Ticket News
Alfred Branch, Jr.
Hundreds of ticket industry professionals will descend on the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in Manhattan beginning today for Ticket Summit, the secondary ticketing market's largest conference and trade show.
The annual event is marking its second foray in New York City, but represents the sixth overall Ticket Summit, which was initially launched by TicketNews's parent company TicketNetwork as an annual conference in Las Vegas in 2006.
"From venue managers and event promoters, to ticketing agents and marketing strategists, the Ticket Summit conference has become the networking destination for professionals in the ticketing and entertainment industries," Dr. Molly A. Martinez, executive director of Ticket Summit, said in a statement. "With a unique variety of panel sessions and networking opportunities, the event offerings scheduled for this upcoming Ticket Summit conference are simply unparalleled."
About 500 industry professionals are expected to attend the event, and for the first time the conference will feature panels on concert and theater promotion, and the present and future of the primary ticketing market.
It is during the latter panel that conference has landed a coup: former Ticketmaster President and CEO Sean Moriarty will be participating for the first time at Ticket Summit.
Moriarty is one of the ticketing industry's most-respected and influential executives, and before leaving Ticketmaster, he was instrumental in the company acquiring TicketsNow.
Joining Moriarty on the Friday keynote panel "Then & Now: The Primary Market" will be Larry Witherspoon, CEO of Tickets.com); Jeff Kline CEO of Veritix; Andrew Dreskin, CEO of TicketFly; and Ben Mogil, Research Analyst with Thomas Weisel Partners, as the panel's moderator.
The conference and trade show begin tonight with a cocktail party that will feature a performance by the cast of the popular Broadway musical Rock of Ages. Thursday and Friday will feature the panel discussions and large exhibit floor where industry vendors will showcase their products and services, and the event will conclude Friday night with a gala reception at Nikki Beach in Manhattan.
Showing posts with label larry witherspoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label larry witherspoon. Show all posts
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Monday, December 14, 2009
Top CEOs to Speak at Keynote Session at Ticket Summit
Ticketmaster, Tickets.com, TicketFly and Veritix CEOs to Provide Insight on the Future of the Primary Ticket Market
Ticket Summit, the leading conference and trade show for ticketing and entertainment executives, today announced its notable roster of top CEOs slated to speak at the event's Keynote session. The Ticket Summit January conference -- a three-day event scheduled January 13-15, 2010 at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City -- will include a Keynote session Friday, January 15 featuring Sean Moriarty (Former CEO, Ticketmaster), Larry Witherspoon (CEO, Tickets.com), Andrew Dreskin (CEO, TicketFly), and Jeff Kline (President, Veritix).
The Ticket Summit Keynote session is scheduled to be among the culminating events of the three-day conference, following a variety of sessions ranging from ticket pricing strategies and event promotion, to brand-building, and sports and entertainment. "The Ticket Summit Keynote Session on January 15 is bound to be the conference's most paramount event yet," said Dr. Molly A. Martinez, Executive Director, Ticket Summit. "With ticketing agents, event promoters, venue managers, and primary ticket distributors all in the same room, the dialogue on the state of the industry will be extremely insightful."
More than five-hundred attendees from the United States and throughout the world are expected to attend the upcoming conference. TicketNetwork CEO Don Vaccaro observed: "Ticket Summit is by far the must-attend conference where all the key players in the ticket industry come to network. And with the addition of such a notable keynote session, attendees are going to get to be part of a dialogue that's truly one-of-a-kind."
About Ticket Summit
Ticket Summit is the world's leading conference and trade show for ticketing and entertainment. This event attracts hundreds of global business leaders, entrepreneurs, and entertainment experts in the ticket community. Past attendees and sponsors include: Billboard, eBay, Forbes, Google, Live Nation, NBA, NFL, NHL, StubHub, Ticketmaster, among others.
