By Alfred Branch, Jr.
Electronic ticketing solutions company Flash Seats, which is currently embroiled in a legal tussle with rival Ticketmaster, this week announced it bought Texas-based primary ticketing company Vertical Alliance for an undisclosed sum.
Flash Seats’ main client is the Cleveland Cavaliers, and by acquiring the ticket solutions provider Vertical Alliance, the company is positioning itself to not only offer fans secondary ticket options but also primary tickets. Competition among primary and secondary ticketers continues to heat up, and a growing number of companies are looking at solutions that will enable them to offer both sides of the ticketing transaction.
“Integrating Vertical Alliance’s primary ticketing solution with Flash Seats’ secondary ticketing marketplace allows us to offer our clients the most robust, end-to-end ticketing solution in the industry,” Sam Gerace, CEO of Flash Seats, said in a statement. “This acquisition adds value to team and venue operators and also enhances the fan experience. Teams and venues can control their entire ticket economy, primary and secondary, and maximize the lifetime value of the fan.”
Vertical Alliance allows teams and venues to have a branded primary ticketing system that uses the team’s website, touch screen box offices, retail kiosks and call centers. A single database containing ticketing and customer information helps teams know their clients, enabling them to deliver tailored marketing offers directly to their customers, according to the company.
Besides the Cavs, which are owned by Flash Seats investor Dan Gilbert, Flash Seats also provides secondary ticket services to the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, while some of Vertical Alliance’s clients include the Houston Rockets, the Houston Toyota Center, Boise State University and Texas A&M University.
Despite the lawsuit, Ticketmaster is contracted to be the Cavs primary ticket seller into 2010, according to published reports.
