Blog

MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND CENDYN

Industry Outlook with...

 

  1. Name: Kevin Ryanindustry outlook

 

  1. Title: Director of Product Development

 

  1. Bio: What’s your industry background? How did you get to this role? Why did you want to get into the ticket industry?

I have been playing and attending sporting events since I could walk. Tickets have always been a great way to preserve and look back on good memories with friends and family.

I have been working on Ovations since 2006, which I started as a client account manager. Over the years I became interested in how software was developed, in general, and how Ovations was built specifically, so I gradually moved from the client/operations side of things to the development side of things.

 

  1. What do you do for your clients?

The main goal is to make sure our product provides everything our clients need to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.

 

  1. What attracted you to Cendyn Ovations?

I loved the niche use case, the small team and startup mentality, and the fact that I got to be around hundreds of thousands of tickets to all the biggest events in the country (back when tickets were still pieces of paper). The fact that the office was next door to where I was living at the time was also a nice bonus.

 

  1. What is the most surprising thing about working in corporate ticketing?

The care and scrutiny with which the tickets are handled and how much needs to happen for a ticket to be utilized “properly.”

 

  1. What is something you learned about the industry, business, or role in your time at Cendyn Ovations?

That each company handles ticketing very differently. For some, it falls under the marketing/sponsorship umbrella, for some its managed by a finance team, and some have an entire team dedicated specifically to ticketing.

 

  1. Favorite Cendyn Ovations moment:

Spending two weeks in London helping a client with their Wimbledon ticketing operation.

 

  1. What is your outlook on live events?

As more and more of our lives move online – AR, VR, etc. – the live event is an increasingly unique opportunity to just be with other people.

 

  1. Most memorable concert or sporting event?

I’ve been to a lot of memorable Michigan football games, but the best was probably a road game against Penn State in 1997. Both teams were undefeated and in the top 3 in the country. Michigan dominated the game and won 34-8 on their way to an undefeated season.

 

  1. Parting words of wisdom:

Challenge yourself.