Leor Zahavi's - Tumblr Blog

Leor Zahavi, a successful business owner based in New York City, has concentrated his efforts on the ticket industry for 25 years. Through his company, which he launched in 1995, Mr. Zahavi provides clients with tickets for live theater performances, sporting events, and music shows. A dedicated member of his profession, Leor Zahavi cofounded two professional organizations, the National Association of Ticket Brokers and the East Coast Ticket Brokers Association. Furthermore, Leor Zahavi has contributed to the ticket industry by pioneering large-scale changes. In addition to seeking out opportunities that take advantage of new trading technologies, he spent time and resources on providing comprehensive concierge services, particularly for business clients. In more recent endeavors, the ticket professional has worked with state and federal legislators to advance the industry. Several years ago, for instance, he proved instrumental in facilitating New York season ticket holders' newly won right to sell their tickets on the free market.

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New Faces of the New York Knicks Organization

The founder of a New York ticket agency, Leor Zahavi has 25 years of experience in the industry. Leor Zahavi specializes in tickets to shows on Broadway and to hometown games of professional sports teams, like the New York Knicks. The 2014-2015 New York Knicks’ season will feature several new faces, including former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson as the new team president and former NBA player Derek Fisher as head coach. The two will lead the team as they take on their first preseason game against the Boston Celtics on October 8, 2014. The team will play the Celtics one additional time during the preseason as well as the Toronto Raptors on October 24th. A franchise of more than six decades, the Knicks organization was launched in 1946. Since its inception, players like Earl Monroe, Patrick Ewing, and Jerry Lucas have worn Knicks jerseys. The franchise has made it to the NBA finals eight times and holds two World Championships. To learn more about the New York Knicks, visit www.nba.com.

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The Amazing 1969 Mets

A veteran of the ticket industry, Leor Zahavi established his first agency in 1986. Instrumental in the formation of both the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) and the East Coast Ticket Brokers Association (ECTBA), he continues to look for ways to ensure increased efficiency and customer satisfaction. Outside of the office, Leor Zahavi enjoys attending sporting events in New York, especially Knicks and Mets games. The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc., nicknamed the Mets, filled the void left by the Giants, who had moved to San Francisco, and the Dodgers, who left for Los Angeles. In their inaugural season, 1962, the Mets lost their first game to the Cardinals in St. Louis, and lost their first home game at the Polo Grounds to the Pirates. The Mets wrapped up that season with a record of 40 wins and 120 losses - the worst in major league baseball history. They moved to the newly-constructed Shea Stadium in 1964, where they continued to post abysmal records. Casey Stengel, the team’s legendary first manager, asked “Can’t anyone here play this game?” In 1966, the Mets signed pitcher Tom Seaver, a college star from the University of Southern California. He became so valuable to the club that many called him “The Franchise.” By 1969, the team had become a real force in the NL East Division, and climbed into first place in late September 1969. They won their division championship and then swept the Atlanta Braves in three games, winning the National League championship and the right to play the American League champion Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series.  Playing at home, the Orioles took the Series’ first game by a score of 4-1, and Baltimore fans began celebrating, thinking the hapless Mets of old had returned. The Mets quickly disabused them of such notions, taking the second game 2-1 and then sweeping the remaining three games in Shea Stadium.

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Trends in Online Secondary Ticket Purchase

A ticketing industry professional with more than 25 years of experience, Leor Zahavi is known as an innovator in the secondary ticket sales market. Leor Zahavi has advocated for the rights of ticket resellers at the federal level and stands out as a market maker in online ticket sales. Although secondary ticket purchasing has been around for years, possibly as long as tickets themselves, the opportunities for buyers have expanded dramatically since the advent of the Internet. In years past, secondary ticket buyers typically had to know the right person or place themselves at the mercy of scalpers to get their hands on a must-have ticket. Now, however, the prevalence of secondary ticket websites has made this particular market much more accessible and, at the same time, much more accountable than ever before. Ticket holders can still resell on a personal level by posting offers on public websites, such as Craigslist, and through social media. However, a number of companies have also emerged that help members of the public sell unwanted tickets. As a business model, these companies typically charge a percentage of the sale price for their services, while providing convenience for sellers and access to a broader inventory for buyers. Experts suggest that this trend may permanently change the way the public buys tickets, as it creates an atmosphere in which buyers can search for the best value from multiple sellers. Meanwhile, primary ticket vendors have begun to embrace the trend via partnerships with leading secondary ticket vendors, which provides a new insight into changing buying behavior by consumers.                            

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The Role of Ticket Brokers

With more than 25 years of leadership experience in the ticket industry, New Yorker Leor Zahavi constantly explores ways to make it more responsive to its customers’ needs. Eight years after starting his first ticket agency in 1986, Leor Zahavi helped form the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB), a professional organization that sets standards of integrity, professionalism and behavior for member brokers. He and his colleagues also designed NATB to give the industry a single voice in responding to government and public relations issues. Ticket brokers began operating around the turn of the 20th century. They offered theater-goers and others a convenient way to purchase their tickets without having to travel to the theater to buy them from the box office. The theaters and other venues saw an advantage to this approach and supplied tickets to brokers on consignment. However, the Internet changed the way tickets are sold. Primary ticket sellers like Ticketmaster control all ticket sales at many venues, meaning that customers pay a fee to the primary ticket sellers even if they buy their tickets at the box office. Brokers now comprise a secondary market for tickets. The nature of ticket brokers’ services has also changed somewhat. Because venues no longer provide tickets on a consignment basis, brokers buy their tickets from three main sources: season ticket holders, conventional public sales through a primary seller, and advertising. If brokers cannot sell the tickets they acquired, they lose the money they paid for them. Ticket brokers still provide value to consumers in several ways. First, they frequently have tickets available for events that have officially sold out. Secondly, because they buy many of their tickets from season ticket holders who are unable to attend a particular game or event, they often have excellent seats available. Finally, they offer season ticket holders and other ticket owners an outlet for tickets they cannot use. Further information about NATB, including contact information for member brokers, is available at www.natb.org.                            

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The Primary versus Secondary Ticket Market

Leor Zahavi is a CEO in New York City and a 25-year veteran of the ticket industry. Leor Zahavi is one of the founders of the East Coast Ticket Brokers Association and the National Association of Ticket Brokers. Many people have heard about the primary ticket market and the secondary ticket market but are unsure what those terms mean. Most people have bought tickets in the primary market, which refers to places where tickets are bought at face value. These include the box office, venue websites, and artist or sports websites. The prices tend to be fixed and often come with convenience charges and service fees. The secondary ticket market, which is also called the resale market, refers to people who buy from the primary market and then turn around and resell the tickets, often for personal gain, although sometimes it is because they cannot use the tickets themselves. This market includes ticket scalpers, StubHub, and Craig’s List. There can be benefits to buying from either market. Be sure to check out your options when considering a purchase from one or the other to get the best deal.