Ticket Summit was founded in 2006 by host company TicketNetwork, Inc. The upcoming Ticket Summit conference and trade show is scheduled to take place at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York, NY, January 13-15. For information, visit www.TicketSummit.org.
Ticket Summit, the leading conference and trade show for ticketing and entertainment executives, today announced its notable roster of top CEOs slated to speak at the event's Keynote session. The Ticket Summit January conference -- a three-day event scheduled January 13-15, 2010 at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City -- will include a Keynote session Friday, January 15 featuring Sean Moriarty (Former CEO, Ticketmaster), Larry Witherspoon (CEO, Tickets.com), Andrew Dreskin (CEO, TicketFly), and Jeff Kline (President, Veritix).
The Ticket Summit Keynote session is scheduled to be among the culminating events of the three-day conference, following a variety of sessions ranging from ticket pricing strategies and event promotion, to brand-building, and sports and entertainment. "The Ticket Summit Keynote Session on January 15 is bound to be the conference's most paramount event yet," said Dr. Molly A. Martinez, Executive Director, Ticket Summit. "With ticketing agents, event promoters, venue managers, and primary ticket distributors all in the same room, the dialogue on the state of the industry will be extremely insightful."
More than five-hundred attendees from the United States and throughout the world are expected to attend the upcoming conference. TicketNetwork CEO Don Vaccaro observed: "Ticket Summit is by far the must-attend conference where all the key players in the ticket industry come to network. And with the addition of such a notable keynote session, attendees are going to get to be part of a dialogue that's truly one-of-a-kind."
About Ticket Summit
Ticket Summit is the world's leading conference and trade show for ticketing and entertainment. This event attracts hundreds of global business leaders, entrepreneurs, and entertainment experts in the ticket community. Past attendees and sponsors include: Billboard, eBay, Forbes, Google, Live Nation, NBA, NFL, NHL, StubHub, Ticketmaster, among others.
Ticket Summit was founded in 2006 by host company TicketNetwork, Inc. The upcoming Ticket Summit conference and trade show is scheduled to take place at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York, NY, January 13-15. For information, visit www.TicketSummit.org.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Larry Witherspoon to Speak on Panel at 2010 Ticket Summit
Come see Tickets.com, CEO, Larry Witherspoon at the Ticket Summit – New York City! Larry is currently one of four executive panelists participating in the ‘Then & Now: The Primary Market’ panel on January 15, 2010 at the famous Waldorf – Astoria, NYC. For more information on this conference visit http://www.ticketsummit.org
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tickets.com® Signs Long Term Agreement to Provide Ticketing System for International Speedway Corporation Racetracks
Thirteen racing venues will move ticketing operations to Tickets.com's ProVenue® platform
Tickets.com, Inc., a leading provider of integrated ticketing solutions, has signed a long term agreement with ISC.com, LLC a subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), to provide a ticketing platform and related services to all ISC properties. ISC owns and/or operates 13 of the nation's major motorsports entertainment facilities, including Daytona International Speedway® in Florida, home of the Daytona 500®. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Following an extensive research effort in which all major ticketing providers participated, ISC selected Tickets.com’s ProVenue® platform to replace their current in-house ticketing system used at 11of the 13 facilities. The other 2 facilities, Chicagoland Speedway® and Route 66 RacewaySM, were operating on Ticketmaster’s Archtics software. Chicagoland Speedway®, Route 66 RacewaySM, and The Kansas Speedway®, were the first tracks converted to the ProVenue System under the new agreement.
ISC and its subsidiaries promote more than 100 racing events and sells millions of tickets annually. Consequently, the company required a ticketing platform capable of handling high volume transactions for major events. “Our goal was to find a solution that will provide a positive ticket-purchasing experience for our fans, with the technology to handle our significant sales volume,” said ISC Vice President, Multi-Channel Marketing and Chief Information Officer Craig Neeb. “The ProVenue ticketing system has the capabilities we were looking for. It also offers interactive seat maps, browser-style interfaces and complete system scalability.”
