Authority Tickets: Secondary Ticket News
Kelly
San Francisco is always a little bit ahead of the curve, in everything from haute cuisine to public policy. Now, according to Tickets.com, the hometown Giants are setting a trend when it comes to ticket pricing by employing a dynamic system that moves up and down depending on a variety of criteria such as dates, times, and opponents.
It’s a practice commonly found in the secondary ticket market that is making headway in the primary arena thanks to the Giants and other early adopters. And it’s only going to gain more traction in the coming years as consumers get more accustomed to a model that is also standard fare for hotels and airlines.
As Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticketing sales and services for the Giants, sees it, “This is coming on very, very quickly. Within five years, I think everybody’s going to be doing this. Everybody in the industry is looking at it closely and evaluating it. I’m getting at least a call a week about this [from other teams], probably two.”
The Giants teamed up with Texas-based startup Qcue Inc. to begin testing the dynamic model last season and chalked up an additional $500,000 in revenues earned on a limited number of games. This season, they are looking to bring in seven figures worth as they expand the program to every game at AT&T Park.
The Houston Astros, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, and Cleveland Cavaliers are all testing the waters for themselves either this year or next.
What remains to be seen is how fans will react. For many, their hometown teams are their lifeblood and have been for generations. Getting a calendar and buying tickets ahead of time is part of the annual ritual. If prices can’t be determined in advance or fluctuate too much, some fans may push back against their favorite franchises.
The highest risk demographic is that of season ticket holders. If a dynamic system drives the face value of tickets to a price point below what they paid, then the incentive for buying a package up front is eliminated. So far, that problem has been avoided by keep a watchful eye not to let prices drift that low and by offering additional value to the packages such as access to the team.
“I simply wouldn’t be doing this if it meant putting our season-ticket holders at risk,” Stanley said. “At least half of what we’ll sell all year will be through season tickets, so we absolutely have to protect that.”
Chris Hutson, co-chief executive for Turnstyles Ticketing, has his doubts: “I don’t begrudge anybody trying this, but not at the expense of traditional, blood-and-guts ticket selling. I’ve seen every gimmick in this business and we, as an industry, tend to rely on things like this too much instead of good old-fashioned elbow grease. There are so many variables in [dynamic pricing], and I’m not sure we’ve thought through them all. What happens, for example, if [Tim] Lincecum doesn’t pitch in a particular game after somebody’s paid an accelerated price to see that game?”
Filling the stadium and filling the coffers are two goals that can sometimes be at odds. Teams are now looking to dynamic pricing as an answer to both.
As technology – particularly computer modeling – has advanced over the years, some teams have used it to determine audience analysis by inputting factors like when the game will be played, who will be playing, and what the weather will likely be. A true dynamic system takes that another step further by implementing the system season-wide, year-on-year.
The Qcue algorithm uses similar criteria, while also taking the secondary ticket market’s prices into account, to recommend price shifts. The client team can go with that recommendation or consider other factors and set their own price. The Qcue system feeds into the team’s existing ticketing system, as it does for the Stars and Giants through Tickets.com.
Qcue’s chief executive Barry Kahn boasts,“What we’ve done is create a software platform that performs very high-end demand and sales forecasting. Obviously, we’re huge believers in dynamic pricing, but with or without that, that information is still very valuable. That’s the foundation, and from there, we’re proving value and revenue upside.”
Their main rival, Digonex Technologies Inc., is working with the Cavaliers and will soon announce another NBA partnership. The company sees a bright future for the dynamic model.
“Consumer acceptance of dynamic pricing has definitely changed,” said Rex Fisher, Digonex vice president of business development. “We all have greater access to information, and we’ve simply been conditioned that many products are priced subject to change.”
The Cavaliers added six figures to their revenue line last season, too.
Mike Tomon, the Cavs’ vice president of sales, believes that there’s more to it than just money: “Even more than the additional revenue, dynamic pricing has helped us engage the fan and be relevant by offering them the right product at the right price at the right time. That helps with building fan engagement and loyalty.”
Consumer education is one part of the two-pronged approach to respectability for the new model. Surveys and explanations are being offered, along with the tried-and-true ideal of locking in your price now so you save money.
As more fans latch on to the idea, so will more teams. Tomon continued, “It simply makes all the sense in the world to have a true value-based offering that’s derived from fan behavior. This is coming to a head in sports, and with good reason.”
Showing posts with label ticketing industry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ticketing industry. Show all posts
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
SeatGeek: A Prediction Market for Concert and Sports Tickets
Ariel Schwartz
FastCompany
SeatGeek, launched Tuesday at TechCrunch50, is a Farecast-like Web site for sports and concert tickets in the secondary market. It's so simple, I'm surprised no one ever thought of it before.
The site predicts future ticket prices with an algorithm that aggregates information from hundreds of secondary market Web sites (StubHub, TicketCity, RazorGator, etc.) and combines it with a number of other factors to make its calculations. Potential ticket prices of an upcoming Yankees game, for example, could be predicted based on past and current prices, who's playing in the game, the weather forecast, and whether a Rolling Stones concert is going on next door. Overall, the algorithm is 80% accurate, according to SeatGeek co-founder Jack Groetzinger.
When I searched SeatGeek for this Sunday's Seattle Mariner's game against the Yankees, I was instructed to wait on buying cheap, medium priced, and expensive seats, as all three categories are predicted to decrease moderately in price. A search for Monday's LA Angels game against the Yankees predicted steady prices for cheap and medium priced seats, and a moderate decrease in expensive seats. SeatGeek also provided me with the option to receive an e-mail alert when prices hit rock bottom.
What if SeatGeek's is wrong about a prediction and a customer waits to buy tickets, only to find that prices have skyrocketed? The company plans to implement an optional insurance policy on its predictions--so if SeatGeek is wrong, they'll compensate accordingly.
SeatGeek's revenue plan is based on that optional insurance policy, along with an 8-10% cut of the purchase price on deals listed on the site and a future premium service for ticket brokers.
"There's so much antagonism towards Ticketmaster and other concert promoters," Groetzinger explained. "This is a tool to fight back."
The site is still limited in its scope, predicting only MLB games and select concerts, but eventually SeatGeek plans to expand into NFL games and more. It's a work in progress, to be sure--a search on SeatGeek for "the Yankees" came up blank, but "Yankees" yielded multiple results--but one that has the potential to make a dent in the ticket brokering industry.
FastCompany
SeatGeek, launched Tuesday at TechCrunch50, is a Farecast-like Web site for sports and concert tickets in the secondary market. It's so simple, I'm surprised no one ever thought of it before.
The site predicts future ticket prices with an algorithm that aggregates information from hundreds of secondary market Web sites (StubHub, TicketCity, RazorGator, etc.) and combines it with a number of other factors to make its calculations. Potential ticket prices of an upcoming Yankees game, for example, could be predicted based on past and current prices, who's playing in the game, the weather forecast, and whether a Rolling Stones concert is going on next door. Overall, the algorithm is 80% accurate, according to SeatGeek co-founder Jack Groetzinger.
When I searched SeatGeek for this Sunday's Seattle Mariner's game against the Yankees, I was instructed to wait on buying cheap, medium priced, and expensive seats, as all three categories are predicted to decrease moderately in price. A search for Monday's LA Angels game against the Yankees predicted steady prices for cheap and medium priced seats, and a moderate decrease in expensive seats. SeatGeek also provided me with the option to receive an e-mail alert when prices hit rock bottom.
What if SeatGeek's is wrong about a prediction and a customer waits to buy tickets, only to find that prices have skyrocketed? The company plans to implement an optional insurance policy on its predictions--so if SeatGeek is wrong, they'll compensate accordingly.
SeatGeek's revenue plan is based on that optional insurance policy, along with an 8-10% cut of the purchase price on deals listed on the site and a future premium service for ticket brokers.
"There's so much antagonism towards Ticketmaster and other concert promoters," Groetzinger explained. "This is a tool to fight back."
The site is still limited in its scope, predicting only MLB games and select concerts, but eventually SeatGeek plans to expand into NFL games and more. It's a work in progress, to be sure--a search on SeatGeek for "the Yankees" came up blank, but "Yankees" yielded multiple results--but one that has the potential to make a dent in the ticket brokering industry.
