Tickets.com

Tickets.com® Signs Long Term Agreement to Provide Ticketing System for International Speedway Corporation Racetracks

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:03:00 +0000

Thirteen racing venues will move ticketing operations to Tickets.com's ProVenue® platform

Tickets.com, Inc., a leading provider of integrated ticketing solutions, has signed a long term agreement with ISC.com, LLC a subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), to provide a ticketing platform and related services to all ISC properties. ISC owns and/or operates 13 of the nation's major motorsports entertainment facilities, including Daytona International Speedway® in Florida, home of the Daytona 500®. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Following an extensive research effort in which all major ticketing providers participated, ISC selected Tickets.com’s ProVenue® platform to replace their current in-house ticketing system used at 11of the 13 facilities. The other 2 facilities, Chicagoland Speedway® and Route 66 RacewaySM, were operating on Ticketmaster’s Archtics software. Chicagoland Speedway®, Route 66 RacewaySM, and The Kansas Speedway®, were the first tracks converted to the ProVenue System under the new agreement.

ISC and its subsidiaries promote more than 100 racing events and sells millions of tickets annually. Consequently, the company required a ticketing platform capable of handling high volume transactions for major events. “Our goal was to find a solution that will provide a positive ticket-purchasing experience for our fans, with the technology to handle our significant sales volume,” said ISC Vice President, Multi-Channel Marketing and Chief Information Officer Craig Neeb. “The ProVenue ticketing system has the capabilities we were looking for. It also offers interactive seat maps, browser-style interfaces and complete system scalability.”

“ISC's position as a world leader in motorsports entertainment with demanding ticketing requirements makes this partnership extremely rewarding for us,” said Larry Witherspoon, Chief Executive Officer, Tickets.com. The company’s selection of ProVenue, after an intense assessment of all other product offerings in the market, confirms that ProVenue is the most technologically advanced ticketing system currently available.”

By selecting Tickets.com, ISC will be able to retain centralized ticketing operations for its properties.

Metropolis Spreads Holiday Cheer with a New (and Still Traditional) Christmas Carol and Dysfunctional Revue

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:29:00 +0000

There is no better way to celebrate the holidays than with Metropolis Performing Arts Centre’s family classic A Christmas Carol, running November 27 – December 24, 2009. Metropolis is proud to present its annual holiday tale, one of the only professional adult productions in the region. This year’s production features 19 new actors and two returning standouts, redesigned special effects, new costumes and big, new musical dance numbers. It’s perfect for the whole family.

Metropolis freshens up its holiday production, of the traditional family tale written by Charles Dickens, with adaptation by Krista Scott and musical arrangements by George Maurer. Don’t miss Tiny Tim, the Cratchit family and everyone’s favorite old miser Scrooge in this fun, bright, musical retelling of the beloved holiday tale. It’s perfect for the whole family. Appropriate for all ages.

Director Brad Dunn works with an amazing cast, many of whom call the northwest suburbs home. Steve Lehtman of Buffalo Grove moves to the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge, having spent the past four years playing The Ghost of Bob Marley. The production also includes rising stars Michael DeMarco (Peter Cratchit) of Arlington Heights and Amy Rapp (Martha Cratchit/Past) of Schaumburg, and Alexander Denniston of Arlington Heights, Victoria Tchalakov of Kildeer and Emily Turner of Sleepy Hollow, all sharing the role of Tiny Tim. The cast also includes a children’s chorus comprised of over 45 young actors from the northwest suburbs.

"Christmas Carol at Metropolis has truly become a part of the holiday tradition for families in the Northwest suburbs," said Jarvis. "We're really excited about this year's production. We still have the wonderful music, the colorful period costumes, great special effects for the ghosts and it still snows on the audience at the end of the show, but we also have an almost all new cast and new (yet seasoned) director who bring a fresh perspective to the show. It's a great combination that will result in yet another fun, memorable outing for kids young and not so young."

Preview performances of A Christmas Carol are November 27 – November 28, 2009. Opening day is Sunday, November 29 at 4 P.M. The show runs through December 24, 2009. Specific dates and times listed below. Tickets are $28.50, 12 & under $15.50. Half price tickets are available at the Box Office the day of the performance to students presenting a valid student ID. A Christmas Carol is proudly sponsored by The Peoples’ Bank of Arlington Heights.

A Christmas Carol is directed by Brad Dunn, Music Director is Ken McMullen, and choreography is by Kristen Gurbach Jacobson. Designers are Bill Franz (Resident Sound Designer), Vicky Strei (Resident Costume Designer), Micky York (Resident Properties Designer), Joe Mohammed (Resident Lighting Designer) with Mike Wagner as assistant lighting designer. . Robin M. Hughes is the Artistic Director/Director of Production, Resident Technical Director is Mike Gehmlich, The Executive Director of Metropolis is Jim Jarvis.

Second City delivers big holiday laughs

The Second City returns to Metropolis with their famed, hilarious, Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue. A few pieces of classic, favorite material, lots of new scenes, all funny, and NOT seen downtown at Second City. Metropolis’ presentation of the The Second City’s Dysfunctional Holiday Revue has been a favorite holiday stop for adults looking to find the humor amidst the stress of the holidays. Irreverent, insightful and legendary, seeing The Second City at Metropolis means a great show at a great price, in a cool urban setting with free parking and great restaurants all around.

Let’s face it, no holiday is perfect. Now, The Second City takes the awkwardness of family get-togethers, kookiness of office parties and general madness of the holiday season and turns it all into laughs with their Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue. We can all relate to shopping woes, annoying carolers and burnt turkey dinners; and now we can enjoy The Second City’s hilarious take on the holidays. Contains adult language and content. Not recommended for children or young teens.

A preview performances of The Second City’s Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue is November 27, 2009 at 10 P.M. Opening night is November 28 at 7 P.M. The show runs through December 30, 2009. Specific dates and times listed below. Tickets are $29.50, Stage Tables $34.50. The Second City’s Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue is proudly sponsored by Fuego Mexican Grill and Margarita Bar.

There will also be New Year’s Eve performances of The Second City’s Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue at 6 & 10 P.M., including a champagne toast, party favors and, at the late show, a balloon drop. Tickets for the New Year’s Eve shows are $50, Stage Tables $60.

A Christmas Carol and The Second City’s Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue are part of Metropolis’ Holiday series. Holiday performances begin the week of Thanksgiving and continue through the end of the year, making the holidays some of the most exciting times at Metropolis. More Holiday performers include The Illinois Brass Band, The Lakeside Singers, Metropolis Youth Symphony’s Holiday Show and Corky Siegel & Megon McDonough.

The title sponsor for A Christmas Carol is The Peoples’ Bank of Arlington Heights. The title sponsor for The Second City’s Exceedingly Dysfunctional Holiday Revue is Fuego Mexican Grill & Margaritas. In addition, Metropolis receives generous sponsorship from the Daily Herald, American Airlines, FastSigns of Arlington Heights, and Doubletree Hotel of Arlington Heights and Stella Artois.

Metropolis is located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest suburbs in downtown Arlington Heights at the intersection of Campbell and Vail Avenue (111 West Campbell Street). Street parking is available. Free parking is available in the public garage behind the theatre. For more information about Metropolis and a complete 2008/2009 performance schedule, go to MetropolisArts.com or call the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

Mobile Devices and Shopping: Shop.org Research Results

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Shop.org
Fiona Swerdlow

According to research conducted by Shop.org that interviewed nearly 7,000 people, approximately half of the 18 to 34 year-old participants enjoy product and price comparisons, store information, in-store events and specials, product availability, and coupons via their mobile phones. Scoring only slightly lower, female respondents also view similar shopping functionality as very useful.