“ISC's position as a world leader in motorsports entertainment with demanding ticketing requirements makes this partnership extremely rewarding for us,” said Larry Witherspoon, Chief Executive Officer, Tickets.com. The company’s selection of ProVenue, after an intense assessment of all other product offerings in the market, confirms that ProVenue is the most technologically advanced ticketing system currently available.”
By selecting Tickets.com, ISC will be able to retain centralized ticketing operations for its properties.
Tickets.com, Inc., a leading provider of integrated ticketing solutions, has signed a long term agreement with ISC.com, LLC a subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), to provide a ticketing platform and related services to all ISC properties. ISC owns and/or operates 13 of the nation's major motorsports entertainment facilities, including Daytona International Speedway® in Florida, home of the Daytona 500®. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Following an extensive research effort in which all major ticketing providers participated, ISC selected Tickets.com’s ProVenue® platform to replace their current in-house ticketing system used at 11of the 13 facilities. The other 2 facilities, Chicagoland Speedway® and Route 66 RacewaySM, were operating on Ticketmaster’s Archtics software. Chicagoland Speedway®, Route 66 RacewaySM, and The Kansas Speedway®, were the first tracks converted to the ProVenue System under the new agreement.
ISC and its subsidiaries promote more than 100 racing events and sells millions of tickets annually. Consequently, the company required a ticketing platform capable of handling high volume transactions for major events. “Our goal was to find a solution that will provide a positive ticket-purchasing experience for our fans, with the technology to handle our significant sales volume,” said ISC Vice President, Multi-Channel Marketing and Chief Information Officer Craig Neeb. “The ProVenue ticketing system has the capabilities we were looking for. It also offers interactive seat maps, browser-style interfaces and complete system scalability.”
“ISC's position as a world leader in motorsports entertainment with demanding ticketing requirements makes this partnership extremely rewarding for us,” said Larry Witherspoon, Chief Executive Officer, Tickets.com. The company’s selection of ProVenue, after an intense assessment of all other product offerings in the market, confirms that ProVenue is the most technologically advanced ticketing system currently available.”
By selecting Tickets.com, ISC will be able to retain centralized ticketing operations for its properties.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Venues Today Technology Update - January 2009
Witherspoon talks about mobile ticketing today
Venues Today
By Dave Brooks
Tickets.com CEO Larry Witherspoon is quick to point out that his company isn’t just a ticketing company — it’s a technology company operating in the ticketing space. Exclusivity issues can be settled through revenue sharing, but superior technology can’t be negotiated.
2008 saw Tickets.com launch its ProVenue ticketing software suite and the first mobile website to enable customers to purchase and receive tickets entirely through their phones. Venues Today caught up with Witherspoon to discuss how technology was changing the ticketing business.
Venues Today: How does the new mobile website technology work?
Larry Witherspoon: A year-and-a-half ago we launched Tickets@Phone for various teams. Now we’ve decided to mobilize the website and not just mobilize it for one device, but mobilize it for all devices that are web-enabled. You can go online and buy a ticket from your phone, have it delivered to your phone, will call or print at home. We’re attempting to bring the technology full circle.
VT: Do consumers need a login to purchase tickets?
LW: No, anybody can instantly buy tickets. It’s enabled with a virtual waiting room for high demand on sales.
VT: Will you tie in this system to a mobile-marketing strategy?
LW: Long term that’s obviously the plan. Our next big focus is to expand the private labeling of our client sites.
VT: Are you seeing evidence that users are moving toward a mobile purchasing experience?
LW: Not so much here, but I do travel the world and if you go into Japan or look at some of the stuff that’s occurring in Europe, you’ll see that the U.S. is a little behind on the adoption rate. If you look at the U.K., there’s some great stuff the O2 Arena has done with mobile marketing that hasn’t been done before.
VT: How many facilities are currently enabled on a mobile platform?
