FAQ

What is the OU Theatre Group Bookers Club (OUTGBC)?

Welcome to the OUTGBC.

We are an affiliated OU Club and have our own Committee who make decisions on what we do.  As an affiliated Club, we do bid for money from the OU Club on an annual basis to support coach travel and events.

We coordinate group bookings for shows at MK Theatre and beyond.

Our group bookings work in the following way:
We book a batch of tickets for shows at Milton Keynes Theatre/London Theatres etc and advertise them.  e.g. Rather than 25 people each booking 2 tickets directly with the theatre, they book through us.  This way, everyone benefits from a discount on their ticket as we have a group of 50 attending a show.  We also don't have to pay booking fees so save there too.

This is just one example as discounts vary from show to show, but we basically act as your ticket agent!

However, we are a group of 5 volunteers and do this in our spare time, so please don't expect immediate responses to email.

Pre Covid We've booked over 8000 tickets for 85 different shows totalling over £150,000 of ticket sales alone in an average year.

We also arrange Exclusive ‘money can’t buy’ events.

There are about 1500 members of staff who regularly take advantage of the discounts for shows at MK Theatre and beyond.  The more the merrier :-).

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I'm not connected to the OU, can I still book?

Yes!  Everyone can take advantage of our discounted tickets, it's the more bookers we get the better prices.  However we would ask that you read the FAQ and booking information so you know what to do and when to expect emails from us!  Thank you!

If we have subsidised events then there may be a price difference between OU staff and non staff.

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How does this work?

OUTGBC will reserve a batch of tickets for a show either in MK or London.

For Milton Keynes (our local theatre), we will reserve a group of tickets for shows that are visiting for 3 nights or more (and that offer a discount - hence a benefit for you to book through us.)

• When we book a show, OUTGBC get given a date, that we need to have returned any unsold tickets and pay the theatre for the tickets.  We will push this as close to the show as possible.  Sometimes we'll have one set of dates if we book a show 1 year away, we get given a date 6 months from the show, but closer to this date, we will try and push the dates back again. 

• In a perfect world the payment to the theatre is 1 month to 6 weeks prior to the show.

• Our booking will close normally 4 weeks prior to this date (this is your Ticket Request deadline (or the booking closing deadline) and then you have 2 weeks to make payment (your Payment Deadline). 

• We have 2 weeks to sort the booking once everyone has paid (chase the late payments, allocate the tickets and pay the theatre).

For London shows, we can normally only hold tickets for 1 month, so even if the show is two years away, we have to pay the theatre within 1 month of the tickets going on sale, so time is squashed.

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Can I telephone?

I'm afraid as we are volunteers and this is done outside our normal work, we cannot have phone calls, but if you email the OUTGBC@open.ac.uk someone will respond.

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How do I know if my request has been received?

You will receive separate responses confirming your tickets for each show.

Please do not expect an immediate response - this is undertaken voluntarily in our own time and we cannot always respond straight away due to work commitments.

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I haven't heard from you, what's happening?

Please don't panic!  As we do this voluntarily in our time, we are often unable to respond straight away.

This does not mean that we haven't received your request. We would ask you to be patient and we will respond as soon as we are able. 

In order to assist us, please DO NOT contact us again as this just adds to our administration and takes us twice as long to deal with the ticket requests.  You could also end up with double the amount of tickets you require.

The OU Club Office cannot help with your request.  They do not have access to our mailbox or files so will not be able to assist you, as we are just one of many affiliated clubs.

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Can I reserve certain seats?

All of our tickets are Band A unless otherwise stated and you can request Circle or Stalls at the time of booking (depending on venue).

Requests for certain seats or certain areas cannot be guaranteed, although we will try.  However, please note that on large shows we have a LOT of requests for particular areas of seating and obviously not everyone can have their first choice.

All seats are allocated on receipt of correctly referenced payment.  So get your payment in as soon as it is requested (preferably via BACS/online banking) and remember to use the correct reference.

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Can I see a seating plan?