Read more >

Retailers Are Learning to Love Smartphones

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:51:00 +0000

As apps have improved, m-commerce—buying all kinds of things via iPhone and BlackBerry—is rising

Business Week
By Reena Jana

People are using their smartphones for more than just making calls, sending e-mails, or watching YouTube (GOOG) videos. The fastest-growing cell-phone activity is shopping directly from a handset, reports market researcher Gartner (IT). Retailers from Amazon (AMZN) to CVS (CVS) to Sears (SHLD) have recently launched "m-commerce" sites or software applications that allow shoppers to browse and buy books, medicine, or even lawn mowers from their iPhones and BlackBerrys. "It's in-and-out, surgical-style shopping behavior" influenced by the recessionary need to focus on necessities, says Thomas Emmons, head of the mobile innovation group at Sears.

Some of the iPhone apps enable mobile shoppers to do even more. While strolling among the bookcases at a brick-and-mortar Barnes & Noble (BKS) store, people can use the Apple (AAPL) smartphone to snap a photo of the latest Jim Collins management title, for example. Image-recognition software triggers an algorithm to recognize the product in a database. The software then pulls up user reviews from Barnesandnoble.com on the handset's screen almost instantly to help shoppers decide whether to buy or pass. "We've seen a huge uplift in reservations of books for purchase in physical stores, as well as buying, from the iPhone app since we launched it," says Douglas Gottlieb, the retail chain's vice-president for digital devices.

In the travel industry, companies are using m-commerce to target businesspeople who need to purchase plane tickets and book hotel rooms while in transit. In the first four months after Marriott International (MAR) launched an m-commerce application for all smartphones, in August 2008, customers used it to spend $2 million even as overall travel expenditures slumped.

Why is m-commerce suddenly capturing the attention of retailers and consumers? "Shoppers now have the ability to buy on their phones easily as retailers are starting to get the design of iPhone and other applications right," says Gartner analyst Hung LeHong. Shop-by-phone consumers can pick up purchases in stores or have them shipped home or to a hotel without logging on to computers or interacting with salespeople.

M-commerce software specialists say business is surging. Jason Taylor, senior vice-president for mobile products at New York's Usablenet, which created m-commerce sites for Sears, Limited Brands (LTD), American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), and CVS, says it has signed three times more contracts in the past quarter than in previous periods. With more people buying smartphones—Gartner's latest worldwide sales data show a 12.7% increase in units sold in the first quarter of 2009 from a year earlier—the m-commerce market is likely to keep growing.

Austin Technology Incubator's Qcue Receives $1 Million Investment From State of Texas

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:39:00 +0000

The State of Texas has awarded $1,000,000 to Qcue, a member company of the Austin Technology Incubator, through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The investment was announced today at the Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization.

Qcue develops dynamic pricing software that helps sports and entertainment organizations adjust ticket prices to evolving market conditions. In early 2009, Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants became the first professional sports franchise to implement Qcue’s dynamic pricing solution. The success of the Giants’ dynamic pricing initiative has led to deals with other major league organizations, including a recent announcement with the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars.

“This investment from the State of Texas makes a big statement about the positive impact innovative pricing strategies can have on consumers and local economies,” said Barry Kahn, CEO of Qcue. “We look forward to helping more organizations implement creative, cost-effective pricing strategies to get more fans out to ballparks and stadiums across the country.”

Qcue joined the Austin Technology Incubator in May 2008. “Qcue is what the Emerging Technology Fund is all about: taking innovation from the university environment and getting it into companies where it can have a breakthrough impact,” said Isaac Barchas, Director of The Austin Technology Incubator.

The ETF is a $200 million initiative created by the Texas Legislature in 2005. Qcue was awarded the funds after an in-depth analysis of the company’s market and financial opportunity, technology potential, management team and economic impact to Texas.

About Qcue
Qcue is reinventing the primary ticket marketplace with the world’s only dynamic pricing engine for live entertainment events. Sports teams, concert promoters and venues use Qcue ‘s patent-pending technology to set the right price at the right time and provide the best value for fans, from the date of on-sale to the date of the event. Customers and partners include the San Francisco Giants, Dallas Stars, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, and Tickets.com. Founded in 2007, Qcue is based in Austin, Texas. For more information on Qcue, visit www.qcue.net.

About The Austin Technology Incubator
The Austin Technology Incubator is a nonprofit unit of The University of Texas at Austin that harnesses business, government and academic resources to provide strategic counsel, operational guidance and infrastructure support to its member companies to help them transition from early stage ventures to successful technology businesses.

Since its founding in 1989, ATI has worked with over 200 companies, helping them raise close to $750 million in investor capital. ATI is a key program of the IC² Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. For more information, visit www.ati.utexas.edu.

About The Gulf Coast RCIC
HTC serves as the Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (Gulf Coast RCIC) for Texas Governor Rick Perry’s Emerging Technology Fund, assisting small to mid-size technology firms expediting the commercialization of new life-changing inventions and improving research at Texas universities. To date, the Gulf Coast RCIC helped 16 Gulf Coast region companies raise nearly $15 million in grants from the Fund.

Jewel Concert Tickets Now on Sale for Show at Bottleneck Blues Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg announces the appearance of renowned recording artist Jewel performing at the Bottleneck Blues Bar on Saturday, November 7.

Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg announces the appearance of renowned recording artist Jewel performing at the Bottleneck Blues Bar on Saturday, November 7. Concert tickets are on sale now for Jewel, a folksy story teller and entertainer. Don’t miss Jewel’s performance at Vicksburg’s own Bottleneck Blues Bar. This is a one-night only performance.

Hailed as a “New Woman of Rock” by Time magazine, singer Jewel combines rock and country music to create her own unique niche as a songwriter. Jewel’s big hits include “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant For Me,” and “Foolish Games.” Jewel concert tickets are available at tickets.com, Jeweljk.com, or the Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg's Bottleneck Blues Bar.

• Singer Jewel solo and acoustic
• Saturday, November 7 ,Bottleneck Blues Bar-Vicksburg, MS
• Doors open 6:30 show begins 7:30
• Ticket Prices $45.50-$50.50
• Purchase Jewel concert tickets at tickets.com
• Special VIP backstage package available at Jeweljk.com

Vicksburg Bottleneck Blues Bar Welcomes Singer-Songwriter Jewel

Jewel concert tickets are on sale now for her performance at Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg’s Bottleneck Blues Bar. A perfect weekend getaway, Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg is a full-service hotel. Guests can enjoy Vegas-style shows, live music entertainment at the Bottleneck Blues Bar and delicious Southern-style cuisine. The newly renovated Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg offers guests many amenities including LCD flat screen televisions, wireless high speed Internet access, and a 70,000 square-foot riverboat casino keeps the action going.

Don’t delay, purchase your Jewel concert tickets for her live and acoustic performance on Saturday, November 7, at the Bottleneck Blues Bar. Plan your weekend excursion of fun and excitement at Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg today! For more information about upcoming shows at Bottleneck Blues Bar and Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg, Miss., visit: http://www.ameristar.com/Vicksburg.aspx

Tickets.com partner Usablenet makes inroads into the mobile ticketing arena

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:08:00 +0000

TicketNews
Kelly McWilliams

Usablenet's mobile platform, a tool long familiar to travelers and commuters, is beginning to make its mark in the mobile ticketing world.

Launched in 2000, Usablenet sought to translate web material into a mobile-friendly product for consumers. The company, with offices in both New York City and Udine, Italy, worked first with Amtrak to offer passengers cutting edge web-to-mobile service. Initially, it remained in the service of the traveling population, soon starting accounts with air travel providers such as Jet Blue and hotel chains such as Hilton Hotels. Next was a foray into the world of commuters, translating the Web sites of transit companies into mobile for their daily riders.

