Bazadona and president and CEO of INTIX Maureen Andersen. This is the third installment of our Drumbeat to INTIX micro series here on the podcast. And if you haven't yet locked in your registration for INTIX 2027 in New Orleans, what are you waiting for? Head over to intix.org after today's episode. Our guest today is INTIX member and vice president of patron services at Omaha Performing Arts Center, Ashley Voorhees. Damian, I'd love for you to get us started. Yeah, thank you, Peter. And thank you, Ashley, for doing this.
Ashley VoorheesOh my gosh, I'm happy to be here. Thank
Patron Services Beyond The Transaction
Ashley Voorheesyou.
Damian BazadonaSo you obviously have an awesome resume, and you've been doing this. I if I'm doing my math correctly, you've been doing this for over 30 years, roughly.
Ashley VoorheesYep, my 30th anniversary this year, this year.
Damian BazadonaThere you go. Congratulations. So over those 30 years, from where you sit today, what role does patron services, because that's clearly in your title, right? Like what role does patron services uh play in building fandom?
Ashley VoorheesYou know, we're more than tickets, right? So everybody has this thing, like it's ticketing. You sell the tickets, but it's evolved so much into creating those experiences for the fan. So you're you're a patron center who focuses on what do you need to know before the show? Let me help answer your questions. Let me make sure that you are going to have the best experience when you show up at our venues. So it's evolved so much more than just, hey, it's a transaction. I need you to buy a ticket to get in. So we, I think about it a little bit in that um from a patron center mindset of I want to go to see something and have a great time myself. So what can I help build upon that? Last night I was just at Wait, wait, don't tell me at one of our venues and um at the Orpheum Theater, actually. And so had a blast, showed up, loving every minute of it, but started thinking of it in an operational mindset of like, oh, we can do better on our entrance for security next time. So it's not just a transaction. It's really about just making sure people feel welcome and coming through your store, your
The Universal Need To Feel Welcome
Ashley Voorheesdoors.
Damian BazadonaSo you have, but you represent like a lot of different constituents and different types of content and from concerts to what's like education community program to Broadway. What would you say is what have you learned is is uh universal about how people want to be treated when they show up or for something that they care about? I mean, I'm sure there's lots of differences, which we talk about, but like what's universal to it?
Ashley VoorheesI think the thing that's interesting, especially from where we we sit, we have four venues, right? So um we just opened our Tenasca Center, which is our arts engagement center. Um so you've got little kids coming in doing classes, so like a mom and dad arts play program, right? So they're experiencing it through the lens of their baby or their child going up through other programs like our high school musical theater academy, which they essentially are building upon Broadway and learning how to do shows and learning productions and learning all these things, to coming in and seeing a show for the first time at one of your venues, right? So they all have some type of tie-in with each other, even though the experience might be a little bit more unique. The arts are bringing them together, essentially. And I think one of the cool things about what we get to do on the daily is creating that moment. Um, one of my favorite things ever is seeing a little girl come in with her grandpa dressed up as Belle for Beauty and the Beast, and grandpa's in a tux wearing a glutener, and the daughter has a little granddaughter has a croissage and they're coming in, and she's seeing this gorgeous venue and knowing she's gonna see Belle on stage, and she's dressed as Belle. Like you think about those things, and I think that's what gives me the excitement about doing this for almost 30 years, for 30 years, really. I think it's just so fun to be able to have um have that shared commonality. And I think we forget that arts matter. I mean, we we know it, right? We live it on a daily, but in a societal way, I think we also need to think about how can arts help us? How can it help us in a health perspective? How can it bring us joy? Um, stepping away from day-to-day life gives us a moment for two hours just to see something live on stage. And it could be cute, it could be a concert. You know, we do we like concerts are important. Like I love a concert. I'm wearing a still house Omaha t-shirt right now. So I love going to that venue and seeing a concert, right? Um, I think it all just depends upon what's in that moment that you need and making it accessible. And patron fandom is important, really. Like they want that experience. They want to have that shared commonality in a room together.
