Ravinia Festival's Ticketing Director Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Ravinia’s Festival’s longtime Director of Ticketing Operations, Angus Watson, earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Ticketing Association (INTIX) at the trade organization’s 33^rd annual conference in San Antonio, Texas last week. Watson, who came to Ravinia in 1994, helped launch online sales, print-at-home ticketing and discounted dining packages at the festival, North America’s oldest outdoor summer music festival.

“Ravinia Festival prides itself on customer service, and Angus Watson gives that work the personal touch. Customers know him by name. And he knows them,” said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. “He brings a wealth of marketing experience from Barbican Centre and the English National Opera Company. We at Ravinia are constantly singing his praises, so I am happy that his colleagues around the world have done the same.”

The Patricia G. Spira Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to members who have been engaged in the direct management of a ticket operation for a minimum of 20 years, have made a major contribution to the ticketing industry by helping to set standards of excellence in all aspects of ticket management, and have been actively involved in the continuing development and organization of INTIX.

“This is Ravinia’s win,” Watson said, a long-time Arlington Heights, IL resident.

Watson is actually the second ticketing director from Ravinia Festival to win the award over its 25-year history. His predecessor, Ernie Santi, took home the prize in 1994. Only one other venue has won this award twice, the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1987 and 2001.

For more information on Ravinia Festival, visit Ravinia.org. Ravinia welcomes all festival fans to follow, connect and interact online at backstage.ravinia.org, facebook.com (search Ravinia Festival) and twitter.com/raviniafestival. Ravinia Festival is a not-for-profit organization.