Tickets.com to Enhance its Consumer-Facing Website by Offering Mobile Entertainment Downloads through Thumbplay
Costa Mesa, CA - September 29, 2008 - Tickets.com, a leading global provider of integrated ticketing solutions, has teamed with Thumbplay – the #1 mobile entertainment provider in North America – to offer music, videos, games and other content on www.tickets.com. The deal was announced today and the content is available now.
Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library currently consists of more than 100,000 pieces of licensed content. The partnership allows Tickets.com to deliver innovative value-added features to its online consumer base and to enhance their experience while visiting the site. New users who subscribe through www.tickets.com receive bonus downloads with their new subscription.
“Our vision is to increasingly build out the Tickets.com website to encompass experiences in addition to ticket transactions,” said Sheri Fink, online marketing manager, Tickets.com, “and we’re especially excited about launching our partnership with Thumbplay. Their commitment to leading the mobile entertainment content industry with groundbreaking ideas and technologies and to providing a seamless customer experience is a mission that we share. I am certain that our individual ticket consumers, particularly the ones making use of our technological innovations including Tickets@Phone™, will appreciate the ease of the service.”
Thumbplay has maintained and grown its leadership position in the industry by providing its consumers with the best possible customer experience, including live, “24/7/365” customer service and a commitment to delivering the largest catalog of entertainment possible. Thumbplay’s “locker” service also allows users to automatically back-up and store purchased items.
Available features include; licensed music, video and gaming content from some of the world’s largest entertainment companies, including EMI, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures Television, as well as several independent labels and artists and video game companies. Moreover, based on Thumbplay’s reputation for exceptional customer care and technological innovation, MTV recently tapped the company to power personalization content for the music giant’s mobile content site.
Read more >
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tickets.com Client Taking Email Marketing to the Next Level
The Tulsa Performing Arts Center, a Tickets.com client, is showcasing email marketing best practices by providing their opt-in subscribers with creative and compelling emails to advertise upcoming shows. An email like the Tulsa Performing Arts Center's, with an unusual and unexpected subject line, will definitely catch attention in an overflowing email Inbox. The content of the email, in its juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated shows, provides humor while offering a valuable benefit -- inviting customers to customize their own ticket packages. View the email campaign >Learn about Campaign Creator, Tickets.com's email marketing tool.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tickets.com Congratulates the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox
Tickets.com congratulates the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox for making it into the Playoffs. Both Tickets.com clients have played well and we wish them the best in the upcoming series of games.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tickets.com Brings Advanced Technologies and Tradition of Olympic Service to Launch Ticket Sales for Vancouver 2010
Innovative global ticketing provider Tickets.com brings its most advanced technologies and its unparalleled tradition of Olympic service to launch ticket sales for Vancouver 2010
Leading global ticketing services producer Tickets.com has a long tradition of far outpacing its industry in the handling of Olympic ticket sales. Their track record includes providing ticketing systems, support staff and consulting for the games in Atlanta (’96), Sydney (’00), Salt Lake City (’02) and Torino (’06). Now, as the Official Supplier of Ticketing Services for the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Tickets.com continues its legacy of service to the Olympics and brings its wealth of experience – and its newest and most advanced ticketing technologies – to the Canadian public.
Through the Web site Vancouver2010.com, the first round of ticket requests for the Games begins October 3 and continues through November 7. Tickets.com is committed to working hand-in-hand with the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) to ensure that all Canadians have fair access through officially authorized channels to event tickets for the Games, which take place February 12-28, 2010. Tickets.com will employ its most technologically advanced digital ticketing platforms and security control measures to streamline online requests for 86 medal events in 15 sports disciplines at a variety of competition venues and stadiums.
Noting the prevalence of empty seats at “sold-out” events during the summer 2008 Beijing Olympics, the company is also strategizing to ensure that every possible seat is filled with a spectator. Tickets.com advises Canadian consumers to visit Vancouver2010.com now for complete information on submitting their ticket requests. The October 3 – November 7 window offers the best opportunity for the widest variety of options to see world-class athletes and thrilling competition, and to attend additional events around greater Vancouver and Whistler during the Games.
“We’re so excited to be part of what we expect to be an extraordinary Winter Olympics,” said Larry Witherspoon, Chief Executive Officer, Tickets.com. “We know that for most people, attending an Olympic event is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Tickets.com is fully dedicated to assuring that the ticket transaction and event entry phases of that process are smooth and simple to navigate. In addition to providing ticketing services for Vancouver 2010, Tickets.com is honored to be an official supporter of the 2008, 2010 and 2012 Canadian Olympic teams.”
Working with Vancouver 2010 marks the debut of Tickets.com in British Columbia (where its presence will grow in 2009 with the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni), and its expansion in the Pacific Northwest, which includes a new partnership with the prestigious Seattle Theatre Group. Tickets.com clients in Canada also include: 2007 Grey Cup Champions the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Regina, SK), ENMAX Centre (Lethbridge, AB), K-ROCK Centre (Kingston, ON), Ontario Science Centre (Toronto, ON) and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON).
A privately held subsidiary of MLB Advanced Media, LP since 2005, Tickets.com is headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, and has regional offices across the U.S. and internationally. For information on great events throughout Canada, please visit Tickets.com online at www.tickets.com/ca.
Leading global ticketing services producer Tickets.com has a long tradition of far outpacing its industry in the handling of Olympic ticket sales. Their track record includes providing ticketing systems, support staff and consulting for the games in Atlanta (’96), Sydney (’00), Salt Lake City (’02) and Torino (’06). Now, as the Official Supplier of Ticketing Services for the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Tickets.com continues its legacy of service to the Olympics and brings its wealth of experience – and its newest and most advanced ticketing technologies – to the Canadian public.
Through the Web site Vancouver2010.com, the first round of ticket requests for the Games begins October 3 and continues through November 7. Tickets.com is committed to working hand-in-hand with the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) to ensure that all Canadians have fair access through officially authorized channels to event tickets for the Games, which take place February 12-28, 2010. Tickets.com will employ its most technologically advanced digital ticketing platforms and security control measures to streamline online requests for 86 medal events in 15 sports disciplines at a variety of competition venues and stadiums.
Noting the prevalence of empty seats at “sold-out” events during the summer 2008 Beijing Olympics, the company is also strategizing to ensure that every possible seat is filled with a spectator. Tickets.com advises Canadian consumers to visit Vancouver2010.com now for complete information on submitting their ticket requests. The October 3 – November 7 window offers the best opportunity for the widest variety of options to see world-class athletes and thrilling competition, and to attend additional events around greater Vancouver and Whistler during the Games.
“We’re so excited to be part of what we expect to be an extraordinary Winter Olympics,” said Larry Witherspoon, Chief Executive Officer, Tickets.com. “We know that for most people, attending an Olympic event is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Tickets.com is fully dedicated to assuring that the ticket transaction and event entry phases of that process are smooth and simple to navigate. In addition to providing ticketing services for Vancouver 2010, Tickets.com is honored to be an official supporter of the 2008, 2010 and 2012 Canadian Olympic teams.”
Working with Vancouver 2010 marks the debut of Tickets.com in British Columbia (where its presence will grow in 2009 with the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni), and its expansion in the Pacific Northwest, which includes a new partnership with the prestigious Seattle Theatre Group. Tickets.com clients in Canada also include: 2007 Grey Cup Champions the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Regina, SK), ENMAX Centre (Lethbridge, AB), K-ROCK Centre (Kingston, ON), Ontario Science Centre (Toronto, ON) and the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON).
A privately held subsidiary of MLB Advanced Media, LP since 2005, Tickets.com is headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, and has regional offices across the U.S. and internationally. For information on great events throughout Canada, please visit Tickets.com online at www.tickets.com/ca.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Tickets.com Community Work at YMCA in Milton Keynes, UK
Tickets.com Ltd are supporting a local community project with the YMCA in Milton Keynes. This project aims to redecorate a room that is currently not used and make it an attractive meeting/training room. The idea behind the room is to provide facilities for hire to local companies to hold meetings and away days for staff and as a potential venue for demonstrations/product exhibitions. The revenue from room hire will go to support the work of the homeless project and the catering will be provided by the young people of MacIntyre, from their newly opened cafe with all proceeds going to support their work.
