NO TICKET REQUIRED — The Veritix Blog

We are currently exhibiting at the 86th Annual Conference and Trade Show for the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) in Phoenix, Arizona.  Veritix® President Jeff Kline will be joining other ticketing professionals on a panel Wednesday (July 27) afternoon at 2:45 p.m. entitled “Ticketing – New Trends and Technology.”  The conference will run all week (July 25-29).

We invite you to visit us at our booth #1224.

posted by Jeff Kline, President, Veritix

Every now and then I’ll come across an interesting news story or industry study that makes me feel good about where Veritix® and Flash Seats® are heading. When it comes from a source that seems to oppose what we are doing, well, that’s even better.

The Fan Freedom Group is a grass roots organization that has launched an aggressive campaign drumming up perceived shortcomings of paperless tickets. Unfortunately, what they fail to disclose is that not all paperless ticketing systems are created equally. Flash Seats, for example, is the industry’s only patented integrated electronic marketplace that allows secure transfer and resale.

Recently, when the Fan Freedom Group released a study on consumer attitudes toward paperless tickets, I was a little concerned that these differences between Flash Seats and our competitors would be ignored. But, after comparing the results in the context of how Flash Seats really works, it only reinforced that we are on the right track.

Here are a few highlights from the study:

* More than half of fans (52 percent) said paperless tickets were somewhat or very good for fans;

* Half of fans support paperless tickets;

* And, more than half (52 percent) are “somewhat or very likely” to purchase paperless tickets.

Let’s put that in perspective. There are approximately 1,200 NBA games annually, drawing nearly 18,000 fans on average each night. That’s 21.6 million fans annually. If half opted for paperless tickets, that’s nearly 11 million potential customers…and that’s just for pro basketball. We also work with the NCAA, NHL teams, MLS teams and venues for concerts and other entertainment events. Obviously, when all these potential customers are factored in, the market is huge.

The biggest drawbacks, according to the study? Transferability (the ability to quickly and easily send the tickets to a friend or purchase them as a gift ) and resale (selling the tickets on the secondary market).

Frankly, we agree. Tickets SHOULD be transferable…fans SHOULD be able to resell them. And with Flash Seats, they are, and they can. One generalization of paperless ticketing made by the Fan Freedom Group is that customers using paperless tickets have to arrive at the event at the same time. With Flash Seats, because tickets can be transferred easily through our online, secure system, fans have the convenience of arriving on their own using their own electronic ID.

Flash Seats has been used as the method of delivery for 4 million tickets, which then allows those paperless tickets to be sold or transferred through our system. The average growth of Flash Seats use for our clients was 250 percent. Clearly, paperless ticketing is growing rapidly and is well accepted by sports and entertainment fans.

In addition, fans can benefit from Flash Seats’ ability to capture customer data. Fans can opt in to have this data used to create customized offers from teams, artists and venues that match their unique preferences.

As for the future? We see great potential. In addition to the recent sales growth, our internal research points to high customer satisfaction. In fact, our most recent data shows that 95 percent of customers who use Flash Seats are completely satisfied with the experience. Those are customers who are likely to return again and again.

With Flash Seats, customers HAVE a great option for paperless ticketing. It gives fans convenience, security and the ability to transfer and resell tickets. While the Fan Freedom Group continues to try and paint paperless in a negative light, it is ignoring a key fact…not all paperless tickets are created equal. Flash Seats is actually a great product for just about everything the Fan Freedom Group wants to accomplish.

At Veritix®, we pride ourselves on providing a world class ticketing system that creates great benefits for teams, venues and fans alike.

For Teams/Venues

• Private-branded, primary ticketing platform
• Use of our patented Flash Seats® Digital Secondary Marketplace
• An open platform for integration
• Access to real-time customer data
• Box Office touch-screen interface

For Fans

• Provides the ultimate convenience by allowing fans to choose from several different ticket delivery options

• Safe, secure way to buy, sell, and transfer seats on team and venue marketplaces
• Eliminates counterfeit tickets
• Provides an easy way to manage ticket inventory online

Learn more at www.veritix.com