Why the Entire Big West League Adopted GoFan Digital Ticketing

The Partnership

With members throughout the inland region of southern California, the Big West League hosts some of the most competitive school athletic teams in the state and the nation. The League recently partnered exclusively with GoFan for digital ticketing to ensure a consistent experience for staff and fans of all member schools.

Herschel Ramirez, Assistant Principal at Great Oaks High School, and Carl Galloway, Athletic Director at Vista Murrieta High School, recently shared their experience partnering with GoFan for digital ticketing.

“We adopted GoFan very early on, and it went so well that it became the league standard 2 or 3 months after we started. It just was so easy.”

- Carl Galloway

The Challenge

The Big West League often draws big crowds, especially for rivalry matchups. The League needed a secure and uniform ticketing solution that was flexible to meet the specific requirements of all members. Schools in the league host events at various locations and serve communities with unique needs.

With a new league forming, the Big West sought a ticketing partner to address these challenges:

Security risks of transporting and potentially miscounting cash
Expenses for event staffing
Inconsistent ticketing experience on different campuses

"We didn’t want to complicate the experience for our family, visitors, or the public visiting our campuses."

Herschel Ramirez, Assistant Principal

Great Oak High School

“We were looking for a way to make the process simpler and streamline it from beginning to end.”

Carl Galloway, Athletic Director

Vista Murrieta High School

The Opportunity

When presented with the opportunity to adopt GoFan throughout the Big West League, the athletic directors at each member school met to discuss the benefits. Vista Murrieta was already using GoFan and shared their experience, best practices, and impact on their community.

The athletic directors from the other member schools were able to present their principals and bookkeepers with their findings. The success of GoFan at one member school combined with the vision of having a consistent fan experience on every campus in the league was the ultimate determining factor for implementing digital ticketing on a greater scale.

“There are other competitors, but we all zeroed in on GoFan. Number one, it was being used by one of our schools already. But also, two, the fact of the matter was the ease of use. What’s important for our spectators is making it as easy as possible so they can get into our events quickly and efficiently.”

Herschel Ramirez, Assistant Principal

Great Oak High School

“We adopted GoFan very early on, and it went so well that it became the league standard 2 or 3 months after we started. It just was so easy.”

Carl Galloway, Athletic Director

Vista Murrieta High School

The Process

Vista Murrieta and Great Oak successfully implemented GoFan digital ticketing after a quick onboarding process. The GoFan Customer Success team shared best practices from supporting top leagues and programs in California and across the country.

The process to implement digital ticketing can vary by school depending on the staff resources and the size and structure of the athletic department. Big West members saw the benefits right away, particularly how easy it is to submit schedules and update event details.

When asked how to educate the community and encourage user adoption of the system, both schools emphasized the importance of communication.

Email Ticketing Links to Fans

Galloway and his team communicate early and often to fans about ticketing for Vista Murrieta events. He encourages his coaches to include ticketing instructions and links to buy tickets in their weekly emails to fans. The Vista Murrieta staff also emails the link on game days to remind fans to get their tickets ahead of time.

Share Links and QR Codes with Email, Text, and Social

Ramirez also affirms that communication is key to success with digital ticketing. He and his team at Great Oak send updates via email, text, and social media to fans to let them know what to expect when they attend home events. They also make a point to share their ticketing link and QR code with other visiting schools to distribute to their fans.

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The Support

Both schools noted that the GoFan product is highly intuitive and user-friendly, and their staff members were able to learn the system quickly.

If Big West member schools ever had any questions, they could always contact the GoFan Customer Success team. With GoFan, each school is assigned a dedicated Customer Success Manager who serves as the primary contact and advocate from day one of implementation throughout our entire partnership.

“When we were initially onboarding GoFan, the one thing I can always remember is that I can always get a video call with somebody from GoFan with questions. If I had something new we were talking about - like senior parking spaces or VIP seating - I was able to go and get into a Zoom call with somebody from GoFan, and they explained it to me.”

Herschel Ramirez, Assistant Principal

Great Oak High School

"The support team actually made a custom mock-up of our football stadium for football season ticket sales, and we were able to publicize that. And then, just like if you're going to a concert, you can pick out the seat you want, buy the ticket, and pick up season tickets just like that."

Carl Galloway, Athletic Director

Vista Murrieta High School

The Outcomes

The responses to GoFan from member school administrators in the Big West League have been extremely positive. Most notably, staff members have reported an increase in ticket revenue, improved financial controls, reduced event expenses, consistent processes across all campuses, and a better fan experience.