Over the last 2 weeks members of staff from Tickets.com have actively taken part in the redecoration of the room and the meeting/training room project is now almost complete and will be finished in time for the opening on 25th September.
The YMCA in Milton Keynes operates a 24 hour, 15 bed Homeless Project in Central Milton Keynes. Every guest of the Homeless Project receives 1-2-1 support from the trained housing support staff whilst housed with MKYMCA residents have easy access to support from external agencies such as Connexions, Revolving Door, Health Visitors, Next Steps, Mental Health Outreach, Milton Keynes College and many others.
Residents at the Project and in supported accommodation have free access twice a week to the Learning Hub where they can develop their literacy and numeracy skills, gaining qualifications and raising their confidence and self esteem at the same time.
MacIntyre is a national charity that provides learning, support and care for more than 700 children and adults with learning disabilities, at more than 120 MacIntyre services across the UK.
Over the last 2 weeks members of staff from Tickets.com have actively taken part in the redecoration of the room and the meeting/training room project is now almost complete and will be finished in time for the opening on 25th September.
The YMCA in Milton Keynes operates a 24 hour, 15 bed Homeless Project in Central Milton Keynes. Every guest of the Homeless Project receives 1-2-1 support from the trained housing support staff whilst housed with MKYMCA residents have easy access to support from external agencies such as Connexions, Revolving Door, Health Visitors, Next Steps, Mental Health Outreach, Milton Keynes College and many others.
Residents at the Project and in supported accommodation have free access twice a week to the Learning Hub where they can develop their literacy and numeracy skills, gaining qualifications and raising their confidence and self esteem at the same time.
MacIntyre is a national charity that provides learning, support and care for more than 700 children and adults with learning disabilities, at more than 120 MacIntyre services across the UK.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Zoo Amphitheatre
Robert Plant, Alison Krauss to play Hurricane Ike benefit in Oklahoma City
By Gene Triplett
The Oklahoman
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will play a special benefit concert at the Zoo Amphitheatre on Friday, Sept. 26, to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Ike, it was learned today.
The singers were scheduled to perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston on that date but the show was canceled due to the storm's devastation in that city.
Howard Pollock, head of Innervisions, which produces shows at the Zoo, said he received a call early today from Plant's management, inquiring about the availability of the venue.
"Yeah, it's going to happen," Pollock said. "They called me up in my sleep. They said, 'Howard, we want to do a benefit.' What Robert Plant just found out is how devastated Houston and the surrounding areas are. They just said, 'Hey, we want to make this a benefit. Can we pull this off in a week?'
"We're going to get everybody behind this. I think we can sell 6 or 7,000 tickets and all the money goes to the victims. Tickets.com is kicking in. They're kicking in a major portion of their service charges."
Pollock said he expects several major corporations to offer sponsorship for the event as well.
General admission and reserved-seat tickets will go on sale Monday at Tickets.com or by phone at (800) 511-1552.
Plant and Krauss are touring behind their CMA Award-nominated duet album, "Raising Sand."
By Gene Triplett
The Oklahoman
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will play a special benefit concert at the Zoo Amphitheatre on Friday, Sept. 26, to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Ike, it was learned today.
The singers were scheduled to perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston on that date but the show was canceled due to the storm's devastation in that city.
Howard Pollock, head of Innervisions, which produces shows at the Zoo, said he received a call early today from Plant's management, inquiring about the availability of the venue.
"Yeah, it's going to happen," Pollock said. "They called me up in my sleep. They said, 'Howard, we want to do a benefit.' What Robert Plant just found out is how devastated Houston and the surrounding areas are. They just said, 'Hey, we want to make this a benefit. Can we pull this off in a week?'
"We're going to get everybody behind this. I think we can sell 6 or 7,000 tickets and all the money goes to the victims. Tickets.com is kicking in. They're kicking in a major portion of their service charges."
Pollock said he expects several major corporations to offer sponsorship for the event as well.
General admission and reserved-seat tickets will go on sale Monday at Tickets.com or by phone at (800) 511-1552.
Plant and Krauss are touring behind their CMA Award-nominated duet album, "Raising Sand."
Friday, September 19, 2008
Ticket Industry News: Tickets to the 2010 Olympic Games
Reseller market not cowed by 2010 organizers plans to crack down on scalpers
VANCOUVER — People who fail to nab any of the scarce tickets that will be available for the 2010 Olympic Games shouldn't worry, says a leading Vancouver ticket broker.
He'll have them for sale - and soon. Despite Vancouver Games organizers' repeated claim that they'll police tickets sold outside authorized channels, going so far as invalidating them, the resale market will not be cowed, said Mario Livich of ShowTime tickets.
"We'll be very active in selling thousands of tickets for the 2010 Games," he said.
"It's a legal business, the buying and selling of tickets, and it's a much-valued service in the marketplace."
Tickets for the Vancouver Olympics go on sale Oct. 3 through an application system that will allow people just over a month to decide how many and which tickets they'd like to buy for the Games.
For those events where demand exceeds supply tickets will be sold via a lottery system.
While tickets for single events will be for sale, organizers are also promoting 58 different "Olympic experience" packages which combine multiple events at prices ranging from $140 to $1,267.
Package orders will be filled before individual events, so organizers say the best shot at some of the most popular and expensive seats will be to buy packages.
The lowest price for a single sporting event ticket is $25, while the highest is $775 for a gold-medal hockey ticket. That's not including surcharges or the cost of transportation, numbers that won't be available until closer to Oct. 3.
Over a million Olympic tickets will be available to the masses, but organizers have admitted that at events like gold-medal hockey, the vast majority of seats are being sold to "Olympic family" members, including sponsors and officials. The number of tickets that will be allotted to the public for each event has not been released.
That's why a brisk resale market is inevitable, Livich said.
"Something of this magnitude touches all aspects of society and people want to be part of it in any way they can," he said.
He predicted having tickets for sale as early as this fall, though he declined to say where he would get them. The first phase of official ticket sales ends Nov. 7.
Empty seats were common at many of the less popular Games events in Beijing, which was blamed in part on Olympic sponsors and officials who didn't use their tickets.
Street scalpers said their inventory mostly came from those two groups.
At the same time, scores of people showed up in Beijing with tickets they'd bought online that turned out to be fake.
Vancouver organizers are well within their rights to make sure none of that happens, said Larry Witherspoon, the chief executive officer of Tickets.com, the company working with Vancouver to provide ticket sales and support.
"Given enough time and effort I think you can go through and comb sites and ensure you aren't seeing any tickets that aren't authorized out there," Witherspoon said, though he acknowledged it's hard to police those posted by regular folks just looking to make a buck.
Tickets.com is helping Vancouver organizers build their resale system, expected to launch next year.
"The secondary market exists because the primary market ticketing providers never addressed it back seven or eight years ago," said Witherspoon.
"So they allowed the niche to form which actually became a pretty popular and powerful niche that generates a lot of revenue."
The resale ticket industry is estimated to be worth about $6 billion worldwide, lucrative enough that primary ticket sellers like Ticketmaster have jumped on the bandwagon, snapping up resale companies.
The resellers make their money by marking up prices as high as the market will bear.
During the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, resellers were hawking gold-medal tickets for over $1,000, for tickets sold originally for a maximum of $540.
But Vancouver organizers stress their market will be different.
"There's no need for a middle man," said Dave Cobb, vice-president of marketing for the organizing committee.
"(Their) pure objective is to make as much money as they possibly can."
Organizers' aim is not to allow tickets to be sold for more than their face value.
Livich applauds the effort but says it just might not work.
"Their threat may put a bit of a chill on people who wish to sell their tickets for whatever reason, whether for profit or they can't make an event, and the worry is this could result in empty seats which doesn't serve anybody's interest," he said.
"I think that should be the main focus of any ticket initiative - to make sure there are bums in the seats."
The final capacities of venues also won't be decided until much closer to the start of the Games on Feb. 12, 2010.
Learn more about Tickets.com >
VANCOUVER — People who fail to nab any of the scarce tickets that will be available for the 2010 Olympic Games shouldn't worry, says a leading Vancouver ticket broker.
He'll have them for sale - and soon. Despite Vancouver Games organizers' repeated claim that they'll police tickets sold outside authorized channels, going so far as invalidating them, the resale market will not be cowed, said Mario Livich of ShowTime tickets.
