Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The Alys Stephens Center Presents New Show, "An Evening with Jewel, Solo Acoustic" Oct. 30

Jewel Tickets Acclaimed American singer/songwriter and poet Jewel has just been added to the new Alys Stephens Center (ASC) season lineup.

The Alys Stephens Center will present “An Evening with Jewel, Solo Acoustic,” at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 in the center at 1200 10th Ave. South. Singer-songwriter Meiko will open for Jewel. VIP tickets are $75. Performance tickets are $56, $46, $36 and $20 for students. Tickets go on sale to Alys Stephens Center subscribers and ASC Junior Patrons only on Tuesday, Aug. 18 and can be purchased by calling 205-975-2787. Tickets can be purchased online at www.AlysStephens.org, by calling 205-975-2787, at the ASC Box Office, and at Tickets.com.

Jewel’s personal odyssey, partly chronicled on one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, the 12-time platinum “Pieces of You,” comes full circle with her latest work “Lullaby.” The 15-track album, her first independent release, features 10 self-penned songs and a few standards, including “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”

It comes as no surprise that Jewel, a singer, songwriter, actress, poet, painter, philanthropist and daughter of an Alaskan cowboy singer-songwriter, also finds herself in the embrace of country music these days. Jewel is set apart for singing and writing all of her songs, with hits like “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant for Me,” “Foolish Games” and “Stronger Woman.” She has received three Grammy Award nominations and has sold 27 million albums worldwide. The show is sponsored by WBHM, Viva Health and The Birmingham News.

About the Alys Stephens Center
Located on the UAB campus, the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center is one of the Southeast’s premier performing arts centers, hosting the best in international, national and local performance. Home to the UAB departments of Theatre and Music and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the ASC also presents its own season, bringing the world’s best music, dance, theater, comedy and family entertainment to Alabama.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

O.A.R. at Monmouth University

NJ.com
The Star-Ledger
By Jay Lustig


New Jersey has major new concert venue: the MAC (Multipurpose Activity Center) at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. It’s a 153,200-square-foot, 4,100-seat arena, and international concert-promotion powerhouse AEG Live, in conjunction with the New Jersey-based concert company Concerts East, will present shows there.

The first, by rock band O.A.R., takes place on Nov. 8. Tickets are $30-$35; call (800) 919-6272 or visit AEGLive.com or Tickets.com.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Metropolis Connecting Chicago Students with Big Name Artists

Metropolis School of the Performing Arts has announced three workshops with big artists, giving aspiring musical theatre actors, songwriters and playwrights a chance to learn from professionals in the business.

On October 3rd, aspiring adult playwrights can work with local playwright Will Dunne in a free two-hour class at Metropolis. Will Dunne is the Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, has led nearly 1,600 playwriting workshops and twice attended the Australian National Playwrights Conference as guest instructor. His plays have been selected by the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center for three National Playwrights Conferences, and generated a Charles MacArthur Fellowship. West coast productions of his plays have earned four Bay Area Theatre Critics Awards and two DramaLogue Playwriting Awards. Students will learn the basic principles of playwriting and get a technical look at how scenes are constructed. The workshop is 10 a.m. – Noon on Saturday, October 3 and is free. Students can register by calling 847.577.5982 x221.

On October 11 & 12, musical theatre performers and singers ages 8-16 can attend the two-day Singing for the Stage II workshop, which culminates in a showcase with Jersey Boy Michael Ingersoll. This second in the series of exciting workshops will prepare young vocal performers for singing on the stage. It will focus on vocal technique, stage presence and acting the song. This workshop will end in a final showcase with Jersey Boy Michael Ingersoll who will provide individual feedback to each student. Time is 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday, October 11 & 12. Cost is $175 and students can register by calling 847.577.5982 x221.

Aspiring songwriters can work with Grammy Nominated singer/songwriter Shawn Mullins on Sunday November 22. Mullins has had two number one songs, sold over a million albums, been nominated for a Grammy and performed thousands of live shows. Now students can study songwriting with him at Metropolis. This is a great chance for songwriters to learn from someone that knows how to write lyrics and weave hit melodies. Mullins performs an acoustic show at Metropolis on Saturday, November 21 at 8 p.m., and holds this Master Class on Sunday, November 22 from Noon – 4 p.m. Cost is $150. Students can register by calling 847.577.5982 x221

Metropolis is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. In addition, Metropolis receives generous sponsorship from American Airlines, Daily Herald, Doubletree Hotel of Arlington Heights and FastSigns of Arlington Heights..