Most recently the company has been working with retailers such as CVS, Staples, Victoria’s Secret and American Eagle, and in the past year, it has added two major ticketers, Telecharge and Tickets.com, to its list of clients.

As Jason Taylor, Usablenet’s VP of Mobile Products, explained: “What Usablenet mobile allows our clients to do is to…identify anything on their Web site that they want to offer to their mobile users. Usablenet then goes about extending that and becoming the client’s mobile partner.” Much of the company’s technology has come from its earlier efforts to provide web-to-mobile service for the disabled, which the company now markets as a separate package entitled Usablenet Assistive.

Taylor highlighted four qualities of Usablenet’s platform that defines it as unique in today’s mobile and ticketing markets. “First, it requires no IT development or backend coding, so all [the client has] to have is a website. Second, it supports all mobile phones worldwide, as long as a phone is web-enabled. Third, we have a very fast delivery mechanism of 6-8 weeks. And fourth, there is no functionality (of a website) that we can’t make mobile.”

Discussing the relatively new relationship that Usablenet enjoys with Tickets.com and Telecharge, Taylor said, “The general idea is that, especially with Tickets.com, [we are] a vehicle for two specific things. One is last minute tickets, to take advantage of deals when you are not near a computer. Also, if you are on the road or visiting a town, you can buy tickets for that town. Moments when you’re not near your computer make mobile a powerful solution.”

When asked about the transferability of tickets from Tickets.com and Telecharge through Usablenet mobile services, Taylor noted that Usablenet provides the technology only and has no control over the nature of services offered by the web client: “The way that our platform works is it extends the business features of our clients. Whatever those sites offer in terms of benefits or transfer options, then those are available to the mobile customer.”

Derek Palmer, Chief Commercial Officer for Tickets.com, notes that Usablenet has been providing web-to-mobile services for the company since November of 2008, and that Tickets.com has been pleased with the relationship.

“What they offer is not just a generic flow but also a customized look and feel, the same look and feel as the website. It’s a real advantage from a branding perspective. [It leaves the] consumer feeling comfortable that they are dealing with the organization’s site,” Palmer said.

As for transferability of tickets, that is still a work in progress. “Nobody’s doing that currently,” Palmer added, “though there’s nothing from a technology standpoint that would prevent someone from doing that, as long as there was an integration with a reseller and the primary ticketing provider. We have an integration with StubHub [in their relationship with] Major League Baseball, but we have not gone down the path of doing mobile with them.”

After starting discussions with Usablenet a year and a half ago, Telecharge came on board this past summer. Jennifer Tattenbaum, Interactive Services Director for Telecharge, has also seen the benefits of going mobile.

“I had been focused on [use of] the mobile site for customer service, to check the address of your venue, to get info about an event. I thought that people would be hesitant to input their credit card number into a mobile device, so I didn’t picture it as something that would generate ticket sales. A lot has changed in a year and a half, and it’s turned into a sales channel.” As for transferability, mobile tickets from Telecharge are bound by the same restrictions as those purchased on the Telecharge Web site, and so are non-transferable. Tattenbaum declined to comment on the reasons why Telecharge does not offer a transferable product at this time.

Chicago Cubs Convention tix go on sale Nov. 4

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:35:00 +0000

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com

Need a baseball fix this winter? Weekend passes for the 25th annual Cubs Convention to be held in January go on sale Nov. 4, at 10 a.m. CT.

Passes will be available for purchase through two methods: Visiting cubs.com or by calling tickets.com at 1-800-THE-CUBS.

The Cubs Convention will be held from Jan. 15-17 at the Hilton Chicago, on 720 South Michigan Ave. Each fan can purchase up to four weekend passes. The convention pass, valid for entry during the entire weekend, costs $60 plus convenience fees.

The convention runs from 3-9 p.m. on Jan. 15; 9 a.m. to midnight on Jan. 16; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 17. Included with each pass is access to all autograph/photo sessions, question and answer sessions, the memorabilia and vendor booths as well as new interactive areas for fans of all ages.

Rooms at the Hilton are still available for the weekend and fans can call (312) 922-4400 for reservations. Fans with room reservations under the Cubs Convention rate can purchase weekend passes for $20 each. There is a limit of four per room.

Proceeds from the Convention benefit Cubs Care, a fund of the McCormick Foundation. The 2009 Cubs Convention raised more than $250,000. To date, the Cubs Convention has raised nearly $4 million for Cubs Care.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

More seats on sale for Alan Jackson’s Nov. 7 Tulsa show

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:01:00 +0000

BAM's Blog
Brandy McDonnell

The BOK Center announced today that additional seats are on sale for Alan Jackson’s Nov. 7 concert at the Tulsa arena, 200 S Denver.

“These are seats near the side of stage and allow for a great view,” according to the press announcement from the BOK Center.

The concert, featuring up-and-coming band Gloriana as the opening act, is almost sold out, according to the release.

The show will start at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

Tickets can be bought online at www.bokcenter.com, at Tickets.com, at the venue’s Arby’s Box Office, at all Tickets.com outlets, or by phone at (866) 7BOKCTR.

Mobile Web growing beyond the traditional boundaries

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:11:00 +0000

Mobile Marketer
Chris Harnick

According to Nielsen, unique mobile Web users increased by 14.4% this past year. Youths between the ages of 13 and 17 who now use the mobile Web grew by 45% and 67% for seniors over age 65. Lead analyst of mobile media at Nielsen added, "This [interactive medium] affords brands the opportunity to integrate mobile into their broader campaign efforts to forge the personalized experience that uniquely comes with mobile by providing the right message at the right place."

Read more >

AQHA’s World Championship Show returns to Oklahoma City on November 6.

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:18:00 +0000

The American Quarter Horse Journal

For 16 days in November, Oklahoma City will host the top American Quarter Horses from around the world that will be competing at the American Quarter Horse Association’s Bank of America Amateur and FedEx Open World Championship Show. The competition gets underway November 6 at State Fair Park. American Quarter Horses will display their world-renowned versatility as they vie for 94 world championship titles.

The 2009 World Show entries are complete and working orders are now available. This year, AQHA received 3,464 entries for the 2009 World Show compared to 3,498 in 2008. Entries were received from 46 states, six Canadian provinces, Brazil, France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. With 2,102 horses slated to compete, the Oklahoma City economy will see a boost of more than $30.9 million from exhibitors and spectators.

Through the generosity of Bank of America, FedEx and other AQHA corporate partners, $600,000 of added money is up for grabs. The horses will compete for world champion titles and a share of more than $2.7 million in cash and awards. Building on the success of last year, the 2009 World Show will utilize the Performance Arena for preliminaries in some classes. All finals will be contested in Jim Norick State Fair Arena.

Back by popular demand, the spotlight will shine on the equine stars at this year’s World Show as AQHA crowns the Most Valuable Horses in six divisions. The MVH Awards recognize the highest point-earning horses in the open divisions of Western (western pleasure, western riding and trail classes); Roping (heading, heeling and tie-down); English (hunter under saddle, hunter hack, working hunter, pleasure driving and jumping); Pattern/Cow (cutting, reining and working cow horse); Speed (barrel racing and pole bending) and Timed (ranch sorting and team penning). MVH winners will each receive $5,000 cash and special recognition at the show.

The Featherlite All-Around Amateur and Superhorse awards remain the most prestigious honors and will be presented to the horse earning the most points in a minimum of three events in two categories in amateur and open competition, respectively. The winners will receive a $25,000 certificate toward the purchase of a Featherlite trailer and other prizes.

AQHA is concerned about the health and well-being of its membership and is teaming with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center to provide free health screenings on November 17 in Barn 3 by the Sales Pavilion. For the third year, AQHA and OUHSC are also hosting Saddle Up For Life, an event that recognizes cancer survivors and raises money for cancer care. This year, Saddle Up For Life will be held Friday, November 13.

