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A house with many faces
STUK is not your average cultural house. The Leuven arts center connects disciplines such as dance, image and sound, making a point of flexibility, collaboration and accessibility. The house programs with a keen eye for quality and innovation, and houses a wide range of audiences: from cinephiles who decide last-minute to dance enthusiasts who reserve their seats six months in advance.
Reception & ticketing coordinator Ingrid Van Eycken has been the regular face behind the ticket counter since 2002. Together with her team, she strives for a ticket experience that is smooth, clear and even fun. “Good ticketing is actually making you happy with the ticket you bought. After that last click, you have to think: yes, I'm going to do something fun.”
Between complexity and simplicity
When STUK moved to its current building in 2002, it worked with a basic solution developed by the province. Later, they switched to a system that could do more but did not meet their needs. The system was powerful, but too complex and expensive.
Back then, we called that the Rolls Royce of ticketing. But who wants to do their regular shopping with a Rolls Royce? I actually wanted something that worked more smoothly, was more user-friendly, more intuitive, and where you just had a very easy flow online.
-- Ingrid Van Eycken
--- Ticketing and reception coordinator at STUK
What STUK has encountered in the past:
- The platform was too complicated for STUK's needs
- The online user experience was rather rough
- Too much technical knowledge was required for minor adjustments
That's why STUK looked for a solution that combined simplicity with power. Ticketmatic came into the picture.
Flexibility for the audience and team
For Ingrid, choosing ticketmatic felt like a breath of fresh air: accessible, reliable and surprisingly complete.
STUK took the transition step by step, with the involvement of various teams. The intuitive interface ensured that not only Ingrid, but also programmers and communication staff, got the hang of the system quickly. What made ticketmatic really valuable to STUK is not only being able to do more, but also to be able to work differently.
What changed in concrete terms?
For the public, the ticketing flow not only became more user-friendly, but also more mobile. Especially the audience before the music concerts has become accustomed to ordering a ticket quickly in between.
You can now buy a ticket while you're eating, or quickly on the STUK steps before you enter.
-- Ingrid Van Eycken
--- Ticketing and reception coordinator at STUK
During the season presentation, Ingrid highlights mobile ticketing via the ticketmatic app: “I show the app to everyone who visits me and tell them 'Look, no more hassle with PDFs in emails'”.
Collaboration and support
STUK values not only the software, but also the people behind it. “Ticketmatic stands out for its great support and proximity.”
The added value of the close cooperation also lies in jointly devising structures for combined sales:
- The three Leuven cultural partners (STUK, 30CC, Cinema Zed) can sell tickets for the other two, in addition to their own offerings
- For joint initiatives, a separate, shared sales channel with its own branding was set up
Look ahead
Today, the cooperation between STUK and ticketmatic is firmly anchored in daily operations. What started as a quest for simplicity has grown into a flexible and powerful partnership that continues to evolve. Every day, both the team and the audience benefit from the clear flow, intuitive structure and support that is offered.
Ingrid looks to the future with confidence: more personalized communication, smarter data insights and new ways to engage the audience.
“I'm still a fan of ticketmatic, and I see it as a partnership that we'll continue to grow in together.”
