eMarketer
Sophisticated—and diverse
Mobile users are inseparable from their devices. Whether they have a smartphone or a traditional feature phone, it goes with them at all times. And as these devices become more capable, they are evolving into extensions of users’ desktops and home communications and entertainment systems.
Penetration will near 100% by 2013, reflected in a modest 2.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the number of subscribers between 2008 and 2013.
Mobile Internet usage has been steadily rising, with some of the traditional barriers—namely cost, complexity and user experience—beginning to fall away. eMarketer predicts that growth will persist over the next five years, albeit at a slower pace. In the US, the number of mobile users accessing the Internet will jump from 73.7 million in 2009 to 134.3 million in 2013, a CAGR of 17.7%.
The mobile Internet user population in the US is now roughly one-third the size of the wired Internet audience, a gap that will narrow by the early part of the next decade. Smartphones constitute the bridge between the desktop and mobile Web.
Further, despite the spotlight on smartphones, they remain a minority share of the mobile device market. Smartphone users are a far more attractive group, both for the audience demographics and usage patterns, but marketers that ignore the other 80% to 85% of the user population do so to their detriment.
Read more >
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Margaret Cho to perform at Rose State College
NewsOK Education Station
Comedian and actress Margaret Cho will perform her stand-up comedy at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at Rose State College as part of the Rose State Live! series.
Cho appeared in the films “One Missed Call,” “17 Again” and “The Snake.” She currently stars on the reality show “Drop Dead Diva,” which airs on Lifetime.
Cho is known for her raunchy, socially relevant and politically charged stand-up comedy.
The performance is for mature audiences only. To purchase tickets, call 297-2264 or go to www.tickets.com.
Comedian and actress Margaret Cho will perform her stand-up comedy at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at Rose State College as part of the Rose State Live! series.
Cho appeared in the films “One Missed Call,” “17 Again” and “The Snake.” She currently stars on the reality show “Drop Dead Diva,” which airs on Lifetime.
Cho is known for her raunchy, socially relevant and politically charged stand-up comedy.
The performance is for mature audiences only. To purchase tickets, call 297-2264 or go to www.tickets.com.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Now's The Time to Go Mobile with Tickets.com
As mobile web adoption continues to surge, companies worldwide realize the importance of providing customers a successful experience when going to their sites from mobile phones – even if the mobile experience is limited or done in phases. The mobile site is now analogous to the web site as the hub of your interaction with customers’ mobile phones.
Learn more about Tickets.com's mobile ticketing solutions >
Learn more about Tickets.com's mobile ticketing solutions >
Monday, September 14, 2009
Qcue Introduces Dynamic Ticketing to Dallas Stars
Venues Today
Dave Brooks
Ticketing upstart Qcue has signed another deal to bring dynamic ticketing to a professional sports franchise. The Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League have signed an agreement to sell most of the American Airlines Center upper bowl using a yield-management model similar to the airline industry. Working with Tickets.com, the system allows the team to make real-time price changes based on demand, opponent and historical sales data.
The system is already in its second season with the San Francisco Giants, another franchise powered by Tickets.com. Qcue CEO Barry Kahn said his Austin, Texas-based company helped the Stars set the prices for their first 14 home games, which go on sale Saturday.
“That’s when the big change in price occurs,” said Stars Exec. VP of Sales and Marketing Geoff Moore, adding that tickets are released in batches of 14 every two months. Last season, nearly all tickets in the premium terrace were priced at $60. Now, less than 25 percent of tickets are priced that high. Tickets drop to $50 for an Oct. 30 game against Florida and go as low as $36 per ticket for games against Los Angeles or Calgary. A second game against Nashville on Oct. 14 was selling for $24 less than the opener against the same team.
“They definitely kept the fans in mind and came out of the gate with low prices that they expect to rise,” Kahn said, later adding that tickets “where underpriced across the board to reward those who purchased early.”
The strategy is to price the tickets low for the initial on sale and then slowly increase in price as more tickets sell. While he said the Qcue web-based application gave him the ability to make daily price changes, the team would more likely adjust their prices on a weekly basis.