From horsewares to housewares, this year’s AQHA Trade Show is sure to fulfill all your holiday shopping needs. The trade show features more than 130 booths with unique items and is too big for just one building. Visit the free trade show 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. November 6-10 and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. November 11-21 in the Travel & Transportation Building and the Cox Pavilion at State Fair Park.

The American Quarter Horse Journal, the ultimate source for American Quarter Horse information, will provide extensive online coverage of the World Show. Along with exclusive feature stories about world champions and unique competitors, The Journal will stream live video from State Fair Arena via the Fort Dodge Web cam and provide up-to-the-minute show results. Be sure to stop by the SmartPak Internet Café from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day in Conference Room C in the Super Barn, where show attendees can check their e-mail and view the latest Journal show coverage.

America’s Horse.TV, AQHA’s online television network also will feature highlights from the World Show. Be sure to check americashorse.tv for World Show coverage and other features from the American Quarter Horse industry.

Tickets are on sale now. General admittance tickets are available for $7 and reserved seating for $10. For more information about purchasing tickets through State Fair Park, call OK Tickets at (405) 948-6827. Tickets also may be purchased online at tickets.com. Limited individual box seat tickets are available for $12. For individual box seat sales, call (405) 948-6807.

The Bank of America Amateur and FedEx Open World Championship Show is the largest single-breed world championship horse show in the world. The exciting competition begins November 6 and continues through November 21 at State Fair Park. For the latest information including schedules and details of special events, visit www.aqha.com.

AQHA news and information is a service of AQHA publications. For more information on The American Quarter Horse Journal, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal or America’s Horse, visit www.aqha.com/magazines.

How Brands Can Build a Successful App Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:48:00 +0000

12 Lessons From Benjamin Moore, Bank of America, Kraft and Others

Advertising Age
Kuner Patel

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- More than a year into the age of the iPhone app, brands are starting to get on board -- and best practices are emerging. At Wednesday's Apps for Brands event in New York, marketers taught other marketers what's worked for them. Here are 12 lessons culled from the day, during which MLB.com CEO Bob Bowman and marketers from Kraft, Bank of America, Benjamin Moore and AKQA convened to talk about what they've learned from their early, successful forays into the space.

Apps must be real-time
People's expectations of apps, especially paid ones, are high. When it comes to streaming video or stats, don't provide content on mobile that's inferior to what the web or TV offers. It must update in real time. "The notion of the one-minute delay is unacceptable," said Bob Bowman, president-CEO, MLB.com. "If you don't have real-time content, you're dead."

Make it easy for consumers to pay
Take advantage of properties such as iTunes and mobile providers such as Verizon that have the infrastructure and back-end know-how to take payments from app users. When it comes to MLB.com's paid app, the vast majority of purchases come through tried-and-true mobile-commerce providers instead of directly through MLB.com. "Partner with people who know how to collect money," said Mr. Bowman. And when it comes to figuring out how much to charge, it's easier to drop the price than to increase it, or move from free to paid. "If it doesn't work, take it down, rework it, try it again," he said.

Integrate feedback quickly
People will point out flaws in your app on the web. That feedback is an asset. Adjust your app as quickly as possible and send through an update. "All feedback is important, but on our app it's especially valuable," said Mr. Bowman. "When we went from offering two free [live-streamed] games to one, we heard about it immediately. We went back to two games the next day."

'This is not the wired web'
Mr. Bowman urges that marketers and publishers to not make the same mistakes in mobile that have been made on the internet -- and that means forcing ads into every spot they can. On mobile, click-through isn't the only metric that matters. Are people recommending your app? Or trashing it on Twitter? "We measure click-throughs, but we don't measure pissed off," said Mr. Bowman, referring to when MLB put an intrusive ad into its At Bat app.

People will pay for value...
Zagat's iPhone app is the 77th top-grossing app in the Apps Store, out of 58,000. MLB charges $9.99 to download the At Bat app, 99 cents to watch streaming video of games; it has 400,000 users. And Kraft charged 99 cents for its iFood app, promoting the notion that what it's offering was something of value. Additionally, pointed out Ed Kaczmarek, Kraft's director of innovation and new services, making an app paid allows you to offer future in-app commerce and subscription opportunities that just aren't available in a free app.

...But free works to drives sales for your endemic product
Benjamin Moore's Ben Color Capture app was built to build brand awareness for its subbrand Ben, as well as to drive traffic to stores. "We haven't accomplished anything until we sell paint," said Carl Minchew, director of product development, Benjamin Moore. The app lets users snap a photo of something in the world and than matches colors in the photo to paint shades in the brand's library. If that inspires a paint purchase, the app uses GPS to direct users to the nearest retailer.

Apps need to be part of an integrated message
AKQA, a digital agency that has created apps for clients such as Gap, Nike and Smirnoff, sells apps as part of marketing ideas and integrated campaigns, instead of as one-off projects, said Rei Inamoto, the agency's chief creative officer. The app then becomes integrated with the agency's thinking or larger programs, instead of something a freelancer or developer could do cheaper.

Utility, frequency and viral distinguish long-term success
They are the qualities that get an app noticed in the new app economy, said Aileen Lee, of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Partner, who works with the firm's $100 million iFund. For apps to become a sustainable business, they need to provide instant utility, have a high frequency of use and encourage word of mouth and network pass-along. How rare these qualities? IFund has funded only seven mobile ideas out of more than 3,300 proposals. Kraft's Mr. Kaczmarek is also valuing frequency: "Engagement is better than downloads," he said. "I'd rather have 100 engaged consumers than 1,000 downloads."

People find apps through other people
"Word of mouth is powerful in the app world," said Matt Galligan, CEO and co-founder of SimpleGeo, formerly CrashCorp. "If you talk to someone with similar interests, you can find the right app for you." Similarly, Mr. Kaczmarek said that word of mouth, social media and PR made up the most successful marketing for the brand's iFood app. Kraft also used e-mail, traditional print and online banners to drive app downloads. "Your point of differentiation is so important to cut through the clutter," he said. "No matter how small that point may be, it's important to highlight it."

Use existing assets to market your app
Reach out to your existing customers to trial your app using proprietary media, as both Kraft and Bank of America did. The latter promotes its iPhone app on BankofAmerica.com and via its phone-based customer service force, which advises callers to use the app to access 24/7 information on their accounts.

App marketing needs to be targeted
"We're not doing big blowout campaigns for our app," said Jen McDonald, digitial marketing exec, Bank of America. "We're being very targeted on mobile." And that kind of advertising -- such as targeting mobile ads to particular types of handset users -- has resulted in at least 50,000 downloads of Bank of Amercia's mobile app, she said. As the number of apps in the App store has grown, that strategy won't change. And rather than spread the ad dollars allocated to promoting an app out over a longer period of time, do shorter marketing blitzes, advised Tony Nethercutt, VP-sales at AdMob. That will create surges in downloads. "Getting ranked in the app store is critical -- it's the No. 1 way people discover new apps, but that ranking is based on downloads," he said.

Don't discount the iPod Touch
"It's a sleeping giant," said Kraft's Mr. Kaczmarek. According to AdMob metrics, for example, iPod Touch users download 16.4 free apps and two paid apps per month; the average iPhone user downloads 7.6 free and 2.6 paid apps.

~ ~ ~
Abbey Klaassen contributed to this report.

The Carolina Opry Christmas Special - The Holiday Show of the South – Myrtle Beach, SC

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:12:00 +0000

The first nightly Christmas Special on the Grand Strand – and still the grandest of them all. The Carolina Opry has been a family tradition for 23 years, bringing the spirit of Christmas to life with music, comedy and dance. As one patron said, “I feel like I glow when I walk out.”