Friday, February 26, 2010
CEO of Goldstar Events: More Pie Now!
Live 2.0
By Jim McCarthy
A couple days ago, I participated in a Panel at Tickets.com’s excellent Executive Summit in Long Beach. This gathering, in its second year, is one of a kind in that it brings together top executives across the live entertainment business for a brief, but powerful conference on a wide range of issues that affect the whole industry.
I was on a panel with a group of really interesting folks, and the topic was “Innovative Ways to Sell Inventory.” My prepared notes had me talking about the importance of addressing a female audience, since 85% of all branded products are bought by women in America. (Frankly, I’m not even sure I believe that stat, but I believe it’s directionally accurate.) I asked the audience how many people believed women bought 25% or more of all tires in the US and about half or perhaps a little less said they believed that.
But the number’s really 60%. That one blows me away. It implies that either women are buying tires for men, men don’t replace their tires, or women have more cars on which tires must be replaced. But this statistic, I wholeheartedly believe, because it’s true of just about every other segment of the economy.
And that’s how the panel was going until I got sidetracked. Read More >
By Jim McCarthy
A couple days ago, I participated in a Panel at Tickets.com’s excellent Executive Summit in Long Beach. This gathering, in its second year, is one of a kind in that it brings together top executives across the live entertainment business for a brief, but powerful conference on a wide range of issues that affect the whole industry.
I was on a panel with a group of really interesting folks, and the topic was “Innovative Ways to Sell Inventory.” My prepared notes had me talking about the importance of addressing a female audience, since 85% of all branded products are bought by women in America. (Frankly, I’m not even sure I believe that stat, but I believe it’s directionally accurate.) I asked the audience how many people believed women bought 25% or more of all tires in the US and about half or perhaps a little less said they believed that.
But the number’s really 60%. That one blows me away. It implies that either women are buying tires for men, men don’t replace their tires, or women have more cars on which tires must be replaced. But this statistic, I wholeheartedly believe, because it’s true of just about every other segment of the economy.
And that’s how the panel was going until I got sidetracked. Read More >
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tickets.com Congratulates INTIX Board Members
Congratulations to the new INTIX board members including:
- Mardi Dilger of Tickets.com
- Aren Murray from Texas A&M University
- Derek Younger of the Washington Nationals
- Gary Lustig of Ticket Philadelphia (returning for a second term)
Sue Uings has also been appointed to the board and will represent the non–North American INTIX members. She is a past board member, current member of INTIX, and oversees Europe Talks Tickets (ETT).
- Mardi Dilger of Tickets.com
- Aren Murray from Texas A&M University
- Derek Younger of the Washington Nationals
- Gary Lustig of Ticket Philadelphia (returning for a second term)
Sue Uings has also been appointed to the board and will represent the non–North American INTIX members. She is a past board member, current member of INTIX, and oversees Europe Talks Tickets (ETT).
Friday, January 8, 2010
6th Annual NARPACA Ticketing Professionals Conference
PEOPLE: The Human Face of the Box Office
The 2010 NARPACA Ticketing Professionals Conference and Trade Show in Sydney will build on the success of five other annual events with the theme "PEOPLE: The Human Face of the Box Office". The 2008 Conference in Melbourne developed “CRM: a box office headache or a marriage made in heaven?” and the 2009 Conference in Gold Coast explored “Strike Gold: Mining Box Office Knowledge”. The 2010 Conference theme builds on the foundation provided by previous conferences and explores the importance of the human resource.
Over three busy days you will hear from national and international experts and network with your peers from around Australia. As part of the conference, the trade show offers system vendors and you the opportunity to share, discuss and demonstrate recent advances in ticketing systems and the analysis of box office data.
In 2010 Ticketing Professionals are meeting in Sydney 10-12 February to share ideas, compare thoughts and discuss initiatives to ensure that technology does not distract us from the importance of PEOPLE: The Human Face of the Box Office. See details about the program http://ticketingprofessionals.com.au/program.htm
Performance is at the core of most entertainment. The performing arts are about a performance on stage each night that is the effective result of the cooperation of a lot of different people both back stage and front of house. People help deliver the service of live performance in a variety of roles from the usher to the artist to the person behind the bar after the show and many other supporting roles. The staff in your box office are often the first point of contact for a patron and hopefully ... not the last!
Speakers include: Aaron Curran, Sydney Opera House – Aus, Jeremy Dixon, THE EDGE® – NZ, David Eedle, founder ArtsHub – Aus, Beth Aplin, The Aplin Partnership – UK and more. See more at http://ticketingprofessionals.com.au/speakers.htm
The venue for the conference and tradeshow is the Sydney Marriott Hotel and we have organized great deals to stay there for conference delegates. More about the hotel http://ticketingprofessionals.com.au/hotels.htm
Register online at www.ticketingprofessionals.com.au
The 2010 NARPACA Ticketing Professionals Conference and Trade Show in Sydney will build on the success of five other annual events with the theme "PEOPLE: The Human Face of the Box Office". The 2008 Conference in Melbourne developed “CRM: a box office headache or a marriage made in heaven?” and the 2009 Conference in Gold Coast explored “Strike Gold: Mining Box Office Knowledge”. The 2010 Conference theme builds on the foundation provided by previous conferences and explores the importance of the human resource.
Over three busy days you will hear from national and international experts and network with your peers from around Australia. As part of the conference, the trade show offers system vendors and you the opportunity to share, discuss and demonstrate recent advances in ticketing systems and the analysis of box office data.
In 2010 Ticketing Professionals are meeting in Sydney 10-12 February to share ideas, compare thoughts and discuss initiatives to ensure that technology does not distract us from the importance of PEOPLE: The Human Face of the Box Office. See details about the program http://ticketingprofessionals.com.au/program.htm
Performance is at the core of most entertainment. The performing arts are about a performance on stage each night that is the effective result of the cooperation of a lot of different people both back stage and front of house. People help deliver the service of live performance in a variety of roles from the usher to the artist to the person behind the bar after the show and many other supporting roles. The staff in your box office are often the first point of contact for a patron and hopefully ... not the last!
Speakers include: Aaron Curran, Sydney Opera House – Aus, Jeremy Dixon, THE EDGE® – NZ, David Eedle, founder ArtsHub – Aus, Beth Aplin, The Aplin Partnership – UK and more. See more at http://ticketingprofessionals.com.au/speakers.htm
The venue for the conference and tradeshow is the Sydney Marriott Hotel and we have organized great deals to stay there for conference delegates. More about the hotel http://ticketingprofessionals.com.au/hotels.htm
Register online at www.ticketingprofessionals.com.au
Monday, October 12, 2009
Barry Kahn of Qcue to present at Ticket Summit 2010 in New York City
By Kelly McWilliams
Barry Kahn, founder and CEO of Qcue, will present once again at the upcoming Ticket Summit to be held on January 13-15, 2010, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Qcue offers a dynamic pricing model to sports teams, promoters and venues in order to optimize ticket revenue in response to fluctuations in market and environmental conditions. An economist, Kahn guides company strategy and product direction for Qcue as well as overseeing business and partner development. Kahn recently shared with TicketNews his hopes and expectations for the upcoming Summit.
Q: You will be presenting at Ticket Summit 2010. What topics do you expect to focus on in your presentation?
A: My focus will be on dynamic pricing, but more specifically, I’ll spend a lot of the time discussing how dynamic pricing by teams and promoters impacts season ticket holders. The audience at Ticket Summit is primarily brokers who hold season tickets, so I think the real interest here is going to be how dynamic pricing is going to effect resale value and how brokers have the opportunity to change some of their purchasing patterns to take advantage of dynamic pricing and make their season tickets a much more valuable commodity.
Q: How many times have you appeared at Ticket Summit?
A: This is my second time speaking at Ticket Summit. I also attended the conference once as an attendee, back when the conference and Qcue were both in their infancy. Back then, Alfred Branch was the lone reporter for TicketNews, StubHub was the controversial young company, and there were only three representatives from the primary market. So it really has been interesting to see the conference evolve as it has and to now being in a position where I have some knowledge and experience to share.
