Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers

Career Description: Assist patrons at entertainment events by performing duties, such as collecting admission tickets and passes from patrons, assisting in finding seats, searching for lost articles, and locating such facilities as rest rooms and telephones.

Industry: Personal Care and Service

Other Job Titles for Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Sell and collect admission tickets and passes from patrons at entertainment events.
• Greet patrons attending entertainment events.
• Examine tickets or passes to verify authenticity, using criteria such as color and date issued.
• Guide patrons to exits or provide other instructions or assistance in case of emergency.
• Maintain order and ensure adherence to safety rules.
• Provide assistance with patrons' special needs, such as helping those with wheelchairs.
• Direct patrons to restrooms, concession stands and telephones.
• Refuse admittance to undesirable persons or persons without tickets or passes.
• Settle seating disputes and help solve other customer concerns.
• Assist patrons in finding seats, lighting the way with flashlights if necessary.
• Search for lost articles or for parents of lost children.
• Count and record number of tickets collected.
• Operate refreshment stands during intermission or obtain refreshments for press box patrons during performances.
• Verify credentials of patrons desiring entrance into press-box and permit only authorized persons to enter.
• Distribute programs to patrons.
• Schedule and manage volunteer usher corps.
• Work with others to change advertising displays.
• Manage inventory and sale of artist merchandise.
• Give door checks to patrons who are temporarily leaving establishments.
• Manage informational kiosk and display of event signs and posters.
• Page individuals wanted at the box office.
• Order supplies for facilities.
• Supervise students' housekeeping work to ensure that it is done properly.
• Chaperone group-sponsored trips and social functions.
• Compile information such as residents' daily activities and the quantities of supplies used to prepare required reports.
• Accompany and supervise students during meals.
• Provide transportation or escort for expeditions such as shopping trips or visits to doctors or dentists.
• Inventory, pack, and remove items left behind by former residents.

Emerging Tasks

• Assist patrons by giving directions to points in and outside of the facility and providing information about local attractions.
• Clean facilities.
• Lead tours and answer visitors' questions about the exhibits.
• Schedule and manage staff such as volunteer usher corps.
• Sell and collect admission tickets, passes, and facility memberships from patrons at entertainment events.
• Obtain doctors' signatures on death certificate and complete other paperwork such as insurance claims forms.
• Perform general maintenance tasks for funeral homes such as maintaining equipment and caring for funeral grounds.
• Perform various administrative tasks such as typing documents and answering telephone calls.
• Prepare obituaries for newspapers.
• Supervise funeral processions and assist with cemetery parking.
• Transport the deceased (e.g., from the hospital to the funeral home).

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• assist handicapped persons
• assist patrons at entertainment events
• assist patrons or passengers to find seats
• authorize entry or exit of individuals
• collect payment
• deliver or obtain mail, messages, records, food or other items
• detect infractions of rules
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• greet customers, guests, visitors, or passengers
• maintain production or work records
• oversee work progress to verify safety or conformance to standards
• page or announce information to patrons, passengers or others
• prepare specialty foods
• provide customer service
• provide directions or other information to visitors
• receive customer orders
• recognize customer intoxication
• resolve customer or public complaints
• schedule employee work hours
• sell merchandise
• serve food or beverages
• use cash registers
• use inventory control procedures
• use oral or written communication techniques
• verify ticket or pass
• provide customers with travel assistance
• provide directions or other information to visitors
• provide travel suggestions
• schedule guest recreational activities
• sell merchandise
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
• use first aid procedures
• use knowledge of international travel regulations
• use oral or written communication techniques
• verify ticket or pass

Overall Experience
No previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a cashier even if he/she has never worked before.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.

Education
These occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate. Some may require a formal training course to obtain a license.

Examples
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include taxi drivers, amusement and recreation attendants, counter and rental clerks, cashiers, and waiters/waitresses.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$7.85
• Average annual wage (2007) - $16,340.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 16.90%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 17,435
• Employment (2006): 103,166

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