Metropolis is located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest suburbs in downtown Arlington Heights at the intersection of Campbell and Vail Avenue (111 West Campbell Street). Street parking is available. Free parking is available in the public garage behind the theatre. For more information about Metropolis and a complete 2008/2009 performance schedule, go to MetropolisArts.com or call the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Kanye West, Lady Gaga plan HSBC Arena show

The Buffalo News
Jeff Miers


Kanye West and Lady GaGa will perform at HSBC Arena on Sunday, Dec. 20th, promoter Live Nation announced.

Tickets for the show will go on sale at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3rd through LiveNation.com, the HSBC Arena box office, and Tickets.com. Charge-by-phone tickets will be available through 888-223-6000.

Dubbed the "Fame Kills Tour starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga," the show brings West to town hot on the heels of the abundant controversy saturating the media in the wake of his behavior at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, which took place last week. West, not exactly a stranger to shooting off his mouth during televised awards shows, grabbed the microhone from a stunned Taylor Swift and proceeded to suggest that Beyonce should've won the "Best Female Video" award, and not Swift.

Aside from the fact that they have both broken the platinum barrier in terms of album sales, West, who specializes in a creative, collage-art, pop-based form of Hip-Hop; and Lady GaGa, a dance-pop diva in the Madonna mold have little in common. Still, the tour has been in the planning stages for months, and in the process, has become one of the most buzzed-about bills of the year. The jaunt will take West and Lady GaGa to 34 cities between early November and late January.

Tickets for the "Fame Kills Tour" are priced $129.50, $99.50, $69.50, and $39.50.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Curiouser and Curiouser! Alice in Wonderland Comes to Chicago

Enter the whimsical world of Alice in Wonderland at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, October 13 – 21, 2009.

All the characters from the beloved tale will be there: the kooky Caterpillar, the grumpy flowers and of course that White Rabbit who’s running rather late. Join Alice as she has tea with the Mad Hatter, gets crazy advice from the Cheshire Cat and plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts. It’s a musical, magical world of nonsense that’s sure to put a smile on your face.

Performances of Alice in Wonderland, a Chicago Kids Company production, will run October 13 – 16 at 9:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., October 17 at 11 a.m., and October 19 – 21 at 9:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $9.50 for students under 12 and $12 for adults. Suggested for grades K – 3.

Alice in Wonderland is part of Metropolis’ Stories in Action! series – educational productions designed to feed the minds and imaginations of young audiences and bring families together through the performing arts. Watch for other upcoming Stories in Action! productions including The Magic Ofrenda, Frindle, Peter Pan, The Diary of Anne Frank and Seussical Jr.

Metropolis is located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest suburbs in downtown Arlington Heights at the intersection of Campbell and Vail Avenue (111 West Campbell Street). Street parking is available. Free parking is available in the public garage behind the theatre. For more information about Metropolis and a complete 2008/2009 performance schedule, go to MetropolisArts.com or call the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

National Theater Town Hall Meeting Added to Arts Marketing and Development Conference

National Arts Marketing and Development Conference: Thursday, October 8 – Sunday, October 11, 2009 presented by Arts Reach at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

The overall theme for the conference is

“Are You Ready for the Wave of Change? Breakthrough Strategies for Growing Audiences, Donors, and Boards in the Coming Decade”

Breakouts during the Regular Conference will follow THREE TRACKS, with at least one breakout at any given time as part of the Arts Marketing Track, the Arts Development Track and -- new this year -- the Theater Track for the theater professionals in attendance. Delegates may follow a single track or "jump the track" as they please.

The Theater Track will begin on Friday, October 9 with a National Town Hall Meeting: Theater 2009 led by Paul Stuart Graham, General Manager, Los Angeles Theater Center. Theater professionals are invited to attend this important theater town hall meeting; voice your opinions and hear the responses that could affect theater’s collective future.

During the conference there will be two featured ticketing sessions:

The Box Office/Marketing Partnership: Building Successful Audience Development Strategies

and

Leveraging Front Line Marketing Data

EARLY BIRD DEADLINE – GET 2 FOR THE PRICE OF 1 by September 24

In addition to receiving the lowest price, when one person from your organization registers by September 24, another person gets to go for free to the Regular Conference and the Pre-Conference E-marketing Day.

See conference details, including registration and lodging, at http://www.artsreach.com/conference.html

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats to Perform at Caltech

The Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats will perform on Friday, October 9, at 8 p.m. in Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium.

Under the direction of acrobatic legends, the Hai Family, the company interprets the precision and grace of an art form honed by years of training and discipline: Chinese acrobatics. Their multi-faceted and multi-cultural production features acrobatic displays, feats of daring and balance, Kung Fu, brilliant costumes, and even a touch of Chinese comedy.