"We'll be very active in selling thousands of tickets for the 2010 Games," he said.
"It's a legal business, the buying and selling of tickets, and it's a much-valued service in the marketplace."
Tickets for the Vancouver Olympics go on sale Oct. 3 through an application system that will allow people just over a month to decide how many and which tickets they'd like to buy for the Games.
For those events where demand exceeds supply tickets will be sold via a lottery system.
While tickets for single events will be for sale, organizers are also promoting 58 different "Olympic experience" packages which combine multiple events at prices ranging from $140 to $1,267.
Package orders will be filled before individual events, so organizers say the best shot at some of the most popular and expensive seats will be to buy packages.
The lowest price for a single sporting event ticket is $25, while the highest is $775 for a gold-medal hockey ticket. That's not including surcharges or the cost of transportation, numbers that won't be available until closer to Oct. 3.
Over a million Olympic tickets will be available to the masses, but organizers have admitted that at events like gold-medal hockey, the vast majority of seats are being sold to "Olympic family" members, including sponsors and officials. The number of tickets that will be allotted to the public for each event has not been released.
That's why a brisk resale market is inevitable, Livich said.
"Something of this magnitude touches all aspects of society and people want to be part of it in any way they can," he said.
He predicted having tickets for sale as early as this fall, though he declined to say where he would get them. The first phase of official ticket sales ends Nov. 7.
Empty seats were common at many of the less popular Games events in Beijing, which was blamed in part on Olympic sponsors and officials who didn't use their tickets.
Street scalpers said their inventory mostly came from those two groups.
At the same time, scores of people showed up in Beijing with tickets they'd bought online that turned out to be fake.
Vancouver organizers are well within their rights to make sure none of that happens, said Larry Witherspoon, the chief executive officer of Tickets.com, the company working with Vancouver to provide ticket sales and support.
"Given enough time and effort I think you can go through and comb sites and ensure you aren't seeing any tickets that aren't authorized out there," Witherspoon said, though he acknowledged it's hard to police those posted by regular folks just looking to make a buck.
Tickets.com is helping Vancouver organizers build their resale system, expected to launch next year.
"The secondary market exists because the primary market ticketing providers never addressed it back seven or eight years ago," said Witherspoon.
"So they allowed the niche to form which actually became a pretty popular and powerful niche that generates a lot of revenue."
The resale ticket industry is estimated to be worth about $6 billion worldwide, lucrative enough that primary ticket sellers like Ticketmaster have jumped on the bandwagon, snapping up resale companies.
The resellers make their money by marking up prices as high as the market will bear.
During the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, resellers were hawking gold-medal tickets for over $1,000, for tickets sold originally for a maximum of $540.
But Vancouver organizers stress their market will be different.
"There's no need for a middle man," said Dave Cobb, vice-president of marketing for the organizing committee.
"(Their) pure objective is to make as much money as they possibly can."
Organizers' aim is not to allow tickets to be sold for more than their face value.
Livich applauds the effort but says it just might not work.
"Their threat may put a bit of a chill on people who wish to sell their tickets for whatever reason, whether for profit or they can't make an event, and the worry is this could result in empty seats which doesn't serve anybody's interest," he said.
"I think that should be the main focus of any ticket initiative - to make sure there are bums in the seats."
The final capacities of venues also won't be decided until much closer to the start of the Games on Feb. 12, 2010.
Learn more about Tickets.com >
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Stockton Ports
Champions Again! Ports Win 11th Cal-League Crown With 9-3 Win Over Lancaster
STOCKTON, Calif.- Not since Ernest Thayer’s poem about Mighty Casey has there been a tale so worthy of telling on the banks of the Delta as that of the 2008 Stockton Ports. On Sunday night at Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster, the incredible playoff run of the Boys from Banner Island met its ending with a champagne shower as the Ports won their 11th Cal-League title in franchise history, beating the Lancaster JetHawks by a count of 9-3 and winning the best-of-five championship series 3-1. The championship is Stockton’s first as an Oakland A’s affiliate, and their first in six years.
Game 4 began as a pitcher’s duel between Ports starter Carlos Hernandez and JetHawks starter Blake Maxwell. The two had near identical numbers through the first four innings. It was Lancaster, however, that would come through with the game’s first run in the bottom of the fifth. After back-to-back singles from Aaron Reza and Matt Sheely to start the inning, Kris Negron bunted the baserunners over to second and third, and Yamaico Navarro hit a sac-fly to right to give the JetHawks a 1-0 lead. It would be the only run given up by Hernandez, who went 5.1 innings and allowed six hits while walking two and striking out four.
Stockton would get the run right back in the top of the sixth. Following a leadoff double from Archie Gilbert, Josh Horton tied the game with an RBI single to center off Maxwell. Chris Carter followed with an infield single to third, and the throw from third baseman Zak Farkes skipped in the dirt and past first baseman Michael Jones, allowing Horton to go to third and putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Maxwell would bear down and get Spencer to fly to shallow center and Josh Donaldson to strike out. Derrick Loop (0-2) was brought into the game to face Corey Brown, but Brown wouldn’t get a chance to swing the bat. On a pitch that got away from catcher Luis Exposito, Horton tried to score from third. Exposito, however, would recover quick enough to flip the ball to Loop covering the plate and Horton would be tagged out to end the frame. Maxwell would go 5.2 innings and allow just the one run on seven hits while striking out six. He did not walk a batter on the night.
The score would remain tied until the top of the seventh, the inning in which the Ports would wrap up the game and the series. With Loop still on the hill, Brown worked a leadoff walk. Two batters later with one out, Jermaine Mitchell walked and Mike Massaro singled to left to load the bases with one out. Gilbert, who would later be named the series MVP, put the Ports ahead to stay with a single to left on a 3-2 pitch, giving the Ports a 2-1 lead. Horton followed with a bases-loaded walk, giving the Ports a 3-1 edge. Loop was then replaced with right-hander Craig Molldrem who came on to face Carter. On an 0-2 pitch, Carter hit a towering grand slam over the scoreboard in left, giving the Ports a commanding 7-1 lead. Five of the six runs that scored in the inning were charged to Loop, who took the loss after just two-thirds of an inning of work.
The Ports would be in cruise control from there on out. Pat Currin (2-1) would pitch 2.2 scoreless frames starting in the bottom of the sixth to carry the game into the ninth inning. Currin would get the win, allowing three hits while striking out two.
Stockton added two final runs in the top of the ninth. In a fitting twist, Carter would lead off the inning with a home run in his final at-bat of the season off Josh Papelbon. Carter, the Ports all-time single-season home run leader, would finish the playoffs with five home runs and homers in his final two at-bats. Two batters later, Donaldson tripled down the line in right, and Brown, who had been 0-for-12 in the series, got his first hit--an RBI double to right-center to give the Ports a 9-1 lead. Brown was thrown out at third trying to stretch his hit to a triple.
Sam Demel would come on for the bottom of the ninth to close out the game. With two on and two out, the JetHawks got a pair of runs on a two-run double from Jon Still to make it 9-3. Demel would get Jones to fly out to Gilbert in left for the game’s final out, and the Ports celebrated with a dog-pile off to the first base side of the mound.
Following the game, Gilbert was named MVP of the championship series. Gilbert drove in eight runs during the series, including the go-ahead run in Game 4 and six RBI in Game 1.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Stockton Ports, Tickets.com client, were one of the founding members of the California League. The Ports gained their unique name from the cities own rich history and strong resource as the states only inland Port. Over the course of the Ports' 55 years as a member of the California League, they have won 10 titles (most by any active team, Reno franchise has 11) and have posted the highest winning percentage in California League history with a .527 mark (4,051 - 3,629). The Ports are the fastest team in California League history to reach the 4,000 win plateau.
STOCKTON, Calif.- Not since Ernest Thayer’s poem about Mighty Casey has there been a tale so worthy of telling on the banks of the Delta as that of the 2008 Stockton Ports. On Sunday night at Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster, the incredible playoff run of the Boys from Banner Island met its ending with a champagne shower as the Ports won their 11th Cal-League title in franchise history, beating the Lancaster JetHawks by a count of 9-3 and winning the best-of-five championship series 3-1. The championship is Stockton’s first as an Oakland A’s affiliate, and their first in six years.
