Box Office Collection
Posted on 22 June 2011
Most theatres or venues that sell tickets offer "Box Office Collection", which means you can collect your purchased tickets in person at the venue box office rather than have them mailed out to you.
In the United States, Box Office Collection is often known as “Will Call” in the trade, it is known as “COBO” which stands for Care Of Box Office or “BOCS” for Box Office Collections.
Typically box office collection is offered when delivery is not possible because the time between making a booking and the performance date is short. Overseas visitors tend to choose Box Office Collection for their tickets as either an international delivery choice is not offered or for ease of collection.
Normally, tickets can only be collected from a London theatre on the day of the chosen performance. Box Office opening hours do vary, but generally, tickets are only available for collection from an hour or so before the start time of any performance. Generally, as a rule, it’s better to collect tickets anywhere between two hours an half an hour before the show starts.
In order to pick up your tickets, you must normally present your original confirmation number or confirmation e-mail confirming the booking. Remember that different ticket agencies use different order numbers, so always take your print out of your booking with you. And only ever book from an official agent and member of the Society Of Ticket Agents and Retailers. You may also be asked to provide additional identification such as valid photo ID, driving licence or passport and sometimes the credit card that was used to make the booking.
The box office will not normally release tickets if the name on the ID and credit card does not match the name used to make the booking. You must have the original booking confirmation with you. Never buy tickets from street sellers (ticket touts or scalpers) as there is no guarantee the tickets are genuine – no matter how hot the show is!
In short, box office collection is a convenient way to collect your theatre tickets, avoiding any fuss about tickets getting lost in the post, stolen or misplaced.
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