PRESS RELEASE: “Northwestern Announces Partnership with Chicago-based Gold Coast Tickets”

EVANSTON, Ill. (Northwestern University) September 30, 2011 – Northwestern Athletics has announced a partnership with Gold Coast Tickets, Chicago’s leading secondary ticket marketplace. This marks Gold Coast Tickets’ first collegiate marketing partnership and it will complement its numerous sport, concert and event ticket-based relationships around the country.

Gold Coast Tickets is proud to partner with Chicago’s Big Ten Team as it looks to enhance its support of athletic organizations in Chicago and improve the accessibility of Northwestern tickets to its fans due to the increasing demand. Gold Coast Tickets’ sponsorship includes signage in Ryan Field and Welsh-Ryan Arena, as well as additional radio and promotional opportunities with NU Athletics.

“After receiving such positive feedback from our professional relationship with the Chicago White Sox, and then seeing the demand for Wildcat tickets grow significantly, we felt this was a great time to team up with Northwestern Athletics,” said Seth Sharrin, Gold Coast Tickets’ Vice President. “The NU athletic department’s commitment to long-term growth, from both a personnel and facilities standpoint, makes us excited to become a new partner.”

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“Over the past few years, Northwestern has built upon a significant brand campaign to aggressively market in the Chicago area. Partnering with Chicago-based companies like Gold Coast Tickets has allowed us to strengthen our connection to the community,” said Bob Welch, general manager for Northwestern Sports Properties (NSP), which secured the Gold Coast Tickets’ partnership on behalf of the University. NSP is the multimedia rights holder for Northwestern Athletics and a property of Learfield Sports.

About Gold Coast Tickets

Gold Coast Tickets, Ltd. was founded in 1993 in Chicago, Ill. Over the past 18 years, Gold Coast Tickets has grown from its modest roots to a 30 employee corporation, with four Chicago-area locations, and has sold tickets to tens of thousands of satisfied customers. Gold Coast Tickets’ knowledgeable sales professionals know Chicago venues inside and out and dedicate time with each client to ensure they have the seat they want, with the view they desire, at the price that fits their budget. Plus, tickets can be purchased from their award-winning website GoldCoastTickets.com 24 hours a day, complete with a detailed inventory list and custom seating charts to provide each user with the best possible online experience.

About Northwestern Athletics

Northwestern University sponsors 19 varsity athletics programs. A charter member of the Big Ten Conference dating to 1896, 17 of the Wildcat sport programs compete in the Big Ten with women’s lacrosse competing in the American Lacrosse Conference while women’s fencing is a member of the Midwest Conference. Northwestern perennially ranks among the top 50 schools in the nation in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, paced by the 2011 women’s lacrosse team’s sixth national championship in the last seven years. Also of note, the football program has appeared in three straight bowl games while the men’s basketball program also has advanced to postseason play each of the last three years. A total of 20 Wildcat student-athletes earned All-America accolades a year ago while 53 notched All-Big Ten distinction.

Off the field, Northwestern student-athletes excel in both the classroom and the community. The 19 programs combined to post a school-record 201 Academic All-Big Ten selections along with 51 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars and two ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans last academic year. Northwestern student-athletes volunteered over 6,000 hours of combined community outreach in 2010-11.

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