Game 4 began as a pitcher’s duel between Ports starter Carlos Hernandez and JetHawks starter Blake Maxwell. The two had near identical numbers through the first four innings. It was Lancaster, however, that would come through with the game’s first run in the bottom of the fifth. After back-to-back singles from Aaron Reza and Matt Sheely to start the inning, Kris Negron bunted the baserunners over to second and third, and Yamaico Navarro hit a sac-fly to right to give the JetHawks a 1-0 lead. It would be the only run given up by Hernandez, who went 5.1 innings and allowed six hits while walking two and striking out four.
Stockton would get the run right back in the top of the sixth. Following a leadoff double from Archie Gilbert, Josh Horton tied the game with an RBI single to center off Maxwell. Chris Carter followed with an infield single to third, and the throw from third baseman Zak Farkes skipped in the dirt and past first baseman Michael Jones, allowing Horton to go to third and putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Maxwell would bear down and get Spencer to fly to shallow center and Josh Donaldson to strike out. Derrick Loop (0-2) was brought into the game to face Corey Brown, but Brown wouldn’t get a chance to swing the bat. On a pitch that got away from catcher Luis Exposito, Horton tried to score from third. Exposito, however, would recover quick enough to flip the ball to Loop covering the plate and Horton would be tagged out to end the frame. Maxwell would go 5.2 innings and allow just the one run on seven hits while striking out six. He did not walk a batter on the night.
The score would remain tied until the top of the seventh, the inning in which the Ports would wrap up the game and the series. With Loop still on the hill, Brown worked a leadoff walk. Two batters later with one out, Jermaine Mitchell walked and Mike Massaro singled to left to load the bases with one out. Gilbert, who would later be named the series MVP, put the Ports ahead to stay with a single to left on a 3-2 pitch, giving the Ports a 2-1 lead. Horton followed with a bases-loaded walk, giving the Ports a 3-1 edge. Loop was then replaced with right-hander Craig Molldrem who came on to face Carter. On an 0-2 pitch, Carter hit a towering grand slam over the scoreboard in left, giving the Ports a commanding 7-1 lead. Five of the six runs that scored in the inning were charged to Loop, who took the loss after just two-thirds of an inning of work.
The Ports would be in cruise control from there on out. Pat Currin (2-1) would pitch 2.2 scoreless frames starting in the bottom of the sixth to carry the game into the ninth inning. Currin would get the win, allowing three hits while striking out two.
Stockton added two final runs in the top of the ninth. In a fitting twist, Carter would lead off the inning with a home run in his final at-bat of the season off Josh Papelbon. Carter, the Ports all-time single-season home run leader, would finish the playoffs with five home runs and homers in his final two at-bats. Two batters later, Donaldson tripled down the line in right, and Brown, who had been 0-for-12 in the series, got his first hit--an RBI double to right-center to give the Ports a 9-1 lead. Brown was thrown out at third trying to stretch his hit to a triple.
Sam Demel would come on for the bottom of the ninth to close out the game. With two on and two out, the JetHawks got a pair of runs on a two-run double from Jon Still to make it 9-3. Demel would get Jones to fly out to Gilbert in left for the game’s final out, and the Ports celebrated with a dog-pile off to the first base side of the mound.
Following the game, Gilbert was named MVP of the championship series. Gilbert drove in eight runs during the series, including the go-ahead run in Game 4 and six RBI in Game 1.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Stockton Ports, Tickets.com client, were one of the founding members of the California League. The Ports gained their unique name from the cities own rich history and strong resource as the states only inland Port. Over the course of the Ports' 55 years as a member of the California League, they have won 10 titles (most by any active team, Reno franchise has 11) and have posted the highest winning percentage in California League history with a .527 mark (4,051 - 3,629). The Ports are the fastest team in California League history to reach the 4,000 win plateau.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Trenton Jazz Festival
Jazz legend performed at press conference yesterday
TRENTON -- As the countdown begins to Saturday's Trenton Jazz Festival, music fans could get a sneak peek at what's in store for them when jazz legend Gordon Chambers tickled the ivories at a pre-festival press conference in Trenton yesterday.
Mayor Douglas H. Palmer and the Trenton Jazz Festival executive committee hosted the Grammy-winning songwriter at a 12:30 p.m. meet-and-greet at the Trenton Marriott Hotel at Lafayette Yard.
"Gordon is one of the luminaries in our four-star Jazz Fest lineup for this coming Saturday and he will be at the piano giving us a glimpse of what has made him such a uniquely successful artist," Palmer said.
"His advance appearance here is just the appetizer before the entree Saturday and we are delighted," Palmer said.
Gordon, along with musical greats Teena Marie, Euge Groove and S.O.S., will headline Trenton's annual celebration of jazz. The festival begins Saturday at 2 p.m. Music lovers are invited to bring their own lawn chairs and settle in for the show.
Tickets for the outdoor festival at the Statehouse complex near the War Memorial cost $45 for general admission and $55 for premium seating nearest the stage. They can be purchased at www.tickets.com or at the Trenton War Memorial box office.
TRENTON -- As the countdown begins to Saturday's Trenton Jazz Festival, music fans could get a sneak peek at what's in store for them when jazz legend Gordon Chambers tickled the ivories at a pre-festival press conference in Trenton yesterday.
Mayor Douglas H. Palmer and the Trenton Jazz Festival executive committee hosted the Grammy-winning songwriter at a 12:30 p.m. meet-and-greet at the Trenton Marriott Hotel at Lafayette Yard.
"Gordon is one of the luminaries in our four-star Jazz Fest lineup for this coming Saturday and he will be at the piano giving us a glimpse of what has made him such a uniquely successful artist," Palmer said.
"His advance appearance here is just the appetizer before the entree Saturday and we are delighted," Palmer said.
Gordon, along with musical greats Teena Marie, Euge Groove and S.O.S., will headline Trenton's annual celebration of jazz. The festival begins Saturday at 2 p.m. Music lovers are invited to bring their own lawn chairs and settle in for the show.
Tickets for the outdoor festival at the Statehouse complex near the War Memorial cost $45 for general admission and $55 for premium seating nearest the stage. They can be purchased at www.tickets.com or at the Trenton War Memorial box office.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: University at Buffalo Bulls
Vote for Buffalo’s “Pontiac Game Changing Performance” and the Bulls Could Win $5,000
It was a memorable Mid-American Conference schedule opener, leaving an entire UB stadium to bear witness to a major moment in Buffalo football history. Trailing 28-24 and down to their final play, junior Naaman Roosevelt pulled in a 35-yard "Hail Mary" pass from senior quarterback Drew Willy to propel the Bulls to a 30-28 victory over the Temple Owls. This incredible UB play earned the Bulls their first Pontiac Game Changing Performance nomination.
Now it is up to Buffalo fans to determine if the Bulls will earn a Pontiac Game Changing Performance for week three of the 2008 NCAA® Football Season. UB fans can go to pontiac.com/ncaa, where they can view video clips of the four finalists and vote for the Bulls!
Voting begins on Sunday morning and ends at midnight on Wednesday. ESPN will announce this week’s Pontiac Game Changing Performance winner on Thursday night, during the Pontiac G6 Halftime Report.
The winning university earns a $5,000 contribution from Pontiac to their general scholarship fund. Additionally, the winning play will be nominated for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year award and the chance to win a $100,000 general scholarship contribution from Pontiac.
In addition, each week one lucky individual who visits pontiac.com/ncaa, will also win a $5,000 scholarship for them self or someone in their family.
“Awarding $1.5 million since its inception, the Pontiac Game Changing Performance program continues to be a great example of how passionate fans can have a positive impact academically and athletically by generating scholarship dollars for university-wide programs,” said Rece Davis, ESPN.
For full program details, visit www.pontiac.com/ncaa.
Buy University at Buffalo Bulls tickets >
It was a memorable Mid-American Conference schedule opener, leaving an entire UB stadium to bear witness to a major moment in Buffalo football history. Trailing 28-24 and down to their final play, junior Naaman Roosevelt pulled in a 35-yard "Hail Mary" pass from senior quarterback Drew Willy to propel the Bulls to a 30-28 victory over the Temple Owls. This incredible UB play earned the Bulls their first Pontiac Game Changing Performance nomination.