LW: We currently have four arenas enabled — Royal Oak Music Theatre (Royal Oak, Mich.), K-Rock Centre (Kingston, Ontario), The BOK Center (Tulsa, Okla.) and the Times Union Center (Albany, N.Y.). We’ve also got five or six baseball clubs turned on.
VT: Will mobile compete with paperless tickets?
LW: I would argue that mobile is a paperless ticket. It’s not going to be long before a venue only offers tickets that are bought online and delivered by phone. We’ll offer the full suite where you can get a text message, go to a mobile website, buy a ticket on your phone, have it delivered and show up at the venue. It’s not a new world, but it’s something that no one in this market has really hit hard yet.
Interviewed for this story: Larry Witherspoon, (714) 327-5400
Learn more about Tickets.com >
Venues Today
By Dave Brooks
Tickets.com CEO Larry Witherspoon is quick to point out that his company isn’t just a ticketing company — it’s a technology company operating in the ticketing space. Exclusivity issues can be settled through revenue sharing, but superior technology can’t be negotiated.
2008 saw Tickets.com launch its ProVenue ticketing software suite and the first mobile website to enable customers to purchase and receive tickets entirely through their phones. Venues Today caught up with Witherspoon to discuss how technology was changing the ticketing business.
Venues Today: How does the new mobile website technology work?
Larry Witherspoon: A year-and-a-half ago we launched Tickets@Phone for various teams. Now we’ve decided to mobilize the website and not just mobilize it for one device, but mobilize it for all devices that are web-enabled. You can go online and buy a ticket from your phone, have it delivered to your phone, will call or print at home. We’re attempting to bring the technology full circle.
VT: Do consumers need a login to purchase tickets?
LW: No, anybody can instantly buy tickets. It’s enabled with a virtual waiting room for high demand on sales.
VT: Will you tie in this system to a mobile-marketing strategy?
LW: Long term that’s obviously the plan. Our next big focus is to expand the private labeling of our client sites.
VT: Are you seeing evidence that users are moving toward a mobile purchasing experience?
LW: Not so much here, but I do travel the world and if you go into Japan or look at some of the stuff that’s occurring in Europe, you’ll see that the U.S. is a little behind on the adoption rate. If you look at the U.K., there’s some great stuff the O2 Arena has done with mobile marketing that hasn’t been done before.
VT: How many facilities are currently enabled on a mobile platform?
LW: We currently have four arenas enabled — Royal Oak Music Theatre (Royal Oak, Mich.), K-Rock Centre (Kingston, Ontario), The BOK Center (Tulsa, Okla.) and the Times Union Center (Albany, N.Y.). We’ve also got five or six baseball clubs turned on.
VT: Will mobile compete with paperless tickets?
LW: I would argue that mobile is a paperless ticket. It’s not going to be long before a venue only offers tickets that are bought online and delivered by phone. We’ll offer the full suite where you can get a text message, go to a mobile website, buy a ticket on your phone, have it delivered and show up at the venue. It’s not a new world, but it’s something that no one in this market has really hit hard yet.
Interviewed for this story: Larry Witherspoon, (714) 327-5400
Learn more about Tickets.com >
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tickets.com Launches Mobile Ticketing Website
Tickets.com Launches ProVenueMobile™, the Industry’s First Mobile Website that Enables Customers to Buy and Receive Tickets Entirely through their Mobile Phones
Costa Mesa, CA – November 10, 2008: Tickets.com, a leading global provider of integrated ticketing solutions, announces the November 5, 2008 launch of ProVenueMobile, a mobile version of their consumer-facing website. The site will establish Tickets.com as the first in its industry to offer customers the ability to complete a ticket transaction from a mobile phone without having to “click to call,” and the first to offer such a service that is seamless and compatible with all makes and models of Internet-enabled mobile phone devices.