Q: Tell me more about your experiences with Ticket Summit over the years.
A: At the first conference I attended, to say I was green would be an understatement. Anyone in the business will tell you that ticketing isn't like any other industry and in those three days (and nights) I picked up a lifetime’s worth of knowledge.
Fast forward to July's conference and I had a much deeper understanding of the industry, and the industry had matured. StubHub is now an industry staple. Their president gave a keynote address [at the Summit], the New Jersey Nets had a booth at a secondary market convention, and I got the opportunity to represent Qcue as the controversial young company. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and interest in what we are doing. It resulted in a lively discussion that began during our pricing panel and followed me around for the rest of the evening.
Q: What challenges do you see ahead for the ticketing industry?
A: The buzz around the industry for the last year or so has been the merging of the primary and secondary markets, and I think the real challenges here are how both sides respond. While there have been some attempts to prevent the markets from merging, such as technology like paperless tickets, I think everyone is better off with a more unified market. Of course, how to price tickets continues to be the biggest challenge organizations must solve. The San Francisco Giants and the Dallas Stars have already taken steps to be more nimble in this new marketplace and you’re going to see a lot of teams and promoters follow their lead - which involves completely changing the way they've sold tickets for decades. I think in 3-5 years on the outside, secondary market websites like StubHub and TicketsNow will start to look a lot more like Orbitz and Kayak, with primary and secondary market tickets being sold side-by-side (openly). What that means is these websites become a different sales channel, not a different marketplace, and that is going to change the way that primary and secondary market sellers have to price their tickets.
Q: What new and impressive companies or individuals do you see on the horizon?
A: Obviously, I am going to say Qcue here. But the honest answer is that I think for the first time in decades, it is the primary market where the innovation is happening. I know a lot of new companies are coming out of the secondary market, but I still haven't seen anything on that side of the business that is a game changer. But watching established organizations recognize the changing tide and respond by embracing technology and changing business models has been inspiring. We’ve seen that from Russ Stanley at the San Francisco Giants and Colin Faulkner at the Dallas Stars. These are two people who have been able to take their organizations in a new direction and really change the tide of an industry. You are also seeing some game changing innovation from Larry Witherspoon and Derek Palmer at Tickets.com. While it doesn’t garner the headlines, they are trying to change the face of the primary ticket market by redefining the ticketing system as an e-commerce platform, something that should have happened a long time ago.
Barry Kahn, founder and CEO of Qcue, will present once again at the upcoming Ticket Summit to be held on January 13-15, 2010, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Qcue offers a dynamic pricing model to sports teams, promoters and venues in order to optimize ticket revenue in response to fluctuations in market and environmental conditions. An economist, Kahn guides company strategy and product direction for Qcue as well as overseeing business and partner development. Kahn recently shared with TicketNews his hopes and expectations for the upcoming Summit.
Q: You will be presenting at Ticket Summit 2010. What topics do you expect to focus on in your presentation?
A: My focus will be on dynamic pricing, but more specifically, I’ll spend a lot of the time discussing how dynamic pricing by teams and promoters impacts season ticket holders. The audience at Ticket Summit is primarily brokers who hold season tickets, so I think the real interest here is going to be how dynamic pricing is going to effect resale value and how brokers have the opportunity to change some of their purchasing patterns to take advantage of dynamic pricing and make their season tickets a much more valuable commodity.
Q: How many times have you appeared at Ticket Summit?
A: This is my second time speaking at Ticket Summit. I also attended the conference once as an attendee, back when the conference and Qcue were both in their infancy. Back then, Alfred Branch was the lone reporter for TicketNews, StubHub was the controversial young company, and there were only three representatives from the primary market. So it really has been interesting to see the conference evolve as it has and to now being in a position where I have some knowledge and experience to share.
Q: Tell me more about your experiences with Ticket Summit over the years.
A: At the first conference I attended, to say I was green would be an understatement. Anyone in the business will tell you that ticketing isn't like any other industry and in those three days (and nights) I picked up a lifetime’s worth of knowledge.
Fast forward to July's conference and I had a much deeper understanding of the industry, and the industry had matured. StubHub is now an industry staple. Their president gave a keynote address [at the Summit], the New Jersey Nets had a booth at a secondary market convention, and I got the opportunity to represent Qcue as the controversial young company. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and interest in what we are doing. It resulted in a lively discussion that began during our pricing panel and followed me around for the rest of the evening.
Q: What challenges do you see ahead for the ticketing industry?
A: The buzz around the industry for the last year or so has been the merging of the primary and secondary markets, and I think the real challenges here are how both sides respond. While there have been some attempts to prevent the markets from merging, such as technology like paperless tickets, I think everyone is better off with a more unified market. Of course, how to price tickets continues to be the biggest challenge organizations must solve. The San Francisco Giants and the Dallas Stars have already taken steps to be more nimble in this new marketplace and you’re going to see a lot of teams and promoters follow their lead - which involves completely changing the way they've sold tickets for decades. I think in 3-5 years on the outside, secondary market websites like StubHub and TicketsNow will start to look a lot more like Orbitz and Kayak, with primary and secondary market tickets being sold side-by-side (openly). What that means is these websites become a different sales channel, not a different marketplace, and that is going to change the way that primary and secondary market sellers have to price their tickets.
Q: What new and impressive companies or individuals do you see on the horizon?
A: Obviously, I am going to say Qcue here. But the honest answer is that I think for the first time in decades, it is the primary market where the innovation is happening. I know a lot of new companies are coming out of the secondary market, but I still haven't seen anything on that side of the business that is a game changer. But watching established organizations recognize the changing tide and respond by embracing technology and changing business models has been inspiring. We’ve seen that from Russ Stanley at the San Francisco Giants and Colin Faulkner at the Dallas Stars. These are two people who have been able to take their organizations in a new direction and really change the tide of an industry. You are also seeing some game changing innovation from Larry Witherspoon and Derek Palmer at Tickets.com. While it doesn’t garner the headlines, they are trying to change the face of the primary ticket market by redefining the ticketing system as an e-commerce platform, something that should have happened a long time ago.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tickets.com's Doug Lyons Talks Strategy
Venues Today
LONG BEACH, CALIF. — The employees of Tickets.com don’t need 20 million reasons to spend a few bucks on a party. Last week, they found just one reason to throw a swanky soiree at the Grand Hyatt in Long Beach, Calif. — to celebrate the 20 million smackers they just spent to develop ProVenue.
About 90 people converged on Tickets.com’s Executive Summit Tuesday night. On display was the company’s new ProVenue portfolio, a new ticketing application designed to offer venues and box offices a fully customizable ticketing product.
Major League Baseball has yet to switch over to the new platform, although Tickets.com Business Development VP Steve Demots said he expected a handful of teams to be live by Opening Day 2010. Current users include the Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan.; the Palladium in Hollywood, Calif., and the Seattle Theater Group. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics is also using ProVenue.
As for the future, the next possible market could be regional ticketing companies, said Doug Lyons, director of Sales and Engineering for Tickets.com. The former Paciolan executive (Demots is also from Paciolan) believes many ticketing companies are looking at new systems now that their Paciolan-powered programs are essentially operated by Ticketmaster. Venues Today sat down with Lyons to discuss ProVenues and how Tickets.com hopes to change the business.
Venues Today: What is the story of ProVenue?
Doug Lyons: In the past, there have been companies to compete with the Ticketmaster style. You buy the software, you put it on a server in your building and you sell tickets. The difference for ProVenue is that you get your own version of the software with your own database, but you also get full customization. You get to control all of the fees and can add-on services. Are you interested in stored value? We can recommend our partner Givex, or you can use your own. It’s all about creating a product that’s a good foundation with lots of functionality for the ticketing piece, and then be available to add our recommended services, or do it your own way.
VT: It sounds similar to the Paciolan-model. One of the problems they faced with their legacy software was that there were so many versions in existence that IT became very difficult. How do you avoid that?
DL: ProVenue is what other industries have been doing for the last five-to-10 years. They’ve been building these data centers that host technology and are designed to have shared resources, but still have control and are secure.
