Tickets.com is happy to announce that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are live with Facebook and Twitter integration!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Saskatchewan Roughriders Are Live with Social Media!
Tickets.com is happy to announce that the Saskatchewan Roughriders are live with Facebook and Twitter integration!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Dynamic Pricing Drives Significant Returns During 2011 MLB Season
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Qcue today announced the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) season was the most active season to date for dynamic pricing, resulting in significant gains for all clients, including increases in total revenues, full-price ticket sales and revenue per seat(1).
With the regular season now complete, Qcue conducted in depth analysis across clients, concluding that the frequency of price changes has a direct impact on incremental revenue. In fact, Qcue estimates that a team can generate an additional $900,000 in incremental revenue over the course of a season by making one additional change to each of its prices(2).
Results like this show why dynamic pricing is quickly becoming an industry standard with more than one-third of MLB teams, as well as teams across other leagues, implementing the practice. Qcues roster continues to grow, with the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners set to implement dynamic pricing for the 2012 season. Qcue clients now represent 95% of all dynamically priced baseball tickets.
On average, teams approached 2011 with conservative on-sale prices, often lower than previous years, providing substantial values for many fans.
Additional findings include:
Average price change per seat: $1.55 increase
Average percentage change per seat: 3% increase
Average price decrease: -$13.63
Average price increase: $3.27
The market has definitely hit a tipping point, where teams are no longer wondering if they should embrace dynamic pricing, but rather how often to leverage the intelligence and flexibility a solution like ours can provide to drive incremental revenue, said Barry Kahn, CEO of Qcue. Our analysis demonstrates the relationship between the frequency of price changes and incremental revenue and the value of understanding real-time market dynamics in setting more accurate prices. Teams that adjust prices more frequently make more money that can be invested back into the club.
In addition to regular season pricing, teams are finding ways to extend dynamic pricing to new scenarios such as spring training, which the San Francisco Giants successfully did this year in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Qcues turnkey software solution helps teams analyze sales data and other external pricing variables, providing sales and revenue projections, strong reporting capabilities, as well as market-based price recommendations. Additionally, integration capabilities remove the management burden teams often face by directly communicating price changes to the teams ticketing system and website. With Qcue, thousands of price changes take just a few minutes.
(1) Metrics do not reflect season ticket revenues, which are not used in dynamic pricing.
(2) A price is defined as a single section that is priced together and adjusted at the same time/rate.
Qcue today announced the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) season was the most active season to date for dynamic pricing, resulting in significant gains for all clients, including increases in total revenues, full-price ticket sales and revenue per seat(1).
With the regular season now complete, Qcue conducted in depth analysis across clients, concluding that the frequency of price changes has a direct impact on incremental revenue. In fact, Qcue estimates that a team can generate an additional $900,000 in incremental revenue over the course of a season by making one additional change to each of its prices(2).
Results like this show why dynamic pricing is quickly becoming an industry standard with more than one-third of MLB teams, as well as teams across other leagues, implementing the practice. Qcues roster continues to grow, with the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners set to implement dynamic pricing for the 2012 season. Qcue clients now represent 95% of all dynamically priced baseball tickets.
On average, teams approached 2011 with conservative on-sale prices, often lower than previous years, providing substantial values for many fans.
Additional findings include:
Average price change per seat: $1.55 increase
Average percentage change per seat: 3% increase
Average price decrease: -$13.63
Average price increase: $3.27
The market has definitely hit a tipping point, where teams are no longer wondering if they should embrace dynamic pricing, but rather how often to leverage the intelligence and flexibility a solution like ours can provide to drive incremental revenue, said Barry Kahn, CEO of Qcue. Our analysis demonstrates the relationship between the frequency of price changes and incremental revenue and the value of understanding real-time market dynamics in setting more accurate prices. Teams that adjust prices more frequently make more money that can be invested back into the club.
In addition to regular season pricing, teams are finding ways to extend dynamic pricing to new scenarios such as spring training, which the San Francisco Giants successfully did this year in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Qcues turnkey software solution helps teams analyze sales data and other external pricing variables, providing sales and revenue projections, strong reporting capabilities, as well as market-based price recommendations. Additionally, integration capabilities remove the management burden teams often face by directly communicating price changes to the teams ticketing system and website. With Qcue, thousands of price changes take just a few minutes.
(1) Metrics do not reflect season ticket revenues, which are not used in dynamic pricing.
