Columbus North High School

November 1, 2022 - Columbus North Athletics is excited to announce a transition from cash-only to digital tickets beginning this upcoming winter athletic season. Columbus North will use EventLink as its ticket provider. Patrons will not be required to create an account or download an app to purchase tickets. Transactions can take place using a credit card and any smartphone or tablet. “Many of the schools that our athletic teams visit have been using digital tickets for quite some time. We have spent time gathering information about that process from other schools, and are excited to begin this transition,” Athletic Director Brian Lewis explained. “Cash will still be able to be used at our concession stands, but by the end of the winter season, and moving forward beyond that, we plan to use cashless, digital ticketing for our athletic events.” Lewis understands that an abrupt move to a digital ticket system could be difficult for those who prefer the cash-only system that has been used for years, so he plans to phase in the changes. At the beginning of the winter season (November 1 is the first home winter event), tickets will be sold on a cash-only basis as in the past. Beginning on November 22, fans will be able to choose between a digital ticket and purchasing a ticket with cash. All tickets will then be purchased digitally beginning on January 10, 2023. Tickets will be able to be purchased through the Columbus North Athletics website, through the EventLink app or website, or using a QR code at the ticket table at the time of the event. “We expect this to speed up the process of patrons entering the gates, it will decrease the human error involved with counting and making change, and increase the accuracy of our bookkeeping data. It may take a bit of getting used to for some or our guests, but we think this is going to be a great move for us in the long-term,” Lewis elaborated. “As people get used to buying tickets in advance before they arrive, they’ll see the benefit of moving quickly through the ticket gate and not having to remember to carry cash with them for tickets.” Lewis explained that patrons will still need to check in at the ticket gate with their smartphone for ticket verification, but they’ll be through with just one click. Those patrons who have Columbus North All-Sports passes will continue to show their passes at the ticket table for the remainder of the school year. Lewis plans to transition to digital All-Sports Passes beginning in the 2023-2024 school year. The Athletics Department is also planning to introduce digital rosters to the home events. Fans will be able to scan a QR code at the entrance to the venue and see both teams’ rosters as well as links to acknowledge our sponsors, to purchase fan gear, to get information about our concession stand, and other information. According to Lewis, “We evaluated our annual printing costs for rosters as well as paper tickets and All-Sports passes and felt like we owed it to our student-athletes to find ways to decrease costs and increase money put back into our athletic programs. We are confident that these changes will help us do that.”