Now it is up to Buffalo fans to determine if the Bulls will earn a Pontiac Game Changing Performance for week three of the 2008 NCAA® Football Season. UB fans can go to pontiac.com/ncaa, where they can view video clips of the four finalists and vote for the Bulls!
Voting begins on Sunday morning and ends at midnight on Wednesday. ESPN will announce this week’s Pontiac Game Changing Performance winner on Thursday night, during the Pontiac G6 Halftime Report.
The winning university earns a $5,000 contribution from Pontiac to their general scholarship fund. Additionally, the winning play will be nominated for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year award and the chance to win a $100,000 general scholarship contribution from Pontiac.
In addition, each week one lucky individual who visits pontiac.com/ncaa, will also win a $5,000 scholarship for them self or someone in their family.
“Awarding $1.5 million since its inception, the Pontiac Game Changing Performance program continues to be a great example of how passionate fans can have a positive impact academically and athletically by generating scholarship dollars for university-wide programs,” said Rece Davis, ESPN.
For full program details, visit www.pontiac.com/ncaa.
Buy University at Buffalo Bulls tickets >
Monday, September 15, 2008
Historic Wellmont Theatre Partners with Tickets.com for Advanced Ticketing Solutions
Costa Mesa, CA - September 15, 2008 - Tickets.com, a leading worldwide provider of integrated ticketing solutions, announced a long-term partnership with Montclair Entertainment, LLC, to provide a full suite of ticketing services for the historic Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey. Currently undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation, the former movie house is slated for a grand re-opening in October 2008 as a concert venue and multi-purpose entertainment facility.
Under the new agreement, Montclair Entertainment will employ the cutting edge ProVenue® integrated ticketing solution from Tickets.com that maximizes transaction speed, convenience and flexibility. In addition, it will utilize advanced ticketing technologies including Tickets@Home® and Tickets@Phone™ for ticket delivery, as well as Campaign Creator™, a comprehensive e-Communication platform exclusively offered to Tickets.com clients. Upcoming events at Wellmont Theatre include Al Green, Matisyahu, Steely Dan and Tony Bennett. Tickets are now available through the venue’s web site at www.wellmonttheatre.com and at www.tickets.com., or by phone at 877-WLLMNT (877-935-5668).
Learn more >
Under the new agreement, Montclair Entertainment will employ the cutting edge ProVenue® integrated ticketing solution from Tickets.com that maximizes transaction speed, convenience and flexibility. In addition, it will utilize advanced ticketing technologies including Tickets@Home® and Tickets@Phone™ for ticket delivery, as well as Campaign Creator™, a comprehensive e-Communication platform exclusively offered to Tickets.com clients. Upcoming events at Wellmont Theatre include Al Green, Matisyahu, Steely Dan and Tony Bennett. Tickets are now available through the venue’s web site at www.wellmonttheatre.com and at www.tickets.com., or by phone at 877-WLLMNT (877-935-5668).
Learn more >
Irish Tickets.com Community Grows
The Hawk's Well Theatre in Sligo, Ireland, have recently signed a five-year deal for a ProVenueDatabox ticketing and marketing system with ProVenueOnline real-time internet ticketing and hope to introduce their improved service later on this year.
The modern 340-seat auditorium hosts a wide range of shows, including drama, children's theatre, contemporary and classical dance, opera, jazz, roots and pop music, comedy and pantomime.
Tickets.com proudly sponsors The Theatre Forum and it's members and are pleased to see the Irish ProVenueDatabox community grow.
You can visit the Hawk's Well Theatre's website here:
http://www.hawkswell.com.
The modern 340-seat auditorium hosts a wide range of shows, including drama, children's theatre, contemporary and classical dance, opera, jazz, roots and pop music, comedy and pantomime.
Tickets.com proudly sponsors The Theatre Forum and it's members and are pleased to see the Irish ProVenueDatabox community grow.
You can visit the Hawk's Well Theatre's website here:
http://www.hawkswell.com.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Wellmont Theatre
Wellmont Theatre to return with live shows
by Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledger
An old theater will get new life, at a higher decibel level, when Montclair's Wellmont Theatre reopens Nov. 1. Instead of the movies the theater had been presenting before closing in 2006, the new Wellmont will offer concerts, including major attractions such as Steely Dan, Brian Wilson, Tony Bennett, Matisyahu and Rufus Wainwright.
The theater has been thoroughly refurbished and will reopen with a show by power-pop group Hanson, of "MMMBop" fame. Other bookings range from comedian Bill Maher to brainy alt-rock group The Decemberists and the Led Zeppelin tribute act, Get the Led Out.
"Something for everybody," said Andy Feltz, when asked to sum up the venue's booking philosophy. A Montclair resident, Feltz is a partner in Montclair Entertainment, the promotion company that is reopening the venue.
Located at 5 Seymour St., off Bloomfield Avenue, the Wellmont originally opened in 1922 as a live theater and switched to movies in 1929. Later, it became a triplex. In recent months, it has undergone a $3 million renovation. New electrical and plumbing systems, as well as new bars in the orchestra and mezzanine areas, have been installed.
The capacity will be 2,500 (approximately 1,800 for seated shows). This makes it almost as big as the last similar-sized rock theater in the area -- Passaic's 3,200-seat Capitol Theatre, which presented concerts from the 1970s to the mid-'90s.
"The Capitol was a good room, and this will be picking up that niche," said Feltz.
Montclair Entertainment is a partnership between Feltz (who operated New York's Beacon Theatre from 1986 to 2006 and is currently presenting shows at the New York's United Palace Theater) and principals of The Bowery Presents, a company that is responsible for the consistently hip bookings at New York nightclubs like The Bowery Ballroom and Terminal 5.
"All the chemistry was right," said Feltz, of the decision to resurrect the Wellmont. "The room was right. The need was right. All the chemistry added up to it being a good situation."
Here are the Wellmont's confirmed shows. All go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. via tickets.com. Visit wellmonttheatre.com for information.
by Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledger
An old theater will get new life, at a higher decibel level, when Montclair's Wellmont Theatre reopens Nov. 1. Instead of the movies the theater had been presenting before closing in 2006, the new Wellmont will offer concerts, including major attractions such as Steely Dan, Brian Wilson, Tony Bennett, Matisyahu and Rufus Wainwright.
The theater has been thoroughly refurbished and will reopen with a show by power-pop group Hanson, of "MMMBop" fame. Other bookings range from comedian Bill Maher to brainy alt-rock group The Decemberists and the Led Zeppelin tribute act, Get the Led Out.
"Something for everybody," said Andy Feltz, when asked to sum up the venue's booking philosophy. A Montclair resident, Feltz is a partner in Montclair Entertainment, the promotion company that is reopening the venue.
Located at 5 Seymour St., off Bloomfield Avenue, the Wellmont originally opened in 1922 as a live theater and switched to movies in 1929. Later, it became a triplex. In recent months, it has undergone a $3 million renovation. New electrical and plumbing systems, as well as new bars in the orchestra and mezzanine areas, have been installed.
The capacity will be 2,500 (approximately 1,800 for seated shows). This makes it almost as big as the last similar-sized rock theater in the area -- Passaic's 3,200-seat Capitol Theatre, which presented concerts from the 1970s to the mid-'90s.
"The Capitol was a good room, and this will be picking up that niche," said Feltz.
Montclair Entertainment is a partnership between Feltz (who operated New York's Beacon Theatre from 1986 to 2006 and is currently presenting shows at the New York's United Palace Theater) and principals of The Bowery Presents, a company that is responsible for the consistently hip bookings at New York nightclubs like The Bowery Ballroom and Terminal 5.
"All the chemistry was right," said Feltz, of the decision to resurrect the Wellmont. "The room was right. The need was right. All the chemistry added up to it being a good situation."
Here are the Wellmont's confirmed shows. All go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. via tickets.com. Visit wellmonttheatre.com for information.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Times Union Center Now Offering Mobile Phone Tickets
The Times Union Center in Albany, New York is now offering mobile phone ticket delivery through Tickets.com. When purchasing tickets, Times Union Center customers have the option of having their tickets delivered to their mobile devices. Upon entering the building, the mobile ticket will be scanned directly from their mobile devices.
