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 ticket summit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ticket summit. 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
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.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Ticket industry News: Ticket Summit Wraps Up Conference with Justice on Their Side
by Dave Brooks
August 2008 issue of Venues Today
LAS VEGAS - Ticket Summit wrapped up its third annual conference in the desert, bringing together its broadest mix of primary and secondary ticket providers to date. TicketNetwork CEO and President Don Vaccaro said he plans to expand the event to twice per year and will be holding the winter session in New York City on Jan. 6-8, 2009.
"We're continuing to see the blending of the primary and secondary in many segments of the marketplace and we're seeing a continued demand for this type of dialogue," said Vaccaro. "It's also an opportunity for our partners on the East Coast to participate in Ticket Summit."
Vaccaro estimated that over 450 registrants and 22 exhibitors participated in this year's conference, which included a keynote address from Avery Gardiner, counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department's Anti-Trust division. Gardiner told the audience that she would not be able to comment on specific cases, but that didn't stop the audience from getting a pulse on Ticketmaster's recent acquisition of TicketsNow.
"What alternatives do customers have if prices suddenly increased because of the acquisition? Our job is to predict how consumers will act in the future," she told the audience, offering a tacit pact to watch the acquisition deal years after it is complete.
"Just because something doesn't seem to harm competition today doesn't mean we can't revisit it five years from now and take up the issue again," she said.
And as it had been just one week prior at the National Association of Ticket Brokers annual conference, Ticketmaster's acquisition of TicketsNow remained a hot topic of discussion, surfacting in almost all 12 panel discussions.
"Ticketmaster thinks that if they can eliminate brokers, they can capture all the revenue," said Eric Baker from resale site Viagogo. He believes Ticketmaster's recent attempts to control ticket transferability are an example of their malaise for brokers.
"Tickets will always be transferable because that's what people want," he said. "If you tell me I need to show my passport, blood type and eyeball scan, I'm not going to want to go."
Derek Palmer of Tickets.com said most primaries aren't trying to squeeze out brokers, but they do want a piece of the action.
"The cost to participate in this market is going up while our revenues are going down," he said. "I assure you that we have the lowest margins in this room."
Palmer said primaries are beginning to change the way they look at ticket value, scrutinizing "the final price the ticket is sold for."
"We have the key differentiator - we have the data about the customer and the remaining inventory," he said. "The data can be worth more than the individual ticket sold."
August 2008 issue of Venues Today
LAS VEGAS - Ticket Summit wrapped up its third annual conference in the desert, bringing together its broadest mix of primary and secondary ticket providers to date. TicketNetwork CEO and President Don Vaccaro said he plans to expand the event to twice per year and will be holding the winter session in New York City on Jan. 6-8, 2009.
"We're continuing to see the blending of the primary and secondary in many segments of the marketplace and we're seeing a continued demand for this type of dialogue," said Vaccaro. "It's also an opportunity for our partners on the East Coast to participate in Ticket Summit."
Vaccaro estimated that over 450 registrants and 22 exhibitors participated in this year's conference, which included a keynote address from Avery Gardiner, counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Justice Department's Anti-Trust division. Gardiner told the audience that she would not be able to comment on specific cases, but that didn't stop the audience from getting a pulse on Ticketmaster's recent acquisition of TicketsNow.
"What alternatives do customers have if prices suddenly increased because of the acquisition? Our job is to predict how consumers will act in the future," she told the audience, offering a tacit pact to watch the acquisition deal years after it is complete.
"Just because something doesn't seem to harm competition today doesn't mean we can't revisit it five years from now and take up the issue again," she said.
And as it had been just one week prior at the National Association of Ticket Brokers annual conference, Ticketmaster's acquisition of TicketsNow remained a hot topic of discussion, surfacting in almost all 12 panel discussions.
"Ticketmaster thinks that if they can eliminate brokers, they can capture all the revenue," said Eric Baker from resale site Viagogo. He believes Ticketmaster's recent attempts to control ticket transferability are an example of their malaise for brokers.
"Tickets will always be transferable because that's what people want," he said. "If you tell me I need to show my passport, blood type and eyeball scan, I'm not going to want to go."
Derek Palmer of Tickets.com said most primaries aren't trying to squeeze out brokers, but they do want a piece of the action.
"The cost to participate in this market is going up while our revenues are going down," he said. "I assure you that we have the lowest margins in this room."
Palmer said primaries are beginning to change the way they look at ticket value, scrutinizing "the final price the ticket is sold for."
"We have the key differentiator - we have the data about the customer and the remaining inventory," he said. "The data can be worth more than the individual ticket sold."
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
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 >
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