(2) A price is defined as a single section that is priced together and adjusted at the same time/rate.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Big Ideas, but not Big Brother
By Joe Choti, CTO, Tickets.com & MLB Advanced Media (with help from Dave Brooks)
At Tickets.com, the focus for us right now is to make sure that ProVenue provides scalability, stabilization, reliability and speed. Those are big ones. We spent 2010 making sure we were stable in a myriad of different ways. Coming into our 2011 on-sale season, we have sufficiently rearchitectured the ticketing applications and the infrastructure so it stood on its own. Now we’re working on improving speed.
With ProVenue we’re able to plug into any partner’s API, whether that be StubHub, Qque, Digonex or Givex. It works for everybody. What we’re talking about is a state-of-the-art system that has the full capability to work with whatever anyone’s needs are.
If you take two ticketing clients who use the same platform in the same industry, they still won’t run their business exactly the same. The ticketing solution has to be a product that has a core offering that can manifest itself in different ways and different factions.
Transactional time is more important than ever. One of the things I emphasize to all my engineers is that they can sit there and tell me it only takes three seconds for the screen to ping, but so what. Moving it from a three-second ping to a one-second ping will make a huge difference.
As technologists our jobs are never done. It’s a book and it’s time to move on to the next chapter after you’re done with the current chapter.
Wireless devices give us new and exciting ways to sell tickets to events. I may have spare inventory to an event and I may know an individual is in proximity to that event and I may want to push them a campaign and remind them that Bon Jovi is in concert. Since their phone shows me they are local, I can send a simple one-click link to buy tickets and then they use their wireless device to gain entry.
It’s all about Push Notifications, GPS and CRM. These capabilities allow people to opt in and provide information about what types of fans they are. It’s important not to push too much and allow it to become wallpaper and noise and get ignored.
Technology is not big brother. People think that, but it’s not true. We’re taking advantage of technology that lets us know who the true fans are and make things easier for them. And it’s not done with the ‘Like’ button.
Source: October 2011 Venues Today
At Tickets.com, the focus for us right now is to make sure that ProVenue provides scalability, stabilization, reliability and speed. Those are big ones. We spent 2010 making sure we were stable in a myriad of different ways. Coming into our 2011 on-sale season, we have sufficiently rearchitectured the ticketing applications and the infrastructure so it stood on its own. Now we’re working on improving speed.
With ProVenue we’re able to plug into any partner’s API, whether that be StubHub, Qque, Digonex or Givex. It works for everybody. What we’re talking about is a state-of-the-art system that has the full capability to work with whatever anyone’s needs are.
If you take two ticketing clients who use the same platform in the same industry, they still won’t run their business exactly the same. The ticketing solution has to be a product that has a core offering that can manifest itself in different ways and different factions.
Transactional time is more important than ever. One of the things I emphasize to all my engineers is that they can sit there and tell me it only takes three seconds for the screen to ping, but so what. Moving it from a three-second ping to a one-second ping will make a huge difference.
As technologists our jobs are never done. It’s a book and it’s time to move on to the next chapter after you’re done with the current chapter.
Wireless devices give us new and exciting ways to sell tickets to events. I may have spare inventory to an event and I may know an individual is in proximity to that event and I may want to push them a campaign and remind them that Bon Jovi is in concert. Since their phone shows me they are local, I can send a simple one-click link to buy tickets and then they use their wireless device to gain entry.
It’s all about Push Notifications, GPS and CRM. These capabilities allow people to opt in and provide information about what types of fans they are. It’s important not to push too much and allow it to become wallpaper and noise and get ignored.
Technology is not big brother. People think that, but it’s not true. We’re taking advantage of technology that lets us know who the true fans are and make things easier for them. And it’s not done with the ‘Like’ button.
Source: October 2011 Venues Today
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
PRESS RELEASE: Tickets.com®, Inc. Selected as the Ticketing Technology Provider for the New York Mets®
Tickets.com, Inc. and the New York Mets today announced a long-term ticketing agreement anchored by ProVenue®, the industry’s most advanced ticketing technology.
This infrastructure enables third parties to seamlessly integrate with ProVenue to offer features, applications, and data management programs using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The platform approach gives the Mets the ability to determine which partners belong in their technological ecosystem to best support their season operations and initiatives including dynamic pricing, stored value, digital ticketing, loyalty and CRM programs.
“We had an opportunity to identify the best technology offering that would support our immediate and future business objectives,” said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, New York Mets. “After an exhaustive search, we determined that partnering with Tickets.com addresses our core ticketing needs and gives us flexibility to grow our business in innovative ways.”
Tickets.com also supports a host of complementary services that accommodates the varying purchase behaviors of sports fans. The Mets will utilize the ProVenueMobile™ m-commerce service to enable fans on the go to search, select, and purchase tickets in a highly-optimized experience on any Smartphone or tablet. When combined with the Tickets@Phone® delivery method, secure bar-coded tickets are delivered instantly via text message.
