which fan was where and to reconstruct events.”
Blockchain could be a valuable tool for weeding out
any perpetrators at a sporting event.
“Transferability is a hot topic in the UK, but in the
USA the transfer of a ticket can be valuable, because
not only do you know who’s in your stadium from a
security perspective, you have a whole new audience
of fans you wouldn’t have known about,” suggests Peter
Joyce, MD (EMEA Sport) of SeatGeek, a mobile
ticketing specialist. “M-tickets are also more dynamic –
for example, in the USA, users can buy merchandise or
food right from the ticket, which is something our US
app supports.”
Ticket support
As well as working with five MLS franchises, including
Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders, SeatGeek is
a partner to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and New
Orleans Saints and recently introduced its solution at
Lord’s, the home of English cricket. Joyce and his team
are also making inroads in the English Premier League.
“When SeatGeek acquired TopTix’s SRO technology in
2017, there was just one EPL club using it,” he reports.
“We now work with nine of the 20 teams, with
Manchester City, Leicester City, Newcastle United,
Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton
& Hove Albion among our EPL clients.”
“SeatGeek’s instant and flexible reporting system
allows us to be self-sufficient and stay in control of our
ticket sales, and react to trends and opportunities as
they arise,” says Jenny Gower, head of supporter
services at Brighton’s Amex Stadium. “We have the
flexibility to drive attendance by creating ticket
packages and promotions that appeal to our fans.”
Giving supporters the ability to manage their own
accounts has proved a boon for Brighton & Hove
Albion. “SRO lets us reward their loyalty by buildingin
savings or price limits for season ticket holders or
regulars, ensuring their purchases automatically
receive a set discount or don’t breach a threshold,”
Gower explains.
“Generally, all clients want easy-to-use solutions
that empower them to grow their business,” continues
SeatGeek’s Joyce. “Legacy systems are known for
manual reporting, overworked staff and inflexibility
in the configuration of events, whereas SRO is
endlessly customizable and gives clients control. But
it’s not just the operational perspective; it’s also our
ability to embrace consumers’ drive toward more
online purchases while ensuring the end-user
experience is seamless.”
Face value
While SeatGeek can boast the Cowboys and the
Saints in the NFL, Ticketmaster’s ‘Presence’ API has
the rest of the league sewn up. And last year it added
‘SafeTix’, now deployed by 27 NFL teams across 26
venues. Ticketmaster’s Clay Luter, EVP and co-head
of sports, feels going digital unlocks a “bunch of
opportunities” including but not limited to
“eliminating fraud, streamlining entry, and obtaining
data about – and interacting with – fans”, although he
feels the environmental benefits of removing paper
shouldn’t be discounted. “Going digital is going green,”
he says.
Certainly, Christian Lau has been impressed. As the
CTO of Los Angeles FC, he is in charge of the technical
vision at the MLS side’s 22,000-capacity Banc of
California Stadium. “As long as the ‘basics’ were
covered, such as getting fans into the venue and
purchasing F&B and merchandise, we were given
license to try things to eliminate friction and enhance
Clockwise from top left:
Mobile ticketing technology
uses an encrypted, scanable
code to prevent fraud, while
also offering greater stadium
security and fans faster access
54 www.stadia-magazine.com March 2020 TICKETING
/www.stadia-magazine.com