Along with several television appearances, including That’s Incredible, the troupe was awarded the Performing Arts Campus Entertainment Award by the National Association for Campus Activities (1986), and was nominated for the 1998 Campus Activities Today Reader’s Choice Award for Best Live Novelty Act.
Tickets to this performance are priced at $29.00, $24.00, and $19.00; youth (high school age and younger): $10.00. Senior rush tickets will go on sale for $10.00, beginning one-half hour before the performance (subject to availability). Tickets can be purchased at the Caltech Ticket Office, 332 S. Michigan Avenue, Pasadena.

Parking for Beckman Auditorium is located at 332 South Michigan Avenue, Pasadena (south of Del Mar Boulevard). For information, call (626) 395-4652.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Metropolis Season Opens with Big, Fun Rock 'N' Roll Revue

Come kick up your feet for some good old fashion fun! Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is proud to present its newest production, Pump Boys and Dinettes September 24 – November 14, 2009.

Welcome to Highway 57! Home to beer swilling pump boys Jim and LM and Rhetta and Prudie Cupp over at the Double Cupp Diner. These folks live by personal philosophies like “Working gives you something to look forward to… not working.” Whether they’re singing about checking out the heartthrob cashier at Woolworths, having a private concert with Dolly Parton, or just wanting bigger tips, this cheery crew will get you into the groove of their rockin’ tunes. Join in the fun as the boys go fishing, the girls brew up some homemade beer and the whole gang plans a trip to Florida… in a customer’s Winnebago! Some adult themes.

Director Robin M. Hughes, Metropolis’ Artistic Director/Director of Production, is working with an amazing cast, many of whom call the northwest suburbs home. Local cast members include Tom Vendafreddo (Palatine), John Summers (Schaumburg) and Amy Dolan (Arlington Heights).

Preview performances of Pump Boys and Dinettes at Metropolis are September 24 – September 26. Opening day is Sunday, September 27. The show runs through November 14, 2009. Specific dates and times are listed below. Tickets range from $27 to $43 and can be purchased online at MetropolisArts.com or by calling the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

Pump Boys and Dinettes is part of the Subscription series at Metropolis, bringing first class entertainment to the northwest suburbs. More shows in the Subscription series include: Out of Order, Side Man and Mid-Life! The Crisis Musical.

Metropolis’ cast for Pump Boys and Dinettes includes Jim DeSelm (Jackson), Amy Dolan (Loreen), Tiffany Herlien (Rhetta), Kelli Eileen LaValle (Prudie), Kevin Stangler (Jim), Glenn Stanton (Leroy), John Summers (Eddie), Mark Underhill (Tucker) and Tom Vendafreddo (L.M.).

Pump Boys and Dinettes is directed by Robin M. Hughes. Musical direction is by Micky York and choreography is by Kristen Gurbach Jacobson. Designers are Mike Gehmlich (Lighting Design and Resident Technical Director), Adam Veness (Scenic Design), Bill Franz (Resident Sound Designer), Vicky Strei (Resident Costume Designer) and D.J. Reed (Properties Designer). Robin M. Hughes is the Artistic Director/Director of Production, the Executive Director of Metropolis is Jim Jarvis.

The title sponsor for Pump Boys and Dinettes is The Grand Station Restaurant & Cocktails. Metropolis is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. In addition, Metropolis receives generous sponsorship from American Airlines, the Daily Herald, Doubletree Hotel of Arlington Heights, FastSigns of Arlington Heights, and Stella Artois.

Metropolis is located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest suburbs in downtown Arlington Heights at the intersection of Campbell and Vail Avenue (111 West Campbell Street). Street parking is available. Free parking is available in the public garage behind the theatre. For more information about Metropolis and a complete 2008/2009 performance schedule, go to MetropolisArts.com or call the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Cole Brothers Circus comes to Albany Mall

Albany Herald
Cathy Higgins


It's going to be a circus in the Good Life City next week as Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars brings its 125th anniversary edition show to Albany.

Performances will be held 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Albany Mall, located at 2601 Dawson Road.

Tickets are $17 for adults, $12 for ages 2-12. Reserved seats are an additional $3, and VIP seats are an additional $5. A $5 discount can be obtained by purchasing tickets in advance at Pets & Pals in the Albany Mall, visiting www.tickets.com or calling 1-888-332-5200.

Started in 1884 by W.W. Cole, Cole Brothers Circus will celebrate its history with performances that hearken back to its roots, as well as contemporary acts.

"The Toprasta Troupe from Columbia recreates the treacherous, three-tier, seven-man pyramid on the high wire," a news release states. "Russia's Svetlana Golobolova exhibits her grace that belies her strength in an exquisitely executed gymnastic routine on aerial silks."