Damian BazadonaYeah, it reminds me of uh when I brought my son to one of his first shows. I believe it actually was his first show, and he knew I work a lot on Broadway, and we walked into the new Victory Theater for a it was like a children's programming. And I I walk in, we turn the corner, he sees the stage, and he looks and he's like, Dad, this is definitely Broadway. And it was like sweet of all of it coming together in one moment in time. And I I I would imagine you think like patron services. You want to think of like a moment at a time that I will never ever ever forget? It's like these moments are created over and over again, and you're carrying the expectations on patron services to be able to deliver that for all these different constituencies. And I have such great admiration for the work that you do. Uh-huh. Um, because it's very, very hard.
Ashley VoorheesIt's fun. It is hard, but it's fun, right? Like it's that's what's mix that's what makes this exciting. It's hard. Every day is different, but it's a lot of fun.
Turning Complaints Into Policy Changes
Damian BazadonaUh Maureen.
Maureen AndersenHey, Ashley, how are you? Hi. I'm great. You look great. So I've heard you say it's almost like a personal mantra with you is that listening is one of the most important requirements of your job. And with your three different, vastly different kinds of venues like Steelhouse, Holland, Orpheum, um, patron services is where you hear about the moments that something didn't work. So you have a confusing policy or a bad seat experience, the technology goes down, something's weird, people didn't get what they expected, and they need someone to help them. So the the question really is how do you turn all of that active listening that you do and your staff is empowered to do into actual organizational change? And is there an example where patron feedback has actually changed the way that your organization as a whole operates?
Ashley VoorheesYeah. It's a great question. I mean, I've often told everybody that I I spend most of my time listening. Like I don't um you you get a you get an email, you get um a phone call. Let me hear you where you're at and let's see what we can do to help you, right? So is it um I missed a performance? Sorry, I can't exchange you, but here's what I'm gonna do to help you, right? So I think um a lot oftentimes we were so quick to have black and white rules in place. And as I've taken this listening mindset and changed it within the organization to say, okay, great, we can we don't have to play in the black and white, we can play in that gray zone and let's um hear where the patron is at and see what we can do to make it so they want to come back. Um, we've done things where um I've empowered the staff to be able to allow, let's make it so that if they can come back to a different show with their family and give them a better experience that way, let's make that happen. So I think it's coming down to some of that shift where we've done a lot of that. And we could probably thank COVID, honestly, for that exchange policy change. Um, but that's been something in the organization that I think we've recognized and empowered um staff to be able to allow to do that. You know, we had some no before you go information that just wasn't being included in the parking and our construction and whatever and all that stuff. Let's make that more known. Let's make that more vocal so that when they're coming in, they're not annoyed at parking. They know to arrive early so that they can then show up at the theater and still have a good experience. Um, I think that um we've taken some of those policy shifts of allowing food and beverage to be able to express it past the patron services. So going to our front of house teams and our food and beverage team and say, this drink's on me, or hey, you've showed up a little bit late, but let's make it so that you still have a great time. I'm gonna reopen this bar and help you out, right? Or I having an issue with our um seats where somebody is um has a perfume that I'm allergic to. Okay, great. We'll help you take care of you kind of thing. So that's really where this listening mindset has shifted the organizational change to allowing people just to feel empowered to make a patron amenity be what it is.
Maureen AndersenYeah, and I loved it when uh last May, when we were rolling out as an industry, the all-in ticket prices is the great video that you all did to get in front of that for your customers. I mean, truly is to explain it is that you know what, this is actually better for you as patrons and customers. So, you know, that's another, you know, very proactive, involved listening kind of moment to be ahead of them. Um, advanced listening is what it is, and meeting them where they are is great. Yeah, exactly.
Sponsor Break And Live Experiences
Damian BazadonaHey guys, Damien here. I just want to take a quick moment to say if you're enjoying this podcast right now, odds are you're in the business of selling live experiences. And if you don't know my team at the advertising agency situation, you most definitely should. Aside from just being an awesome group of human beings, they're a global team of professionals covering a brand based in sports, arts, theater, culture, museums, or any live experience that requires people coming together. Big, small, all shapes and sizes of brands. You can hit them up at the information below in the show notes.
