Guidance and Support from PatronBase on Coronavirus (Covid-19) For Your Organisation

PatronBase UK & Ireland

Helping UK & Ireland venues to build an audience your way for over 10 years

About PatronBase

PatronBase provides software, innovation and expertise to manage and run events.

We go beyond ticketing, providing a flexible and holistic range of software with the expertise to help you make the most of it, to help you build and sustain your audience.

Our products can be found from event marketing and ticketing through membership and venue management to loyalty, fundraising and even public wifi. This range of features is available with a flexible pricing model that is highly competitive.

No two of our partner venues are the same – they use their inherent creativity to present a unique offering, reflecting the unique opportunities and challenges they face.

The tools we provide embrace this individuality, with the flexibility and responsiveness to work with you to reflect your unique situation and creative vision. As well as theatres, arts centres and concert halls, our software is used to help schools, art galleries, sporting venues, universities and places of worship plan and manage their events.

Above all, we have a single measure of success

PatronBase. Build an audience your way.

Meet the Team

Rob Walters

Technical Director

Rob has been writing software since he was 15, and his interest in the Arts started even earlier, splitting his time at school pretty evenly between the theatre and the computer labs. Both interests continued throughout University, where Rob combined a BSc in Computer Science with Knowledge and Information Systems, with a full calendar of involvement backstage in student and not-for-profit shows across Cardiff.

Rob has a dual role with PatronBase, as Technical Director for the UK, and Chief Software Architect globally, giving him a broad oversight of all things technical, and a deep knowledge of what makes the PatronBase solution tick. Rob is passionate about digital innovation in the events industry, particularly the Arts, and is keen to explore PatronBase's role in innovative projects and venues.

Emma Walters

Operations Director

As Operations Director, Emma takes overall responsibility for the smooth running of PatronBase UK and all the projects and activities that we undertake. Emma applies her formidable organisation skills to oversee the day-to-day operations and project management whilst also being involved in training, product testing and marketing.

Emma’s background is in education, where she has over a decade of experience as a teacher and lecturer; however events and the performing arts have been a consistent interest, from playing flute, clarinet and saxophone in bands at school, through event first aid with St John’s Ambulance to combining an interest in technology and training with the arts and events at PatronBase UK. Emma is a frequent member of the events audience, with eclectic tastes from metal to musicals and 90s pop to Shakespeare.

David Leek

Senior Project Consultant

David has over 16 years’ experience of working within the culture and IT sectors. Having worked in cinema and live arts as well as for a large communications company, he has deep understanding of the changing needs of organisations large and small. David spent 10 years as a Box Office Manager and has also held a Digital and Marketing Officer role within theatre, as well as undertaking change management projects.

As Senior Project Consultant, David is responsible for projects requiring the highest of technical knowledge and expertise. These include comprehensive custom reports, “big data” analysis and converting to cloud-based hosting of PatronBase systems.

Jonathan Collins

Partnership Manager

Jonathan joined PatronBase, after working in UK venues for more than 25 years. Jonathan brings many years experience in front office operations to his new role at PatronBase. His “hands-on” knowledge means he not only is familiar with your daily challenges but how PatronBase can help resolve them.

Gaby Renehan

Partnership Manager

Gaby’s background is in venue marketing and she has extensive practical experience on how PatronBase can help you understand and reach out to your audience. Gaby’s love for the arts began at a very young age through regular trips to the theatres, museums and galleries. Gaby is also a keen globetrotter and has visited theatres in over 30 countries giving her invaluable, firsthand experience of the customer journey.

Tom Whitehead

Support Analyst

Tom has deep knowledge of both sides of the enterprise software industry having worked as a software developer for a large insurance company and then providing technical support for their bespoke claims system. Now Tom calls upon his varied experience to provide technical support to PatronBase’s UK customers.

Oli Laban

Web Developer (Bespoke) & Digital Designer

Oli is is part of the bespoke web development team for PatronBase in the UK where he takes the lead on digital design and front end development - helping venues to integrate the PatronBase solution into their websites, web portals and intranets.

Richard Chatburn

Web Developer (Bespoke)

Richard is is part of the bespoke web development team for PatronBase in the UK where he leads on back end development - helping venues to integrate the PatronBase solution into their websites, web portals and intranets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why the name? Why PatronBase?

To put it simply, we see the patron as at the heart of everything you do, and by extension everything we do.

This has shaped the design of the system in two ways.

Firstly, we provide a far more holistic service to the patron than simply their ticket buying – through the wide range of modules available, you can serve the patron through such diverse touchpoints as their merchandise orders, food and beverage purchases, donations, room bookings, and even public access wifi.

Secondly, our aim is to put the patron first in the software we design. We see initiatives such as GDPR and accessible ticketing not as regulatory crosses to bear, but opportunities to go above and beyond, and provide the most patron-centric tools on the market.

For PatronBase, the patron is Number One.

What does “not (just) for profit” mean?

Not (just) for profit was the philosophy coined by our founder and which we think perfectly sums up our approach.

Sure, making a profit is part of what we do – it’s what allows us to invest in the product, put food on the table, put the kids through school and even head along to some great shows and gigs of an evening or weekend.

But it’s part of the motivation, not the whole motivation. We love the arts and culture – the richness and diversity – and we know that the arts and culture puts more into society than it takes out. After all, Arts Council England estimates every £1 of funding delivering £4 of value.