Learn more about mobile tickets >
Learn more about mobile tickets >
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Ticket Industry News: Ticket broker Zigabid offers a new wrinkle -- haggling
The new venture tries to crack a tough business by allowing market forces to set prices.
By Swati Pandey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 9, 2008
Haggling over the price of a concert ticket usually requires sending several plaintive e-mails to a Craigslist poster. But a La Cañada company wants to complete the haggling with a few simple mouse clicks.
Zigabid.com, which launches today in public beta testing, says it is the only ticket-vending site that lets buyers and sellers bargain over prices for tickets to concerts, sports matches and other events, all using a simple interface that allows for direct buyer-seller communication.
"If you're buying a car, you negotiate. If you're buying a house, you negotiate," Zigabid founder Dan Rubendall said. "People want to negotiate."
Although Zigabid's current inventory consists mostly of resale tickets from individuals and brokers, the company hopes to become a player in the primary ticketing market. That would mean taking on Ticketmaster and turning tickets into traded commodities.
The negotiation-based approach could help sell more tickets, if at lower prices, which runs counter to the music industry trend of soaring concert ticket prices.
Ticket face values have more than doubled in the last 10 years, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the touring industry trade publication Pollstar.
But the primary ticket market is difficult to enter, said Derek Palmer, chief commercial officer of Tickets.com, which is owned by Major League Baseball.
"You have to have the technological infrastructure" to handle a high volume of transactions and deliveries, he said.
Analysts and other vendors were skeptical about Zigabid's ability to persuade promoters and artists to leave ticket prices to the marketplace. Analyst David Joyce of Miller, Tabak & Co. noted that venues and promoters usually guarantee an artist a certain gross. Zigabid's model would make that determination more difficult.
The company "would have to be patient and let promoters work this into contracts," he said.
Joe Cohen, a former Ticketmaster executive and founder and chief executive of London-based ticket reseller Seatwave.com, agreed but noted that the concert industry could benefit from innovation.
"There's a price at which every ticket will sell. To the extent that this platform can help discover that price, it can be useful," Cohen said.
Ticket prices have become largely inflexible -- tiered pricing started to take off in the mid-1990s. Prices in the secondary market are more variable, but Bongiovanni said some artists resent resellers who profit mightily on mark-ups.
Rubendall said Zigabid had received positive reactions from promoters.
The company also will return 1% of each ticket sale to the artist, and it plans to allow performers to set minimum prices.
Consumers benefit too, Rubendall said. Sellers don't have to guess what buyers will pay for a ticket, and buyers won't have to search several sites for the best value or wait till the close of an auction, because they can set expiration times on their offers.
The company charges sellers a 15% fee on each sale and tacks on 10% for buyers. For example, if a buyer and seller agree to a price of $100 for a ticket, the seller forwards $15 to Zigabid and the buyer sends the seller $100 and Zigabid an additional $10.
Zigabid isn't entirely opposed to a set ticket price. Rubendall said the company planned to offer an EBay-style "purchase now" price, but it remained more focused on the flexible price model.
By Swati Pandey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 9, 2008
Haggling over the price of a concert ticket usually requires sending several plaintive e-mails to a Craigslist poster. But a La Cañada company wants to complete the haggling with a few simple mouse clicks.
Zigabid.com, which launches today in public beta testing, says it is the only ticket-vending site that lets buyers and sellers bargain over prices for tickets to concerts, sports matches and other events, all using a simple interface that allows for direct buyer-seller communication.
"If you're buying a car, you negotiate. If you're buying a house, you negotiate," Zigabid founder Dan Rubendall said. "People want to negotiate."
Although Zigabid's current inventory consists mostly of resale tickets from individuals and brokers, the company hopes to become a player in the primary ticketing market. That would mean taking on Ticketmaster and turning tickets into traded commodities.
The negotiation-based approach could help sell more tickets, if at lower prices, which runs counter to the music industry trend of soaring concert ticket prices.
Ticket face values have more than doubled in the last 10 years, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the touring industry trade publication Pollstar.
But the primary ticket market is difficult to enter, said Derek Palmer, chief commercial officer of Tickets.com, which is owned by Major League Baseball.
"You have to have the technological infrastructure" to handle a high volume of transactions and deliveries, he said.
Analysts and other vendors were skeptical about Zigabid's ability to persuade promoters and artists to leave ticket prices to the marketplace. Analyst David Joyce of Miller, Tabak & Co. noted that venues and promoters usually guarantee an artist a certain gross. Zigabid's model would make that determination more difficult.
The company "would have to be patient and let promoters work this into contracts," he said.
Joe Cohen, a former Ticketmaster executive and founder and chief executive of London-based ticket reseller Seatwave.com, agreed but noted that the concert industry could benefit from innovation.
"There's a price at which every ticket will sell. To the extent that this platform can help discover that price, it can be useful," Cohen said.
Ticket prices have become largely inflexible -- tiered pricing started to take off in the mid-1990s. Prices in the secondary market are more variable, but Bongiovanni said some artists resent resellers who profit mightily on mark-ups.
Rubendall said Zigabid had received positive reactions from promoters.
The company also will return 1% of each ticket sale to the artist, and it plans to allow performers to set minimum prices.
Consumers benefit too, Rubendall said. Sellers don't have to guess what buyers will pay for a ticket, and buyers won't have to search several sites for the best value or wait till the close of an auction, because they can set expiration times on their offers.
The company charges sellers a 15% fee on each sale and tacks on 10% for buyers. For example, if a buyer and seller agree to a price of $100 for a ticket, the seller forwards $15 to Zigabid and the buyer sends the seller $100 and Zigabid an additional $10.
Zigabid isn't entirely opposed to a set ticket price. Rubendall said the company planned to offer an EBay-style "purchase now" price, but it remained more focused on the flexible price model.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Ticket industry News: Ticket Summit Wraps Up Conference with Justice on Their Side
by Dave Brooks
August 2008 issue of Venues Today
LAS VEGAS - Ticket Summit wrapped up its third annual conference in the desert, bringing together its broadest mix of primary and secondary ticket providers to date. TicketNetwork CEO and President Don Vaccaro said he plans to expand the event to twice per year and will be holding the winter session in New York City on Jan. 6-8, 2009.
"We're continuing to see the blending of the primary and secondary in many segments of the marketplace and we're seeing a continued demand for this type of dialogue," said Vaccaro. "It's also an opportunity for our partners on the East Coast to participate in Ticket Summit."
Vaccaro estimated that over 450 registrants and 22 exhibitors participated in this year's conference, which included a keynote address from Avery Gardiner, counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department's Anti-Trust division. Gardiner told the audience that she would not be able to comment on specific cases, but that didn't stop the audience from getting a pulse on Ticketmaster's recent acquisition of TicketsNow.
"What alternatives do customers have if prices suddenly increased because of the acquisition? Our job is to predict how consumers will act in the future," she told the audience, offering a tacit pact to watch the acquisition deal years after it is complete.
"Just because something doesn't seem to harm competition today doesn't mean we can't revisit it five years from now and take up the issue again," she said.
And as it had been just one week prior at the National Association of Ticket Brokers annual conference, Ticketmaster's acquisition of TicketsNow remained a hot topic of discussion, surfacting in almost all 12 panel discussions.
"Ticketmaster thinks that if they can eliminate brokers, they can capture all the revenue," said Eric Baker from resale site Viagogo. He believes Ticketmaster's recent attempts to control ticket transferability are an example of their malaise for brokers.
"Tickets will always be transferable because that's what people want," he said. "If you tell me I need to show my passport, blood type and eyeball scan, I'm not going to want to go."
Derek Palmer of Tickets.com said most primaries aren't trying to squeeze out brokers, but they do want a piece of the action.
"The cost to participate in this market is going up while our revenues are going down," he said. "I assure you that we have the lowest margins in this room."
Palmer said primaries are beginning to change the way they look at ticket value, scrutinizing "the final price the ticket is sold for."
"We have the key differentiator - we have the data about the customer and the remaining inventory," he said. "The data can be worth more than the individual ticket sold."
August 2008 issue of Venues Today
LAS VEGAS - Ticket Summit wrapped up its third annual conference in the desert, bringing together its broadest mix of primary and secondary ticket providers to date. TicketNetwork CEO and President Don Vaccaro said he plans to expand the event to twice per year and will be holding the winter session in New York City on Jan. 6-8, 2009.