Upon launch, the Mets will become the first professional sports team in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area on the ProVenue platform. The Mets also will be the seventh MLB Club to use the technology.
Access the complete release.
This infrastructure enables third parties to seamlessly integrate with ProVenue to offer features, applications, and data management programs using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The platform approach gives the Mets the ability to determine which partners belong in their technological ecosystem to best support their season operations and initiatives including dynamic pricing, stored value, digital ticketing, loyalty and CRM programs.
“We had an opportunity to identify the best technology offering that would support our immediate and future business objectives,” said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, New York Mets. “After an exhaustive search, we determined that partnering with Tickets.com addresses our core ticketing needs and gives us flexibility to grow our business in innovative ways.”
Tickets.com also supports a host of complementary services that accommodates the varying purchase behaviors of sports fans. The Mets will utilize the ProVenueMobile™ m-commerce service to enable fans on the go to search, select, and purchase tickets in a highly-optimized experience on any Smartphone or tablet. When combined with the Tickets@Phone® delivery method, secure bar-coded tickets are delivered instantly via text message.
Upon launch, the Mets will become the first professional sports team in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area on the ProVenue platform. The Mets also will be the seventh MLB Club to use the technology.
Access the complete release.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Your Grandfather’s “White-label” is Old News
By John Walker, President & CEO, Tickets.com
Ticketing, sales and marketing professionals have been faced with making an either/or choice in the past – either selling through brand X (which leaves little room for your brand to extend through the sales flow of an online transaction) or employ a “white label” or “private label” solution that enables venues, teams or organizations to wrap their team colors or logos around a transaction engine.
One relatively new player in the space would have you believe that they are “introducing a white-label offering”, but the reality is that several companies have been offering “white-label” ticketing services for years. We’ve done it for a decade. Hell, come to think of it – EVERYBODY’s done it. And while on the surface this either/or decision (brand X vs. “white-label”) might suggest that all “white-label” offerings should be grouped together, frankly, there couldn’t be anything any further from the truth. The devil is in the details of…you guessed it, the technology.
The question you should be answering when choosing a platform for your business’s ticketing function is – what system will allow me to EXTEND MY BRAND versus just simply allowing me to affix my logo to a position on a banner? A subtle, but powerful distinction. Additionally, which of the “white-label” offerings best EXTENDS TECHNOLOGY in a way that meets or exceeds the vision I have for my organization? After all, selling tickets isn’t about how many bad email addresses you can ping – it’s about taking full advantage of CRM, dynamic pricing, wider distribution, stored value, online seat maps, mobility, social media, etc. And taking full advantage of these on your terms, I might add – not the terms dictated to you by your ticketing provider or it’s closed-system architecture.
Slapping your label on something that isn’t best of breed technology doesn’t cut it. You, and your organization, need and deserve more. Smart organizations are looking to power the EXTENSION of their brand, and their technological vision and we’re enabling our clients to do just that by opening the ProVenue platform with a series of APIs (Application Programming Interface)that allow true ticketing integrations. The first of these APIs will be available in early October and applications taking advantage of these early APIs will show up soon after.
A traditional nightly CRM data-feed and a “white-label” website used to be the best you could do. Now it’s old news.
Ticketing, sales and marketing professionals have been faced with making an either/or choice in the past – either selling through brand X (which leaves little room for your brand to extend through the sales flow of an online transaction) or employ a “white label” or “private label” solution that enables venues, teams or organizations to wrap their team colors or logos around a transaction engine.
One relatively new player in the space would have you believe that they are “introducing a white-label offering”, but the reality is that several companies have been offering “white-label” ticketing services for years. We’ve done it for a decade. Hell, come to think of it – EVERYBODY’s done it. And while on the surface this either/or decision (brand X vs. “white-label”) might suggest that all “white-label” offerings should be grouped together, frankly, there couldn’t be anything any further from the truth. The devil is in the details of…you guessed it, the technology.
The question you should be answering when choosing a platform for your business’s ticketing function is – what system will allow me to EXTEND MY BRAND versus just simply allowing me to affix my logo to a position on a banner? A subtle, but powerful distinction. Additionally, which of the “white-label” offerings best EXTENDS TECHNOLOGY in a way that meets or exceeds the vision I have for my organization? After all, selling tickets isn’t about how many bad email addresses you can ping – it’s about taking full advantage of CRM, dynamic pricing, wider distribution, stored value, online seat maps, mobility, social media, etc. And taking full advantage of these on your terms, I might add – not the terms dictated to you by your ticketing provider or it’s closed-system architecture.
