#TBF25 Q&A: The show must go on – maintaining high standards amid redevelopment works

The Canberra Theatre Centre is the premier performing arts venue in Australia’s capital and provides arts and entertainment to the residents of the city and surrounding regions.

The Centre includes the 1,239-capacity Canberra Theatre, The Playhouse which seats 614, and The Courtyard Studio rehearsal and performance space that accommodates up to 120 patrons.

Prior to TheTicketingBusiness Forum 2025, which begins in Manchester on April 28, we spoke to Kat Voss, Ticketing Manager at Canberra Ticketing which provides ticketing services to the centre.

What projects are you currently working on?

Kat Voss: “Right now, we are working with Tixtrack to onboard Ticketure (in addition to use of Nliven for seated performances) which will service general admission and timed entry events across the galleries, museums and heritage divisions of the Cultural Facilities Corporation.

“The ACT Government is planning for a revitalised Canberra Theatre Centre which will attract world-renowned musicals, circus shows, ballet and opera people travel to see. It will boost the local economy by attracting more visitors to Canberra and creating more jobs in the arts, hospitality and construction industries. Our city centre will be enhanced as a lively destination for entertainment and dining – day and night.

“The revitalisation of the Canberra Theatre will create a performing arts centre of national and international significance. The Canberra Theatre Centre Redevelopment Project includes a very exciting state of the art 2000 seat Lyric theatre, refurbishment of The Playhouse and The Canberra Theatre as well as expanding the Studio Theatre for flexible use by local artists for intimate shows.”

What are your aims for 2025?

KV: “With the mid 2024 budget announcement for construction industry involvement through an early contractor involvement process and construction approval to be sought from government in early 2025, the final construction timeline for the redevelopment project will be confirmed upon procurement of a construction industry partner. It’s necessary to strategically plan for the Centre’s business continuity throughout the build and transformation of the CTC to meet the growing demand and performance opportunities in both Canberra and surrounding regions, whilst maintaining a high service delivery standard for all our stakeholders across our business.

“In addition to onboarding a general admissions ticketing system, strategically planning for the box office’s business continuity through the redevelopment project, we have several other projects on the move which will continue to roll out this year including the building of a CRM system to help us connect in a more meaningful way with our patrons and the replacement of our end-of-life call centre systems.”

What is the most exciting development in the industry for you right now?

KV: “I believe many ticketing professionals are closely monitoring how AI can transform the ticketing industry. What advancements can this relatively new technology bring to our ticketing and business systems to reduce buyer friction, boost sales, and maintain high customer satisfaction? While we are all aware of the controversies surrounding AI in dynamic pricing, I hope that predictive algorithms can help mitigate these issues. I’m particularly interested in how the evolution of predictive algorithms can be more widely used for fraud detection and bot activity.

“Ultimately, it will be exciting to see how AI continues to innovate and enhance the ticketing experience, benefiting our industry and its customers.”

Explore the future of ticketing with Kat Voss and hundreds of other industry leaders at #TBF25 at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, from April 28-30. BOOK TODAY.