Award winning producer, director, and performer Calvin Gilmore says, “Right now, families need light-hearted entertainment more than ever before. We are pulling out all the stops to make this the most amazing, funny, warm, and wonderful show that you have ever seen.”

Since 1986, The Carolina Opry Christmas Special has been voted Best Holiday Show in every poll at the beach, and it reigns supreme as the “Christmas Show of the South.” Look for new music, fresh comedy, and stunning costumes to amaze and delight in the 2009 edition of the show, as well as the traditional holiday music that you know and love.

The excitement begins on November 2 and will run through January 2, 2010, with regular evening performances and selectively scheduled matinees. Make sure that your group sees the real thing – the 24th annual Carolina Opry Christmas Special.
For The Carolina Opry group information, call 800-633-1508 or visit the website at www.TheCarolinaOpry.com.

Tickets.com Partner Mobiqa Named in Tech Media Invest Top 100

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Mobiqa are chosen as one of Tech Media Invest 2009’s Top 100 Companies

Mobiqa, world leader in mobile ticket, mobile boarding pass and mobile coupon technology, has been listed in the prestigious Tech Media Invest Top 100. Tech Media Invest Top 100 identifies the most innovative technology companies in the UK. Sponsored by Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Kemp Little, the list showcases entrepreneurial companies that are developing innovative ways to serve businesses and consumers, and have the potential to radically change the shape of the technology and media industry.

Recently Mobiqa has demonstrated the superiority of its products and services by winning key contracts, especially within the airline sector. Mobiqa is currently providing mobile boarding pass solutions to Delta/Northwest Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, plus SWISS, Qatar Airways and Spanair. Within the live events industry, Mobiqa supplies Ticketmaster; Tickets.com and Major League Baseball.

Tech Media Invest 2009 aims to address the funding gap particularly prevalent in the technology sector and to showcase a wide spectrum of innovative companies – from fresh start-ups with next generation technologies through to fast growing, investor-backed platforms. Tech Media Invest 2009 presented the top 100 technology and media companies, including Mobiqa, in a dedicated Guardian supplement.

On being listed, Nick Rankin, CEO, Mobiqa comments, “Everyone at Mobiqa is delighted and privileged to have been listed in Tech Media Invest Top 100. Mobiqa continually strive to push the boundaries of innovation, offering our customers the best user-experience through cutting-edge mobile technologies. We’re proud to be named alongside other top UK companies in the industry and fully endorse Tech Media Invest 2009 in giving a huge amount of exposure to a sector that would benefit greatly from increased funding.”

Tickets.com congratulates Mobiqa on this prestigious achievement.

Nov. 5, Support the Arts and Win a 2009 Smart Car from The Alys Stephens Center

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Support the arts in Birmingham and win one of the smartest vehicles on the planet Nov. 5 when the Alys Stephens Center (ASC) will give away a 2009 smart® fortwo pure coupe worth nearly $14,000.

“Get smART, Support the Arts” is an Alys Stephens Center Junior Patrons’ two-month fundraising campaign to support ASC programs and art education initiatives. The “Get smART” campaign will culminate at a party when one lucky donor will become the new owner of their very own smart® fortwo, the most fuel efficient, non-hybrid vehicle on sale in the United States.

There are three ways to win the car: donate $50 to the ASC, join the ASC Junior Patrons (ASC-JPs) Sept. 17 or after, or purchase a ticket for $50 to the “Get smART” finale party set for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased through the Alys Stephens Center Box Office at 1200 10th Ave. South, Birmingham, on the ASC Web site at www.AlysStephens.org, at any Birmingham-area RBC Bank branch and at Crown Automotive in Hoover.

The smart® car will be unveiled at the Alys Stephens Center’s interARTive patio party Thursday, Sept. 17. Then, join the fun as it speeds through Birmingham making stops at new locations each week. “Get smART” sponsor Mental Floss magazine has created a new Web site, www.wheresmysmartcar.com, which will feature clues about the car’s weekly location and prizes to be given away at each stop.

At the “Get smART” party, enjoy live music from one of Birmingham’s best bands, The White Oaks, and a blind beer tasting with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine. Buy an ASC Smart Mystery Box for $25. All boxes will contain prizes, and some will include big prizes including tickets to shows, dinner packages, weekend getaways and more.

To win the car, three finalists will be drawn at random from all entries to compete in a test of skill. The smart® car will be on display in the lobby. Click here for “Get smART” rules and regulations.

All aspects and events in association with the campaign will be engaged in “green” practices, including the use of environmentally-friendly products and local vendors to reduce the event’s carbon footprint. “Get smART, Support the Arts” is sponsored by Crown Automotive, RBC Bank, Mental Floss magazine, UAB, the ASC-JPs, Fox 6, smartwater and Commercial Printing.

About the Alys Stephens Center
Located on the UAB campus, the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center is one of the Southeast’s premier performing arts centers, hosting the best in international, national and local performance. Home to the UAB departments of theatre and music and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the ASC also presents its own season, bringing the world’s best music, dance, theater, comedy and family entertainment to Alabama. For more information on all Alys Stephens Center events and programs, visit www.AlysStephens.org.

Kathy Griffin to appear at The Paramount

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:27:00 +0000

Kathy Griffin returns to Seattle for two shows in January, 2010.

By Marian Liu
Seattle Times staff reporter

The famous D-lister is back.

Kathy Griffin returns to the Paramount Theatre for two shows, Jan. 28 and 29. Tickets are $45.50 to $75.50 at LiveNation.com, Tickets.com, 24-hour kiosks at the Paramount and Moore Theatres or charge by phone (877-STG-4TIX).

The last time the popular comedian came around to Seattle, her tickets went fast.

Griffin is known for her Emmy-Award winning series for Bravo, "Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List." She also won "Celebrity Mole" on ABC, hosted the NBC reality series "Average Joe" and the MTV series "Kathy's So-Called Reality." Kathy is also well known for playing Brooke Shields' colleague on the NBC sitcom, "Suddenly Susan."

Venues Today Industry News: Regional Ticketing

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Ticketing companies get aggressive for regional business

Venues Today
Dave Brooks

History has a funny way of repeating itself. In 2002 when Daren Libonati and his group at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, launched their own in-house ticketing system, many wondered if the Paciolan-powered platform could hold its own against uber-robust Ticketmaster.

Fast forward to 2009, and Libonati is again asking if the provider is up for the job. Despite nearly seven years of impeccable functionality in a building that consistently ranks among the top 10-grossing facilities worldwide, changes in the marketplace have put another question mark around the Irvine, Calif.-based company.

After being purchased by Ticketmaster in 2007, Paciolan has changed its name (it’s now Ticketmaster Irvine) and slowed the development of its enablement software system, directing its engineers to focus their attention on the newest version of Ticketmaster’s Archtix platform; a potentially powerful, but largely unknown application, said former Paciolan Chairman Jane Kleinberger, now the executive VP of College Athletics for Ticketmaster. But what Archtix lacks in details, it makes up for with marketing punch. Ticketmaster has one of the largest consumer databases in the world.

“We love our distributor clients and continue to want to re-earn their business,” Kleinberger said. “We understand that some might not be comfortable with the Ticketmaster acquisition, but we’re here to help our partner venues with whatever they decide.”

While the Paciolan legacy system still dominates the regional market, the momentum seems to be behind Cleveland-based Veritix, which has scored two huge regional deals with the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz. Not to be left out is Tickets.com, Major League Baseball’s ticketing wing that hired a former Paciolan executive to help Veritix develop its own regional business plan.

And that’s perhaps where history diverges. Where there once stood only one leader, now stand several.

“For us, we’ve come to the end of our seven years and we owe it to ourselves to evaluate and do our own due diligence on what else is out there,” said Libonati, who began accepting bids for his system in October and hopes to award a contract by the new year.