“We are excited about this technology, and view it as a major breakthrough for our company and for our clients,” said Larry Witherspoon, CEO, Tickets.com. “Staying ahead of the curve through industry-leading innovation, as well as delivering unparalleled customer support, is our chief mission. Offering this versatile and convenient mobile platform gives Tickets.com the opportunity to reach new milestones in both areas. We are delighted to be able to introduce a green, paperless technology into the marketplace. In early 2009 we look forward to offering website mobilization services to our clients.”
By extending the functionality and services of Tickets.com – including full e-commerce – to the mobile web platform http://mobile.tickets.com, full-circle ticket purchases can be made 24/7 on any handheld mobile device. Missing an on-sale time, waiting in line and being put on hold will be things of the past. The Usablenet Mobile-supported site integrates seamlessly with all web-enabled devices from smart phones (Blackberry, iPhone, Treo, etc.) to basic cell phones with web access. It supports all browsers, file formats, carriers and other technologies, so that Tickets.com customers can shop for and purchase tickets from anywhere, anytime.
The new mobile consumer website ProVenueMobile meshes perfectly with Tickets@Phone®, the groundbreaking mobile ticket delivery feature launched by Tickets.com in 2006 that is increasingly in demand given the rapid growth in the mobile marketplace. Combined with the company’s Tickets@Phone technology, the new mobile-web platform – developed by mobile technologies leader Usablenet – allows Tickets.com consumers to both purchase and digitally receive tickets entirely on their mobile phones from any Tickets.com client venue enabled with Tickets@Phone functionality. The technology delivers barcoded tickets directly to customers’ mobile phones immediately following purchases. The day of the event, the customers simply present their mobile phones for quick and efficient scanned entry into the venue, making the entire ticket transaction experience as simple and convenient as possible.
“The mobile web is a market that is experiencing rapid growth and adoption among consumers. We are partnering with companies like Tickets.com that understand the value of the mobile channel to interact with their customers,” said Nick Taylor, President, Usablenet. “Our goal is to enable customers to successfully and seamlessly access the Website, including all functionality, through an interface customized for their specific mobile device. It’s all about expanding choices and maximizing innovation – when we’re able to partner with a company that’s as dedicated to that as we are, it’s truly rewarding.”
Costa Mesa, CA – November 10, 2008: Tickets.com, a leading global provider of integrated ticketing solutions, announces the November 5, 2008 launch of ProVenueMobile, a mobile version of their consumer-facing website. The site will establish Tickets.com as the first in its industry to offer customers the ability to complete a ticket transaction from a mobile phone without having to “click to call,” and the first to offer such a service that is seamless and compatible with all makes and models of Internet-enabled mobile phone devices.
“We are excited about this technology, and view it as a major breakthrough for our company and for our clients,” said Larry Witherspoon, CEO, Tickets.com. “Staying ahead of the curve through industry-leading innovation, as well as delivering unparalleled customer support, is our chief mission. Offering this versatile and convenient mobile platform gives Tickets.com the opportunity to reach new milestones in both areas. We are delighted to be able to introduce a green, paperless technology into the marketplace. In early 2009 we look forward to offering website mobilization services to our clients.”
By extending the functionality and services of Tickets.com – including full e-commerce – to the mobile web platform http://mobile.tickets.com, full-circle ticket purchases can be made 24/7 on any handheld mobile device. Missing an on-sale time, waiting in line and being put on hold will be things of the past. The Usablenet Mobile-supported site integrates seamlessly with all web-enabled devices from smart phones (Blackberry, iPhone, Treo, etc.) to basic cell phones with web access. It supports all browsers, file formats, carriers and other technologies, so that Tickets.com customers can shop for and purchase tickets from anywhere, anytime.