VT: You’ve also made some changes to the secondary model, creating a platform that allows the venues to determine how much control or participation they want to have over ticket resales. How are venues utilizing this technology?
DL: The Olympics is a good example. The 2010 Winter Olympics (in Vancouver, B.C.) wanted to offer people the ability to resell tickets through the Olympics website. They can control that and put rules around it, just like Flash Seats does with their product. We can also work with other secondary providers, like StubHub, that can share data. You can also share in the revenue, but that’s between you and StubHub.
VT: What’s your sales strategy?
DL: Right now, we’re not selling as much as we are getting input and feedback. We’re putting the finishes on the product. Major League Baseball was a big priority for us because they are our owners. We’ll put a bunch of teams on at the end of the season.
Learn more about ProVenue >
LONG BEACH, CALIF. — The employees of Tickets.com don’t need 20 million reasons to spend a few bucks on a party. Last week, they found just one reason to throw a swanky soiree at the Grand Hyatt in Long Beach, Calif. — to celebrate the 20 million smackers they just spent to develop ProVenue.
About 90 people converged on Tickets.com’s Executive Summit Tuesday night. On display was the company’s new ProVenue portfolio, a new ticketing application designed to offer venues and box offices a fully customizable ticketing product.
Major League Baseball has yet to switch over to the new platform, although Tickets.com Business Development VP Steve Demots said he expected a handful of teams to be live by Opening Day 2010. Current users include the Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan.; the Palladium in Hollywood, Calif., and the Seattle Theater Group. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics is also using ProVenue.
As for the future, the next possible market could be regional ticketing companies, said Doug Lyons, director of Sales and Engineering for Tickets.com. The former Paciolan executive (Demots is also from Paciolan) believes many ticketing companies are looking at new systems now that their Paciolan-powered programs are essentially operated by Ticketmaster. Venues Today sat down with Lyons to discuss ProVenues and how Tickets.com hopes to change the business.
Venues Today: What is the story of ProVenue?
Doug Lyons: In the past, there have been companies to compete with the Ticketmaster style. You buy the software, you put it on a server in your building and you sell tickets. The difference for ProVenue is that you get your own version of the software with your own database, but you also get full customization. You get to control all of the fees and can add-on services. Are you interested in stored value? We can recommend our partner Givex, or you can use your own. It’s all about creating a product that’s a good foundation with lots of functionality for the ticketing piece, and then be available to add our recommended services, or do it your own way.
VT: It sounds similar to the Paciolan-model. One of the problems they faced with their legacy software was that there were so many versions in existence that IT became very difficult. How do you avoid that?
DL: ProVenue is what other industries have been doing for the last five-to-10 years. They’ve been building these data centers that host technology and are designed to have shared resources, but still have control and are secure.
VT: You’ve also made some changes to the secondary model, creating a platform that allows the venues to determine how much control or participation they want to have over ticket resales. How are venues utilizing this technology?
DL: The Olympics is a good example. The 2010 Winter Olympics (in Vancouver, B.C.) wanted to offer people the ability to resell tickets through the Olympics website. They can control that and put rules around it, just like Flash Seats does with their product. We can also work with other secondary providers, like StubHub, that can share data. You can also share in the revenue, but that’s between you and StubHub.
VT: What’s your sales strategy?
DL: Right now, we’re not selling as much as we are getting input and feedback. We’re putting the finishes on the product. Major League Baseball was a big priority for us because they are our owners. We’ll put a bunch of teams on at the end of the season.
Learn more about ProVenue >
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Tickets.com In the News: Pick Best Site to Buy Tickets Online
By GREG HAYMES, Staff writer
TimesUnion.com
First published in print: Thursday, January 29, 2009
ALBANY — What's the difference between Ticketmaster, TicketsNow and Tickets.com? Only one of them sells tickets at face value for events at Times Union Center.
Christine Krauss of Greenville went online Saturday morning to buy a pair of tickets for the April 17 rock concert by the Dead at Times Union Center as a birthday present for her daughter. Not a regular ticket buyer, she assumed that tickets would be sold by Ticketmaster and, sure enough, the Ticketmaster Web site listed the show.
She clicked on it and was redirected to another site, TicketsNow.com, where tickets were $134 each. She bought them, and with the add-on charges — service and handling fees, as well as shipping charges — the cost was $325.
What she didn't realize until a couple of days later is that online tickets for events at Times Union Center are sold on Tickets.com, not Ticketmaster. And the actual sale prices for the Dead tickets are $56 and $96.
Her confusion was fueled, in part, by the market for secondary ticket sales that blossomed after New York state rolled back restrictions on ticket resales in June 2007. The practice is commonly referred to as "ticket scalping," which Krauss assumed was still illegal.
TicketsNow — a Ticketmaster company — is a secondary ticket seller, which means there are no limits on the asking price of tickets. And that's perfectly legal.
A small sentence posted on the TicketsNow site just above the list of prices states: "Note: Tickets may be sold for more than the price listed on the ticket."
And before Ticketmaster redirects buyers to the TicketsNow site, another note briefly pops up that says, "For this event, we are not selling tickets directly to the public on behalf of the event provider. We are redirecting you to our resale partner site, TicketsNow, where you can purchase tickets from resellers safely and conveniently."
On Monday, Krauss logged onto Tickets.com and bought another pair of tickets. She paid $113 less and got better seats. "I don't understand how Ticketmaster can list an event that they don't sell tickets for," she said. "I feel like I got scammed."
Now she's trying to get a refund for the $325 she forked over to TicketsNow. But, she says, a service representative for TicketsNow told her to resell her tickets on the TicketsNow Web site. Her husband then called, but they're still waiting for a resolution to the refund issue.
Meanwhile, the world of rock rolls on. And to avoid confusion in the future — especially with tickets for the May 14 concert by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Times Union Center going on sale Monday — remember that tickets for all Times Union Center events are sold online at http://tickets.com/.
TimesUnion.com
First published in print: Thursday, January 29, 2009
ALBANY — What's the difference between Ticketmaster, TicketsNow and Tickets.com? Only one of them sells tickets at face value for events at Times Union Center.
Christine Krauss of Greenville went online Saturday morning to buy a pair of tickets for the April 17 rock concert by the Dead at Times Union Center as a birthday present for her daughter. Not a regular ticket buyer, she assumed that tickets would be sold by Ticketmaster and, sure enough, the Ticketmaster Web site listed the show.
She clicked on it and was redirected to another site, TicketsNow.com, where tickets were $134 each. She bought them, and with the add-on charges — service and handling fees, as well as shipping charges — the cost was $325.
What she didn't realize until a couple of days later is that online tickets for events at Times Union Center are sold on Tickets.com, not Ticketmaster. And the actual sale prices for the Dead tickets are $56 and $96.
Her confusion was fueled, in part, by the market for secondary ticket sales that blossomed after New York state rolled back restrictions on ticket resales in June 2007. The practice is commonly referred to as "ticket scalping," which Krauss assumed was still illegal.
TicketsNow — a Ticketmaster company — is a secondary ticket seller, which means there are no limits on the asking price of tickets. And that's perfectly legal.
A small sentence posted on the TicketsNow site just above the list of prices states: "Note: Tickets may be sold for more than the price listed on the ticket."
And before Ticketmaster redirects buyers to the TicketsNow site, another note briefly pops up that says, "For this event, we are not selling tickets directly to the public on behalf of the event provider. We are redirecting you to our resale partner site, TicketsNow, where you can purchase tickets from resellers safely and conveniently."
On Monday, Krauss logged onto Tickets.com and bought another pair of tickets. She paid $113 less and got better seats. "I don't understand how Ticketmaster can list an event that they don't sell tickets for," she said. "I feel like I got scammed."
Now she's trying to get a refund for the $325 she forked over to TicketsNow. But, she says, a service representative for TicketsNow told her to resell her tickets on the TicketsNow Web site. Her husband then called, but they're still waiting for a resolution to the refund issue.
Meanwhile, the world of rock rolls on. And to avoid confusion in the future — especially with tickets for the May 14 concert by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Times Union Center going on sale Monday — remember that tickets for all Times Union Center events are sold online at http://tickets.com/.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
SF Giants to test info-storing ticket program
DM News - Lauren Bell
Tickets.com and closed loop card technologies company Givex have launched Uptix — a program that stores additional value and information on event tickets. The San Francisco Giants will be testing the program at their 16th annual FanFest in February.