REBEL NO MORE
Libonati partnered with Paciolan in 2002 for one of the company’s first regional ticketing projects. The contract would cover the Thomas and Mack Center, a collegiate arena home to Rebels basketball and some of the biggest events in Sin City.

The move also allowed UNLV to collect its own consumer data and more importantly, the creation of UNLVtickets shifted the revenue models for both the venue and the ticketing company, he said.

“Vendors that go after the regional ticketing companies have to employ a different model, such as low flat transaction fees or annual subscriptions,” said Steve Demots of Tickets.com, a former Paciolan executive who has made regional ticketing contracts a top sales priority for its ProVenue platform.

Of course there are tradeoffs. Promoters are familiar with Ticketmaster’s reporting system and few can challenge the company’s marketing database. Not signing a full-service ticketing deal could also leave doubts about one’s throughput capabilities and whether their system could handle 20,000-40,000 transactions in a matter of seconds.

When the Utah Jazz’s 10-year-old ticketing contract with Ticketmaster expired earlier this year, Dee Dee Hill found herself in an odd position. Her regional Salt Lake City ticketing company Datatix had previously held the Jazz’s ticketing contract, and she desperately wanted them back.

“When I was with Paciolan, I could have gone to them and said, ‘Hey, let’s work on getting this client. Paciolan would have sent their sales force out and we would have gone to meet with the Jazz,’” she recalled. “When Ticketmaster bought Paciolan, I couldn’t call the Ticketmaster office and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to be bidding against you.’”

Using Ticketmaster software while competing against the company is nothing new. TicketAlternative, a regional ticketing group out of Atlanta, powers its platform with Paciolan. That hasn’t stopped the startup from going after Ticketmaster’s clients; in September, TicketAlternative signed over the Black Cat night club in Washington, D.C., a former longtime Ticketmaster client.

In Salt Lake, Hill needed a strong technology partner to make her pitch to the Jazz attractive, so she turned to Veritix, which already had ticketing deals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Houston Rockets. Working with Veritix CEO Jeff Kline, Hill developed a sales pitch that had Datatix branding and marketing the platform, while Veritix provided the backend technological support and retained exclusive rights to the team’s secondary market through its Flash Seats platform.

It’s the second such move for Veritix; the company recently signed a deal with the Denver Nuggets and owner Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, which partnered with Veritix to power the TicketHorse system for the Pepsi Center, Infinity Park, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the Paramount Theater, all in the Denver area.

“We started thinking about doing our own ticketing because with that much volume, you could afford the infrastructure that would be required, and the investment levels,” said Paul Andrews, director of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. “We should be able to staff and run a pretty efficient ticketing operation for what we we’re paying a third-party vendor.”

BACK TO THE FUTURE?
Still, many regional operators taking a wait-and-see approach to how the market develops.

“We’re not hitting any type of panic button,” said Jack Lucas of TicketsWest, one of the country’s oldest regional ticketing companies, currently operating on the Paciolan platform.

Next year could provide a much better picture of where innovation in the enablement model lies. Ticketmaster will launch the latest version of its Archtix platform, which takes software updates originally slated for the Paciolan system and combines them with updates from Ticketmaster. It will also allow Archtix users to list their events on Ticketmaster.com and take advantage of the company’s huge marketing database.

“It makes more sense in the long run to have one superior platform rather than two,” Kleinberger said,

Tickets.com is also working on developing its own updates to its ProVenue suite to make it more suited to the regional model. Demots said he wants to develop the ability for any venue client within a regional model to put their own events on sale; most regional clients rely on a central administrator to update the system.

Meanwhile, many regional ticketing companies are content to sit back and wait to see what goes to market in the next 12-24 months

Who makes the next move is anyone’s guess, although many eyes are on New Era tickets, the Comcast-Spectacor owned ticketing company. The group recently put out a bid for its ticketing system — since 2004, the platform has been powered by Paciolan.
“All of the regionals talk with each other, and I think a few of us plan to wait and see what New Era does,” said Iain Bluett, TicketAlternative cofounder. “We’re not in any big hurry, except we’re always worried about keeping up with the latest technology and not getting left behind.”

Interviewed for this story: Daren Libonati, (702) 895-3727; Jane Kleinberger, (949) 823-1679; Steve Demots, (714) 327-5550; Dee Dee Hill, (801) 467-1055; Jamie Dwyer, (404) 897-2371; Jeff Kline, (216) 466-8055; Paul Andrews, (303) 405-1133; Fred Maglione, (610) 854-1100; Iain Bluett, (404) 897-2379

Tickets.com Clients Nominated for INTIX Board of Directors

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Tickets.com supports Aren Murray (Texas A&M) and Derek Younger (Washington Nationals) for the INTIX Board of Directors:

Aren Murray, Assistant Director MSC, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX has been in her current position since 2000 and an INTIX member since 2002. At A&M she manages ticket operations for over 250 events accounting for over 2 million in annual sales. Aren served on the 2000 Houston annual conference committee, is the INTIX silent auction chair, and is president of the Greater Houston Area Ticketing Association (GHATA).

"As your Board member, I would bring my belief in the importance of ticketing professionals continuing to rub elbows, share life stories, mentor and encourage each other. I will bring my action-oriented nature with an intention to foster professional relationships and information-sharing through exciting and fun avenues."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Derek Younger, Director of Ticket Operations, Washington Nationals, Washington, D.C. has been a member of INTIX for almost 10 years and a frequent conference speaker and presenter at the annual conferences as well as a 2003 Washington DC summer conference committee member. He has a broad background in ticketing - performing arts, concerts, ticketing for a major league baseball team, a Papal visit, and the experience of opening two new ballparks. Derek previously worked at the Wang Theatre and Citi Center for the Performing Arts in Boston. In 2006, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Ticketing Professional Award.

"As an INTIX member I have both given and received support from the wealth of experienced members of INTIX. I will continue our goals of working as a team to provide more support and outreach capabilities for members; and by helping INTIX spotlight advanced technologies, tools and information which catapults ticketing into the future."

Tickets.com partner Turnkey tackles ticketing with new technology

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Sports Business Journal
Eric Fisher

Turnkey Sports & Entertainment this month is introducing Prospector, a ticketing software program it believes will dramatically change how teams seek to fill their buildings.

The program was developed over the past four years at a cost of more than $1 million. It uses inputs such as individual ticket purchases, survey responses and merchandise buys, and blends that data with a variety of demographic, housing and income information on those same fans to create detailed ticket-sales leads that are scored by their likelihood of success.

The software’s custom-built algorithms also allow for customization to rank sales leads for fans’ likelihood to purchase different ticket packages. For example, a high-income fan might score high as a candidate to purchase a luxury-seat package and score lower as a candidate for a smaller, value-oriented ticket package. But if survey data also arrives indicating a propensity by the fan to bring his family to games and participate in youth-oriented promotions, the lead scoring for that person could change, and the sales pitch as a result may then veer away from the more-corporate seating options.

Turnkey successfully beta-tested the effort with the Texas Rangers and Miami Heat earlier this year and will launch the program with at least 18 pro teams over the next several weeks, including the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Timberwolves and Kansas City Royals. The effort seeks to reverse years of declining ticket-sales trends. Pro teams in the early 1990s commonly were able to close sales on 3 percent to 4 percent of their outbound sales calls, but they’ve seen that rate fall below 1 percent in more-recent years as people grow more resistant to any sales call, particularly calls not customized for them.

“The key factor is boosting the close rate back up to where we were 20 years ago,” said Len Perna, Turnkey chief executive. “It’s the only thing that will work. Staying at 1 percent just isn’t going to get it done, so this is about creating tools that will enable more efficiency and improving that close rate.”

