Update to our Transaction Fee

Posted on 3rd April 2024

Not many towns of our size can boast a vibrant arts venue at the heart of their community which welcomes 25,000 people each year. The Corn Hall is part of what makes Diss such a wonderful place. We are incredibly proud of our community and our venue, and we want to continue to be a hub and hall for all long into the future.

We are a charity and the current cost of living crisis affects all of us – individuals and organisations alike. Just as you have experienced an increase in the cost of running your home, as a charity we too are experiencing increased costs in running and maintaining the building and in providing our services. This is set against a national picture of increasing financial pressures for local authorities and major cuts to arts and community funding.

We set our current transaction/booking fee back in 2016 and have been covering the shortfalls in this amount mainly due to the pandemic and then to encourage audience numbers since this time.  During this time, the fees placed on us for the ticketing and website services have increased together with the associated people costs of providing both a physical box office and up to date online service.  Therefore, as a charity, we have taken this step now to avoid financial difficulties in the year ahead.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance for supporting this initiative and for playing your part in The Corn Hall’s continued success.

FAQS

What is a transaction or booking fee?

A transaction or booking is an additional charge that is applied on your ticket purchases in the same way a postage and package fee is added onto parcels.

Why is a fee needed?

Ticket prices are agreed between the performing artists and venue, with the act themselves taking the higher percentage of the split in ticket sales. To attract the wide range of artists to Diss, this split is often higher than in the larger cities, and combined with limited seat capacity, means that the amount of money going towards the Corn Hall and its operations is restricted.  All arts venues therefore apply a transaction fee or booking fee to cover the costs associated with the ticketing processes, both the people and technology required to make the ticket transaction a success.

 What is the increase?

We are applying a £1 increase on our transaction fee now making this a total of £2:50.  We have used information shared with us from similar venues and have benchmarked this against those closest to us so that we are consistent with all.

When will you start charging a transaction fee?  

We will automatically apply this fee on all upcoming sales. You don’t need to do anything, the fee will be incorporated into the overall price you pay and automatically applied and there will be no change to the ticket buying process.

Do I have to pay the transaction fee? 

The fee is compulsory on tickets for all events. It is automatically applied during the booking process and does not require any additional steps. It will be applied to both face to face bookings, telephone and on-line purchases. The transaction fee is applied per basket not per ticket.

Friends and members of The Corn Hall will continue to enjoy the £1.50 discount on tickets for most events, and £1 off films, which is a benefit included within their annual membership. 

Will the transaction fee be added to tickets already purchased?

No, the fee will only be added to new sales. It will not be applied retrospectively. However, if you wish to make a voluntary donation then please feel free to do so at www.thecornhall.co.uk/donate or to scan the QR code.