(in)effectiveness of STEP

[LittleJack]

I just read the 2015 census results on the Afterburn page. On the page titled "Ticket Sales" they asked where burners got their tickets.

Most people got their tickets through the General Sale (45%) and the Directed Group Sale (21.5%). As many people got tickets through people they knew (21.5%) as from the Directed Group Sale. 5% got tickets from the Low Income Sale.

I would have thought STEP would have provided a significant percentage of tickets, but according to the census, only 0.6% of burners said they got their tickets from STEP, which seems like a very small amount. As many people got their tickets from 3rd party resellers as from STEP, which means that as many people are selling their extra tickets through resellers as through STEP. I don't know how that jibes with the fact that 2.8% of burners paid more than face value.

[trilobyte]

You may be under the mistaken impression that STEP was magic? Or that it would somehow fabricate a ticketing solution for the masses... the program is simply a secure ticket exchange tool.

STEP's effectiveness depends completely upon the contribution of tickets from other burners. While detailed statistics have never been published, what we've seen each year is that it's a fairly small percentage of people.

Buying tickets through either a friend, campmate, or friend-of-friend has always been the most popular after-market sales method (even before the event started selling out). I think the real opportunity, or win for STEP is that the people who are contributing tickets into it are people who either may not be connected with other burners, or wouldn't otherwise have the time to find a buyer.. but because of the existence of that tool they can sell their tickets at face value fairly easily. To that end, the program has been quite successful.

[BBadger]

This seems like a success to me. If my math is correct, STEP is undermining the commercial ticket market by soaking up about 50% of their ticket sales -- a big reason STEP was invented in the first place. Otherwise, the census is showing what has always happened: most people use the tickets they initially bought; the remainder obtain them via their social networks.

We should also expect people prioritize their social network first before releasing tickets to the general pool for any scarce commodity. The fact that half the remainder tickets (possibly more, who knows how many tickets commercial vendors bought outright) probably went to STEP is a good thing.

[Token]

The only thing missing from STEP is transparency. Otherwise it gets the job done.

In these days of GPL, open-source and with the LLC now a non-profit, it should become a goal to make these tools more open and transparent.

I doubt the BORG will do it since it is just "more work", but would go a long way in setting the overall message and direction.

[Eric]

The only thing missing from STEP is transparency. Otherwise it gets the job done.

I completely understand the desire for transparency, but I think this is somewhere that it's not neccesarily a good idea - if they announce how many tickets get contributed (updated ... every time a ticket comes in? once a week? once a fortnight? once a month?), people are going to try to use some sort of "time stamp" bullshit like they did when STEP first rolled out years ago. I don't know if you remember the amount of freaking out that was going on, but I do. I think it was honestly more stressful on people than it is now - now it's understood this is an "at best" system, not something you can game or figure out.

[gaminwench]

The Ticketfly ticket redistribution program was a late starter last year, but I think that it could (if continued) effectively replace the STEP program.

I like it.

[Token]

I don't know if you remember the amount of freaking out that was going on, but I do. I think it was honestly more stressful on people than it is now - now it's understood this is an "at best" system, not something you can game or figure out.

Oh, I remember. I do however think that the effect of a transparent system would be relief and not some new nefarious outcome.

And the level of transparency doesn't need to be significant. Just counts of tickets in, tickets out. A couple of graphs or some eye-candy dials.

Since STEP is 100% driven by supply, much better to show how much is flowing in than ask your people to pray. Hate that big time, being in the dark.

Times change, people ... Sometimes change.