"We're continuing to see the blending of the primary and secondary in many segments of the marketplace and we're seeing a continued demand for this type of dialogue," said Vaccaro. "It's also an opportunity for our partners on the East Coast to participate in Ticket Summit."
Vaccaro estimated that over 450 registrants and 22 exhibitors participated in this year's conference, which included a keynote address from Avery Gardiner, counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department's Anti-Trust division. Gardiner told the audience that she would not be able to comment on specific cases, but that didn't stop the audience from getting a pulse on Ticketmaster's recent acquisition of TicketsNow.
"What alternatives do customers have if prices suddenly increased because of the acquisition? Our job is to predict how consumers will act in the future," she told the audience, offering a tacit pact to watch the acquisition deal years after it is complete.
"Just because something doesn't seem to harm competition today doesn't mean we can't revisit it five years from now and take up the issue again," she said.
And as it had been just one week prior at the National Association of Ticket Brokers annual conference, Ticketmaster's acquisition of TicketsNow remained a hot topic of discussion, surfacting in almost all 12 panel discussions.
"Ticketmaster thinks that if they can eliminate brokers, they can capture all the revenue," said Eric Baker from resale site Viagogo. He believes Ticketmaster's recent attempts to control ticket transferability are an example of their malaise for brokers.
"Tickets will always be transferable because that's what people want," he said. "If you tell me I need to show my passport, blood type and eyeball scan, I'm not going to want to go."
Derek Palmer of Tickets.com said most primaries aren't trying to squeeze out brokers, but they do want a piece of the action.
"The cost to participate in this market is going up while our revenues are going down," he said. "I assure you that we have the lowest margins in this room."
Palmer said primaries are beginning to change the way they look at ticket value, scrutinizing "the final price the ticket is sold for."
"We have the key differentiator - we have the data about the customer and the remaining inventory," he said. "The data can be worth more than the individual ticket sold."
Monday, September 8, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: San Jose Earthquakes
Earthquakes to Play Club Deportivo FAS on October 7 at Buck Shaw
SAN JOSE, CALIF. - The San Jose Earthquakes announced Thursday that the club will host defending Salvadoran champion Club Deportivo FAS on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The game will be held at Buck Shaw Stadium and will be season ticket holder bonus game "B." Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.
Individual tickets for the game are on sale now and are available online at sjearthquakes.com, by calling (800) 225-2277 or by visiting your local authorized Tickets.com outlets. Prices for individual tickets range from $20 to $60. Season ticket holders should use their Bonus Game "B" ticket for the match and they will have the ability to purchase additional tickets at a discounted price.
FAS, based in Santa Ana, El Salvador, has been the country's most successful club since its inception in 1947. FAS, which stands for Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos, has won 16 first division championships, while finishing runner-up 14 times. FAS also won the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1979.
FAS is led by four El Salvador National Team regulars, defenders Marvin Gonzalez, Ramon Flores and Alfredo Pacheco and forward Emerson Umana. Pacheco currently serves as captain of FAS. Argentinean forward Alejandro de la Cruz Bentos is FAS' active leading scorer with 76 goals. He is ranked third on the club's all-time scoring list.
The match will mark the first time that the Earthquakes have faced an opponent from El Salvador. The Quakes are 5-7-5 all-time against international opponents in friendly matches, including their 4-0 victory over the Honduran Olympic Team earlier this season.
Get tickets >
SAN JOSE, CALIF. - The San Jose Earthquakes announced Thursday that the club will host defending Salvadoran champion Club Deportivo FAS on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The game will be held at Buck Shaw Stadium and will be season ticket holder bonus game "B." Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.
Individual tickets for the game are on sale now and are available online at sjearthquakes.com, by calling (800) 225-2277 or by visiting your local authorized Tickets.com outlets. Prices for individual tickets range from $20 to $60. Season ticket holders should use their Bonus Game "B" ticket for the match and they will have the ability to purchase additional tickets at a discounted price.
FAS, based in Santa Ana, El Salvador, has been the country's most successful club since its inception in 1947. FAS, which stands for Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos, has won 16 first division championships, while finishing runner-up 14 times. FAS also won the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1979.
FAS is led by four El Salvador National Team regulars, defenders Marvin Gonzalez, Ramon Flores and Alfredo Pacheco and forward Emerson Umana. Pacheco currently serves as captain of FAS. Argentinean forward Alejandro de la Cruz Bentos is FAS' active leading scorer with 76 goals. He is ranked third on the club's all-time scoring list.
The match will mark the first time that the Earthquakes have faced an opponent from El Salvador. The Quakes are 5-7-5 all-time against international opponents in friendly matches, including their 4-0 victory over the Honduran Olympic Team earlier this season.
Get tickets >
Friday, September 5, 2008
Ticket Industry News: Ahead of the Curve
Venue managers keep pace with technology, but there's room for improvement
by Dave Brooks
Venues Today
Venue managers are continuing to adopt new technologies, although most find themselves catching up with current trends instead of leading the pack, a Venues Today survey in conjunction with Turnkey Sports and Entertainment found.
Venues Today surveyed 91 facility operators at arenas, amphitheatres, convention centers, fairgrounds, performing arts centers and stadiums and found that 86 percent believed the industry as a whole is keeping up with innovations, or leading the way. But when asked how they thought their own facility was keeping pace, only 64 percent answered in the affirmative.
"That's the thing about technology, there's always a sense that you're behind someone else," said Mark Petracca of Vtech Communication's Network Division, which helps install networking platforms for large-scale consumer business. "We tell our clients that technology tends to dramatically evolve every 18 months and becomes obsolete every 30-36 months. With a pace like that, it's no wonder that a lot of our clientele feel it's pointless to buy into new systems because it could be useless in three years."
But in the same breath, Petracca notes that not evolving technological touch points, especially in the communications sector, is perilous.
"You have to upgrade your system in smart ways, one that does its best to foresee future technological improvements and can adapt to those changes," he said.
Petracca is overseeing the company's installation of wireless internet systems for large commercial facilities. Wireless Internet upgrades were the top technological improvement identified by venue managers in the survey, with 27 percent saying they have installed wireless platforms at their facilities.
"It's not just about creating a space where people can get on the web and check their MySpace accounts," said Felix Hernandez, director of communications for the Los Angeles Convention Center. "Wireless capabilities are central to almost every aspect of the meeting planning industry and our clients are demanding we provide this service."
Hernandez said the Los Angeles Convention Center's network can be subdivided between users, each getting their own secured server to share information. Broadcast media have increasingly used a specially secured "media server" that allows them to send feeds to their newsrooms without running cables to their news vans, while planners tap into the network with wireless control devices that keep an accurate head-count of attendees.
Tickets were the next advancement in technology, with 35 percent of respondents estimating that their box offices would lead the venue's technological revolution. Approximately 21 percent said their facilities used some type of wireless ticket device to control access to their facilities, while five percent said they even had success with mobile phone technology.
The Arizona State Fair, Phoenix, is taking its tickets wireless after a successful two-year run with a wireless midway powered by Ray Cammack Shows, said Kristen Walsh, the fair's marketing director.
"The goal was to eliminate counterfeit tickets and get real time attendance updates," she said of the system powered by Ticketmaster. "We've also had some success using it for our concert series."
Derek Palmer of Tickets.com said he wasn't surprised that mobile phone ticketing was identified as the largest technological growth area behind advanced LED displays.
"There's a lot of curiosity out there about this product," Palmer said. "Essentially it delivers the ticket to the user's mobile phone via SMS text messaging, which in turn can be read from a barcode scanner."
Like "ticket-less" credit card tickets being developed by Ticketmaster, Palmer said the cell phone tickets prevent scalping because they're nearly impossible to exchange.
And while ticketing took the lead for most likely to introduce change, concessions was voted most unlikely to adapt to new technological trends wit 50 percent of respondents reporting that they were doubtful they would see any long term technological changes from their food providers.
"That doesn't surprise me because kitchens are developed for long term use," said concessions consultant Chris Bigelow of Bigelow Industries. "Kitchens are a major part of the design phase and we're getting much better at making the right decisions early on. If you ask venues if they felt their concessionaires were adjusting to today's tastes, a majority of them would respond yes."
