The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has set aside £650,000 to establish an On-Line Box Office System and associated Audience Development Agency to provide greater access to the arts in Northern Ireland. Arts Council Chief Executive, Roisin McDonough, said: ‘The development of a centralised box office would be a tremendous achievement. Many interests have to be balanced and safe-guarded. The arts themselves have been quick to realise how valuable such a system would be to their future as sustainable ventures.’ Integration of the inventory of tickets from the participating venues would be achieved at web level by linking them to an internet portal to provide public access to all the tickets on sale. The proposed systems would enable small arts organisations and festivals to sell their tickets online, and tourist information centres and other outlets would be in a position to sell tickets for a wide range of events. The proposed Audience Development Agency would manage the ticket inventory and the portal website and develop and facilitate marketing initiatives for the benefit of its members. The project is said to be one of the most sophisticated integrated marketing initiatives ever to be attempted in the UK. For further information, visit the Arts Council of Northern Ireland HERE.