Tickets.com and the Niagara IceDogs Form Ticketing Partnership

The Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Tickets.com have recently announced a long-term ticketing services partnership. Starting with the 2014-15 season, the IceDogs will utilize the ProVenue platform for all ticket sales at the new 5,300 seat Meridian Centre, in St. Catharines, Ontario.

The agreement expands upon Tickets.com’s presence and support of the Canadian Major Junior market, where it already serves the Sudbury Wolves (OHL), Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) and Erie Otters (OHL) as well as their host facilities. ProVenue’s roots in professional sports provide these franchises with a best-in-class feature set to manage complex inventory and fan relationships.

IceDogs Owner and Governor Bill Burke emphasized the importance of the services and marketing relationships that Tickets.com will bring to the partnership. “Tickets.com has such a strong base of operations just like ours in the Niagara Region and we hope to take advantage of the facilities and franchises in this network. They have proven themselves in the OHL and we are excited to move forward with them in our new home at the Meridian Centre.”

For more information about The IceDogs visit http://www.niagaraicedogs.net.

Tickets.com and Los Angeles Dodgers Sign New Ticketing Partnership Agreement

Tickets.com,Inc. and the Los Angeles Dodgers today announced a new long-term ticketing agreement for use of the ProVenue^® ticketing platform at Dodger Stadium, beginning with the 2014 Major League Baseball season.

“We’re excited about leveraging the ProVenue platform and continuing to improve the ticketing experience for Dodger fans – especially around digital ticketing,” said Lon Rosen, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Dodgers.

Los Angeles will become the 17^th MLB Club to utilize Tickets.com’s ProVenue platform, a technology solution built on a hosted, open architecture. In 2014, MyTickets Mobile, a new feature launched in September within the award-winning MLB.com At The Ballpark app for iPhone and Android smartphones, also will debut for the Dodgers, giving fans mobile access to any ticket purchased for Dodger Stadium.

“The Dodgers have made a huge commitment to using new technology to improve every facet of the experience for their fans – both inside and outside of Dodger Stadium.  We’re thrilled they’ve chosen Tickets.com to lead that effort around ticket purchasing, digital/mobile delivery and managing season tickets,” said John Walker, President and CEO of Tickets.com.  “We’re very proud to be partners with such an iconic professional sports franchise.”

MyTickets Mobile - At The Ballpark App

First providers in professional sports to give mobile app access to any ticket purchased

Major League Baseball Advanced Media, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tickets.com, launch MyTickets Mobile, a new feature within the award-winning MLB.com At The Ballpark app. This digital ticketing initiative provides mobile access for both season and single-game ticket purchases and marks the first time season-ticket holders can retrieve their tickets in a mobile application.

MyTickets Mobile will include standard ticketing information, such as game date, opponent, time, section, row and seat, and a secure barcode for each ticket purchased. It will be accessible via At The Ballpark, a free download customizable by ballpark, for iPhone and Android smartphones.

At launch, MyTickets Mobile will be available for the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets,Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. 

The MyTickets Mobile functionality is the latest in a series of digital ticketing initiatives that MLBAM and Tickets.com have made available to fans. Mobile seat upgrades, through a partnership with Experience, debuted earlier this season, and last September MLBAM became the first professional sports property to support Passbook.  In 2007, MLBAM introduced technology to facilitate delivery of tickets via text message.

Read the complete release here. 

SOURCE MLB Advanced Media, L.P.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/16/5740641/at-the-ballpark-app-launches-mytickets.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/09/16/5740641/at-the-ballpark-app-launches-mytickets.html#storylink=cpy

Introducing The ProVenue Registered Developer Program

Launched in April at the ProVenue Exchange conference, the Registered Developer Program marks the first time an established enterprise ticketing platform provider has enabled 3^rd party API access against the core ticketing system and live event inventory to foster real-time application development.

Real-time access to live inventory and other data is made available to authenticated API calls. They also grant access to the full ticket life cycle - requests for event details and seat availability; locking and purchasing seats; delivering barcodes; reassigning tickets to other customers; and collecting and updating customer information.  Adding a formal environment and process for developers to access and innovate using these APIs puts Tickets.com in a true leadership position in the industry.

“With the rapid move in technology towards open development access via APIs – led by Apple, Google and others – our platform was perfectly suited to leverage this trend” remarks Joe Choti, CTO of Tickets.com.  

As part of the launch, a new ProVenue Partner Portal has been created, facilitating a web-based community where technology partners have access to the latest API documentation, videos and training materials about ProVenue functionality, best practices and frequently asked questions. Partners can also access the portal on-the-go via Mobile Web or a native iOS application.

Read the complete release here. 