The new mobile consumer website ProVenueMobile meshes perfectly with Tickets@Phone®, the groundbreaking mobile ticket delivery feature launched by Tickets.com in 2006 that is increasingly in demand given the rapid growth in the mobile marketplace. Combined with the company’s Tickets@Phone technology, the new mobile-web platform – developed by mobile technologies leader Usablenet – allows Tickets.com consumers to both purchase and digitally receive tickets entirely on their mobile phones from any Tickets.com client venue enabled with Tickets@Phone functionality. The technology delivers barcoded tickets directly to customers’ mobile phones immediately following purchases. The day of the event, the customers simply present their mobile phones for quick and efficient scanned entry into the venue, making the entire ticket transaction experience as simple and convenient as possible.
“The mobile web is a market that is experiencing rapid growth and adoption among consumers. We are partnering with companies like Tickets.com that understand the value of the mobile channel to interact with their customers,” said Nick Taylor, President, Usablenet. “Our goal is to enable customers to successfully and seamlessly access the Website, including all functionality, through an interface customized for their specific mobile device. It’s all about expanding choices and maximizing innovation – when we’re able to partner with a company that’s as dedicated to that as we are, it’s truly rewarding.”
Monday, October 20, 2008
Larry Witherspoon Nominated for the 2008 Venues Today Hall of Headlines
Larry Witherspoon and his Tickets.com team have been nominated for wholly developing and launching ProVenue®, a web-based enterprise ticketing solution using Oracle database architecture, while still successfully providing service to its extensive client portfolio.
About Tickets.com:
Tickets.com is a leading provider of fully integrated event ticketing solutions and services for thousands of top arts, entertainment, and sports organizations worldwide. Delivering the latest in ticketing technology, Tickets.com offers the advanced ProVenue ticketing platform, which serves the core of a comprehensive suite of integrated features, products, and services that help clients enhance ticket sales, marketing efforts, and overall customer experience.
About ProVenue:
ProVenue is a powerful, full-featured ticketing platform specifically developed with open architecture design, unsurpassed flexibility, innovative data management tools, and an easy to use graphical interface to meet the expectations of today’s dynamic marketplace.
About Larry Witherspoon:
Chief executive officer of Tickets.com, Larry Witherspoon is responsible for the execution of the company's overall direction and strategic plan, including global technology development, sales and marketing, and the operation of the business. He joined Tickets.com in 2005 as chief information officer, overseeing information technology, product development, architecture, and operations. Mr. Witherspoon has more than a decade of sports entertainment experience, along with an extensive engineering background. Prior to joining Tickets.com, Mr. Witherspoon served as vice president of technology services for the Seattle Mariners, where he was responsible for all aspects of the Mariners' technology services department, including information services, audio/video, ticketing operations and concession services.
Learn more about Tickets.com >
About Tickets.com:
Tickets.com is a leading provider of fully integrated event ticketing solutions and services for thousands of top arts, entertainment, and sports organizations worldwide. Delivering the latest in ticketing technology, Tickets.com offers the advanced ProVenue ticketing platform, which serves the core of a comprehensive suite of integrated features, products, and services that help clients enhance ticket sales, marketing efforts, and overall customer experience.
About ProVenue:
ProVenue is a powerful, full-featured ticketing platform specifically developed with open architecture design, unsurpassed flexibility, innovative data management tools, and an easy to use graphical interface to meet the expectations of today’s dynamic marketplace.
About Larry Witherspoon:
Chief executive officer of Tickets.com, Larry Witherspoon is responsible for the execution of the company's overall direction and strategic plan, including global technology development, sales and marketing, and the operation of the business. He joined Tickets.com in 2005 as chief information officer, overseeing information technology, product development, architecture, and operations. Mr. Witherspoon has more than a decade of sports entertainment experience, along with an extensive engineering background. Prior to joining Tickets.com, Mr. Witherspoon served as vice president of technology services for the Seattle Mariners, where he was responsible for all aspects of the Mariners' technology services department, including information services, audio/video, ticketing operations and concession services.
