North of the border, ticket brokers have created an association that seeks to protect and foster their professional interests at the regional level.
The Canadian Ticket Brokers Association (CTBA) was created with a number of goals in mind: to better the secondary industry in Canada, educate its members, and cope with potential changes to laws affecting the ticketing industry. Like the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB), the CTBA is an association of brokers representing its member’s interests while also protecting the public (members of both organizations must adhere to a code of ethics). The CTBA departs from the NATB in its regional focus on Canada.
“We’re a different country and sometimes people realize that and sometimes people think we’re an extension of the U.S.,” Russ Blacklock, President of the CTBA, told TicketNews. Blacklock pointed to the move towards regionalization in the NATB and the positive effects this has had in representing brokers’ interests. That success is the impetus behind the creation of the CTBA.
Some of the CTBA’s regional work includes monitoring legal challenges within Canada and staying abreast of issues affecting the industry (Blacklock cited the example of a change to existing ticket legislation in Ontario that’s pending). In addition, the CTBA is registered with the Attorney General’s office so that they’re easily available should the Canadian government have questions about the industry.
The CTBA currently has twenty members. As the association grows, Blacklock said it remains committed to monitoring and being involved in legislative changes.
As for the rest of the CTBA’s goals, Blacklock added: “I think fostering confidence in consumers here in Canada is a big one.”