With Uptix, cash value, select merchandise and other data can be stored on individual tickets, which eventgoers can then redeem at points of purchase. Uptix also can be used for points-based loyalty programs that track what consumers buy with their tickets and for promotions during events. Consumers will be able to manage Uptix accounts through an online portal.
“Uptix helps us enhance our overall fan experience,” said Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticket services and client relations for the San Francisco Giants, in a statement. “Its built-in flexibility allows us to exercise tremendous creativity in conducting a wide variety of special offers and in-game promotions for our fans, even down to the section and seat levels.”
Steve DeMots, Tickets.com's SVP of business development, credited the Philadelphia Phillies as the inspiration behind Uptix. The Phillies developed and launched a similar program for the opening of Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004.
“[That program] was popular enough and caused enough interest that we wanted to get ahead of the curve — offering it to all "new">Tickets.com clients,” DeMots said, adding that “growing demand to find additional revenue streams for the sports and entertainment industry,” also pushed the company to develop Uptix.
The large season ticket holder numbers for MLB, NHL and NBA make all of these leagues potential clients for Uptix, DeMots said.
“It gives us a key differentiator in the ticketing industry, as what we will be able to offer by going with a partner like GiveX is much more than the other vendors who might try to build this functionality themselves,” DeMots concluded.
Tickets.com will be selling Uptix technology as a license.
Tickets.com and closed loop card technologies company Givex have launched Uptix — a program that stores additional value and information on event tickets. The San Francisco Giants will be testing the program at their 16th annual FanFest in February.
With Uptix, cash value, select merchandise and other data can be stored on individual tickets, which eventgoers can then redeem at points of purchase. Uptix also can be used for points-based loyalty programs that track what consumers buy with their tickets and for promotions during events. Consumers will be able to manage Uptix accounts through an online portal.
“Uptix helps us enhance our overall fan experience,” said Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticket services and client relations for the San Francisco Giants, in a statement. “Its built-in flexibility allows us to exercise tremendous creativity in conducting a wide variety of special offers and in-game promotions for our fans, even down to the section and seat levels.”
Steve DeMots, Tickets.com's SVP of business development, credited the Philadelphia Phillies as the inspiration behind Uptix. The Phillies developed and launched a similar program for the opening of Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004.
“[That program] was popular enough and caused enough interest that we wanted to get ahead of the curve — offering it to all "new">Tickets.com clients,” DeMots said, adding that “growing demand to find additional revenue streams for the sports and entertainment industry,” also pushed the company to develop Uptix.
The large season ticket holder numbers for MLB, NHL and NBA make all of these leagues potential clients for Uptix, DeMots said.
“It gives us a key differentiator in the ticketing industry, as what we will be able to offer by going with a partner like GiveX is much more than the other vendors who might try to build this functionality themselves,” DeMots concluded.
Tickets.com will be selling Uptix technology as a license.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Ticket Industry News: Ticket Summit 2009
With a full exhibition hall and an impressive attendee list, expect success at Ticket Summit 2009 NYC
By Crystal Astrachan
TicketNews
Even though the economy is struggling, Ticket Summit 2009, the ticketing industry’s leading biannual conference and tradeshow, has managed to beat the odds; with nearly 500 attendees already registered and only one booth left in the exhibition hall, conference organizers expect nothing but success for Ticket Summit 2009 NYC, which will take place at the Waldorf-Astoria from January 6-8.
The ticketing industry has seen brighter days. This year, TicketsNow and its parent company Ticketmaster reduced their workforces to stay competitive in the market. In October, Ticketmaster eliminated roughly 300 jobs, including 60 jobs at TicketsNow. Similarly, ticket brokers’ profits are becoming slimmer, as many tickets sell below face value, including tickets to Young Frankenstein and the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight. Ticket Summit’s ability to flourish during this economic downturn demonstrates the event’s value in the ticketing industry.
With only one booth remaining, the tradeshow’s exhibition hall has almost sold out. Registered exhibitors include Admit One, The Association of Secondary Ticket Agents UK, The Better Ticketing Association, Celebrity Access, FanFetch, FanSnap, Free Ticket Exchange, Global Collect, The New York Ticket Exchange, Suites & Seats, TicketNetwork, TicketNews, Travel Guard, Verizon Wireless, Worldwide Ticketcraft, and yoonew. A detailed floor plan, with booth assignments, can be found here.
Ticket Summit has been able to thrive because of its many supporters. CelebrityAccess (the operator of a state-of-the art database containing profiles on more than 35,000 performers, musicians, comedians, lecturers, agents, managers, record companies, talent buyers and venues) has been a proud supporter of the conference since Ticket Summit 2008 in Las Vegas. Shawn Garrity, senior account supervisor of CelebrityAccess told TicketNews that "Ticket Summit has opened a whole new mutually beneficial market to Celebrity Access." This year, CelebrityAccess did not hesitate to renew their contract with the conference, as it is clearly in their favor to sponsor of the conference as well set up a booth.
Attendees will also benefit from a wealth of panel sessions, training sessions, and product demonstrations. Industry professionals will educate attendees on legal issues, the differences between the primary and secondary ticket markets, PCI compliance, and a wide range of other topics. View the complete lineup of speakers and all panel descriptions on the event’s Web site.
The following distinguished companies have confirmed their attendance: Ticketmaster, LiveNation, StubHub, TicketNetwork, Tickets.com, GET ME IN, StubHub, eBay, AEG Live Northeast, Google, Association of Luxury Suite Directors, Goldman Sachs, INTIX, Celebrity Access, Chicago – The Musical, Federal Trade Commission, CNBC, NBA, NBC Universal, World Wrestling Entertainment, New Jersey Nets, New York Yankees, NFL, NHL, United States Tennis Association, New York Post, New York Times, Reuters, Venues Today, Sports Business Journal, Theatermania, Veritix, Control Scan, Verizon Center, SeatWave, Mondial Assistance, and The Berklee College of Music.
"We’re proud to have supported Ticket Summit since its first conference and every year since. Sponsoring helps support the industry’s activities, and it facilitates discussions with industry leaders which helps us stay abreast of ticketing trends and convey our unique value to clients," said Steve Utley of Mondial Assistance.
Ticket Summit NYC is one of two conferences scheduled for 2009; both were created and hosted by TicketNews's parent company TicketNetwork. The second event, Ticket Summit Las Vegas, will enter its fourth year July 15-17 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. To register for Ticket Summit, visit www.ticketsummit.org or email info@ticketsummit.org. After 5pm today, December 15, the admission price for Ticket Summit NYC will go up to $499, and the amount for buying passes for both the New York and Las Vegas conferences (a combo pass) will be $599. A single admission pass to the Las Vegas conference will remain $249.
By Crystal Astrachan
TicketNews
Even though the economy is struggling, Ticket Summit 2009, the ticketing industry’s leading biannual conference and tradeshow, has managed to beat the odds; with nearly 500 attendees already registered and only one booth left in the exhibition hall, conference organizers expect nothing but success for Ticket Summit 2009 NYC, which will take place at the Waldorf-Astoria from January 6-8.
The ticketing industry has seen brighter days. This year, TicketsNow and its parent company Ticketmaster reduced their workforces to stay competitive in the market. In October, Ticketmaster eliminated roughly 300 jobs, including 60 jobs at TicketsNow. Similarly, ticket brokers’ profits are becoming slimmer, as many tickets sell below face value, including tickets to Young Frankenstein and the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight. Ticket Summit’s ability to flourish during this economic downturn demonstrates the event’s value in the ticketing industry.
With only one booth remaining, the tradeshow’s exhibition hall has almost sold out. Registered exhibitors include Admit One, The Association of Secondary Ticket Agents UK, The Better Ticketing Association, Celebrity Access, FanFetch, FanSnap, Free Ticket Exchange, Global Collect, The New York Ticket Exchange, Suites & Seats, TicketNetwork, TicketNews, Travel Guard, Verizon Wireless, Worldwide Ticketcraft, and yoonew. A detailed floor plan, with booth assignments, can be found here.
