London's Official Ticket Booth tkts Spearheads Record Sales In The West End

tkts in Leicester Square, the West End's only official theatre ticket booth beloved of both tourists and Londoners, is playing a remarkable part in the exceptional success being enjoyed by London's theatres this year. Following a major shake-up in how tkts operates, ticket sales from May to August 2009 have increased by over 21% on the same period last year.

In a break with tradition, the tkts booth moved from selling ‘day of performance' only to selling advance discount tickets too, for up to a week ahead of the performance day. Now visitors on short breaks to London can buy bargain tickets for every night of their stay in the capital and the change has paid handsome dividends. The tkts booth - always an indicator of the health of the West End - has been breaking sales records with more than 30 different shows to choose from daily, including musicals, comedies, opera, drama and dance. Figures from The Society of London Theatre reveal total attendances to week ending 15 August 2009 to be 4% up on last year to 8,786,394 and box office receipts are up 5% on the same period.

The sales team at the booth have seen a return of more American patrons and increases in Irish Republic, French, Spanish and German visitors this year, presumably benefiting from a favourable exchange rate. Additionally, the ‘staycation' phenomenon has added to increased business with more families experiencing the joys of Theatreland during the summer.

tkts is now a multi-lingual standalone website, www.tkts.co.uk and eases browsing for ticket information and discounts on offer. The site will be fully transactional next year so that ticket purchases can be made online - a further leap forward in the development of tkts.

tkts is run by the theatre industry itself so offers unbeatable choice, value, and complete customer security when buying theatre tickets. As the West End's only official theatre ticket booth, run by the Society of London Theatre, tkts is the place to buy both bargain and normAl Price tickets for plays and musicals with complete confidence from knowledgeable staff and no unexpected extras (a booking fee of £3 is already included in the advertised price).

Profits from the running of tkts help fund a range of activities and initiatives to help young people enter the industry and new audiences discover theatre (e.g. Laurence Olivier Bursaries for promising new actors and producers, the annual ‘Kids Go Free' promotion ‘Kids Week in the West End').

The tkts ticket booth is situated in the Clocktower Building on the South Side of Leicester Square, whilst a second tkts booth now operates in Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Both are run on behalf of the industry by the Society of London Theatre.

The Society of London Theatre

The Society of London Theatre, which operates the tkts tickets booths, is the trade association representing the producers, theatre owners and managers of the major commercial and grant-aided theatres in central London. The organisation exists in order to promote theatregoing, develop audiences, and serve, protect and promote the interests of those engaged in theatre across London. Profits from the tkts booths are used in various audience development initiatives (e.g. Kids Week in the West End).

tkts Leicester Square

The first ticket booth opened in 1980 in Leicester Square, as the Half PrIce Ticket Booth. The Society of London Theatre renamed it the tkts Ticket Booth in 2001 to distinguish it from the many unofficial ticket kiosks which had sprung up in the area.

tkts Brent Cross

The Society of London Theatre opened a tkts ticket booth at Brent Cross shopping centre in June 2008. It is located on the upper level next to the Brent Cross information desk close to Marks and Spencer.

tkts also sells advance tickets for theatre, rock, pop, sport, concerts and other London-based events and attractions in partnership with Ticketmaster UK Ltd.

tkts is a trademark owned and used under license from Theatre Development Inc. which owns the tkts trademark for the discount ticket booths in New York (on Broadway and Wall Street).

TKTS FACT FILE (for publication)

* tkts booths are the only official theatre ticket outlets in London, operated by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) on behalf of the theatre industry

* The tkts booths sell half-price, discounted and full prIce Tickets for a wide range of performances on the day of the show and up to 7 days in advance

* Each day there are usually more than 30 different West End shows to choose from including musicals, comedies, opera, drama and dance

* You can check details of what's on sale at www.tkts.co.uk

* There are two tkts booths, one in Leicester Square and one in Brent Cross Shopping Centre

* The tkts booth in Leicester Square is open Mon - Sat 10am - 7pm and Sunday 12noon - 3pm, and from Mon - Sat 10am - 7pm and Sunday from 12noon-6pm at the Brent Cross Shopping Centre

* You can pay for your tickets by cash (£ Sterling or Euros), credit card or debit card (Mastercard, Visa, Switch, Maestro or Solo) or by Theatre Tokens (which can also be purchased at tkts). The tkts ticket booth at Brent Cross accepts credit and debit cards and Theatre Tokens only.

* SOLT retain a small booking fee (£3.00) per ticket with the exception of full-prIce Tickets where no booking fee is charged to match theatre box office prices. The £3.00 fee is included in the price as advertised

* Any profits from the tkts booths are used to develop theatre-going and to promote London theatre

* The tkts ticket booths are accredited by the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) and adhere to its code of practice