Geoff Easton, Mary Muse, and Dave Guffey Instruct Students

Geoff Easton, Mary Muse, and Dave Guffey spoke to the MGMT 295 class, Venue Management, on the 10th of September. Geoff Easton is the Client Tech Support Manager at GrizTix, Mary Muse is the Director of the Adams Center, and Dave Guffey is a spokesman for the Grizzlies.
Geoff discussed some of the different aspects of the ticketing system here at The University of Montana. He discussed the University’s reasons for going with an outside ticketing service. He said that "it simply wouldn't be advantageous to all of the ticketing ourselves because of Washington Grizzly Stadium. We would need 20 servers to handle all of the business during a small portion of the year and they wouldn’t be in use for the remainder of the year."
Geoff also discussed the GrizTix website, which he oversees. For a campus ticketing website, GrizTix has a very large view count. But, as Easton explained, these numbers can be slightly deceiving. Having a high view count doesn't mean that each view was a ticket sale. However, the high view number does enable the website to bring in additional funds through advertising.
Mary Muse discussed her involvement in the IAAM, the International Association of Assembly Managers. It's an organization of venue managers in charge of performing arts venues and stadiums. She spoke extensively about the various courses and programs that are offered for various certifications through the organization. She then went on to discuss the various revenue streams that the Adams Center can capitalize upon including building rent, ticketing, concessions, advertising merchandise, parking and a facility fee.
Dave Guffey spoke to the MGMT 295 class about the complexities of his job as a spokesman for the Grizzlies. He has to deal with not only the press, but also with the team and coaches, which sometimes proves more difficult. He is responsible for preparing press credentials and press releases. He also takes care of the scouts' needs while they are surveying Grizzly players. He sets up interviews between reporters and various team members. In addition to all this he must keep up on the stats and keep all the records up to date.