Ticket Summit has been able to thrive because of its many supporters. CelebrityAccess (the operator of a state-of-the art database containing profiles on more than 35,000 performers, musicians, comedians, lecturers, agents, managers, record companies, talent buyers and venues) has been a proud supporter of the conference since Ticket Summit 2008 in Las Vegas. Shawn Garrity, senior account supervisor of CelebrityAccess told TicketNews that "Ticket Summit has opened a whole new mutually beneficial market to Celebrity Access." This year, CelebrityAccess did not hesitate to renew their contract with the conference, as it is clearly in their favor to sponsor of the conference as well set up a booth.
Attendees will also benefit from a wealth of panel sessions, training sessions, and product demonstrations. Industry professionals will educate attendees on legal issues, the differences between the primary and secondary ticket markets, PCI compliance, and a wide range of other topics. View the complete lineup of speakers and all panel descriptions on the event’s Web site.
The following distinguished companies have confirmed their attendance: Ticketmaster, LiveNation, StubHub, TicketNetwork, Tickets.com, GET ME IN, StubHub, eBay, AEG Live Northeast, Google, Association of Luxury Suite Directors, Goldman Sachs, INTIX, Celebrity Access, Chicago – The Musical, Federal Trade Commission, CNBC, NBA, NBC Universal, World Wrestling Entertainment, New Jersey Nets, New York Yankees, NFL, NHL, United States Tennis Association, New York Post, New York Times, Reuters, Venues Today, Sports Business Journal, Theatermania, Veritix, Control Scan, Verizon Center, SeatWave, Mondial Assistance, and The Berklee College of Music.
"We’re proud to have supported Ticket Summit since its first conference and every year since. Sponsoring helps support the industry’s activities, and it facilitates discussions with industry leaders which helps us stay abreast of ticketing trends and convey our unique value to clients," said Steve Utley of Mondial Assistance.
Ticket Summit NYC is one of two conferences scheduled for 2009; both were created and hosted by TicketNews's parent company TicketNetwork. The second event, Ticket Summit Las Vegas, will enter its fourth year July 15-17 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. To register for Ticket Summit, visit www.ticketsummit.org or email info@ticketsummit.org. After 5pm today, December 15, the admission price for Ticket Summit NYC will go up to $499, and the amount for buying passes for both the New York and Las Vegas conferences (a combo pass) will be $599. A single admission pass to the Las Vegas conference will remain $249.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Goldman Sachs, Live Nation and Tickets.com to Address Ticket Industry at Ticket Summit 2009 in New York City
Industry's Must-Attend Event Targets Global Ticket Professionals, Theater/Concert/Venue/Sports Teams Promoters and Investors
VERNON, CT -- (Marketwire) -- 10/03/08 -- TicketNetwork.com, the leading source for the ticket industry's most comprehensive inventory, today announced that the industry's most influential experts will address Ticket Summit 2009 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, January 6-8th. The three-day event will include a list of marquis speakers as well as dynamic panel sessions and many vendor exhibits. High-profile attendees include representatives from Google, the NHL and the NCAA, in addition to companies representing the hospitality, ticket, entertainment and technology industries.
Mark Wienkes, financial analyst from The Goldman Sachs Group, Greg Bettinelli, executive vice president, business development and strategy at Live Nation, and Derek Palmer, chief commercial officer of Tickets.com, will address the overlap between the primary and secondary ticket markets in a panel titled "The New Paradigm." This session is scheduled for Wednesdsay, January 7th, and is designed to educate Ticket Summit 2009 attendees on how the blurring line separating two ticket markets will affect a range of professionals in both sectors.
At Live Nation, Bettinelli is responsible for the strategic direction and partnerships for Live Nation's ticket business. Prior to Live Nation, Bettinelli was Sr. Director of Business Development at StubHub where he spearheaded the company's partnership with Major League Baseball. Before transitioning to StubHub, he led eBay.com's Event Tickets and Media businesses and was a catalyst in eBay's acquisition of StubHub in 2007.
Derek Palmer is the fueling force behind Tickets.com's operational and sales organizations. Over the course of his 15-year tenure with Tickets.com, Palmer has launched clients such as Times Union Center, formerly known as Pepsi Arena, 9:30 Club, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Additionally, he has major event experience working as ticketing manager for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA. Palmer holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from George Mason University.
"Ticket Summit 2009 provides a unique platform for leading professionals whose business involves ticket sales to come together and share the latest developments and advancements in the secondary market," said Don Vaccaro, CEO of TicketNetwork. "The evolving nature of the secondary ticket business and the high demand for a forum addressing current industry issues compelled us to launch a New York conference targeting theater, sports and entertainment professionals based on the east coast and Europe. We are pleased to host an elite gathering of key ticket industry decision makers at Ticket Summit 2009," said Vaccaro.
Ticket Summit 2009 is the premier conference in the secondary ticket industry. A must-attend event, it presents a tremendous opportunity for an enhanced education on the ticket industry, and provides numerous networking opportunities for professionals aiming to expand or meet partners for the expansion of their ticket operations.
VERNON, CT -- (Marketwire) -- 10/03/08 -- TicketNetwork.com, the leading source for the ticket industry's most comprehensive inventory, today announced that the industry's most influential experts will address Ticket Summit 2009 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, January 6-8th. The three-day event will include a list of marquis speakers as well as dynamic panel sessions and many vendor exhibits. High-profile attendees include representatives from Google, the NHL and the NCAA, in addition to companies representing the hospitality, ticket, entertainment and technology industries.
Mark Wienkes, financial analyst from The Goldman Sachs Group, Greg Bettinelli, executive vice president, business development and strategy at Live Nation, and Derek Palmer, chief commercial officer of Tickets.com, will address the overlap between the primary and secondary ticket markets in a panel titled "The New Paradigm." This session is scheduled for Wednesdsay, January 7th, and is designed to educate Ticket Summit 2009 attendees on how the blurring line separating two ticket markets will affect a range of professionals in both sectors.
At Live Nation, Bettinelli is responsible for the strategic direction and partnerships for Live Nation's ticket business. Prior to Live Nation, Bettinelli was Sr. Director of Business Development at StubHub where he spearheaded the company's partnership with Major League Baseball. Before transitioning to StubHub, he led eBay.com's Event Tickets and Media businesses and was a catalyst in eBay's acquisition of StubHub in 2007.
Derek Palmer is the fueling force behind Tickets.com's operational and sales organizations. Over the course of his 15-year tenure with Tickets.com, Palmer has launched clients such as Times Union Center, formerly known as Pepsi Arena, 9:30 Club, Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. Additionally, he has major event experience working as ticketing manager for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA. Palmer holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from George Mason University.
"Ticket Summit 2009 provides a unique platform for leading professionals whose business involves ticket sales to come together and share the latest developments and advancements in the secondary market," said Don Vaccaro, CEO of TicketNetwork. "The evolving nature of the secondary ticket business and the high demand for a forum addressing current industry issues compelled us to launch a New York conference targeting theater, sports and entertainment professionals based on the east coast and Europe. We are pleased to host an elite gathering of key ticket industry decision makers at Ticket Summit 2009," said Vaccaro.
Ticket Summit 2009 is the premier conference in the secondary ticket industry. A must-attend event, it presents a tremendous opportunity for an enhanced education on the ticket industry, and provides numerous networking opportunities for professionals aiming to expand or meet partners for the expansion of their ticket operations.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Tickets.com Proudly Sponsors 2008 Arena Managers Conference
Arena Managers Conference
Kansas City, MO
September 13-16, 2008
Tickets.com was proud to sponsor the 2008 annual Arena Managers Conference at the InterContinental Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Networking, professional development, valuable sessions and open forum discussions are all part of the opportunities available at the conference. Tickets.com chose to network on the golf course during the early morning Ed Burch Memorial Golf Tournament, also sponsored by Tickets.com. Our very own Marshall Pred, Regional Director, Midwest, participated as a panelist at the “What’s Going on with Ticketing Now” session. Scott Mullen, Executive Director, I Wireless Center and moderator for the session, asked the obvious question, “Is the future of ticketing on our PDA’s?” After a long three days of socializing and education we say thanks to those that made it out and see you next year!
