Back in January, Colonel Chris Hadfield was being featured at Roy Thomson Hall as part of a speaker series. Most of us are aware of who Chris Hadfield is thanks to his social media presence; the first Canadian Commander of the International Space Station, best selling author, and unbeknown to some, a popular icon amongst the younger generation—and by younger I mean my eight year old daughter. So, when I heard he was coming to Roy Thomson Hall I gave them a call to see whether it would be age appropriate for my daughter to attend.
Normally, with other venues, the box office phone number sends you straight to Ticket Master, who, although generally pleasant to deal with, don’t often have as much information pertaining to the event or venue as you may require. So I was pleasantly surprised when the phone was answered by an employee from the in-house box office. Admittedly, I had a lot of questions and called the box office a number of times, each time answered by a different employee, all of which were equally as pleasant, knowledgeable and helpful. They informed me that Chris Hadfield spoke to a wide audience, and assured me that my daughter would enjoy the evening. They helped me to secure tickets, and even took into account the fact that I was attending with a child, by suggesting cheaper seats, in case she didn’t make it through the whole show. I was so impressed with their customer service that I called up the President of Roy Thomson Hall and congratulated him on his fine employees and the positive experience that I just had.
But the customer service didn’t stop there. When my daughter and I arrived at Roy Thomson Hall for the show, besides the pleasant enthusiasm of the ticket collectors, one employee approached my daughter directly. He leaned down and told her that if she had a question she’d like to ask Chris Hadfield she could give it to him and he’d make sure Colonel Hadfield answered it. Well, this sent my daughter beaming….it was almost as good as if Chris Hadfield had approached her himself.
When attending an event like this we often forget that it’s more than just the performance that makes the night. It’s also how you are treated as a guest or fan by the venue. Not to take away from other Toronto venues, but Roy Thomson Hall is one of the few places that seems to remember they are offering a service and don’t just let the event speak for itself. And for that I’d like to thank them for such an enjoyable experience.
Roy Thomson Hall
60 Simcoe Street
Toronto, ON M5J 2H5
416-872-4255
www.roythomson.com/