The action will also include daredevils challenging the Globe of Death and Giant Gyro Wheel, with the Cole Brothers Clown Crew providing comic relief.

Of course, no circus would be complete without elephants, acrobats, camels, jugglers, animal acts and the human cannonball.

For more information, visit www.gotothecircus.com.

Friday, September 18, 2009

San Francisco Giants Pioneer In-Game Promotion Using Splash Tix

Splash Tix Stored Value Promotion The San Francisco Giants launched an in-game promotion this week using Splash Tix, their stored value ticket program. Splash Tix enables cash value, select merchandise, and other data to be stored on individual tickets, which fans can then redeem at any point of purchase location.

The "Ka$h for K's" promo got the crowd in a special section of the ballpark excited when they learned their tickets had been loaded with $5 credit for food and merchandise at the AT&T Park concession stands. For every strikeout the Giants pitchers recorded during the half inning, an extra $5 was added to their tickets. The money was redeemable at all AT&T Park concession stands and Dugout Store.

The Giants are also using the stored value program to help retain season ticket holders in their View Level Reserved section by adding $5 of cash value to each game.

Stored value tickets are the ultimate convenience for fans. No cash or credit card required in order to make purchases within the ballpark. The ticketing technology enables teams to run in-game promotions, offer additional value for group sales tickets, and much more.

Splash Tix utilizes Uptix, an industry leading stored value product offered by Tickets.com in partnership with Givex.

Learn more about stored value tickets at Tickets.com >

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Oklahoma State Fair Now Open

The Edmond Sun
Mark Schlachtenhaufen


Each year Edmond residents flock to the Oklahoma State Fair, which offers a lot more than fantastic food and fun rides. This year’s fair began Wednesday and runs through Sept. 27.

Strong-armed men and women will compete in the fair’s second annual Armwrestling Classic. Competitors who win a match in their weight class will earn a national ranking and be posted on Armwrestling USA’s Web site.

There will be competition in seven divisions — five for men, including featherweight (under 144 pounds) and heavyweight (220 pounds and above)‚ and two for women — featherweight (less than 144 pounds) and open (145 pounds and above). Winners will be eligible to participate in the national finals at the 2009 Arizona State Fair in October.

Registration will be from 1-3:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Bandshell Stage, followed by two preliminary rounds. The finals will be at 6 p.m. that same day.

Other events include the fifth annual Deaf Awareness Day on Sept. 24. At designated times throughout the day, many fair attractions and entertainment shows will be interpreted. The shows will be highlighted in red in the fair visitors guide.

Deaf Awareness Day is sponsored by the Central Oklahoma Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

The State Fair also will feature three premier attractions Disney On Ice’s s Worlds of Fantasy, the Xtreme Bull Riding Tour and the Extreme Monster Truck Nationals.

Tickets for the 2009 Great State of Fair of Oklahoma are available at all tickets.com outlets, including the State Fair Arena box office, participating Buy For Less stores in Oklahoma City, at www.tickets.com or by calling 1-800-511-1552. A convenience charge may apply. Visit www.okstatefair.com for complete 2009 fair details.

Getting to Know the Mobile Population

eMarketer

Sophisticated—and diverse

Mobile users are inseparable from their devices. Whether they have a smartphone or a traditional feature phone, it goes with them at all times. And as these devices become more capable, they are evolving into extensions of users’ desktops and home communications and entertainment systems.

Penetration will near 100% by 2013, reflected in a modest 2.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the number of subscribers between 2008 and 2013.

Mobile Internet usage has been steadily rising, with some of the traditional barriers—namely cost, complexity and user experience—beginning to fall away. eMarketer predicts that growth will persist over the next five years, albeit at a slower pace. In the US, the number of mobile users accessing the Internet will jump from 73.7 million in 2009 to 134.3 million in 2013, a CAGR of 17.7%.

The mobile Internet user population in the US is now roughly one-third the size of the wired Internet audience, a gap that will narrow by the early part of the next decade. Smartphones constitute the bridge between the desktop and mobile Web.

Further, despite the spotlight on smartphones, they remain a minority share of the mobile device market. Smartphone users are a far more attractive group, both for the audience demographics and usage patterns, but marketers that ignore the other 80% to 85% of the user population do so to their detriment.

Read more >

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Margaret Cho to perform at Rose State College

NewsOK Education Station

Comedian and actress Margaret Cho will perform her stand-up comedy at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at Rose State College as part of the Rose State Live! series.

Cho appeared in the films “One Missed Call,” “17 Again” and “The Snake.” She currently stars on the reality show “Drop Dead Diva,” which airs on Lifetime.

Cho is known for her raunchy, socially relevant and politically charged stand-up comedy.