Kansas City, MO
September 13-16, 2008
Tickets.com was proud to sponsor the 2008 annual Arena Managers Conference at the InterContinental Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Networking, professional development, valuable sessions and open forum discussions are all part of the opportunities available at the conference. Tickets.com chose to network on the golf course during the early morning Ed Burch Memorial Golf Tournament, also sponsored by Tickets.com. Our very own Marshall Pred, Regional Director, Midwest, participated as a panelist at the “What’s Going on with Ticketing Now” session. Scott Mullen, Executive Director, I Wireless Center and moderator for the session, asked the obvious question, “Is the future of ticketing on our PDA’s?” After a long three days of socializing and education we say thanks to those that made it out and see you next year!
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.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Venues Today: Blending of Primary and Secondary Still Causing a Stir Between Ticket Pros
ANAHEIM, Calif. & LAS VEGAS — There’s little doubt that the merging of the primary and secondary ticket markets is underway, but just how close are the two sides to coming together as a single industry? Two recent panels at industry conventions — one for ticket brokers, the other for venue managers — show that both sides are far apart on many issues.
Ticket brokers who gathered in Las Vegas July 24-26 for Ticket Summit said they were still frustrated with major ticket companies over what they considered to be roadblocks to the buying and selling of tickets. Just days later, facility managers and box office professionals gathered at the International Association of Assembly Managers conference in Anaheim, Calif., July 25-29 and told a panel of ticketing professionals that they still didn’t believe they were getting their fair share of secondary revenue.
Ticket brokers who gathered in Las Vegas July 24-26 for Ticket Summit said they were still frustrated with major ticket companies over what they considered to be roadblocks to the buying and selling of tickets. Just days later, facility managers and box office professionals gathered at the International Association of Assembly Managers conference in Anaheim, Calif., July 25-29 and told a panel of ticketing professionals that they still didn’t believe they were getting their fair share of secondary revenue.
Ticket Summit was a mix of the primary and the secondary, hosting a panel that featured Eric Baker from Viagogo, Greg Bettinelli of StubHub, Jeff Lapin from Razorgator, Derek Palmer from Tickets.com, Jeff Scheman from TicketNetwork and Chris Tsakalakis from eBay.
“There continues to be this sense of unfairness by the consumer, the promoter and in many cases, the venue manager, that tickets for concerts in taxpayer-funded facilities are inaccessible to most people,” said Rod Pilbeam, executive director of AEG Ogden in Brisbane, Australia.
Pilbeam’s comment reflected a larger sentiment that still prevails among many facility managers — that buildings and box offices take large risks on concerts, often face excruciatingly tight margins and usually only see the negative side of brokers; namely counterfeit or misleading tickets.
“I’m getting squeezed by promoters who want a piece of every revenue stream,” said Michael Combs of the Tacoma (Wash.) Dome. “Our margins are shrinking all the time, but we log onto sites like StubHub and see tickets going for two to three times their face value, and we’re not seeing any of that income.”
The sense of inequity is coupled with a growing frustration towards aggressive ticket acquisition, where brokers use automated and non-automated means to purchase and resell tickets, along with an increase in secondary ticket listings that aren’t yet available to the public.
“We’re seeing a lot of this frustration communicated to the primary ticket companies because there are very few avenues for direct dialogue between the box office and those reselling tickets,” said Alan Rakov of Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange.
Primary ticketing companies were also the focus of frustration during Ticket Summit, with many brokers complaining that primary forays into secondary tickets could shrink overall market share for brokers.
Broker Russ Altman said he considered paperless tickets, like the ones used on the recent Tom Waits tour to block resale, to be an act of hostility toward the broker community.
“Why don’t the ticket companies stand up to the venues and refuse to develop technology that limits the ability of the buyer to control the ticket,” he said. “It’s our ticket, we paid for it and the ticket companies shouldn’t assist the venues in blocking us out.”
The paperless system Altman spoke of was developed by primary giant Ticketmaster, who recently purchased secondary marketplace TicketsNow.
“The big question is going to be how Ticketmaster balances out the needs of its primary clients while also continuing to rely on brokers to provide the inventory of secondary sites,” said broker Harris Rosner. “There have been some signs that Ticketmaster can move some inventory directly onto the secondary, but in our conversations with (Ticketmaster CEO) Sean Moriarty, he’s made it very clear that Ticketmaster will continue to work with brokers to supply the site.”
The other big disagreement between the two sides will likely center around customer data, said Jeff Lapin of RazorGator.
“Owning your customer is going to become more important than ever,” Lapin told the audience at Ticket Summit. — Dave Brooks
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Suspicions Run High at Ticket Broker Confab
Participating in a primary ticketing panel were Joe Freeman from Ticketmaster, Josh Logan from the Houston Rockets, Greg Bettinelli from Live Nation, Gary Adler of the NATB, Derek Palmer of Tickets.com, Dan DeMato from FutureTix and Jeffrey Larris from INTIX
As published in the July 23, 2008 • VOL. VII, Number 23 issue of VT Pulse
LAS VEGAS — Is it a marriage of love or convenience? That was the question of the day at the National Association of Ticket Brokers conference at the Wynn Hotel.
At the close of the Friday meeting, Ticketmaster officials had put their best foot forward to convince brokers that they would continue to play an important role at the recently acquired TicketsNow, although it could be a changing, evolving role. For their part, many of the brokers were as intrigued by the offer as they were skeptical.
“Ticketmaster is going to need us in the short term,” said broker Barry Rudin of Barry’s Ticket Services in Los Angeles. “They can’t buy every ticket, so there will be a role for those of us who choose to adapt to the new market. We know there will still be a market, we just don’t know what type of inventory is left over for the brokers.”
Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty said his company would not squeeze brokers out of the fold, embracing what he described as a “partnership” where brokers continue to supply much of the inventory, while Ticketmaster brings its marketing savvy and internet reach to more eyeballs.
“Consumers are learning that tickets are always available at a price,” Moriarty said, later adding that before the TicketsNow acquisition “we knew that people would come to Ticketmaster looking for inventory and we knew we wouldn’t have what they were looking for.”
Moriarty said merging the Ticketmaster and TicketsNow platforms created a new tool “that would be very important to the consumer” where he can tell consumers “there’s always a ticket for a price. We want to give the consumers a relatively complete picture of their options.”
Transparency, explained Moriarty, would be critical for the two platforms to work together, a comment that elicited a few chuckles from those in attendance. During an earlier panel on the primary market, several brokers expressed frustration at Ticketmaster’s policy of not publicizing how many tickets are released during an on sale.
“That would be virtually impossible,” said Joe Freeman, senior vice president assistant general counsel for Ticketmaster, explaining that the company’s often contractually obligated to stay mum on ticketing inventory for its venue clients.
“One of our key advantages is our direct tie to the primary inventory,” said Derek Palmer of Tickets.com. Secondary ticketing companies that have the ability to reissue tickets through the primary provider — often through electronic delivery methods like email — will have a clear advantage over brokers who must mail their tickets.
“The way the system currently works, the only people making money from the secondary market are FedEx and Google,” said Greg Bettinelli who is overseeing Live Nation’s ticketing initiative. Bettinelli hinted that the new Live Nation platform will likely feature electronic deliverability for secondary tickets, while Tickets.com is currently working with StubHub to reissue baseball tickets sold on the platform.
TicketsNow CEO Cheryl Rosner said she expected Ticketmaster to eventually develop the means to reissue and electronically deliver tickets sold on the TicketsNow platform, but added the company is currently weighing all its options.
Freeman said the other advantage Ticketmaster will have over small brokerage firms is Internet credibility, adding that “every time a fan comes upon a questionable site, it’s an unsatisfying experience and we all lose.”
It was those calls for change that brought an air of tension over the group, who raised their grievances against a number of primary ticketing issues that made resale harder. One audience member complained that the recent Tom Waits tour’s plan to go ticketless and essentially ban resale was bad for the brokerage community. Freeman replied that Ticketmaster was purely an agent of the artist and had to meet their wishes. Another broker said it was unfair for a team to yank a broker’s season tickets if they sold them to a fan who misbehaved during a game.