We have a seating plan for MK Theatre - ouclub/theatre-bookings/sites/www.open.ac.uk.ouclub.theatre-bookings/files/MK_SeatingPlan_HIGHRES.pdf

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One of my group has a medical condition, and needs certain seats

Please advise us of this as soon as possible as we can either allocate seats on end of row/stalls or circle as required or request a wheelchair/companion space if available.

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Will my group be sat together?

We will always aim to seat your group together in the same row (or in a cluster for larger groups).

In VERY exceptional circumstances (depending on our allocation of tickets from the venue) we may need to split your group. 
We will contact you in advance if this is the case.

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Equal Opportunities

OU Affiliated Clubs strive to provide Equal Opportunities and Accessibility for all on our trips, wherever we can.

We can cater for wheelchair access on events, unfortunately there are no local coaches with accessible access (if you know of one please let us know!) We have also organised special eating and accessibility requirements at a number of events, when they have been requested.

Please advise us as soon as you can if you have any additional needs when booking our trips.

Please note: Some venues are set up to be more accessible than others.

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How do I cancel tickets?

If you need to cancel your tickets, please email OUTGBC@open.ac.uk as soon as possible - this MUST be BEFORE the ticket booking date.

After the ticket booking date has passed, you will NOT be able to cancel tickets as the price is calculated on the total number of tickets sold.

You will have to pay for the tickets and try and resell them.

In exceptional circumstances please do contact the Group bookers.

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Why has my ticket price gone up?

We have a sliding scale of discounts based on the number of tickets we sell.  This varies from show to show.

The MAXIMUM discount you will receive is shown on our website.

On the rare occasions we don’t reach any discount we will contact you BEFORE payment is requested and let you know your options.

Prices are correct at time of publication.

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I'm going to be away close to the Booking closing deadline/payment deadline date, what do I do?

Payment will be requested on or just after the Booking closing deadline dates, so if you are going to be away between the ticket deadline and payment required date, please contact the OUTGBC email with your show title in the subject line and let us know, so we can arrange payment options with you.

If you are away and we have to pay the theatre before your return (and we don't know) - you will lose your tickets.  See NON-PAYMENT.

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How and when do I pay for the show?

The Booking closing/ Ticket Request Deadline is the last date you can book tickets.

On or soon after this date you will be sent an email requesting payment (you now cannot cancel your tickets and are responsible for paying for them).

Our  payment method is by Online/Telephone banking (most banks offer these methods), but you must include the correct reference from the payment email you will have been sent.  

Please note that we can only accept ONE payment per booking (eg.  if you have booked 10 tickets for yourself and 9 friends, we require 1 payment from you for the total amount for those 10 tickets, NOT multiple payments from you and your friends)

If you do not use Online/Telephone Banking, you may need to contact your bank (you can go in and they can arrange a transfer over the counter for you).  Alternatively, you could ask a family member/friend to make the payment for you - just ensure that they use the correct reference.  

It is critical that you follow the guidelines set out for Online/Telephone Banking in the email, as payments with no references cannot be allocated to a show.  We have thousands of payments per year.

We do NOT accept cash.  Our only payment method is Online/Telephone Banking.

If extreme circumstances please contact your booker.

There is normally a 1-2 week period before the Ticket Payment Deadline (which is shown on the website) - which is the last date we can accept payment.  To help you and give you more time to arrange payment, we have a very tight gap between the payment deadline and the date we have to finalise and pay the theatres - hence why we require you to pay by Online/Telephone Banking as we do not have to wait for monies to clear.

You will receive a reminder email, and we'll need your payment by the payment date.  

Payment MUST be received by the final payment deadline or tickets may be cancelled. You will receive a warning email if your tickets are being cancelled. (If cancelling your tickets alters the cost for everyone else, we cannot cancel your tickets, and you must pay for them).

Tickets are allocated on a first come, first served basis on receipt of correctly referenced payment.

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Non payment

By not paying by the required date you are putting the tickets for the whole group at risk.

If, following our reminder emails, you still have not paid (or contacted us regarding your payment), we reserve the right to:

1. Cancel your tickets (if it does not affect the discount for the rest of the group)*
2. Re-allocate your tickets if there is a wait-list.

We may also:

• Issue you with a warning
• Not book tickets for you in the future without pre-payment
• Not book tickets for you at all

*PLEASE NOTE:  If cancelling your tickets would cause the discount for the rest of the group to change, you will still be liable for your tickets.