In terms of budgeting, two-thirds of respondents said they spend between zero-to-10 percent on technological innovations, while 19 percent said they spend between 11-20 percent of their budgets on technological improvements. While an overwhelming majority of respondents reported that their technology budgets hadn't changed in the last two years, 58 percent reported that their budgets have increased over the past five years.
Learn more about mobile phone tickets >
by Dave Brooks
Venues Today
Venue managers are continuing to adopt new technologies, although most find themselves catching up with current trends instead of leading the pack, a Venues Today survey in conjunction with Turnkey Sports and Entertainment found.
Venues Today surveyed 91 facility operators at arenas, amphitheatres, convention centers, fairgrounds, performing arts centers and stadiums and found that 86 percent believed the industry as a whole is keeping up with innovations, or leading the way. But when asked how they thought their own facility was keeping pace, only 64 percent answered in the affirmative.
"That's the thing about technology, there's always a sense that you're behind someone else," said Mark Petracca of Vtech Communication's Network Division, which helps install networking platforms for large-scale consumer business. "We tell our clients that technology tends to dramatically evolve every 18 months and becomes obsolete every 30-36 months. With a pace like that, it's no wonder that a lot of our clientele feel it's pointless to buy into new systems because it could be useless in three years."
But in the same breath, Petracca notes that not evolving technological touch points, especially in the communications sector, is perilous.
"You have to upgrade your system in smart ways, one that does its best to foresee future technological improvements and can adapt to those changes," he said.
Petracca is overseeing the company's installation of wireless internet systems for large commercial facilities. Wireless Internet upgrades were the top technological improvement identified by venue managers in the survey, with 27 percent saying they have installed wireless platforms at their facilities.
"It's not just about creating a space where people can get on the web and check their MySpace accounts," said Felix Hernandez, director of communications for the Los Angeles Convention Center. "Wireless capabilities are central to almost every aspect of the meeting planning industry and our clients are demanding we provide this service."
Hernandez said the Los Angeles Convention Center's network can be subdivided between users, each getting their own secured server to share information. Broadcast media have increasingly used a specially secured "media server" that allows them to send feeds to their newsrooms without running cables to their news vans, while planners tap into the network with wireless control devices that keep an accurate head-count of attendees.
Tickets were the next advancement in technology, with 35 percent of respondents estimating that their box offices would lead the venue's technological revolution. Approximately 21 percent said their facilities used some type of wireless ticket device to control access to their facilities, while five percent said they even had success with mobile phone technology.
The Arizona State Fair, Phoenix, is taking its tickets wireless after a successful two-year run with a wireless midway powered by Ray Cammack Shows, said Kristen Walsh, the fair's marketing director.
"The goal was to eliminate counterfeit tickets and get real time attendance updates," she said of the system powered by Ticketmaster. "We've also had some success using it for our concert series."
Derek Palmer of Tickets.com said he wasn't surprised that mobile phone ticketing was identified as the largest technological growth area behind advanced LED displays.
"There's a lot of curiosity out there about this product," Palmer said. "Essentially it delivers the ticket to the user's mobile phone via SMS text messaging, which in turn can be read from a barcode scanner."
Like "ticket-less" credit card tickets being developed by Ticketmaster, Palmer said the cell phone tickets prevent scalping because they're nearly impossible to exchange.
And while ticketing took the lead for most likely to introduce change, concessions was voted most unlikely to adapt to new technological trends wit 50 percent of respondents reporting that they were doubtful they would see any long term technological changes from their food providers.
"That doesn't surprise me because kitchens are developed for long term use," said concessions consultant Chris Bigelow of Bigelow Industries. "Kitchens are a major part of the design phase and we're getting much better at making the right decisions early on. If you ask venues if they felt their concessionaires were adjusting to today's tastes, a majority of them would respond yes."
In terms of budgeting, two-thirds of respondents said they spend between zero-to-10 percent on technological innovations, while 19 percent said they spend between 11-20 percent of their budgets on technological improvements. While an overwhelming majority of respondents reported that their technology budgets hadn't changed in the last two years, 58 percent reported that their budgets have increased over the past five years.
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Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Tickets.com client, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals are headed to the Minor League Baseball Playoffs!
The first playoff game will be Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:10 p.m. against our in-state rivals, the Arkansas Travelers in North Little Rock. The Naturals will host their first playoff home game at Arvest Ballpark on Friday, September 5th at 7:30 p.m. Game four and five would also be at Arvest Ballpark on Saturday at 1 PM and Sunday at 4 PM, respectively. Tickets for the Texas League Playoffs are available at nwanaturals.com or tickets.com.
The first playoff game will be Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:10 p.m. against our in-state rivals, the Arkansas Travelers in North Little Rock. The Naturals will host their first playoff home game at Arvest Ballpark on Friday, September 5th at 7:30 p.m. Game four and five would also be at Arvest Ballpark on Saturday at 1 PM and Sunday at 4 PM, respectively. Tickets for the Texas League Playoffs are available at nwanaturals.com or tickets.com.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Albany River Rats Hockey
American Hockey League Albany River Rats Individual Game Tickets Go On Sale SaturdayALBANY, NY - The Albany River Rats, primary affiliate of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, announced today that individual game tickets for the 2008-09 regular season will go on sale this Saturday, September 6, 2008.
Entering their 16th season in the American Hockey League, the River Rats will hold 36 of their 40 regular season home games at the Times Union Center in downtown Albany. Single game tickets for all home games in Albany will go on sale this Saturday at 11:00 am and can be purchased at the Times Union Center Box Office, online at Tickets.com and at select Price Chopper stores. The River Rats first game at the Times Union Center will be their season opener on Saturday, October 11th at 7:00 pm against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. For more information on Albany River Rats individual game tickets at the Times Union Center, please contact Tickets.com at 1-800-30-EVENT.
The River Rats will play four home games this season at the Glens Falls Civic Center in downtown Glens Falls, NY. Albany's first Glens Falls game comes on Friday, October 17th at 7:30 pm as the River Rats host the Worcester Sharks. For information on River Rats games at the Glens Falls Civic Center, please contact the GFCC Box Office at 518-798-0202.
2008-09 Albany River Rats season ticket packages are on sale now for the River Rats 16th season of operations in the American Hockey League. The primary affiliate of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes will play their season opener at home on Saturday, October 11th against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 7:00 pm at the Times Union Center.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Ameristar Casino
Country Star Trace Adkins to Give Free Concert at Ameristar Casino
This is a free concert to celebrate the all-new Ameristar Casino Vicksburg. To get your free tickets, please go to Tickets.com on Monday, August 4th at 12pm CDT. Limited tickets are available; only 2 per household.
Ameristar Casinos, Inc. is an innovative, Las Vegas-based gaming entertainment company known for its distinctive, quality-conscious hotel casinos and value orientation. The company's roots go back nearly five decades to a tiny roadside casino in the high-plateau country that borders Idaho and Nevada. Publicly held since November 1993, the corporation owns and operates six properties in Nevada, Missouri, Iowa and Mississippi.
This is a free concert to celebrate the all-new Ameristar Casino Vicksburg. To get your free tickets, please go to Tickets.com on Monday, August 4th at 12pm CDT. Limited tickets are available; only 2 per household.
Ameristar Casinos, Inc. is an innovative, Las Vegas-based gaming entertainment company known for its distinctive, quality-conscious hotel casinos and value orientation. The company's roots go back nearly five decades to a tiny roadside casino in the high-plateau country that borders Idaho and Nevada. Publicly held since November 1993, the corporation owns and operates six properties in Nevada, Missouri, Iowa and Mississippi.
Monday, September 1, 2008
MyTickets™ by Tickets.com
MyTickets™
Online ticket management for season/member ticket holders
Spread the excitement all season long. Enable your season ticket holders to manage their inventory of season tickets over the Web. Tickets may be transferred, donated, and resold in a controlled and secure online environment. Proceeds from sales are credited to your customers’ accounts where they can be used to purchase more tickets or redeemed by check at season’s end.
Learn more about MyTickets >
Online ticket management for season/member ticket holders
Spread the excitement all season long. Enable your season ticket holders to manage their inventory of season tickets over the Web. Tickets may be transferred, donated, and resold in a controlled and secure online environment. Proceeds from sales are credited to your customers’ accounts where they can be used to purchase more tickets or redeemed by check at season’s end.
Learn more about MyTickets >
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