Pablo Center at the Conflence Executive Director Meets with President Biden

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 15, 2023 

Pablo Center Announces Round Table with President Biden

Executive Director Jason Jon Anderson to meet with President Biden to discuss Junk Ticketing Fees

President Biden is convening a meeting of private sector companies who have committed to ending surprise fees by fully disclosing fees to consumers upfront.

Junk fees — hidden, surprise fees that companies sneak onto customer bills — are a pervasive problem in industries across the economy. That’s why the President has been calling on federal agencies, Congress, and private companies to take action to address these fees and provide consumers with honest, transparent pricing.

President Biden will be joined by Jason Jon Anderson, Executive Director at Pablo Center at the Confluence. He will discuss the all-in pricing they started implementing in April and have been transitioning shows to this ticket pricing format. This includes the 90,000 tickets it sells each year for events. Since implementing this policy, Pablo Center reports that it has experienced a 15% uptick in ticket sales, illustrating how venues can provide consumers with a transparent purchasing experience without hurting their business.

Jason Jon Anderson details “All-inclusive pricing is the best starting point but we still need comprehensive reforms that will ensure buying tickets is easier and cheaper for consumers. It started with patron surveys/interviews over the last year and a half, which ultimately lead us to change our ticketing partner to AXS ticketing. We are excited to continue to again enhance our guest experience for our 6th season.

“All-inclusive pricing is just the beginning of comprehensive ticket reform. Recently introduced legislation like FIX-THE-TIX will help ensure easier and cheaper ticket access for consumers. Tickets purchased directly from venues through primary ticketing sites are 33% cheaper (GAO report), while tickets sold on secondary ticketing sites average a 49% increase over face value (NY AG Report); up to 90% of tickets on secondary ticketing sites are offered by professional brokers, meaning everyone loses. The consumer pays more and those dollars do not go to support the Artist, Promoter, or Venue. Pablo Center is pleased to continue to offer industry leading-experiences to our artists and guests.”

Live Nation, SeatGeek, xBk, Airbnb, TickPick, DICE, and the Newport Festivals Foundation will also be joining at the round table. All are companies large and small that currently provide all-in pricing or are announcing a new commitment to do so in the coming months. In total, these companies will improve the purchasing experience for tens of millions of customers annually.

Today’s voluntary actions demonstrate that companies recognize the importance of providing consumers with honest, up-front, all-in pricing, rather than tricking them with surprise fees at the end of checkout. We look forward to what ending hidden fees will do for our community and artists.

ABOUT PABLO CENTER AT THE CONFLUENCE

Pablo Center operates in support of a mission that is focused on developing and augmenting endless opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the performing, literary, and visual arts.

Inside our doors, guests can experience two internationally-recognizable performance spaces; the 1,204-seat RCU Theatre and the innovative 400-seat Jamf Theatre. These spaces allow us to showcase the endless possibilities of the arts in a facility capable of providing transformative experiences and creative opportunities. The Pablo Center experience and mission are enhanced by our support spaces: three rehearsal, dance, and community rooms; three visual arts galleries; a sound and lighting lab; university classroom spaces; a state-of-the-art recording studio; and workforce/vocational training spaces. While our building makes Pablo unique, it is our community - patrons, members, business partners, constituent groups, and local artists - who make us remarkable.

We’re incredibly excited about our upcoming Season Six events and shows. We’ve added over 125 new performances, for a jammed packed season with the most Broadway shows we’ve ever had: Hairspray, Mean Girls, Come from Away, Get on Your Feet!, and Shrek. Season Six Events go on sale for members July 12 - 19. Tickets go on sale to the public beginning on Friday, July 21, 2023.

Pablo Center at the Confluence will be hosting the Inaugural Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival throughout the summer. The festival will feature a blend of artistic and educational endeavors, a new works series, a young performers troupe, various workshop classes open to the public, and more. The mainstage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is sure to be a captivating and enchanting show. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience the magic of Shakespeare and the power of great stories in the heart of Wisconsin.