Accessibility By Design With Sound Shirts
Maureen AndersenI have a fond spot in my heart for you all. You know that. And um I I'm constantly amazed at how much you all continue to move the needle. And you've done some really interesting accessibility work. And last year, I think you started your tests for the sound shirt. Yeah. And what struck me about the technology is it that's only the little bit of the story. You still have to figure it all out in reservation, sizing, communication, production. Um, how does it actually happen when the patron arrives? So when you think about accessibility from the patron services perspective, how do you make it part of the experience by design rather than just an accommodation that somebody has to fight to receive? It's holistic to you all, in my view.
Ashley VoorheesIt really is. And I think that stems down for a lot of our culture too. Like we knew we want to make arts accessible and meet you where you're at, whatever disability, non-disability you might have. So um, this sound shirt was one of these projects that we kicked off that I thought um so unique, so different. And I I kudos goes to our vice president of programming. It was his, it was his little brain trust idea that he worked with and saw with other colleagues from our Lyric Oper friends at Lyric Opera. And um, we were able to create an experience for somebody who has never really been able to hear a symphony play, but they could feel wearing the shirt, feel the symphony perform, or um coming to an opera and hearing an operatic moment and feeling it within your within your body. It's just amazing. Um, we've allowed it to be where um kind of an assigned mind moment for our staff is that let's let's make sure we are accessible. Let's make sure that we are being able to um make the accommodations necessary for people. So I think we've kind of put this moment into play and we're building upon it more. So, you know, going further, how can we work to make it so that people can maybe use their HSA funds to pay for tickets? How can we implement something like that? So I think as an organization, we're continuingly evolving and thinking of accessibility as a point in time because we know it can be accessible to people and just putting it out there. It's putting it out there. And it's also building those partnerships within the community, right? Like if you can go out and say, we have every Saturday matinee a sign interpreted performance of our Broadway shows. Let's get that out there so people can come and experience it.
Maureen AndersenAnd it's organic. So it's it goes beyond law. It it goes beyond just because we need to do this, it's because we want to do this. And it's actually part of the scenario and built into when you book shows and how you promote it and things like that. So, you know, uh hoo hoorah for
Growing New Audiences At Tenaska
Maureen Andersenyou guys. So when you added the Tanaska Center, it's interesting because people walking through those doors may not think of themselves as arts patrons or music patrons at all. They may just come into a class or a teenager coming to a hip-hop dance program or an adult trying to do something for the first time. It to me, looking at it, it looks like this laboratory for growing new audiences. And does that change how you think about audience development? And how is it feeding into creating relationships for somebody that may not think of themselves as a fan yet?
Ashley VoorheesIt's so it's interesting, especially with this new venue opening, right? We have this event hall space where people are coming in for conferences um during the day. And they never thought they would imagine to be in an art center world doing a conference and having this happen, and people are walking the halls and they're seeing the spaces or the weddings are happening in these spaces as well, right? So I got married in the Holland Center. Like, who would have thought, right? Like, I think that's where um we've taken a moment to recognize it doesn't have to be about coming to a show. We have these beautiful buildings. Let's use them in a way that like makes it available for people in the community, as well as um helping us generate revenue to sustain these programs that we do as well.
Maureen AndersenIt'll be interesting to see over kind of a continuum is that how fans are engaged and developed through all of this stuff you're doing, particularly at the education center. Um, and that's the data is gonna be fascinating.
Ashley VoorheesAnd that's one of my favorite, that's one of the things you know me, Maureen. I'm a data girl. Like I love me my data, right? So how am I going to take that information and see that patron journey five years from now? Or that family's impact, or recognizing, okay, we have these repeat clients coming in from um like rentals or uh using the facilities in a different way. How do they come back and experienced something we've put on stage? So I'm excited to watch that happen over the next five years and build upon that data. Because you know me, I'll be reporting on that. You know, I'll be sharing that information.
Maureen AndersenYeah, I know I know you will. And you never know, is that you know, the next grandfather and the granddaughter may come to a wedding at the Holland and then, you know, be coming to see, you know, Six or Anne Juliet next year. You know, you never know. And you never know. That's the this journey is gonna be fascinating.
