More than 500 ticket brokers, ticketing executives, venue and sports team representatives will descend on the Waldorf=Astoria in Manhattan tomorrow, January 6, for Ticket Summit NYC, and the three-day conference and trade show could not come at a more important time for the ticket industry.

Against the backdrop of a serious recession, the landscape surrounding the ticket industry continues to shift. More people are embracing the secondary ticket market than ever before, but they are also looking for bargains. Broadway shows are closing; sports leagues are freezing ticket prices; and in the case of the National Football League, they are also laying off employees.

Two Best-Practices sessions scheduled for Ticket Summit NYC next week, January 6-8, are designed to help ticket brokers become better at pricing inventory and retaining customers as their businesses grow.

The session entitled "The Price Is Right?" will help brokers answer the question, "How do you know if you’re pricing your inventory too high or too low?" Marcia Cooper and Harvey Levine, both from the eBay selling consultancy GeneralEnterprises.net, are the scheduled speakers and will help brokers to optimize daily pricing.

In an effort to help facilitate networking opportunities, Ticket Summit NYC, the nation's largest conference and trade show focusing on the ticketing industry, is offering groups and attendees the chance to meet with representatives from other companies in a private boardroom.

With nearly 500 attendees already registered, Ticket Summit NYC presents ticket executives with a unique opportunity to network with their friends, colleagues, groups and acquaintances, and already two groups have booked time in the private boardroom.

Even though the economy is struggling, Ticket Summit 2009, the ticketing industry’s leading biannual conference and tradeshow, has managed to beat the odds; with nearly 500 attendees already registered and only one booth left in the exhibition hall, conference organizers expect nothing but success for Ticket Summit 2009 NYC, which will take place at the Waldorf=Astoria from January 6-8.

The ticketing industry has seen brighter days. This year, TicketsNow and its parent company Ticketmaster reduced their workforces to stay competitive in the market. In October, Ticketmaster eliminated roughly 300 jobs, including 60 jobs at TicketsNow. Similarly, ticket brokers’ profits are becoming slimmer, as many tickets sell below face value, including tickets to Young Frankenstein and the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight. Ticket Summit’s ability to flourish during this economic downturn demonstrates the event’s value in the ticketing industry.