Today I find myself asking this question – does anyone take pride in their work anymore? Lately I have been amazed at how willing some companies are to produce and pass along sub par work. In fact my recent experiences have taught me that not only are they willing, but they may even fight you tooth and nail on correcting their mistakes. What ever happened to producing good work simply for your own sense of satisfaction? Where has the desire to impress and awe gone? Maybe I sound like a negative nancy, but I just have to wonder at what point it became OK for companies to deliver mediocre customer service and produce less than exceptional products for the paying public. After all, we consumers are at the very center of their success, are we not?
Well folks, I’m here to tell you that ZoopTix refuses to fall victim to this wave of mediocrity. It’s just not in the Zooperhero code. We believe in delivering a quality product every single time. We believe that happy clients equal a happy business. We believe that excellent customer service should be the rule and never the exception. Sure we do this because we want to succeed, but more importantly, we do it because it just plain feels good.
Filed under: Uncategorized
loving today's google home-image!
Filed under: Tech Tools
I am sharing this tip because I have discovered recently that too few people text google. For years now I have been texting Google in morning to get the weather, in the evening for the phone number to a restaurant or even to find movie listings. It is just plain easier than searching on a phone. So here it is – 466453. Enjoy!
For more info, visit www.google.com/mobile.
Filed under: Uncategorized
October comes around every year and each time, we struggle to choose which of the many incredible concerts at Rams Head Live we will buy tickets and this year is no exception. Whether you are into the bluegrass jams of Yonder Mountain String Band, the indie sounds of Rodrigo y Gabriela, the pop of Hanson and Hellogoodbye, the crunk rock of Family Force 5 or the jammin’ tunes of The Wailers – Rams Head Live is the place to be.
The concert we are most hyped for though, is of course, Snoop Dogg. We look forward to hearing all of his classics plus more on October 27th – hope to see you there, drinking some gin and juice!
For tickets to these shows mentioned as well as many other cool options, check out the concert calendar online at tickets.ramsheadlive.com!
For an industry that traditionally uses “the book” to market trip provided, Fullington Trailways is taking leaps and bounds with email marketing.
Traditionally a bus company puts out “the book” to all their past riders – containing information on upcoming retail trips that they are offering. These trips are decided in advance, sometimes over a year in advance, and marketed through “the book” and other traditional means, like the phone book.
When Fullington Trailways partnered with ZoopTix in 2008 to sell their student express bus service tickets online, they started capturing data for a demographic that do not know about “the book” and who definitely do not use the phone book. This year, they are using that data to reach the student of 21st century – via email of course!
Fullington recently sent out an email blast, using the eMarketing services available from ZoopTix, announcing a stop change to their previous riders (‘previous’ meaning people who purchased tickets as recently as ten minutes before the email was sent). Everyone was excited by the 41.3% open rate and then a 17.5% click-through rate.
We look forward to working with Fullington on their campaigns as they announce their new Baltimore/Washington route, Thanksgiving schedules and other special promotions throughout the year – stay tuned to hear how it goes!
Filed under: Uncategorized
I recently read an article about Jay-Z speaking out against the scalpers who purchased some of the 20,000 tickets available for the September 11th benefit concert for widows and orphans of the rescuers from 9/11. While I do remember the tickets for Jay-Z’s club show at Rams Head Live selling out in seconds, this kind of concert was supposed to be for the people.
The tickets for the benefit concert at Madison Square Garden went on sale for $54.50 – scalpers put them on sale for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. In a statement released, Jay-Z said, “We are truly disheartened that certain individuals would choose to benefit from what is meant to be a 100% charitable event.”
Would you pay thousands to see Jay-Z at MSG when you know the ticket originally sold for $54.50 as a charity event?
Read more at the New York Daily News.
The Fredericktowne Players have begun their 2009/2010 season and they guarantee a thriller for their October performances of Night Watch by Lucille Fletcher. An outstanding Broadway success, this ingeniously devised thriller builds steadily in menace and suspense until the final, breath-stopping moment of its unexpected, “twist” ending.