“The technology actually told us to raise the price on a couple games, but we didn’t feel comfortable doing that,” Moore said. The goal is to sell more tickets and not necessarily to extract more revenue out of the same ticket. In Texas, the live experience of a packed hockey game is almost as important as the product on the ice, Moore said.
“And that’s a critical piece when you’re competing for entertainment dollars with football and other sports,” Moore said. “In a fragmented media landscape, it’s become very difficult to communicate offers to people through traditional media. We’re trying to make it as easy and simple as possible to understand our pricing. When we advertise, we can just push everyone back to dallasstars.com and they can check the price of the game for that date.”
Prices for the seats won’t drop below the season ticket value and Moore said the team expected to have a multi-year relationship with Qcue. Kahn said that Qcue’s earnings would be based on sales volume revenue benchmarks tied to increased sales.
“We have a strong sports market here in Dallas, and we have a growing hockey market. Our challenge always is to market our team and find the right value proposition for the sports fan,” Moore said. “Dallas fans like hockey, but they love football. Sometimes when you like something, then price and value become a strong part of whether people will buy tickets or not.”
Dave Brooks
Ticketing upstart Qcue has signed another deal to bring dynamic ticketing to a professional sports franchise. The Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League have signed an agreement to sell most of the American Airlines Center upper bowl using a yield-management model similar to the airline industry. Working with Tickets.com, the system allows the team to make real-time price changes based on demand, opponent and historical sales data.The system is already in its second season with the San Francisco Giants, another franchise powered by Tickets.com. Qcue CEO Barry Kahn said his Austin, Texas-based company helped the Stars set the prices for their first 14 home games, which go on sale Saturday.
“That’s when the big change in price occurs,” said Stars Exec. VP of Sales and Marketing Geoff Moore, adding that tickets are released in batches of 14 every two months. Last season, nearly all tickets in the premium terrace were priced at $60. Now, less than 25 percent of tickets are priced that high. Tickets drop to $50 for an Oct. 30 game against Florida and go as low as $36 per ticket for games against Los Angeles or Calgary. A second game against Nashville on Oct. 14 was selling for $24 less than the opener against the same team.
“They definitely kept the fans in mind and came out of the gate with low prices that they expect to rise,” Kahn said, later adding that tickets “where underpriced across the board to reward those who purchased early.”
The strategy is to price the tickets low for the initial on sale and then slowly increase in price as more tickets sell. While he said the Qcue web-based application gave him the ability to make daily price changes, the team would more likely adjust their prices on a weekly basis.
“The technology actually told us to raise the price on a couple games, but we didn’t feel comfortable doing that,” Moore said. The goal is to sell more tickets and not necessarily to extract more revenue out of the same ticket. In Texas, the live experience of a packed hockey game is almost as important as the product on the ice, Moore said.
“And that’s a critical piece when you’re competing for entertainment dollars with football and other sports,” Moore said. “In a fragmented media landscape, it’s become very difficult to communicate offers to people through traditional media. We’re trying to make it as easy and simple as possible to understand our pricing. When we advertise, we can just push everyone back to dallasstars.com and they can check the price of the game for that date.”
Prices for the seats won’t drop below the season ticket value and Moore said the team expected to have a multi-year relationship with Qcue. Kahn said that Qcue’s earnings would be based on sales volume revenue benchmarks tied to increased sales.
“We have a strong sports market here in Dallas, and we have a growing hockey market. Our challenge always is to market our team and find the right value proposition for the sports fan,” Moore said. “Dallas fans like hockey, but they love football. Sometimes when you like something, then price and value become a strong part of whether people will buy tickets or not.”
Friday, September 11, 2009
Select Your Seats Virtually at the Twins' New Target Field
The stadium is being built but that doesn't mean that you can't see where you'll be sitting when you enjoy Twins games in 2010. Using the Target Field Seat Selection process, selecting your seats is easy, enjoyable and convenient!There are several useful tools to assist with your seat selections. All of these tools are available on both the Target Field homepage and the Season Ticket Holder webpage of twinsbaseball.com. There is an instructional video that details the seat selection process, an information sheet that details both general selection information as well as specific seating details, and a map that shows the locations of gates, elevators, escalators and restrooms. This virtual seat selection technology is made possible by Ballena Technologies in partnership with Tickets.com.