At one point during a panel, TicketNetwork CEO and President John Vaccaro said he believed Ticketmaster was attempting to shut brokers out of the business. Freeman called the comment “bass ackwards” and added “we didn’t just make an investment into TicketsNow to hurt brokers.” — Dave Brooks of Venues Today
As published in the July 23, 2008 • VOL. VII, Number 23 issue of VT Pulse
LAS VEGAS — Is it a marriage of love or convenience? That was the question of the day at the National Association of Ticket Brokers conference at the Wynn Hotel.
At the close of the Friday meeting, Ticketmaster officials had put their best foot forward to convince brokers that they would continue to play an important role at the recently acquired TicketsNow, although it could be a changing, evolving role. For their part, many of the brokers were as intrigued by the offer as they were skeptical.
“Ticketmaster is going to need us in the short term,” said broker Barry Rudin of Barry’s Ticket Services in Los Angeles. “They can’t buy every ticket, so there will be a role for those of us who choose to adapt to the new market. We know there will still be a market, we just don’t know what type of inventory is left over for the brokers.”
Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty said his company would not squeeze brokers out of the fold, embracing what he described as a “partnership” where brokers continue to supply much of the inventory, while Ticketmaster brings its marketing savvy and internet reach to more eyeballs.
“Consumers are learning that tickets are always available at a price,” Moriarty said, later adding that before the TicketsNow acquisition “we knew that people would come to Ticketmaster looking for inventory and we knew we wouldn’t have what they were looking for.”
Moriarty said merging the Ticketmaster and TicketsNow platforms created a new tool “that would be very important to the consumer” where he can tell consumers “there’s always a ticket for a price. We want to give the consumers a relatively complete picture of their options.”
Transparency, explained Moriarty, would be critical for the two platforms to work together, a comment that elicited a few chuckles from those in attendance. During an earlier panel on the primary market, several brokers expressed frustration at Ticketmaster’s policy of not publicizing how many tickets are released during an on sale.
“That would be virtually impossible,” said Joe Freeman, senior vice president assistant general counsel for Ticketmaster, explaining that the company’s often contractually obligated to stay mum on ticketing inventory for its venue clients.
“One of our key advantages is our direct tie to the primary inventory,” said Derek Palmer of Tickets.com. Secondary ticketing companies that have the ability to reissue tickets through the primary provider — often through electronic delivery methods like email — will have a clear advantage over brokers who must mail their tickets.
“The way the system currently works, the only people making money from the secondary market are FedEx and Google,” said Greg Bettinelli who is overseeing Live Nation’s ticketing initiative. Bettinelli hinted that the new Live Nation platform will likely feature electronic deliverability for secondary tickets, while Tickets.com is currently working with StubHub to reissue baseball tickets sold on the platform.
TicketsNow CEO Cheryl Rosner said she expected Ticketmaster to eventually develop the means to reissue and electronically deliver tickets sold on the TicketsNow platform, but added the company is currently weighing all its options.
Freeman said the other advantage Ticketmaster will have over small brokerage firms is Internet credibility, adding that “every time a fan comes upon a questionable site, it’s an unsatisfying experience and we all lose.”
It was those calls for change that brought an air of tension over the group, who raised their grievances against a number of primary ticketing issues that made resale harder. One audience member complained that the recent Tom Waits tour’s plan to go ticketless and essentially ban resale was bad for the brokerage community. Freeman replied that Ticketmaster was purely an agent of the artist and had to meet their wishes. Another broker said it was unfair for a team to yank a broker’s season tickets if they sold them to a fan who misbehaved during a game.
At one point during a panel, TicketNetwork CEO and President John Vaccaro said he believed Ticketmaster was attempting to shut brokers out of the business. Freeman called the comment “bass ackwards” and added “we didn’t just make an investment into TicketsNow to hurt brokers.” — Dave Brooks of Venues Today
Friday, July 25, 2008
IAAM Conference and Trade Show Starts Today!
The 83rd year of the International Association of Assembly Managers Conference & Trade Show kicks off today, July 25, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets.com is there showcasing our ticketing solutions.The IAAM Conference is the world's largest professional association dedicated to issues relevant to the management of public assembly facilities. The IAAM Trade Show is the largest trade show in the public assembly facility management industry.
Stop by Booth #1012 to see the ProVenue® Ticketing Solution.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Blurring Line: State of the Primary & Secondary Markets
Ticket Summit is the leading trade show and conference in the secondary ticket industry. This annual event brings together hundreds of experts and leaders within the ticket community, offering them a chance to establish and foster relationships valuable to their business. This year's Ticket Summit takes place July 23-25 in Las Vegas at The Venetian.
Derek Palmer, Tickets.com Chief Commercial Officer, will be speaking on a panel called "The Blurring Line: State of the Primary & Secondary Markets" on Thursday, July 24. The panel discussion will enable attendees to learn about the different ways the primary and secondary ticket markets are coming together and the potential shifts on the horizon. Hear about the ways the primary market is attempting to extract more revenue from consumers, how the secondary market continues to provide value, ways the two markets are already working together, and how the line between them is expected to blur even more in the coming year.
Ticket Summit features expert panels on various topics pertaining to the secondary ticketing industry. The sessions are designed to provide brokers and other affiliates with the latest innovations and information regarding the ticketing industry.
Learn more about Tickets.com >
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Tickets.com Contributes Items to 2008 IAAM Foundation Silent Auction
Tickets.com is a Gold Donor for the 2008 IAAM Foundation Silent Auction. The auction is now open at www.iaamfoundation.cmarket.com.
Chicago Cubs field tickets, a San Francisco Giants suite, an old-style Ernie Banks jersey, and a suite at the Washington Nationals are among the items contributed.
The online portion of the auction will run through July 18 to support any pre-IAAM conference bidding. All items will then be displayed at the annual IAAM conference from July 26 - 28 in Anaheim. However, you need not be present to win as the online site supports "absentee bids" that will keep bidding for you up to the maximum you specify.
See you at the auction!
Chicago Cubs field tickets, a San Francisco Giants suite, an old-style Ernie Banks jersey, and a suite at the Washington Nationals are among the items contributed.
The online portion of the auction will run through July 18 to support any pre-IAAM conference bidding. All items will then be displayed at the annual IAAM conference from July 26 - 28 in Anaheim. However, you need not be present to win as the online site supports "absentee bids" that will keep bidding for you up to the maximum you specify.
See you at the auction!
Monday, June 30, 2008
That's the Ticket!
Excerpts from an article by Melody Kramer from the June/July 2008 Issue of Facility Manager, ticketing industry publication, featuring Tickets.com ticketing technology
Facilities are discovering that the ticket to a better - and more profitable - attendee experience is right in their customers' hands
The Tickets@Phone technology from Tickets.com allows event attendees to get tickets from their cell phones.
1. Tickets are delivered to a wireless phone via mms or text message.
2. The information received is similar to that of a paper ticket, with the event date, time and seat location.
3. At the event, the mobile ticket is scanned using an access control device.
4. The ticket taker prints out a receipt for proof of entry.
View a demo of mobile ticketing technology >
"Companies are realizing that it's less about the ticket you just sold," says Derek Palmer, COO of Tickets.com. "It's about helping your partners sell the next ticket. Data availability and mobility are critical pieces to managing the relationship with your patrons."
Read more >
Facilities are discovering that the ticket to a better - and more profitable - attendee experience is right in their customers' hands
The Tickets@Phone technology from Tickets.com allows event attendees to get tickets from their cell phones.
1. Tickets are delivered to a wireless phone via mms or text message.
2. The information received is similar to that of a paper ticket, with the event date, time and seat location.
3. At the event, the mobile ticket is scanned using an access control device.
4. The ticket taker prints out a receipt for proof of entry.
View a demo of mobile ticketing technology >
"Companies are realizing that it's less about the ticket you just sold," says Derek Palmer, COO of Tickets.com. "It's about helping your partners sell the next ticket. Data availability and mobility are critical pieces to managing the relationship with your patrons."
Read more >
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
