Randy was here, sorry you missed him

Posted Mar 29, 2010 by Tom McEwen

Updated Mar 29, 2010 at 08:09 PM

Randy Cohen left our home on Davis Island a few hours ago, so things have settled down a bit. 

Randy had stirred them up.  He does that.  He is a professional at that. He is a carnival barker.  He is always on stage.  Talks a little faster than most.  Talks a little louder than most, but that is OK, he is a salesman for the world, a ticket-to-anything salesman. 

Cohen and his squeeze, Mia Bennatt, were with us for a couple of days.  Mia is an attractive Esthetician and a specialist in skin care.

Linda and Randy and I had dinner at Fleming’s Sunday night, then they came to our home for lunch yesterday and a long conversation.  They are on the way to the World Cup of soccer coming up in South Africa, just ahead.  Randy Cohen owns Ticket City in Austin, Texas. He told me in his time he had sold 250 million tickets through the years, at all the World Cups and Olympics and all of the major college championship events. Right now he and his company have a 40 million dollar business, of which he said the busiest are major college football, all World Cups and other ‘biggest in their sport’ events. 

Right now, he is focused on the Masters Golf event in Augusta, because he said the return of Tiger Woods is creating an increase in demand, if there is such a thing for the Masters, for it is always beyond a sellout.  But if you think you still want to go to the Masters, call Cohen’s Ticket City. Cohen owns a house near the Augusta course which is always full.

Cohen thinks fast, walks fast, talks fast, deals fast.

“I love it. I love it. I love it, the ticket business. You can’t know until you have got unavailable tickets for someone to a major event, like say the Masters, for them.  They can never thank you enough,” said Randy.

Or, I add, “pay you enough.”

Randy is not cheap but is a master at what he does - find tickets that do not exist to sold out events. 
     
Randy got into the business in a weird way.  He was born and raised in upper New York State, where his Daddy was with IBM.  But he was early on a salesman.  He sold colored glass that he had collected to tourists and he sold anything else worth selling for a profit.  Randy’s parents moved to Texas, where he was graduated from the University of Texas, but along the way he continued to sell. When he found out he could sell tickets, he would buy college tickets to Texas games and make a big profit.  He was chased away from Texas Stadium until he was caught, jailed, and established that he was breaking no laws by “scalping.”  I guess he broke a barrier as he had found his calling. He has been in the business since he made a name for himself and founded Ticket City. 

If he doesn’t have them, he will get them for you, for a price.

Randy Cohen is also an author, of children’s books and stories on other experiences of his life. Examples are “D & Daddy’s Big Night Out” and “Ticket to the Limit.”

Cohen seems always to presume he is onstage or speaking to a group but he is without ego.  He is a man, you like, to be around and about.  He laughs at your jokes but expects you to laugh at his and that is easy.  Read this, his note in the copy of the book he gave us:  “Woo! Woo! Thanks for being such amazing friends.  Keep having fun, never stop being passionate about life and make sure you live everyday like it is a BIG NIGHT OUT.”

Cohen never met a stranger. At Fleming’s fine restaurant, the waiter was so impressed he began asking questions of fast talking, inspiring, and quipping Cohen. The two quickly found out that the waiter is going back to Texas where Cohen is headed and he is a song writer and Cohen told him to call him when he got to Texas and he would put him in touch with the right people, and he will.

As I said, Randy Cohen livened our lives as he will liven those with whom he deals with the World Cup in South Africa.  He is a professional motivator and as I said, our place has just returned to some normalcy when we put Cohen and his fiancée on the plane back to Texas, from where he will head to South Africa to liven things up there. 

He may even get a smile or two out of the Zulus.

Babaloo, Randy. 

Make ‘em laugh!