Ticketing companies ShowClix and TicketBiscuit have taken steps to help their clients tackle one of the biggest problems in live events: unsold inventory. In both cases, venues and promoters are given an opportunity to go through a third party to move unsold tickets instead of directly offering steep discounts to consumers.
ShowClix has added integration with social commerce company Groupon into the new release of its ticketing software. The Groupon integration allows clients to apply for, manage, track and run reports on their Groupon offers from within their ShowClix dashboard.
Groupon is an increasingly popular way to sell large chunks of concert tickets in a targeted fashion. Sellers can set a floor — 500 tickets, for example — that needs to be met before the sale price takes effect. They can also set a ceiling on the number of tickets in the offer. The combination of a sale price and group effort can lead to big sales numbers. Last July, for example, Bon Jovi sold nearly 2,000 tickets priced at $30 — a 55% discount — for a concert at Soldier Field in Chicago.
TicketBiscuit has expanded its clients’ sales potential by landing a strategic marketing partnership with ScoreBig. The deal allows TicketBiscuit clients to leverage ScoreBig’s proprietary platform and marketing network with the goal of selling unsold tickets without cannibalizing full-price sales.
Launched in late 2010, ScoreBig works with brokers, promoters and sports teams to offer unsold inventory at a 10% to 70% discount. Members bid on tickets but can request only general areas, not specific seats. Ticket providers then choose whether or not to accept the bids. The company’s executive ranks are filled with ticketing and entertainment veterans. CEO/co-founder Adam Kanner was the NBA’s VP of relationship marketing and business development. COO/co-founder Joel Milne founded Season Ticket Solutions, which was sold to Paciolan in 2003.