“A most superior thriller…which from its first blood-curdling scream to its last charming surprise is a first-class example of its genre.” —NY Times. “…Miss Fletcher knows exactly what she is doing, goes about her business with gratifying swiftness and comes up with a finish worthy of one of Roald Dahl’s little nifties.” —NY Daily News.
Now that your interest is peaked, here is the story: Unable to sleep, Elaine Wheeler paces the living room of her Manhattan townhouse, troubled by unsettling memories and vague fears. Her husband tries to comfort her, but when he steps away for a moment Elaine screams as she sees (or believes she sees) the body of a dead man in the window across the way. The police are called, but find nothing except an empty chair. Elaine’s terror grows as shortly thereafter she sees still another body—this time a woman’s—but by now the police are skeptical and pay no heed to her frantic pleas. Her husband, claiming that Elaine may be on the verge of a breakdown, calls in a lady psychiatrist, who agrees with his suggestion that Elaine should commit herself to a sanitarium for treatment. From this point on, the plot moves quickly and grippingly as those involved—Elaine’s old friend and house guest Blanche; the inquisitive and rather sinister man who lives next door; and the nosy German maid Helga—all contribute to the deepening suspense and mystery of the play as it draws towards its riveting and chilling climax.
Buy your tickets now for this menacing act – subscriptions to the Fredericktowne Players are also available online!
okay, there is really nothing about martians except that when i think about cartoons of martians, my thoughts are very similar to the sketches on moby’s website.
i figured writing a blog just saying that moby is awesome and that you should check him out at rams head live doesn’t do anything for you – even though i think you should (ahem, thursday, sept 17th). moby has been an icon in the more main stream electronic genre for years. from his raving fresh when he toured with prodigy and richie hawtin (if you don’t know who richie hawtin is, you probably don’t know magda either and you missed a great show last night in dc) to his more main stream hits including porcelain and southside with gwen stefani, you won’t want to miss his performance in baltimore.
check out moby’s single, pale horses, here - or my favorite little cartoon video of the day:
Dog interviews Little Idiot on bug planet from Moby on Vimeo.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is a worldwide information security standard assembled by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). The standard was created to help organizations that process card payments prevent credit card fraud through increased controls around data and its exposure to compromise. The standard applies to all organizations which hold, process, or pass cardholder information from any card branded with the logo of one of the card brands.
PCI DSS originally began as five different programs: Visa Card Information Security Program, MasterCard Site Data Protection, American Express Data Security Operating Policy, Discover Information and Compliance, and the JCB Data Security Program. Each company’s intentions were roughly similar: to create an additional level of protection for customers by ensuring that merchants meet minimum levels of security when they store, process and transmit cardholder data. The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) was formed, and on 15 December 2004, these companies aligned their individual policies and released the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
The standard is maintained by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, which maintains both the PCI DSS and a number of other standards, such as the Payment Card Industry PIN Entry Device security requirements (PCI PED) and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS).
Validation of compliance can be performed either internally or externally, depending on the volume of card transactions the organisation is handling, but regardless of the size of the organisation, compliance must be assessed annually. Organisations handling large volumes of transactions must have their compliance assessed by an independent assessor known as a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), while companies handling smaller volumes have the option of self-certification via a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). In some regions these SAQs still require signoff by a QSA for submission.
The information above is from wikipedia – it is a good basic history of PCI. PCI Compliance is an important item to be sure your technology company is following; learn about it any way you would like including talking to your merchant services provider. Do your due diligence and be sure the company you contract is compliant!
Just announced, Thievery Corporation is coming to the Baltimore Harbor – more specifically Pier Six Pavilion – September 19th. This is the perfect end of summer concert and the perfect venue to evening a late summer evening on the waterfront.
For those in Baltimore, this is the second time in 2009 they have the chance to check out this DC-based DJ duo with a previous performance in February at Rams Head Live. Check out their video below (or on youtube) and I hope to see you at the show – I will be the groovin’ zooperhero down front!
