Behind the Booth with CATI Finance Chair Darla Machacek

When festival goers step up to the ticket booth each year, they see a smiling face and a quick transaction. What they don’t see is the finely tuned system behind the counter, led by Finance Chair Darla Machacek, who has been guiding this effort with precision and professionalism for several years.

The ticket booth is the heartbeat of the festival. It requires a full team effort, with six people volunteers at the front and another two to three working behind the scenes at any given time. Every detail is managed, from scheduling volunteers and providing food, drinks, and t-shirts, to coordinating with security and ensuring the entire operation runs seamlessly.

Much of the work begins long before the festival even starts. Tickets have to be ordered in advance, grouped and counted with care, and checked against sponsorship commitments. Beer tokens are also carefully counted and bagged so they can be distributed quickly at the tills, a system that saves time and keeps lines moving.

Under Machacek’s leadership, the booth has been elevated into a model of efficiency. Tills have been used at each station for years, ensuring consistency, accountability, and accuracy across every shift. Credit card machines were introduced in 2024, an immediate success that streamlined lines and improved the visitor experience. Thanks to GVEC providing a dedicated hotspot, the booth overcame long-standing connectivity challenges that come with large crowds in town. This year, even more card readers will be added to further increase efficiency. An on-site ATM is also available for convenience.

The ticket booth is far more than a point of entry. It serves as a central hub for the festival, assisting with payouts to bands and food vendors, providing a place for lost and found items, and often serving as the first stop in the event of an emergency. In earlier years, it even doubled as an announcement system. Today, sponsor recognition and festival updates are delivered from the main stage, leaving the booth team focused on its core mission: providing a flawless guest experience.

Machacek also plays a vital role in securing sponsorships, ensuring the festival has the resources needed to keep improving operations year after year. She is quick to highlight the volunteers, who she says are the true ambassadors of the event. Their friendly smiles and welcoming presence are often the first impression for visitors, setting the tone for the celebration ahead.

Thanks to Machacek’s steady leadership and the dedication of her team, the ticket booth has become a model of event management. It is a professional operation that blends efficiency, accountability, and hospitality, ensuring that every visitor’s experience begins on the right note.