Do you want to build a show, man?

Do you wanna build a show, man?
A concert or a play
We also to call it programming
Or configuring
Or system administering
No matter what you call it
We’re going live
We’ve got to get on sale
Do you wanna build a show, man?
It doesn’t have to be a show, man
Okay, BUY

In ticketing, we all have our own language to describe how the sausage gets made. Personally, I lean towards the term “build” because you are literally creating something from the ground up. A promoter or show might send over a rough draft of a schedule, pricing, and inventory allocations. Ticketing operations then creates the detailed blueprint and “builds” the show in the system.

Back in the early 2010s, it was sometimes referred to as “programming” but that term is now synonymous with coding, so it seems to have fallen off in ticketing operations and is left to the developers.

Depending on how the system works, and the needs of the event, it could also be called “loading events”. Typically, you’ll see this for a long-running show like a Vegas residency or a long-season sport like Baseball, anything that needs to be done in bulk.

System administration and event configuration are some other newer terms that describe the process. System administration is great because it’s also used for any CRM system like Salesforce. We’re starting to see “architect” in system admin titles and descriptions, which brings us full circle back to “build”. So, do you want to build a show, man?