Elements and Performance Criteria

Sources for current and accurate information on venue/s, facilities, seating and performances/sessions/events may include:
formal familiarisation visits
personal site observation/exploration
information manuals
venue information sheets/manuals
hirer information sheets

Aspects of venue seating and ticketing include:
general seating layout
changing configurations
categories of seating and features
viewing issues, eg full view, restricted view
scheduled dates and times for performances

Storage of information may include:
card reference systems
file notes of particular venues/performances/events/sessions
computerised database of information
information manual

Customers with special needs may include:
those with a disability
those with special or cultural needs
first-time patrons
parents with young children
unaccompanied children
aged people
school groups
infants
pregnant women
VIPs
groups

Customers with special needs may require:
wheelchair access
immobility access
special car parking
hearing assistance
translation assistance
special seating

Advising on and issuing tickets may take place:
over the counter/face-to-face
via telephone
via fax or modem
via mail
via the Internet or other electronic technology

Seating and ticket advice may be provided by:
a ticketing agency
the venue itself

Required equipment and materials may include:
computer hardware
computer software
point of sale transaction documents and equipment

Tickets may be issued:
manually
via a ticketing software system

Ticketing software systems may include:
Bocs
Ticketmaster
Select
Globe
Softix

Tickets may be:
pre-paid
full price
discounted
concession
free
group bookings

Selection of seats may take into account:
special needs of the customer
best viewing position for the particular type of performance/event/session
best presentation of the venue - 'dressing the house'

Underpinning skills and knowledge

Assessment must include evidence of the following knowledge and skills:

sources of information on venues, seating and performances/sessions/events
information systems used by venues in relation to seating and ticketing
product knowledge of venue facilities, seating layout and prices as appropriate to the organisation
product knowledge of venue performances/sessions/events times as appropriate to the organisation
broad understanding of the different types and styles of performances/sessions/events as appropriate to the organisation or industry sector
special facilities and services available to people with special needs
procedures and systems for determining availability of tickets
ticket issuing systems, as appropriate to the organisation
payment, refund and exchange policy and procedures
literacy skills sufficient to accurately interpret seating and ticketing information
numeracy skills sufficient to calculate numbers of seats, advise on pricing information

Linkages to other units

This unit has strong linkages to the following units, and combined training and/or assessment is recommended:

WRRS1B Sell products and services
CUEFOH07A Process financial transactions
CUEFOH08A Process incoming customer orders

Critical aspects of evidence

The following evidence is critical to the judgement of competence in this unit:

ability to access appropriate information on venue facilities, and all operational aspects of the performance/session/event - times, prices, ticketing categories
provision of accurate seating and ticketing advice and issuance of tickets within industry-realistic timeframes
ability to provide information and advice which matches customer needs and requests

Method and context of assessment

The assessment context must provide for:

practical demonstration of skills in providing information for multiple ticketing products to meet varying customer needs
processing requests within typical workplace time constraints, eg serving a physical or telephone queue of customers waiting to access seating and ticketing information
interaction with and involvement of a customer group to whom information and advice can be provided

Assessment may incorporate a range of methods to assess practical skills and the application of essential underpinning knowledge, and might include:

direct observation of the candidate providing information and advice and issuing tickets
case studies to assess ability to match product to customer needs/requests
review of documentation, information manuals or notes kept by the candidate
written or oral questions and tests to assess knowledge of information sources and actual knowledge of venues, ticketing products and prices
review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate
Assessment methods should closely reflect workplace demands and the needs of particular groups (eg people with disabilities, and people who may have literacy or numeracy difficulties such as speakers of languages other than English, remote communities and those with interrupted schooling).

Resource requirements

Assessment of this unit requires access to:

typical industry information storage systems for venue, ticketing and performance/session/event information.
tickets/passes

Communicating ideas and information
Reading seating plans (1)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Explaining various issues to customers (2)

Planning and organising activities
Organising equipment and materials (1)

Working with others and in teams
Sharing information with colleagues (1)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
Dealing with seating plans (1)

Solving problems
Handling ticket equipment breakdown (1)

Using technology
Using automated ticketing machine (1)