Sponsor Break And Team Workshops
Damian BazadonaHey guys, Damian here. If you're listening to this podcast, I'm gonna bet that you're probably thinking about how your team works and adapts right now in this new technology landscape. That's why the one person I always point people to is my co-host, right here, Peter Yagecic, and his company, A Mind at Work Consulting. They run smart, tech-infused workshops that help teams build new skills and actually put ideas into action. Peter is way too humble to brag, but I have no problems bragging for him. So if you're serious about what's next, talk to a Mind at Work Consulting. More in the show notes below.
Small Details Fans Feel Deeply
Maureen AndersenPeter, I think, you know, because people knew we had Ashley, there were some questions that were sent in in advance. Do you have something from our audience?
Peter YagecicYep, we have some listener questions that we got over at fandomunpack.com. And Ashley, I think this first one goes back a little bit to the listening tour that you were talking about before that you went on with your audiences. Is there a piece of the patron journey that people who run live events tend to think is a small detail, but that fans really experience as a big deal? Do you have a thought or a memory around something like that?
Ashley VoorheesI, you know, what's funny is when you think back in this career, like it's crazy to think back this long. But one of the things I think that has been oversight is just the communication that's necessary for the patron. I think in the beginning it was, hey, we're gonna put this show out there. It's out there, people walk up and buy their tickets. And that communication style has changed so drastically. There's so many different verticals of how to hit people now versus what we used to do. So I think that's one of those things that was a small oversight that has shifted in we need to meet people in a different way than just coming out um with a show announcement. We need to do the follow-up, we need to do the texting, we need to do the um social posting, we need to do the emailing, we need to do the digital ads. All of those things have changed, and that's been interesting to see. I think one of the other things that I was kind of when I when I you bring this up and it starts to make me laugh a little bit more is um we didn't at first really hone in on what was actually important on the ticket, right? So I think a lot of times um we don't need to add the VIP tag on a ticket. They'll be able to figure it out when they show up at the venue. Oh, no, no, no, that needs to be on there, right? So I think there's been some of those things that were just oversight that in time you learn. You learn from your shared experience, you learn from living it. Um, how am I gonna make that different next time, really? Those are just a couple, but you know, I've got others that probably aren't appropriate for a podcast.
Peter YagecicWell, I want to sneak in one more that we got at the website. Uh, and and it's similar to a question that Maureen asked you up top about how you can you you often engage with audiences when they're in distress or maybe when something went wrong. And you talked already a little bit about how your team makes those things better, whether they open the bar back up or or move them if they're next to someone who they're allergic to their perfume. But I'd love you to talk about what do you actually say to your team to make them know that that's the expected behavior? So I know we know how you solve the problem, but how do you communicate to your team that you expect them to be problem solvers?
Training Staff To Solve Problems
Ashley VoorheesI think when when we kind of started looking at this war and changing that the patron services philosophy, right? Um, beyond just the ticket, it was how do we give them the training? So is there de-escalation classes that they can take or learn from? Are there um scenarios where um being comfortable to have that conversation? How do I help empower you? Let's do some one-on-one coaching, let's do some um scenario role playing. This patron walks in, how would you respond? I think those are keys and helping making sure that um your staff is comfortable with it. And I think they also need to understand that it also comes from the top down, right? Where it's okay to be a mistake, really, right? So it could essentially be I did this and I own it and I'm moving past it to be this way. So I think that's just where from an internal moment, having those conversations, allowing them to have the training that they need to help them feel that they are okay being in that moment and helping them de-escalate in a way that helps a patron in the end and that helps them grow as well.
Peter YagecicAnd and I bet the the top-down philosophy, when they see it modeled by someone else, by you, by their boss, then they know it's okay. They know, in fact, they know it's expected.
Ashley VoorheesYeah, exactly. And we make it a point too to talk about it. So, like when you're in your um weekly meetings, hey, did anything pop up from a patron amenity or a patron side of things that we need to circle back? And is there any other cross-department conversations that we need to have so that we're all on the same page? Um, is there something that we need to change for the next time? Let's just talk about it and know.
Maureen AndersenWell, I love how you've just put that is that patron amenity. So you've made it about satisfaction for a fan and a patron versus being a problem. So you've kind of switched the whole dynamic and how you speak. I mean, that's great. Yeah. I hope so.
Ashley VoorheesI hope so.