Learn more >
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Alys Stephens Center "Arts In Action" Adds New Community Programs, More Great Events
This season the Alys Stephens Center’s “Arts in Action” Education and Outreach program will feature two new community partnerships in addition to the diverse array of free to low-cost performances, events and classes presented each year.This year the Alys Stephens Center (ASC) will bring the new Robert Redus School of Guitar to a select group of students at Glen Iris Elementary School. Born from a vision of friends and family of the late Robert Clark Redus IV to spread his gift of music, this year-long program will offer six students the chance to study guitar with a university-level instructor. At the end of the school year, the students will have the chance to keep their guitars based on their commitment to lessons, practice, responsibility and volunteerism.
Also new this year is the ASC’s Make It Happen Performing Ensemble. Through a partnership with Make It Happen Theatre Company and Birmingham City Schools, the Alys Stephens Center invites high school students to audition this fall for this performance-based program. Selected students will attend weekly theater classes and rehearsals that will culminate in the Feb.14, 2010 ASC Kids’ Club performance “Extraordinary Americans Who Happen to Be …” which celebrates Black History Month. This performance will be researched, written and performed by the students, who also will get the opportunity to participate in the Arts in Action mentoring program.
For the third year, the Alys Stephens Center will present ASC Kids’ Club on the Road, an arts education program that can travel right to schools for free. Three shows with engaging, enlightening artists will be offered: Poets’ Corner Poetry Workshop with artist Sharrif Simmons for grades 5-12; No Fear Shakespeare with actor/director and educator Quinton Cockrell for grades 6-12; and The Watershed Workshop with singer-songwriter Charles Tortorici for grades 5-12. Availability is limited. For details call 205-934-0862 or visit www.alysstephens.org.
About “Arts in Action”
“Arts in Action” presents programs and events to enrich the lives of both students and adults. The program’s mission is to cultivate an appreciation for and understanding of the arts and make the performing arts accessible to everyone. Among the many branches of Arts in Action are master classes for small student groups who learn from experts in the field and meet the artist events for schools. The program also offers a mentoring program, the ASC Kids’ Club shows for families, innovative classes and enrichment activities for adults, free concert talks and drama workshops and summer camps. The program lower-cost tickets for students and children to selected performances as well as free buses to and from the center. Since its inception in 2002, more than 50,000 students have participated in Arts in Action events and programs.
VIDEO: www.youtube.com/uabnews
TEXT: www.uab.edu/news
TWEETS: www.twitter.com/uabnews
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Radiant Systems Expands Relationship with San Francisco Giants
New loaded-ticket program capitalizes on technology to give fans more value for game ticket price
Reuters
Radiant Systems, Inc. announced a new agreement with the San Francisco Giants to be a key provider of the new loaded-ticket system, a season-ticket-holder incentive deemed so successful by team officials that they have taken steps to open the program to all fans at AT&T Park.
"We looked at a number of ticket-technology systems, but the Quest solution really stood out based on what we are trying to achieve in the future," said Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticket services and client relations for the San Francisco Giants. "We originally tested the concept in a limited area with our season-ticket holders during the renewal process and had great success. I am so pleased with where we are now, that we have gone ahead and moved on to offering loaded tickets to individuals with single-game tickets. The only limiting factor to this program is our imagination."
Combining Uptix, (a joint venture between Givex and Tickets.com) and the Quest solution, loaded tickets allow extra monetary value to be added to a game-day ticket for use at concession stands as well as in premium food and beverage areas. Teams can use loaded tickets to offer incentives to fans in certain sections or attract season ticket holders by storing data on each ticket, including cash value or vouchers for specific uses. Ticket purchasers can also use the loaded-ticket option to store cash value on their own tickets or on tickets being given as gifts.
The Quest VersaTerm and V-Touch hardware, along with more than 300 Symbol LS2208 barcode scanners by Motorola give the San Francisco Giants fans the ability to easily redeem loaded tickets at concession areas and from premium seats at AT&T Park.
