If a ticket could inspire your life, would you buy one?

Ticket sales for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games open this Wednesday, May 6 at www.vancouver2010.com; prices start at $10 for groups

VANCOUVER, May 1 /CNW/ - The best way to share in one of the world's most inspirational sporting events is to see all the action in person at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. Tickets to the Paralympic Winter Games, which are affordably priced for families and groups, go on sale to Canadian residents this Wednesday, May 6 at 10 am PT at www.vancouver2010.com.

Approximately a quarter of a million tickets to the 64 medal competitions and ceremony events at the Paralympic Winter Games will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at www.vancouver2010.com, in partnership with Tickets.com, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games' (VANOC) official supplier of ticketing services. The Paralympic Winter Games feature five sports including: ice sledge hockey, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling and biathlon.

Individual ticket prices to sport events start at $15. Group ticket prices - available for most sport events for groups of 20 or more people - are just $10. More than 70 per cent per cent of all individual tickets are priced at $20 or less. Ticket prices for the spectacular Opening Ceremony at BC Place range from $30 to $175.

"Without question the Paralympic Winter Games are one of the most exceptional values in sports and entertainment," said Caley Denton, VANOC vice-president of ticketing and consumer marketing. "There's something indefinable about attending an event in person with friends and family that goes far beyond the memories of the results of the competition itself," continued Denton. "Spectators will leave having witnessed first-hand the determination and courage of some of the world's finest athletes - and that will stay with people forever."

One of the defining and most emotional moments of the international sporting event will be the Opening Ceremony on March 12, 2010. A cast of thousands, with a particular emphasis on performers with a disability, will delight a live audience and showcase the unique heritage and creativity of British Columbians and Canadians during the two-hour celebration produced by Canada's own Patrick Roberge Productions. The highlight of the night will be the lighting of the Paralympic Cauldron, signalling the official start of the Games.

About the Paralympic ticket purchasing process:

• Tickets will go on sale at www.vancouver2010.com on May 6 at 10 am PT on a first-come, first-served basis.


• In the event the site experiences a high volume of traffic, a 'virtual waiting room' system will be implemented.


• Where applicable, Canadian residents should use their existing Olympic ticketing accounts to log on to purchase tickets.


• In the event a customer has ordered Olympic tickets, their Paralympic and Olympic tickets will be delivered at the same time securely by Purolator Courier in late 2009. The delivery fee paid for the delivery of Olympic tickets will cover the delivery of Paralympic tickets.


• Visa is the exclusive payment card.


• On checkout, customers will have the option to add the following items to their order:


• An exclusive collector-grade pin featuring Paralympic mascot Sumi with his 2010 Winter Games tickets along with a commemorative lanyard and ticket holder pouch to keep tickets secure and easily accessible


• The Official Commemorative Book of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games at a 30% discount


• A donation to support Canadian athletes via the Own The Podium program.


• A full range of information on sport disciplines, events and ticket prices is available at www.vancouver2010.com.


• International residents should contact their respective National Paralympic Committee for information on purchasing tickets.

A national print and online advertising campaign for ticket sales to the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will start this weekend. A special Paralympic-themed supplement, featuring stories, athlete bios, in-depth information on ticketing, and the entire sport schedule, will be issued in The Vancouver Sun and The Province newspapers on May 9 and May 10.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets confirmed today for Canadians; ice hockey, curling and snowboard tickets still available

VANCOUVER, Dec. 10 /CNW/ - After five long weeks of patiently waiting, Canadians who requested 2010 Olympic Winter Games tickets in Phase 1 will find out today what tickets they have secured, and can start planning what additional tickets they'll look for when the Priority Access Period opens from December 12-22.

An e-mail sent today from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) will invite each account holder to log on to their ticket account at www.vancouver2010.com and view the result of their request. These same ticket buyers will also have the exclusive right to buy remaining tickets on a first-come, first-served basis beginning this Friday, December 12 at 9:00 am (Pacific Time). Any tickets remaining after this period, plus any tickets released from the contingency and any remaining Victory Ceremony tickets, will go on sale to the public in mid-2009. VANOC will begin selling tickets to the Paralympic Winter Games on May 6, 2009.

While demand for the majority of sports meant that many sessions were allocated by lottery, there are still tickets remaining, including tickets to preliminary sessions for high-demand sports such as ice hockey and curling. With competitions such as ice hockey, large-capacity venues such as Canada Hockey Place will allow a large number of fans to experience the thrill of seeing elite athletes compete at the highest level, as the shorter tournament competition format ensures every match holds particular significance as competitors vie to finish high in the standings to earn important rest days.

Along with the confirmation of ticket orders today, VANOC issued a reminder to fans to be wary of tickets offered for sale through channels other than www.vancouver2010.com (in partnership with VANOC's official ticketing services supplier tickets.com) and official 2010 Winter Games hospitality partners JetSet Sports and CoSport.

"We encourage everyone to be vigilant about individuals or companies offering "guaranteed" tickets for sale. For most people even a "money back" guarantee is little consolation for the disappointment, inconvenience and embarrassment they'll experience if they discover at the gate their ticket is invalid," said Caley Denton, VANOC vice-president ticketing and consumer marketing. "We are continuing to work with our partner tickets.com on an authorized ticket resale program where people will be able to offer their tickets for sale, and customers will be able to buy with confidence knowing our bar code technology has confirmed the tickets are legitimate."

Details on VANOC's official ticket resale market will be announced later in 2009; however, until then, VANOC's website www.vancouver2010.com or its official hospitality partners, JetSet Sports and CoSport, are the only Canadian sources where people can be confident their 2010 Winter Games tickets are authentic.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

Tickets.com and VANOC Exceed Expectations During First Phase of Ticketing for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games

Tickets.com, a leading global provider of integrated ticketing solutions, is the Official Supplier of ticketing services for the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In association with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), Tickets.com has activated the ProVenue® Ticket Management System (PV-TMS), which supports all aspects of the ticket sales process, including the Olympic ticket request and lottery programs, ticket sales for Olympic and Paralympic events, the ticket management and auction programs, ticket printing and fulfillment, and staffing and management of all Games-time ticket offices.

The Phase 1 Request Period was open to Canadian residents from October 3 through November 7 at www.vancouver2010.com. With the goal of ensuring efficient and fair ticket distribution under large request volumes, Tickets.com incorporated the PV-TMS technologies and first-class customer service, giving Canadians nationwide the only opportunity to obtain tickets for all competitions and ceremonies, including the most popular events.

"The unique needs, massive volume and security concerns that factor into Olympic ticketing are challenges we've had the privilege of addressing with best-in-class solutions since Atlanta over a decade ago," said Larry Witherspoon, chief executive officer, Tickets.com. "In terms of volume, Vancouver presented a unique challenge; compared to the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games, in phase one alone Vancouver has already had two times the total tickets requested."

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games ticket requests by the numbers:

• Total value of tickets requested by Canadian residents from October 3 to November 7: $345 million


• An estimated 120 of 170 sessions will be allocated by lottery


• Dollar value of requests submitted on November 7 alone was 182 percent of the total dollar value of tickets allocated during phase one of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games


• 18.4 million page views from October 3 to November 7


• More than 3.5 million page views on November 7 alone

In total, approximately 1.6 million tickets will be sold for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and 250,000 for the Paralympic Games (which go on sale May 6, 2009). Ticket prices for Olympic sports events range from $25 to $775, with over 50% of them priced at $100 or less. Admission for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies ranges from $175 to $1,100.

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