Cristine Hurley Joins Tickets.com as CFO

Tickets.com is pleased to announce the addition of Cristine Hurley in the role of Chief Financial Officer.  She will immediately take on responsibility for all aspects of Tickets.com’s financial strategy and management.

“Cristine has the perfect professional pedigree for our company,” explains John Walker, President and CEO of Tickets.com.  “Her experience in the sports and entertainment industry will help us immediately.  She’s extremely talented and will be a strategic partner within all areas of our business, as well as a rock-solid resource for our clients."

Hurley’s CV includes the role of Vice President, Team Finance for the National Basketball Association, where she was a primary league office liaison with all NBA, WNBA and D-League teams.  Prior to the NBA, she was the Chief Financial Officer for the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball franchise.  Most recently Hurley was a Partner at Pro Forma Advisors, where she consulted on financial feasibility and economic/fiscal impact studies, primarily relating to sports. 

Hurley is a Certified Public Accountant, holds a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and completed the Executive Program at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.  

Read the complete release here. 

Congratulations INTIX 2013 Award Recipients

The INTIX Awards Program was created to honor and showcase those who have demonstrated professionalism, leadership, service and special achievements through creative, informative and innovative management. 

This year two Tickets.com clients were honored during the Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.  A HUGE congratulations to Aren Murray, Texas A & M University, on winning the Spirit Award and Tulsa Performing Arts Center, accepted by Terri McGilbra, Ticket Office Manager, for Outstanding Box Office.  The recognition is well-deserved in both cases and we're proud to call you family! 

Congratulations to all of this year's winners!  

Terri McGilbra of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center 2013 Outstanding Box Office, Jack Lucas 2013 Patricia G. Spira Lifetime Achievement Award, Tammy Enright 2013 Young Ticketing Professional, Aren Murray 2013 Spirit Award recipient, Laura Zehe 2013 Outstanding Ticketing Professional.

INTIX is currently accepting nominations for the 2014 Awards.   

Gene Simmons to Give Keynote Address at ProVenue® Exchange

Rock icon and entrepreneur Gene Simmons will be the keynote speaker at ProVenue Exchange on April 30, 2013. 

The Singer and bassist of the famed rock group KISS and star of the 7-season-running Reality TV show “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” has agreed to be a Keynote speaker at the Tickets.com ProVenue Exchange conference being held April 29-May 2 at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego.

The conference is an annual gathering of Tickets.com clients and industry professionals. Focused on education, it also explores key topics and business opportunities for executives of sports teams and live entertainment venues around the world.  Simmons’ extensive experience as a performer as well as his insightful perspectives on how to control a brand and leverage it for profit will be invaluable material for attendees and be the highlight of the conference.

“Gene is an absolute ideal fit for our event,” said Doug Lyons, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Tickets.com.  “ProVenue Exchange is all about the business of live entertainment, and nobody – and I mean NOBODY – can talk to this topic better than Gene.  We are so excited to have him join us.”

In addition to being co-founder of one of the most successful and unique performing acts of all time, Simmons has built a reputation for excellence in a wide array of ventures including movies, television shows, publishing, merchandising, live event promotion - even smartphone applications and financial services.  His reputation for directness, superb business judgment and making money is legendary, and his presentation skills and style are unparalleled.

“The fact that we are using a Rock and Roll theme for this year’s event – and holding it at the ultimate Rock and Roll property, The Hard Rock Hotel - was the clincher,” continued Lyons. “Gene was by far our top choice and we know he will inspire our attendees and raise the overall conference experience tremendously.”

Tickets.com, provider of both the www.tickets.com online “ticket exploration engine” and ProVenue, the leading in-house ticketing platform for sports and live entertainment, has been a pioneer in technology since entering the Internet ticketing space in the late-1990s. 

For more information about the conference, visit www.provenueexchange.com. For more about Gene Simmons, visit www.genesimmons.com.

ProVenue® Is Off to the Races!

Unique New Orleans Racetrack and Casino Chooses to Take Control of Revenue

Tickets.com and the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, a member of the prestigious Churchill Downs family of properties, have announced an agreement to use the ProVenue platform for ticketing operations at the New Orleans, LA venue.

This is the first time the Fair Grounds organization has ventured into the online ticketing arena, having predominately been an onsite admission venue. By entrusting Tickets.com to handle their ticketing needs and services, they will now be able to leverage data and control revenue -- including the ability to keep fees exceptionally low -- to aid their drive to increase advance ticket sales. They will further use their flexibility with the system to aggressively compete for non-racing events and grow their business. 

Mark Connor, who leads the facility's marketing efforts, commented, "We made the decision to use ProVenue for several reasons; affordability, ease of use and access, and ability to tailor fit the platform to the needs of our facility. We look forward to offering online ticket sales to our customers as well as an enhanced customer service experience with expanded ticket purchase and delivery options."

Read the complete release here.