Learn more about Tickets.com >
Monday, April 21, 2008
Larry Witherspoon, CEO of Tickets.com, discusses the company's growth plans
As featured in Venues Today, April 2008:
On the Horizon
Larry Witherspoon, CEO of Tickets.com, discusses the company’s growth plans
By Dave Brooks
CHICAGO – Venues Today caught up with Larry Witherspoon, CEO of Tickets.com at this year’s INTIX conference here to discuss the market direction of the world’s second largest ticketing company and discuss its new ProVenue platform. Below is an excerpt from that interview:
Venues Today: How long has ProVenue been in development?
Larry Witherspoon: We’ve spent two-and-a-half years building from scratch and redefining how we wanted to approach our business model, and ProVenue is the result of that effort.
VT: Are any venues using the software?
LW: We don’t have any venues live, but we have it installed in six places where they’re still doing beta testing. It’s a web-based system with a common look and feel throughout and very big, easy buttons to push. It’s very simple to use because people are used to a web browser, and this is just intuitive to them.
VT: How many new clients per year would it take for ProVenue to be considered financially successful?
LW: I would expect that we will continue to see growth at 10-to-15 percent a year.
VT: How does Ticketmaster’s acquisition of Paciolan effect the growth of Tickets.com’s market share?
LW: As it consolidates, we’re really just down to a couple of companies of significant size and scale. We’re much more about enabling technologies for the clients and integrating with third-parties that help those clients sell more tickets. The competition has a different approach. They have a buy-and-build approach to keep everything in house.
VT: But won’t the acquisition give Ticketmaster a resource to develop additional enablement models?
LW: I’m not really sure what the play is. There are no real (Customer Relationship Management) gains on that side. I would pretty much call (the deal) a customer acquisition.
VT: At what point do you find yourself marketable just by not being Ticketmaster?
LW: There are some people who talk to us just because they want to try something different. They want to partner with someone, or work with a sponsor in a unique way. I think we are more willing to engage in these discussions.
VT: You recently announced the signing of the Vancouver (B.C.) Winter Olympics (2010). Tell us what you have planned.
LW: We’re tremendously excited. Vancouver is a place where we don’t really have a presence, so it’s a good way for us to get a market penetration going. It’s a large-scale deal and it’s a lot of people and a lot of tickets. This will be the first Olympics where they do access control at every venue.
VT: And you plan to ticket the Chinese venues after the Olympics?
LW: Our partner there is CSII, which is a wholly-owned company of the China National Sports Group and is owned by the China Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry. CSII was formed to help market advertising relationships and provide growth and properly manage these venues. We’ve been brought on to help them define and provide ticketing services for various buildings.
VT: How’s the regulatory environment?
LW: It’s been good for us. It’s taken a couple of years of being over there and getting face time with people. Walking through the contract took some time, but they’ve been great. Typically the ticketing company gets paid a percentage of the list price on the ticket. It’s not a culture that’s big on service fees and extra charges. That’s a model that we’re happy to work with.
VT: Let’s switch over to the StubHub deal with Major League Baseball. Why wasn’t Tickets.com more involved in bidding for a secondary role?
LW: (Major League Baseball Advanced Media) and specifically Bob Bowman are big believers in having technology choices for the clubs, not to mandate, but to go out and get the best deal for baseball. That’s exactly what he did. He struck a very good deal to bring on StubHub to integrate all the teams and consolidate the secondary market. I can’t fault him — it was a proper business decision that he made.
VT: Did you bid on the deal?
LW: No, it was a straight play. The plan was to find a straight secondary provider and go with that group so you’re not blurring the line between primary and secondary. We’re okay with partnering and we’ve already done an integration to enable the digital delivery of all tickets. If we have a client that wants to do a deal with StubHub, I’m actually okay with interfacing that technology to fit the platform.
VT: Who owns the data?
LW: Baseball. It’s their client, it’s their fan and it’s their data and they will share it with (StubHub). In the integration we’ve done with them, that data gets captured in the back office and it can be utilized for marketing purposes.