To create Prospector, Turnkey needed to strike a series of licensing and commission-based deals with a large group of related parties, including Ticketmaster, Tickets.com, and database marketers Acxiom and InfoUSA. Others, including Veritix and MLB Advanced Media, are also being sought out.

To that end, the Turnkey effort seeks to collate and analyze data that exists at these various outposts or has been voluntarily provided and perform analytical functions that in many instances now occur in a more rudimentary fashion. Many pro and college teams for years have sent lists of names to companies such as Acxiom for additional data enrichment and analysis, but such a process often has been time-consuming and performed in large batches.

Prospector, conversely, performs such analysis daily and on an individual level, more akin to the type of extensive and rapid consumer profiling common in the retail industry.

“This has definitely made us a lot more intelligent and efficient,” said Andy Silverman, Texas Rangers executive vice president of sales. The Rangers posted the highest percentage attendance increase in the American League this season and now are fully deploying the Prospector system in preparation for 2010.

The Heat, similarly, posted during its offseason sales period for the 2009-10 season seven times more ticket-sales revenue from its highest-rated Prospector-generated leads than from those at the bottom end of the scoring.

“This looks like it’s a really slick product,” said Glenn Christian, an Acxiom sales executive who works exclusively with sports teams and properties. Turnkey will act as a reseller of Acxiom data. “There are still some teams that are going to want to have raw data and data enrichment from us, but what they have done to get their secret sauce in there is really interesting.”

Teams will pay a monthly licensing fee to use the service, with an introductory rate of $4,000 a month. The participating teams’ data will be stored on Turnkey’s servers, and the data can be both uploaded to the clients’ computers and woven into teams’ existing CRM systems.

As with any new product, there are some issues continuing to be worked out. The Rangers are among the teams purging buys from ticket brokers from their Prospector analysis, as broker behavior is typically very different from individual and corporate buyers.

The product also promises to create a bit of a management issue, as ticket salespeople at individual teams may start clamoring for only highly rated sales leads as opposed to lower prospects. The Prospector system allows for a variety of view levels, though, depending on organizational seniority and responsibility.

Turnkey is a research partner of SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily.

Calling all INTIX members!

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:11:00 +0000

Vote MARDI Dilger for INTIX Board.

Why MARDI?

Because she is an accomplished professional with over 15 years of quality management performance in the hospitality and entertainment industry. Her communication, organization, leadership and presentation skills are exceptional. Not to mention that she is a positive and enthusiastic INTIX member committed and dedicated to the organization's mission.

MARDI has been a member of the International Ticketing Association since 1993 and over the years has volunteered on these programs:

Summer Conference Committee

Awards Committee

Awards Committee Chair

Fundraising taskforce

The question then becomes, why wouldn't you VOTE for MARDI?

EBay generated $400M in business from iPhone app

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Mobile Marketer
By Giselle Tsirulnik

EBay President/CEO John Donahoe said mobile is one of the key areas that the company is focusing on since devices will surely impact the way that consumers shop.

Mr. Donahoe said that the iPhone and BlackBerry devices are already changing consumers’ shopping habits and recommended that retailers change and evolve if they want to compete. He spoke at the Shop.org annual summit in Las Vegas.

“Mobile devices will play a role and the notion of mobility will have a huge impact on ecommerce,” Mr. Donahoe said.

In two years, about 40 percent of Internet access will happen from a mobile device. IPhones are only about 8 percent of the market, but they make up about 40 percent of Internet usage at present.

Since $400 million was generated in business since the eBay application’s launch, Mr. Donahoe said that devices like this one and others like it are going to impact his company.

Mr. Donahoe is president/CEO of eBay
Last week someone bought a $350,000 Lamborghini on the iPhone. Also, someone bought a $150,000 boat from their iPhone.

Consumers are bidding via mobile, browsing products and eBay’s mobile sales volume is growing in the double digits every month.

“I know this will be an important device for ecommerce,” Mr. Donahoe said.

Mrs. Freeman Evans is vice president and research director of Forrester
One of Mr. Donahoe’s colleagues came into his office and laid a book on his desk. To cover the title of the book, his colleague placed a pack of M&Ms on it. He snapped a picture with his iPhone and was able to locate various book stores that sell it and their prices for it.

Mr. Donahoe believes that innovation is driven by the small application developers and that they will impact how people will shop.

EBay is launching its first developer conference and will open its PayPal and eBay platforms for developers.

Mr. Donahoe talked about PayPal and said the payments side of ecommerce is what stifles the business.

“People are just not comfortable providing their credit card information over the Internet,” Mr. Donahoe said.

Mobile payments are the future.

EBay is right at the center of the technology and commerce worlds. 300-400 million people use eBay products worldwide.

The reason for eBay’s success?

“You have to adapt to compete and that is what we have done,” Mr. Donahoe said. “We adapted to the fact that consumers are embracing new technologies and we took advantage of that.”

Ecommerce is maturing as a market, but it is only about 5 percent of overall retail sales.

Mr. Donahoe forecasts it will eventually end up at 20-30 percent.

Traditionally in retail people talk about the online and offline, but the lines are blurring.

People are researching online, go in-store to buy and then once they are at a retail location, they use their mobile phones to comparison shop.

“There won’t be just one winner in ecommerce,” Mr. Donahoe said. “There will be many winners. When there is a lot of innovation, there are multiple winners.

“Online payments are a bit different, as it is a major friction point for online retail,” he said. “The online payments world will soon mirror the offline.

“It is all about convenience and speed and mobile payments and micro payments will help bring that 5 percent to 10 percent.”

After Mr. Donahoe’s keynote, Patti Freeman Evans, vice president and research director at Forrester Research interviewed the eBay executive.

She asked who he considers as his competition and he said instead of worrying about competition, eBay focuses on the customer.

Most likely this type of an approach is what got eBay 90 million unique visitors per month. A whopping 75 percent of that traffic is organic. The marketplace also buys about 20 million keywords from Google.

EBay is all about giving its merchants – big and small – access to traffic so that they can sell their merchandise.

“When we though about competition we did not want to focus on any competitor,” Mr. Donahoe said. “Instead we ruthlessly focus on customers. We need to think about how to win and get our sellers to win."

Senior Editor Giselle Tsirulnik covers ad networks, advertising, content, email, media, messaging, legal/privacy, search, social networks, television and video. Reach her at giselle@mobilemarketer.com.

TicketNews Guest Commentary: The myths about dynamic pricing

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:32:00 +0000

By Barry Kahn
TicketNews.com

I was recently asked to be a panelist at the upcoming Ticket Summit 2010 and it made be think back to the last two Ticket Summit events that I’ve attended.

The first was the conference’s second year. 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 (although once you consider that Fred Rosen was retired and Qcue was in its infancy, there was actually just one, Derek Palmer of Tickets.com).

Fast forward to this past July. StubHub’s president gave a keynote address, the New Jersey Nets had a booth, and Qcue was the controversial young company. In fact, our pricing panel stirred up such a healthy debate on what dynamic pricing really is and how it affects brokers and season ticket holders, that I thought it would be appropriate to revisit the three the biggest misconceptions raised during the discussion.

“With dynamic pricing, I won’t be able to resell my tickets for bad games since teams will just drop prices.”

What if I told you that prices are more likely to rise than fall over time, even for the worst games? Dynamic pricing is about being smarter with pricing, not just dynamic. That means that at the start of the season, a game played on Tuesday night against the last place team will start at a lower price than a game played on Saturday afternoon against your archrival. And there isn’t much that can happen to that Tuesday night game to make it worse. Sure it can rain, but barring that, prices will only move up as tickets sell and the game becomes, with any luck, better than it looked on paper.