The performance is for mature audiences only. To purchase tickets, call 297-2264 or go to www.tickets.com.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Now's The Time to Go Mobile with Tickets.com

As mobile web adoption continues to surge, companies worldwide realize the importance of providing customers a successful experience when going to their sites from mobile phones – even if the mobile experience is limited or done in phases. The mobile site is now analogous to the web site as the hub of your interaction with customers’ mobile phones.

Learn more about Tickets.com's mobile ticketing solutions >

Monday, September 14, 2009

Qcue Introduces Dynamic Ticketing to Dallas Stars

Venues Today
Dave Brooks


Dynamic Pricing: Giants, Tickets.com, and Qcue Ticketing upstart Qcue has signed another deal to bring dynamic ticketing to a professional sports franchise. The Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League have signed an agreement to sell most of the American Airlines Center upper bowl using a yield-management model similar to the airline industry. Working with Tickets.com, the system allows the team to make real-time price changes based on demand, opponent and historical sales data.

The system is already in its second season with the San Francisco Giants, another franchise powered by Tickets.com. Qcue CEO Barry Kahn said his Austin, Texas-based company helped the Stars set the prices for their first 14 home games, which go on sale Saturday.

“That’s when the big change in price occurs,” said Stars Exec. VP of Sales and Marketing Geoff Moore, adding that tickets are released in batches of 14 every two months. Last season, nearly all tickets in the premium terrace were priced at $60. Now, less than 25 percent of tickets are priced that high. Tickets drop to $50 for an Oct. 30 game against Florida and go as low as $36 per ticket for games against Los Angeles or Calgary. A second game against Nashville on Oct. 14 was selling for $24 less than the opener against the same team.

“They definitely kept the fans in mind and came out of the gate with low prices that they expect to rise,” Kahn said, later adding that tickets “where underpriced across the board to reward those who purchased early.”

The strategy is to price the tickets low for the initial on sale and then slowly increase in price as more tickets sell. While he said the Qcue web-based application gave him the ability to make daily price changes, the team would more likely adjust their prices on a weekly basis.

“The technology actually told us to raise the price on a couple games, but we didn’t feel comfortable doing that,” Moore said. The goal is to sell more tickets and not necessarily to extract more revenue out of the same ticket. In Texas, the live experience of a packed hockey game is almost as important as the product on the ice, Moore said.

“And that’s a critical piece when you’re competing for entertainment dollars with football and other sports,” Moore said. “In a fragmented media landscape, it’s become very difficult to communicate offers to people through traditional media. We’re trying to make it as easy and simple as possible to understand our pricing. When we advertise, we can just push everyone back to dallasstars.com and they can check the price of the game for that date.”

Prices for the seats won’t drop below the season ticket value and Moore said the team expected to have a multi-year relationship with Qcue. Kahn said that Qcue’s earnings would be based on sales volume revenue benchmarks tied to increased sales.

“We have a strong sports market here in Dallas, and we have a growing hockey market. Our challenge always is to market our team and find the right value proposition for the sports fan,” Moore said. “Dallas fans like hockey, but they love football. Sometimes when you like something, then price and value become a strong part of whether people will buy tickets or not.”

Friday, September 11, 2009

Select Your Seats Virtually at the Twins' New Target Field

Target Field Seat Selection The stadium is being built but that doesn't mean that you can't see where you'll be sitting when you enjoy Twins games in 2010. Using the Target Field Seat Selection process, selecting your seats is easy, enjoyable and convenient!

There are several useful tools to assist with your seat selections. All of these tools are available on both the Target Field homepage and the Season Ticket Holder webpage of twinsbaseball.com. There is an instructional video that details the seat selection process, an information sheet that details both general selection information as well as specific seating details, and a map that shows the locations of gates, elevators, escalators and restrooms. This virtual seat selection technology is made possible by Ballena Technologies in partnership with Tickets.com.

Learn more >

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Alys Stephens Center "Arts In Action" Adds New Community Programs, More Great Events

Arts in Action Education and Outreach Program This season the Alys Stephens Center’s “Arts in Action” Education and Outreach program will feature two new community partnerships in addition to the diverse array of free to low-cost performances, events and classes presented each year.

This year the Alys Stephens Center (ASC) will bring the new Robert Redus School of Guitar to a select group of students at Glen Iris Elementary School. Born from a vision of friends and family of the late Robert Clark Redus IV to spread his gift of music, this year-long program will offer six students the chance to study guitar with a university-level instructor. At the end of the school year, the students will have the chance to keep their guitars based on their commitment to lessons, practice, responsibility and volunteerism.