On the Horizon
Larry Witherspoon, CEO of Tickets.com, discusses the company’s growth plans
By Dave Brooks
CHICAGO – Venues Today caught up with Larry Witherspoon, CEO of Tickets.com at this year’s INTIX conference here to discuss the market direction of the world’s second largest ticketing company and discuss its new ProVenue platform. Below is an excerpt from that interview:
Venues Today: How long has ProVenue been in development?
Larry Witherspoon: We’ve spent two-and-a-half years building from scratch and redefining how we wanted to approach our business model, and ProVenue is the result of that effort.
VT: Are any venues using the software?
LW: We don’t have any venues live, but we have it installed in six places where they’re still doing beta testing. It’s a web-based system with a common look and feel throughout and very big, easy buttons to push. It’s very simple to use because people are used to a web browser, and this is just intuitive to them.
VT: How many new clients per year would it take for ProVenue to be considered financially successful?
LW: I would expect that we will continue to see growth at 10-to-15 percent a year.
VT: How does Ticketmaster’s acquisition of Paciolan effect the growth of Tickets.com’s market share?
LW: As it consolidates, we’re really just down to a couple of companies of significant size and scale. We’re much more about enabling technologies for the clients and integrating with third-parties that help those clients sell more tickets. The competition has a different approach. They have a buy-and-build approach to keep everything in house.
VT: But won’t the acquisition give Ticketmaster a resource to develop additional enablement models?
LW: I’m not really sure what the play is. There are no real (Customer Relationship Management) gains on that side. I would pretty much call (the deal) a customer acquisition.
VT: At what point do you find yourself marketable just by not being Ticketmaster?
LW: There are some people who talk to us just because they want to try something different. They want to partner with someone, or work with a sponsor in a unique way. I think we are more willing to engage in these discussions.
VT: You recently announced the signing of the Vancouver (B.C.) Winter Olympics (2010). Tell us what you have planned.
LW: We’re tremendously excited. Vancouver is a place where we don’t really have a presence, so it’s a good way for us to get a market penetration going. It’s a large-scale deal and it’s a lot of people and a lot of tickets. This will be the first Olympics where they do access control at every venue.
VT: And you plan to ticket the Chinese venues after the Olympics?
LW: Our partner there is CSII, which is a wholly-owned company of the China National Sports Group and is owned by the China Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry. CSII was formed to help market advertising relationships and provide growth and properly manage these venues. We’ve been brought on to help them define and provide ticketing services for various buildings.
VT: How’s the regulatory environment?
LW: It’s been good for us. It’s taken a couple of years of being over there and getting face time with people. Walking through the contract took some time, but they’ve been great. Typically the ticketing company gets paid a percentage of the list price on the ticket. It’s not a culture that’s big on service fees and extra charges. That’s a model that we’re happy to work with.
VT: Let’s switch over to the StubHub deal with Major League Baseball. Why wasn’t Tickets.com more involved in bidding for a secondary role?
LW: (Major League Baseball Advanced Media) and specifically Bob Bowman are big believers in having technology choices for the clubs, not to mandate, but to go out and get the best deal for baseball. That’s exactly what he did. He struck a very good deal to bring on StubHub to integrate all the teams and consolidate the secondary market. I can’t fault him — it was a proper business decision that he made.
VT: Did you bid on the deal?
LW: No, it was a straight play. The plan was to find a straight secondary provider and go with that group so you’re not blurring the line between primary and secondary. We’re okay with partnering and we’ve already done an integration to enable the digital delivery of all tickets. If we have a client that wants to do a deal with StubHub, I’m actually okay with interfacing that technology to fit the platform.
VT: Who owns the data?
LW: Baseball. It’s their client, it’s their fan and it’s their data and they will share it with (StubHub). In the integration we’ve done with them, that data gets captured in the back office and it can be utilized for marketing purposes.
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