Slapping your label on something that isn’t best of breed technology doesn’t cut it. You, and your organization, need and deserve more. Smart organizations are looking to power the EXTENSION of their brand, and their technological vision and we’re enabling our clients to do just that by opening the ProVenue platform with a series of APIs (Application Programming Interface)that allow true ticketing integrations. The first of these APIs will be available in early October and applications taking advantage of these early APIs will show up soon after.
A traditional nightly CRM data-feed and a “white-label” website used to be the best you could do. Now it’s old news.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Endless Summer
By Tim Snyder, VP, Service Delivery, Tickets.com
As another summer in the Midwest starts winding down, I’m reminded of the years I spent working in the box office at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It certainly changed my concept of summer. We typically worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week, from May through September. While most of my friends were off boating, fishing, swimming or vacationing at the beach, I would be in the middle of a run of both concerts and orchestra events that would seemingly never end. To make matters worse, everyone that walked by my window was on their way to see their favorite artist play for the next three hours while I had to deal with irate customers who forgot their tickets at home or never made it onto the guest list. While a walk up crowd of five thousand made the promoters jump for joy, it was hours of borderline insanity in the box office.
It is with respect and sometimes awe that I view my colleagues that work tirelessly each and every summer – whether it be at a summer amphitheater or for a baseball team. They give up something that most of us take for granted – summer, and all the joy and fun that goes with it.
So this month, I tip my hat to all those box office warriors out there who make sure the rest of the world gets into the ballpark, arena or amphitheater on time each and every day all summer long. Without you, none of us would ever make it through the gate.
As another summer in the Midwest starts winding down, I’m reminded of the years I spent working in the box office at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It certainly changed my concept of summer. We typically worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week, from May through September. While most of my friends were off boating, fishing, swimming or vacationing at the beach, I would be in the middle of a run of both concerts and orchestra events that would seemingly never end. To make matters worse, everyone that walked by my window was on their way to see their favorite artist play for the next three hours while I had to deal with irate customers who forgot their tickets at home or never made it onto the guest list. While a walk up crowd of five thousand made the promoters jump for joy, it was hours of borderline insanity in the box office.
It is with respect and sometimes awe that I view my colleagues that work tirelessly each and every summer – whether it be at a summer amphitheater or for a baseball team. They give up something that most of us take for granted – summer, and all the joy and fun that goes with it.
So this month, I tip my hat to all those box office warriors out there who make sure the rest of the world gets into the ballpark, arena or amphitheater on time each and every day all summer long. Without you, none of us would ever make it through the gate.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Those Were Good Times....
Mike Duffy, Director, Product Development, Tickets.com
Ask anyone that knew me in high school (and I mean anyone) if they thought that someday I would be a DJ and the General Manager of a radio station and they would laugh in your face.
I entered UC Irvine as a very shy nerdy kid quite unprepared for the college experience. I took the bold step of signing up to be a radio DJ at KUCI and after a few weeks of training I was on the air, terrified, but on the air. I have no idea how many people were really listening at the time but slowly I gained more confidence. My shows featured everything from soft jazz to punk to classical to folk music to spoken work to 30 minutes of a tuba playing one evolving note(it was college radio after all).
I eventually worked up to Training Director and even did color commentary and play-by-play for exciting Anteater basketball. This was the era of Kevin Magee and Scotty Brooks (current coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA). Much like John Rizzi, I DJ’d dances and parties and yes, The Romantics were always a hit.
For two years I also had the pleasure of serving as General Manager and leading a finicky crew of over 100 volunteers running the station.
Those were good times….
Ask anyone that knew me in high school (and I mean anyone) if they thought that someday I would be a DJ and the General Manager of a radio station and they would laugh in your face.
I entered UC Irvine as a very shy nerdy kid quite unprepared for the college experience. I took the bold step of signing up to be a radio DJ at KUCI and after a few weeks of training I was on the air, terrified, but on the air. I have no idea how many people were really listening at the time but slowly I gained more confidence. My shows featured everything from soft jazz to punk to classical to folk music to spoken work to 30 minutes of a tuba playing one evolving note(it was college radio after all).
I eventually worked up to Training Director and even did color commentary and play-by-play for exciting Anteater basketball. This was the era of Kevin Magee and Scotty Brooks (current coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA). Much like John Rizzi, I DJ’d dances and parties and yes, The Romantics were always a hit.
For two years I also had the pleasure of serving as General Manager and leading a finicky crew of over 100 volunteers running the station.
Those were good times….
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