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How do I get my tickets?

Following Covid-19 all tickets are now electonic, so you will be emailed your tickets. 

Remember that seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis on receipt of correctly referenced payment.

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How do I know if my payment has been received/tickets have been sent?

Due to the number of bookings we have, we can’t acknowledge receipt of every payment, ticket posting etc, (you will normally receive one email approx. 1 week before the payment deadline informing you of your current payment status).

Please refer to the BOOKING STATUS page on this website to see the latest status for each show.

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I’ve booked coach places, where do they leave from/what time will we get there etc?

If you have requested coach transport for London, the coach will leave from the bus stops outside the OU Library by 15:45 (unless specified otherwise on the relevant show page) - we WILL NOT wait for late-comers.

Please ensure that your group arrives at the bus stops at 15:30 in readiness to be checked onto the coach.

Please note that we do not provide tickets for coach journeys, your coach organiser will have a list of names of those they are expecting.

We DO NOT provide an estimated time of arrival or drop-off location as various factors such as traffic and parking restrictions can affect the journey.  However, in normal circumstances, we usually manage to arrive in time for a spot of dinner prior to a show.

We will normally send a reminder email out about coach times etc. about 3-5 days before the trip.

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What happens if there is inclement weather?

If the show is running at the theatre, then we’re afraid we are unable to offer refunds.  We would suggest you contact the theatre directly to see if they will allow you to change dates, or we will contact you if they let us know.

If weather prevents the coach from collecting us at the OU to go to London, we will be able to refund your coach fare, as we won't be charged for the coach.

If however the show is going ahead in London, you will need to make your own way down to London or contact the theatre direct to see if they will offer you an alternative date.

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In order to take advantage of the discounts we are given, we are set payment deadlines by theatres.  These vary depending on the show and venue.

Some producers set really early deadlines for discounted tickets, this is usually the case for the big West End shows e.g. Wicked etc.

Some shows such as the Panto have special early-bird discounts but this means an earlier deadline.  Always check the pages for the individual shows.

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I've paid for or received my tickets but now can't attend, can I cancel them?

Tickets are non-refundable and non-returnable once the ticket deadline date has passed.

We suggest putting them up for sale on the OU Theatre Group Bookers' Club Facebook page or the OU intranet (if you are internal) as they will usually sell on there.

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I've can’t find my tickets, what do I do?

Firstly, are you sure that the tickets have been sent to you – refer to our BOOKING STATUS page to check.

If they have been sent, please double-check your usual ‘safe places’.

If, after these checks you (the booker) still cannot find your tickets, please email us via CONTACT US.  We can then arrange for the tickets to be reprinted (MK Theatre only) and you can pick them up when you arrive at the Theatre.

PLEASE NOTE:  We CANNOT arrange re-prints with MK Theatre until the day of the show.

For London/Non-MK shows we will provide you with the information that you need to go to Box Office on your arrival to arrange for re-prints as you will need to arrange the re-prints yourself in person.

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I’m leaving the University/going to be on extended leave – can I still use OUTGBC?

Yes, you can still continue to be one of our bookers.

Refer to the HOW DO I ADD MYSELF TO THE OU THEATRE GROUP BOOKERS MAILING LIST (EXTERNAL)? section of these FAQ on how to do this.

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How do I keep myself up to date with new shows?

Look at this website (New shows are launched on this website first) or add yourself to the email list to keep yourself informed of the latest discounted ticket offers.

You can also find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/339325699489318/

or on Twitter @OUTGBC

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Why don’t you book for Saturday Matinee shows in London or one-night shows at MK?

We only book for shows where we receive a discount.

As it is unusual for these shows to offer group discounts we do not book them.

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How do I add myself to the OUTGBC mailing list ?

Please email OUTGBC@open.ac.uk and request to be added to the mailing list.

• You will now start receiving emails .
• It's generally not a high volume list, maybe a couple per month.

To UNSUBSCRIBE

Please email OUTGBC@open.ac.uk and request to be removed  from the list.

If you experience any problems removing yourself from the list then please contact the OUTGBC.

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