Pittsburgh, PA-based ticket seller ShowClix recently operated an all-mobile ticketing show at Pier 36 in Manhattan where all the tickets for the concert were sent to attendees mobile phones.
The free concert earlier this month, which featured hip-hop artists LMFAO and Swizz Beatz, was sponsored by Billboard. Fans were sent text messages that contained a matrix-type barcode, and staff at the gate scanned the images on the phone using an iPhone that had a ShowClix scanning app installed.
All-mobile ticketing is a form of paperless ticketing, which has been the subject of new or proposed legislation in various states, including New York. The New York law requires venues/ticket sellers to provide an alternative, hard copy ticket at checkout in addition to the paperless one to allow fans to transfer or resell the ticket if they choose.
The mobile tickets used for the LMFAO/Swizz Beatz show were free and part of an experiment by ShowClix, using its proprietary technology, and were not intended to be resold, according to a company spokesperson.
Several ticketing companies have begun utilizing mobile ticketing — including StubHub and Vendini, among them — but ShowClix founder Joshua Dziabiak said the experiment was the first to his knowledge to use such technology for an entire show.
“It’s the ability to have your event tickets delivered to your mobile device without having to print anything out. It’s a lot easier for patrons to remember their tickets,” he told the Associated Press.