You’ve always known that those games had different values because you could sell them for different prices -- but with dynamic pricing, you can’t pretend you paid the same price for them anymore, because you didn’t. Once you consider your real cost for those low value games, you’ll quickly realize that you can sell them at a fair price and dynamic pricing helps.

“I just found an interesting blog post about dynamic pricing for Giants tickets. For the first two games, it looks like ticket prices increased leading up to the game. Under the dynamic pricing model, don’t prices generally go down as the game approaches?”

If you track prices for tickets on StubHub or the other exchanges, you’ll see ticket prices drop immediately prior to an event. But dynamic pricing is very different from pricing on the secondary market. One element of this is that teams have more tickets to sell, meaning that they’re going to be more conservative with prices earlier in the sales cycle. As more tickets sell, and availability decreases, the prices leading up to a game will actually increase.

If you aren’t convinced that primary and secondary market pricing are different, take a look at group sales. Any team will gladly give you a discount for 25 tickets together because they have 20,000+ seats to sell and bigger sales are advantageous. But that same purchase on the secondary market will cost you a premium because for a broker, 25 seats together is a scarce commodity.

“Dynamic pricing is going to devalue my tickets. The team will just try to undercut me on the secondary market.”

Season ticket holders are the lifeblood of teams, and teams will always protect those loyal customers. Dynamic pricing brings more fans to the game, providing a better fan experience across the stadium, and increasing the resale value of tickets. More tickets sold also means more revenues for teams, which ultimately translates into lower costs for season ticket holders.

Dynamic pricing is really about teams being more intelligent and flexible with pricing – which means protecting your most loyal customers and increasing the value they receive. Increasing attendance and more accurately pricing premium games are two ways in which dynamic pricing achieves those goals.

Barry Kahn is the founder and CEO of Qcue, the world’s only dynamic pricing engine for live entertainment events. Sports teams, concert promoters and venues use Qcue’s patent-pending technology to set the right price at the right time, and provide the best value for fans, from the onsale date right up to the event date. Customers and partners include the San Francisco Giants, Major League Baseball and Tickets.com.

Metropolis Celebrates El Dia De Los Muertos with The Magic Ofrenda

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:36:00 +0000

Students will learn all about El Día de los Muertos and Mexican heritage with The Magic Ofrenda at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre October 26 – 31, 2009.

To celebrate El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), young Anjelita visits her goofy Grandpa Juan in Mexico.

He tells Anjelita and her brother Mateo all about this celebration honoring loved ones who are no longer living. Along the way, Anjelita meets painter Frida Kahlo and lots of singing, fun-loving spirits who help her learn all about her Mexican heritage.

Performances of The Magic Ofrenda will run October 26 – 30 at 9:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and October 31 at 11 a.m. Tickets are $9.50 for students under 12 and $12 for adults. Suggested for grades K – 3.

More about Stories in Action!
The Magic Ofrenda is part of Metropolis’ Stories in Action! series – educational productions designed to feed the minds and imaginations of young audiences and bring families together through the performing arts. Watch for other upcoming Stories in Action! productions including Frindle, Peter Pan, The Diary of Anne Frank and Seussical Jr.

Outreach and Group Sales
The Metropolis School of the Performing Arts offers group discounts and companion workshops to the Stories in Action! performances. These workshops introduce students to various dramatic elements and help increase their understanding and enjoyment of the performing arts. Benefit from the knowledge of the teaching artists and actors who come to your group to enhance your Metropolis experience.

By booking a group through our Group Sales department, you’ll save up to 20% on tickets, we’ll waive the ticket handling fee, and you’ll receive comps for group chaperones. To discuss the needs of your group, contact Alyse Perkowitz at 847.577.5982 x241.

To create a package with a companion workshop, contact Aimee-Lynn Newlan, Outreach Manager, at 847.577.5982 x 230.

Metropolis is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. In addition, Metropolis receives generous sponsorship from the American Airlines, Daily Herald, DoubleTree of Arlington Heights, and FastSigns of Arlington Heights.

Metropolis is located in the heart of Chicago’s northwest suburbs in downtown Arlington Heights at the intersection of Campbell and Vail Avenue (111 West Campbell Street). Street parking is available. Free parking is available in the public garage behind the theatre. For more information about Metropolis and a complete 2008/2009 performance schedule, go to MetropolisArts.com or call the Box Office at 847.577.2121.

IT managers put data dedupe at the top of their future tech list

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Being able to address data management through consolidation is key

ComputerWorld
Lucas Mearian

IT managers interviewed at Storage Networking World here this week said the key technology in their near future is data deduplication, though how they would implement that technology differed from person to person.

Most managers said their data silos have grown to the point where they're becoming difficult to manage, and growth over the next several years is expected to be exponential. Data deduplication would offer them significant relief in that it could drastically reduce capacity requirements and costs by allowing them to use their storage assets more effectively, they said.

J. Travis Martin, CIS infrastructure services manager for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif., said his operation manages 750TB of data that will soon be growing to more than a petabyte.

Martin said Lawrence Livermore uses Data Domain appliances to deduplicate its backup data, but he wants to move to a technology that performs deduplication globally, across geographically dispersed nodes.

Martin is considering deduplication vendor Exagrid Systems Inc. in Westborough, Mass., which uses byte-level data de-duplication on a grid architecture.

"That's what tips Exagrid over the top for us, global dedupe across nodes," said Eric Ghere, a systems architect with Lawrence Livermore.

Martin said he would like to get any data deduplication technology as close to the source of data as possible versus deploying it as he does today, as part of the data backup stream.

Brett Michalak, CIO at online ticket retailer Tickets.com, said data deduplication and WAN optimization technology would help him deal with about 100TB of virtualized storage capacity on arrays from 3Par Inc. Through virtualization, Michalak said he is able to provision storage on the fly and keep up with changing customer service level agreements, but that doesn't address growing bandwidth requirements.

"I'm looking at those two primarily because as we start rolling out more assets globally, and the fact that our data will be distributed ... the impact on our networks is going to grow," he said. "I think deduplication will be necessary for us for obvious reasons - for backup and recovery."

Michalak sees in his company's future the complete elimination of tape-based backup and a move toward nearline disk-based storage.

"It's just a waste of time in my opinion. The time it takes to retrieve that data and bring it back takes too long," he said.

Mark Saussure, director of digital library infrastructure for Penn State University, said his 160TB of disk-based data is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years. To address that growth, he has been rolling out the eXtensible Access Method (XAM), a specification developed by the Storage Networking Industry Association that will help him not only to automate backup across tiers of storage, but also allow anyone to search silos and retrieve data through the use of standardized meta data.

"Information silos, if not controlled, will outstrip our ability to manage the objects in them," he said. "The demand is just phenomenal. We can't continue to manage the silos the way we've it done for years."

Saussure hopes to go live with a gateway appliance in front of his backend disk storage that will automatically populate data with standardized meta data that will in turn assist him with data routing, meta data extraction for reporting, data retention and give him low-level search capabilities.

Saussure also hopes to deploy a grid-based storage architecture that will assist him in seamlessly moving data objects around his various storage silos.

ProVenueMobile Launches for Oakland Athletics

noreply@blogger.com (Tickets.com) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:26:00 +0000

The Oakland Athletics decided to go mobile with Tickets.com. This will offer their fans the ultimate convenience for the 2010 season: the ability to buy A's tickets anytime, anywhere!

"After conducting a ProVenueMobile soft launch for the remaining three games of the A's 2009 season, we saw that over one hundred fans accessed the A's mobilized site. Of that one hundred, 31 fans completed a transaction including electronic ticket delivery to their mobile phone. The number of tickets purchased per order was anywhere from one to six tickets. With additional marketing efforts for next season we can expect those numbers to increase."

Steve Fanelli, Senior Director of Ticket Operations
Oakland Athletics

Learn more about ProVenueMobile >