Maureen AndersenIt seems to be doing pretty good. Well, your ticket office did, you know, win in in Texas ticket office of the year a couple of years ago. So clearly something is working.
Ashley VoorheesWe did pretty good. We do pretty well. I'm proud of them. I have a great team. I honestly, like, I would not be able to do what I did without my great team. They're pretty phenomenal. I'm very lucky.
Peter YagecicVery, very lucky. Well, we're lucky to have you on this episode today. And Damien, I want to kick it back to you to wrap us up. Yeah. Actually, thank you.
Damian BazadonaIt's just so impressive the work and I've heard great things. So be able to have spend some time with you here and go through it is awesome. And and kudos for you shouting out your team. I feel like oftentimes in a lot of our conversations that we have with folks, the teams it's not they don't care about. They just don't always get the shout out and you gave the appropriate shout-out, which is awesome.
Ashley VoorheesThey deserve it all. They they make me they make me look good. So I'll I'll give them all the credits they deserve.
The Future: Frictionless Tech And Trust
Damian BazadonaSo I had a last question here that I just want to rewrite from what I originally had in our uh in maybe an outline you might have saw in advance. Uh given because I feel like you've already answered a lot of the question of my last one. So I want to spend it slightly differently and ask you to take out your crystal ball. And what change do you see on the horizon for patron expectations of arts and cultural experiences? So we kind of look backwards over 30 years, right? And now you're in it now, adjusting. If you go forward, what do you think it just in terms of expectations? What are they what are they gonna want more or less of? Or and and how might your job role change if you're looking two, four, six years down the road?
Ashley VoorheesYeah, I think um, you know, crystal ball would be great. I'd be a millionaire if I had it, right? So let's be real. I think technology is gonna drive a lot of this. I think there's gonna be a lot of changes within the technology. I think we're gonna see um patrons wanting an easier buy through pattern, right? I think that's gonna be a a thing where we're gonna have to have integrations in a way that be like one click buy. Amazon, yeah, put that in my cart, let's go, right? So we need to think of ways to help make it a faster buying pattern for them. I think. I also think that there will be times where um people are going to want to have a live interaction all the time with somebody to help with um customer service. So I do think there is a lot of that shift in focus of chatting with somebody all the time 24-7, just because people, we see it, data shows it. People are buying 24-7. It's not just the 10 to 5 window that people are buying in anymore. Internet has changed that. So I do think that there will be a lot of technology changes. You know, you've got facial recognition that are now people are utilizing that to enter facilities. How is that gonna evolve and change to um buying a ticket with just my face, right? And who knows? Who who really knows? It could be a lot of those covers, uh, those things of um just in my hand at the moment, quick. I need to get in quick. I want to get in quick. I want to buy this quick.
Damian BazadonaYeah, I feel like so much, because I totally agree with you. And I feel like so much is points for moving friction. And it seems like most of the brief of technology is just how do you get rid of the friction and all those things for facial recognition, how do we speed through? And I would imagine expectations catch up with that. I always find it interesting in how it sits at odds with some people's perception of privacy and navigating that game over time of what that looks like is gonna be fascinating, but uh totally agree.
Ashley VoorheesI mean, we didn't want to we didn't want to put our credit cards online for years, right?
Damian BazadonaLike, yeah, yeah. Who knows?
Ashley VoorheesIt's gonna it's gonna be so different. It will be so different.
Maureen AndersenYou know, you know, Damian, you just kind of crowned her the new oracle of Omaha.
Damian BazadonaThere you go. There you go. There you go. We heard it here first, folks.
Maureen AndersenI love it.
Damian BazadonaWell done. I love it.
Wrap Up And How To Follow
Peter YagecicUh Peter, you want to take us out? That is gonna do it for this episode of Phantom Unpacked. Thank you, Ashley, Damien, and Maureen for a great conversation. Thank you, Heather, for all your co-producing work to make the show happen behind the scenes. If you liked what you heard today, please check out all the great QA interviews we've done over at fandomunpack.com, or by searching Phandom Unpacked and following the series in your podcast player of choice. Also, do not forget to register for InTix 2027 in New Orleans over at intix.org. We're going to be back in your feed in a couple of weeks for the entire Fandom Unpack team. I'm Peter Yagecic. We'll see you next time.