Deciding to test the technology on a small, specific audience, the Giants unveiled the loaded-ticket program to season-ticket holders in the view-reserved infield seats at AT&T Park. By offering a $5 credit on each ticket, the team realized a 10 percent increase in renewals within the targeted section. The Giants knew this technology could keep them ahead of industry downturns, as baseball clubs around the country report drops in ticket sales.
When paired with the Quest solution, loaded tickets offer venues the opportunity to tailor special incentives to fans and increase sales. One great benefit of the Quest solution is its ability to seamlessly integrate with other programs creating a system that gives sports teams the ability to implement exciting and cutting edge offers to fans.
"Fans want something exciting and entertaining when they arrive at the ballpark," said Scott Kingsfield, president of the sports and entertainment division at Radiant Systems. "The Quest solution allows teams to be as creative as possible, without ever needing to change venue technology. We stay right in step with every idea and each new incentive."
About Radiant Systems, Inc.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Radiant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: RADS) is a global provider of innovative technology to the hospitality and retail industries. For more than two decades, Radiant`s point of sale hardware and software solutions have helped to redefine the consumer experience in more than 100,000 restaurants, retail stores, stadiums, parks, arenas, cinemas, convenience stores, fuel centers and other customer-service venues. Radiant has offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit www.radiantsystems.com
Reuters
Radiant Systems, Inc. announced a new agreement with the San Francisco Giants to be a key provider of the new loaded-ticket system, a season-ticket-holder incentive deemed so successful by team officials that they have taken steps to open the program to all fans at AT&T Park.
"We looked at a number of ticket-technology systems, but the Quest solution really stood out based on what we are trying to achieve in the future," said Russ Stanley, managing vice president of ticket services and client relations for the San Francisco Giants. "We originally tested the concept in a limited area with our season-ticket holders during the renewal process and had great success. I am so pleased with where we are now, that we have gone ahead and moved on to offering loaded tickets to individuals with single-game tickets. The only limiting factor to this program is our imagination."
Combining Uptix, (a joint venture between Givex and Tickets.com) and the Quest solution, loaded tickets allow extra monetary value to be added to a game-day ticket for use at concession stands as well as in premium food and beverage areas. Teams can use loaded tickets to offer incentives to fans in certain sections or attract season ticket holders by storing data on each ticket, including cash value or vouchers for specific uses. Ticket purchasers can also use the loaded-ticket option to store cash value on their own tickets or on tickets being given as gifts.
The Quest VersaTerm and V-Touch hardware, along with more than 300 Symbol LS2208 barcode scanners by Motorola give the San Francisco Giants fans the ability to easily redeem loaded tickets at concession areas and from premium seats at AT&T Park.
Deciding to test the technology on a small, specific audience, the Giants unveiled the loaded-ticket program to season-ticket holders in the view-reserved infield seats at AT&T Park. By offering a $5 credit on each ticket, the team realized a 10 percent increase in renewals within the targeted section. The Giants knew this technology could keep them ahead of industry downturns, as baseball clubs around the country report drops in ticket sales.
When paired with the Quest solution, loaded tickets offer venues the opportunity to tailor special incentives to fans and increase sales. One great benefit of the Quest solution is its ability to seamlessly integrate with other programs creating a system that gives sports teams the ability to implement exciting and cutting edge offers to fans.
"Fans want something exciting and entertaining when they arrive at the ballpark," said Scott Kingsfield, president of the sports and entertainment division at Radiant Systems. "The Quest solution allows teams to be as creative as possible, without ever needing to change venue technology. We stay right in step with every idea and each new incentive."
About Radiant Systems, Inc.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Radiant Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: RADS) is a global provider of innovative technology to the hospitality and retail industries. For more than two decades, Radiant`s point of sale hardware and software solutions have helped to redefine the consumer experience in more than 100,000 restaurants, retail stores, stadiums, parks, arenas, cinemas, convenience stores, fuel centers and other customer-service venues. Radiant has offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit www.radiantsystems.com
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