To give complimentary tickets or to not give complimentary tickets?

This is a great question. This is also a dilemma of a question. As we relentlessly pursue new advertisers to experience the buying power of the performing arts audience, we from time to time get the inevitable question of whether we can get free tickets with the purchase of the playbill ad.  This is a question that we dread to hear because we are truly at the mercy of our performing arts clients. Philosophies on the subject of complimentary tickets vary. From our sales prospective, complimentary tickets can be a powerful sales tool.  Complimentary tickets satisfy the question of how an audience uses the playbill. They introduce the advertiser prospect to how the playbill is used after the event. The misconception being that they are discarded. Because everyone in the audience uses the playbill, it is this experience that allows the prospective advertiser to witness first hand how this unique marketing medium can work. A second positive outcome is that it can be a great sales tool for future ticket sales for the performing arts organization. We have had many instances where the prospective advertiser not only purchases the ad after going to an event, but actually purchase a subscription package. In more than one case the subscription package was not for that individual, but for the use of other employees in the organization.  The performing arts clients that we sell for have two different views of complimentary tickets. The first view is that complimentary tickets should rarely be issued. The thought being that it somehow diminishes the value to those in the audience that have purchased the tickets. My rebuttal to this argument is that perception is reality. Does it not give a sense of more value if there is less capacity available in the venue.  I have also heard the rebuttal to a request because THAT business owner already goes to the events. Here is my rebuttal to that.  In fact the owners of a particular business may in fact have a subscription already, but we work, in most cases, not with the owners, but marketing or administrative assistants that may not have the opportunity to go the events. These individuals may in fact not hold the subscription. There are some very valid reasons why a performing arts organization would not want to give complimentary tickets. One reason is that it will be a sold out event. There are those groups we work with that do an outstanding job of selling the events to 90% capacity, so in these instances it is a valid reason not to provide a comp ticket. It is also useful for our sales executives to have to explain that the house will be full. This gives us another reason for a potential advertiser to place an ad. 
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