Ticketmaster and UK Venue Add Mobile Ticketing

Tickets Via Cell Phones Continues to Catch On

By Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner

Consumer convenience is the name of the game. Last week, it was the Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, MI and Tickets.com hooking up to enable consumers to receive their ticket purchases on their mobile phone. Now, Ticketmaster’s UK division and the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester, England, are launching a ticket delivery service, MobileTicket, that allows consumer to get their tickets the same way.

The first to benefit from this service are the fans of the British TV show "Strictly Come Dancing Live" who will be able to receive their tickets on their mobile phone as well as vote for their favorite competitor on the TV without leaving the comfort of their armchair.

Consumers can choose the service as a delivery option online at either website. A two-dimensional, unique barcode is generated and sent within 24 hours of purchase. Staff at Manchester Evening News Arena will be able to scan the consumer’s mobile phone display screen with special hand held scanners using AccessManager, Ticketmaster’s access control solution, which reads the barcode and validates tickets for entry in real time. The system deters counterfeiting or fraudulent use of tickets by identifying invalid tickets and denying access.

A resend facility is also available should consumers accidentally delete their MobileTicket and lost or stolen tickets may be cancelled and replaced securely by invalidating the old barcode and re-issuing a new ticket.

"MobileTicket offers greater convenience to consumers who no longer have to wait for their tickets to be delivered or worry about keeping track of paper tickets,” said Chris Edmonds, managing director, Ticketmaster, in a statement, adding that the company is working with mobile ticketing company Mobiqa on the system. “Most importantly the unique barcoding and access control system means it is secure and deters counterfeiting or fraudulent use.”