Also new this year is the ASC’s Make It Happen Performing Ensemble. Through a partnership with Make It Happen Theatre Company and Birmingham City Schools, the Alys Stephens Center invites high school students to audition this fall for this performance-based program. Selected students will attend weekly theater classes and rehearsals that will culminate in the Feb.14, 2010 ASC Kids’ Club performance “Extraordinary Americans Who Happen to Be …” which celebrates Black History Month. This performance will be researched, written and performed by the students, who also will get the opportunity to participate in the Arts in Action mentoring program.

For the third year, the Alys Stephens Center will present ASC Kids’ Club on the Road, an arts education program that can travel right to schools for free. Three shows with engaging, enlightening artists will be offered: Poets’ Corner Poetry Workshop with artist Sharrif Simmons for grades 5-12; No Fear Shakespeare with actor/director and educator Quinton Cockrell for grades 6-12; and The Watershed Workshop with singer-songwriter Charles Tortorici for grades 5-12. Availability is limited. For details call 205-934-0862 or visit www.alysstephens.org.

About “Arts in Action”

“Arts in Action” presents programs and events to enrich the lives of both students and adults. The program’s mission is to cultivate an appreciation for and understanding of the arts and make the performing arts accessible to everyone. Among the many branches of Arts in Action are master classes for small student groups who learn from experts in the field and meet the artist events for schools. The program also offers a mentoring program, the ASC Kids’ Club shows for families, innovative classes and enrichment activities for adults, free concert talks and drama workshops and summer camps. The program lower-cost tickets for students and children to selected performances as well as free buses to and from the center. Since its inception in 2002, more than 50,000 students have participated in Arts in Action events and programs.

VIDEO: www.youtube.com/uabnews
TEXT: www.uab.edu/news
TWEETS: www.twitter.com/uabnews

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Radiant Systems Expands Relationship with San Francisco Giants

New loaded-ticket program capitalizes on technology to give fans more value for game ticket price

Reuters


Radiant Systems, Inc. announced a new agreement with the San Francisco Giants to be a key provider of the new loaded-ticket system, a season-ticket-holder incentive deemed so successful by team officials that they have taken steps to open the program to all fans at AT&T Park.

"We looked at a number of ticket-technology systems, but the Quest solution really stood out based on what we are trying to achieve in the future," said Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticket services and client relations for the San Francisco Giants. "We originally tested the concept in a limited area with our season-ticket holders during the renewal process and had great success. I am so pleased with where we are now, that we have gone ahead and moved on to offering loaded tickets to individuals with single-game tickets. The only limiting factor to this program is our imagination."

Combining Uptix, (a joint venture between Givex and Tickets.com) and the Quest solution, loaded tickets allow extra monetary value to be added to a game-day ticket for use at concession stands as well as in premium food and beverage areas. Teams can use loaded tickets to offer incentives to fans in certain sections or attract season ticket holders by storing data on each ticket, including cash value or vouchers for specific uses. Ticket purchasers can also use the loaded-ticket option to store cash value on their own tickets or on tickets being given as gifts.

The Quest VersaTerm and V-Touch hardware, along with more than 300 Symbol LS2208 barcode scanners by Motorola give the San Francisco Giants fans the ability to easily redeem loaded tickets at concession areas and from premium seats at AT&T Park.

Deciding to test the technology on a small, specific audience, the Giants unveiled the loaded-ticket program to season-ticket holders in the view-reserved infield seats at AT&T Park. By offering a $5 credit on each ticket, the team realized a 10 percent increase in renewals within the targeted section. The Giants knew this technology could keep them ahead of industry downturns, as baseball clubs around the country report drops in ticket sales.

When paired with the Quest solution, loaded tickets offer venues the opportunity to tailor special incentives to fans and increase sales. One great benefit of the Quest solution is its ability to seamlessly integrate with other programs creating a system that gives sports teams the ability to implement exciting and cutting edge offers to fans.

"Fans want something exciting and entertaining when they arrive at the ballpark," said Scott Kingsfield, president of the sports and entertainment division at Radiant Systems. "The Quest solution allows teams to be as creative as possible, without ever needing to change venue technology. We stay right in step with every idea and each new incentive."

About Radiant Systems, Inc.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Radiant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: RADS) is a global provider of innovative technology to the hospitality and retail industries. For more than two decades, Radiant`s point of sale hardware and software solutions have helped to redefine the consumer experience in more than 100,000 restaurants, retail stores, stadiums, parks, arenas, cinemas, convenience stores, fuel centers and other customer-service venues. Radiant has offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit www.radiantsystems.com

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Two Ticketing Sessions Featured at the National Arts Marketing and Development Conference

National Arts Marketing and Development Conference: Thursday, October 8 – Sunday, October 11, 2009 presented by Arts Reach at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

The overall theme for the conference is

“Are You Ready for the Wave of Change? Breakthrough Strategies for Growing Audiences, Donors, and Boards in the Coming Decade”

The two featured ticketing sessions are:

• The Box Office/Marketing Partnership: Building Successful Audience Development Strategies

and

• Leveraging Front Line Marketing Data


EARLY BIRD DEADLINE – GET 2 FOR THE PRICE OF 1 by September 24

In addition to receiving the lowest price, when one person from your organization registers by September 24, another person gets to go for free to the Regular Conference and the Pre-Conference E-marketing Day.