We want to be part of that – helping more people see great live events, helping more venues bring in the audiences and revenues they need to keep producing those great events, stimulating the cultural economy through making that £1 of funding into £4 of benefit.

So we price our products and services to be accessible to a wide range of organisations, not just those with the biggest audiences or highest funding – not (just) for profit.

How is PatronBase licensed?

The PatronBase system is sold as a perpetual license – once you have purchased it the software is yours to use without need to “renew” your license after a specified number of years.

However to receive upgrades and support you will need to purchase a maintenance and support program. Both of these services are charged as a percentage of your system’s purchase price and typically are offered to you on a 3 or 5 year contract.

Is PatronBase cloud software?

PatronBase can be predominantly cloud hosted or locally hosted, according to your preference.

All eCommerce and web sales services are cloud hosted – these require a high level of availability infrastructure which we host in resilient UK data centres with Amazon to ensure your online ticket sales are there when your patrons are, and so aren’t suitable for hosting outside our web environment.

If you want to use on-site printers and payment card terminals, you’ll need to install a couple of small pieces of software on your local network to talk to the printer and card terminal hardware. Alternatively, you could use e-tickets and online payments to avoid the need for any locally-installed software – the choice is yours.

Your database and the PatronBase software can either be hosted in the cloud by us, or locally on your network.

Local hosting is better for larger organisations who have the expertise in house to manage and maintain servers and locally installed PCs, and gives you total control over your data within your own firewall – often a requirement for local authority owned venues.

Cloud hosting is often the preferred solution, however, as we handle all the hassle of managing the infrastructure – servers, backups, databases, disaster recovery, updates and upgrades – so you can focus on running a great venue. The downside is a higher monthly charge to cover the cost of our hosting service.

So how much does PatronBase cost?

The short answer is, it depends.

Our pricing is calculated according to the modules you’ll use, the support you’ll need from us, the bespoke services (such as web development, custom reporting and project management) that we’re providing, etc. We aim to tailor your quote to you and your exact needs.

So, you’ll need to contact us for a quote – but we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the price you’ll pay for the features you’ll have at your fingertips.

Do you charge a per-ticket fee?

No.

For many of the smaller venues we support, this can be a prohibitive expense and a nasty surprise as ticket sales rise.

All our pricing is based on the functionality you need and the services we’ll be providing, with no hidden costs.

I’m representing a small organisation on a budget. Can I afford PatronBase?

We hope so!

We were established with a philosophy of “not just for profit” – making a profit to fund continuous development and innovation of our software is important, but it’s not the only thing that’s important to us. Our first venue had a capacity of under 300, and although we now have venues with capacities in excess of 2000 seats and a feature set to match, we’ve made a conscious effort not to price our smaller venues out of the PatronBase community.

Don’t just take it from us – check out this article from the Ticketing Institute.

In some cases, a little creative thinking can help. For example, some of our smaller venues work together to share the cost of a system, and we have a range of payment plans for funding the system through capital or operating budgets. If there’s a way, we’ll work with you to find it.

I’m representing a large organisation with a vast range of requirements. Can PatronBase meet our needs?

Out of the box, PatronBase has a very broad set of features.

This includes modules such as Venue Manager, Fundraising, Inventory and QuickPOS, which are even outside the scope of some of our larger competitors, and integrations with third party systems such as MailChimp, PurpleSeven, Booking Protect, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre and Audience Finder, to name but a few.

What really sets us apart, though, is our innovation and flexibility.
Don’t see what you need right now? That’s ok, let’s talk about how to make it possible!
Noone’s done it before? Let’s make it happen!

Complementing our Product Development teams, our Bespoke Development teams have worked on a wide variety of custom development projects, both within and outside the events industry, and so can work with you to specify, design, develop and implement bespoke functionality including custom reporting, web design, integration or innovative uses of technology.

All large implementations are supported by a named project manager, and dedicated resources as needed.

I’m funding software out of operating revenue. Can I pay annually / quarterly / monthly?

Yes. Many customers prefer this method as it can help with their cash flow.

We will generally offer monthly payments for software licensing, support, maintenance and hosting over 3 or 5 years, interest free. Costs for hardware, web design or development, installation and initial training will be payable in staged payments at the time they are incurred.

Alternatively, we can introduce you to our preferred finance providers who may be able to offer to spread the cost of your entire purchase – including costs such as hardware, web services, installation and training – over 3 to 5 years for a modest fee, subject to status.

I’m purchasing software as part of a capital programme. Can I pay up front?

Yes.

You can purchase the perpetual license up front for inclusion in your capital project, together with any setup and training, hardware (such as printers, scanners, PCs and servers) and web development to integrate our system into your website, or even replace your website completely.

You can either choose to pay for a period of support and maintenance up front (3 and 5 years are typical options) or to pay for this by a monthly direct debit.

What support do you provide?

The glib answer is, whatever you need.

The support provided can be a significant cost, and we think you should only pay for the support you need.

Our standard support provides 24×7 emergency cover, and next business day first response for non-emergency issues. However, we recognise some venues may want more or less support, so will tailor the service level we offer, and the price you pay, to your individual needs.

Don’t forget our support can cover more than just your ticketing – including your website, web hosting, integrations, hardware, systems and much more – giving you a one-stop shop for all your day to day and project needs.