Enhanced Security

The Big West League can allow people to access events at certain times and streamline entry for students and general admission.

Accurate Attendance

Member schools can monitor ticket sales, track attendance, adjust staffing assignments, and manage capacity as needed.

More Transparency

The league has improved financial transparency for all events with digital payments and real-time reporting.

Increased Revenue

By switching to digital ticketing with GoFan, Great Oak and other schools in the Big West League have realized significantly higher revenue from ticket sales.

Lost revenue can be detrimental, especially when many schools are faced with rising costs, stricter budgets, and limited resources. With digital ticketing and payments, Big West member schools have accurate visibility of their event finances across campus.

“The revenue has increased, I want to say, by at least 25%. Because for whatever reason, the people getting in for free or getting in with duplicates or counterfeit season tickets or whatever you want to call it - doesn’t happen anymore.”

Herschel Ramirez

Assistant Principal at Great Oak High School

★★★★★

Reduced Staffing Resources and Expenses

A cost-benefit analysis that was presented to principals in the league showed the long-term and short-term costs of implementing GoFan digital ticketing. Because the ticketing process is so fast and easy for staff and fans alike, fewer resources are needed at the gates. For example, a JV volleyball game typically only requires one gate attendant now. Two attendants are needed for a big basketball event, and approximately six staff members are required to support a top football matchup.

Big West member schools have reduced their overall staffing requirements and expenses for events. These savings add up significantly over the course of an academic year at the league level. As a result, these schools can reinvest more of the proceeds from ticketing back into their programs and teams. Busy school staff members also appreciate the speed and convenience of the entire process.

Community Involvement and Volunteers

Additionally, Vista Murrieta can now rely on parents and other members of the community who want to volunteer to take tickets at events. These volunteers no longer need to be trained in cash reconciliation procedures, as all tickets are automatically accounted for with digital payments and reporting.

Onsite Card Payments

Vista Murrieta has also had success with GoFan Box Office to process onsite card payments. Tablets are paired with card readers for easy walk-up sales. Fans can easily buy tickets at the gate with a credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

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Reserved Seating

Vista Murrieta and other member schools provide reserved seating, which allows fans to select their desired seats when purchasing tickets just as they would for a professional or collegiate event. Facilities are custom mapped in the GoFan platform so the seating options align exactly with each stadium or venue.

GoFan_ Home Page Website Icons_Ticket Validation

Mobile Event Management

Athletic administrators and event staff at Great Oak and other member schools have enjoyed the ability to monitor and edit their events on a mobile device as needed. Event staff can revise events from their phones at the gate rather than running to their offices to use a desktop.

Galloway also mentions how easy it is for fans to transfer tickets to one another, stating that students often buy tickets and transfer them with a text to their parents or grandparents. Busy parents and family members appreciate the ability to buy tickets ahead of time, as they no longer need to stand in line when they arrive or worry about having cash or exact change.

“Now, honestly, it’s gotten to a point where I don’t think we could stop doing it. I don’t think we could just say we’re going back to cash and cards only. I think a lot of these people, especially the parents, are in a rush. I think there’s an ease of use for them that’s nice, where they don’t have to show up with exact change, or they don’t have to have a card or wait in a line.”

Carl Galloway, Athletic Director

Vista Murrieta High School

“It was quicker. Lines got shorter. If people had accounts using GoFan, it was so easy for them.”

Herschel Ramirez, Assistant Principal

Great Oak High School

“Once our fans got used to it, it was a regular thing for us. They’re able to buy season tickets and tickets to various events on campus. We now use it for our Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) and for our Associated Student Body (ASB) and Wolfpack Student Body (WSB) activities on campus. Any of our ticketed events are now using our online ticketing solution with GoFan.”

Herschel Ramirez

Assistant Principal at Great Oak High School

★★★★★

- Case Study -

Why the Entire Big West League Adopted GoFan Digital Ticketing

With GoFan, Big West League member schools have increased ticketing revenue, reduced event staffing expenses, and improved the fan experience.

The Partnership

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The Interview

The Challenge

The Opportunity

The Process

The Support

The Outcomes

Enhanced Security

Accurate Attendance

More Transparency

Increased Revenue

Herschel Ramirez

Assistant Principal at Great Oak High School

Reduced Staffing Resources and Expenses

Elevated Event Experience

Onsite Card Payments

Reserved Seating

Mobile Event Management

Improved Fan Experience

Expansion of Digital Ticketing Beyond Athletics

Herschel Ramirez

Assistant Principal at Great Oak High School

Join the Thousands of Schools That Partner with GoFan

Product

Digital Tickets

Company