Breakouts during the Regular Conference will follow THREE TRACKS, with at least one breakout at any given time as part of the Arts Marketing Track, the Arts Development Track and -- new this year -- the Theater Track for the theater professionals in attendance. Delegates may follow a single track or "jump the track" as they please.

Also new this year will be a special Post-Conference Day titled "Revolution in the Board Room," designed for staff members and their board members. See conference details, including registration and lodging, at http://www.artsreach.com/conference.html

Monday, September 7, 2009

Bacon Brothers Coming To Illinois

Be Just 1-Degree Away: Bacon Brothers Coming to Metropolis

Kevin Bacon and his rock band The Bacon Brothers are at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre for just 2 nights, September 11 & 12, 2009.

Forget about 6° of separation, be just 1° away from actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael when you see The Bacon Brothers at Metropolis. The brothers have been rocking together through 14 years and 6 albums; now they bring their gritty rock to the intimate Metropolis stage. Their music has a tough edge and some Philly soul that will get everyone dancing and leave you begging for one more song. They’re here for just two nights, so get your tickets soon, and don’t miss your chance to be up close and personal with The Bacon Brothers.

The Bacon Brothers come to Metropolis September 11 & 12, 2009 at 8 P.M. Tickets are $55, Stage Tables $65, and can be purchased online at MetropolisArts.com or by calling the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

The Bacon Brothers are part of the Music series at Metropolis, dedicated to bringing in big name artists to an intimate, acoustically perfect and exclusive venue. More music shows in the 2009/10 season include performances by Metropolis Youth Symphony, Legacy Girls, Shawn Mullins, The Illinois Brass Band, Corky Siegel & Megon McDonough, Abba Salute, Liz Carroll, George Winston and Siegel-Schwall.

The Bacon Brothers are sponsored by Title Sponsor Great Street Realty. Metropolis is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. In addition, Metropolis receives generous sponsorship from American Airlines, the Daily Herald, Doubletree Hotel of Arlington Heights, FastSigns of Arlington Heights, and Stella Artois.

Metropolis is located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest suburbs in downtown Arlington Heights at the intersection of Campbell and Vail Avenue (111 West Campbell Street). Street parking is available. Free parking is available in the public garage behind the theatre. For more information about Metropolis and a complete 2009/2010 performance schedule, visit "new">MetropolisArts.com or call the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Tickets.com Client Spotlight: George Mason University

Fourth Annual ARTS by George! Benefit to Be Held Sept. 26

The Mason Gazette

Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) announces the fourth annual ARTS by George!—a benefit event that supports student scholarships and the Great Performances at Mason series.

The event will be held at the Fairfax Campus on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m. The evening begins with an exciting showcase of the extraordinary artistic talents of Mason students and faculty members, as well as a unique silent auction of arts-related items and experiences.

ARTS by George! culminates in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall with a performance by acclaimed Tony Award-winning Broadway artist Brian Stokes Mitchell. Mitchell will be accompanied by the American Festival Pops Orchestra, which makes its debut under the direction of University Professor of Music Anthony Maiello.

ARTS by George! is generously supported by many area individuals and businesses. Event co-chairs are longtime local arts supporter Julie Dyson of Alexandria, Va., and Enrique Tessada, founder and chairman of Tessada & Associates Inc. in Springfield, Va. Sponsorship co-chairs are Carolyn Peterson and Don Conwell.

Vincent Oppido, a graduate student in Mason’s School of Music, has collaborated with Mitchell to arrange an original overture of beloved songs from Broadway musicals in which Mitchell has appeared.

The American Festival Pops Orchestra is composed of more than 60 professional musicians from across the Washington, D.C., area, including Mason faculty members, musicians from the U.S. military ensembles and regional orchestras. The AFPO also includes a select group of talented young artists from Mason’s School of Music.

“ARTS by George! is advancing to a new creative level,” says CVPA Dean William Reeder. “The formation of the professional American Festival Pops Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Anthony Maiello, and the collaboration between Brian Stokes Mitchell and CVPA graduate student Vincent Oppido represent a bold thrust of creativity. It is a natural extension of the academic, professional and community forces that constitute the Arts at Mason.”

Tickets (includes student performance showcases, food, beverages, Brian Stokes Mitchell concert and dessert reception onstage with the artist) are $200 per person. Contact Deborah Paez at dpaez@gmu.edu, call 703-993-4188, or visit www.artsbygeorge.com to order tickets and/or inquire about sponsorship opportunities and benefits.

Individual tickets for the Mitchell concert only may also be purchased beginning Sept. 1. Tickets are $60, $52 and $30. Charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit tickets.com.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Milwaukee Brewers Reach 3 Million Tickets Sold Milestone for 2009

The Milwaukee Brewers this morning reached 3 million total tickets sold for the 2009 season. It is the second consecutive season the Brewers have reached the 3 million ticket plateau and the second time in team history.

The Brewers currently have sold out 27 games on the season and through 65 home games have a season attendance of 2,480,233. The Brewers average attendance of 38,157 currently ranks eighth- highest in all of Major League Baseball. Last season, the Brewers established a franchise attendance record with 3,068,458.

"Reaching three million tickets sold is the ultimate testament to Brewers fans, and it speaks volumes about their loyalty to the team and passion for the game," said Brewers Executive Vice President Rick Schlesinger. "We thank all of the fans who have come out this season, and we will continue to make the Miller Park experience the very best in baseball."

The Brewers have 16 home games left in the 2009 regular season. Tickets remain for all future home games, but advance purchase is encouraged. Individual tickets may be purchased online at brewers.com, the Miller Park Box Office, all tickets.com outlets and by calling 414-902-4000 or 800-933-7890.

Mobile Trends: Americans' Cell Phone Ownership Statistics

A poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion supports that employment and age are among the most significant factors in determining an American's cell phone habits.

Nearly nine in 10 (87%) US Americans report that they own a cell phone, and 16% say they own a personal digital assistant (PDA) such as a Blackberry, Palm or iPhone.

Not surprisingly, the research confirmed that age is a determining factor in cell-phone and PDA ownership: Some 94% of Americans under age 45 have cell phones, whereas slightly more than eight in 10 Americans 45 or older tote the devices.

92% of the employed survey participants own a cell phone, approximately 25% of which are PDAs.

Regionally, those who live in the Northeast and South regions of the US report the highest cell-phone ownership. Nearly nine in 10 (89%) of residents in these areas report owning a cell phone, while 82% of those in the Midwest and 85% of those in the West have them.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Earthquakes to Play Club Deportivo Aguila on September 8

Our Sports Central

The San Jose Earthquakes will host legendary Salvadoran side Club Deportivo Aguila on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The game will be held at Buck Shaw Stadium and will be season ticket holder bonus game "B." Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT.

Individual tickets for the game go on sale Tuesday, August 18 at 10 a.m. PT 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. Season ticket holders will also have the ability to purchase additional tickets at a discounted price.

Aguila is one of El Salvador's all-time winningest teams, having captured 15 first division championships since its founding in 1926. They won their first title in 1959 and their most recent championship came in 2006. They also were the first Salvadoran team to win the CONCACAF Championship when it captured that title in 1976. The club is located in San Miguel.

The match marks the second straight year the Earthquakes will play a team from El Salvador. They defeated CD FAS 2-1 on Oct. 7, 2008 at Buck Shaw Stadium. San Jose is now 5-8-5 all-time against international opponents in friendly matches, including their 4-0 victory over the Honduran Olympic Team and the win against FAS last season.

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Karen LaVorgna Announced as Vice President of Sales for Tickets.com

Tickets.com, a leading worldwide provider of integrated ticketing solutions, announced the appointment of Karen LaVorgna as its new vice president of sales. In this position, Ms. LaVorgna will be responsible for developing and executing overall corporate sales strategy and managing the company’s national sales force. She will be based in the Tickets.com world headquarters in Costa Mesa, California.

“We are pleased that Karen LaVorgna has joined our executive team,” said Steve DeMots, senior vice president of business development. “Her extensive sales background in technology-related fields is a perfect fit with our vision to advance the ticketing industry through leading-edge technologies.”

Ms. LaVorgna has fourteen years in the information technology industry and has worked with such companies as NYSE, Boeing, APS, and Apollo. Just prior to joining Tickets.com, she was with Technology Staffing Solutions, a services company focused on providing the highest quality resources to their client’s businesses for the most effective use of Information Technology.

“I’m excited to be a part of the Tickets.com family,” said LaVorgna. “Tickets.com has such a strong product portfolio, anchored by the revolutionary ProVenue® ticketing solution. I look forward to communicating the corporate philosophy and helping venues and organizations understand the need for innovation and industry-leading technology when considering a ticketing provider.”