Seattle-based ticketing company Brown Paper Tickets (BPT) this week launched a French-language ticketing initiative. The move marks the first time the company’s product is available to French event producers.
The company has sold tickets to French customers for a few years, so launching ticketing services in the country was a logical next step, according to BPT CEO Steve Butcher.
“The launch of our French-language services is an extension of our commitment to offering the best tools and services to as many people as possible,” Butcher said in a statement. “Live events define a community. We’re not simply expanding our services. We’re offering the chance for our diverse communities and cultures to learn about and enjoy each other.”
BPT’s French initiative follows a similar international push it made in September with Spanish-language ticketing services.
“We’ve learned that a majority of Hispanic Americans are very active online, yet there is a dearth of content and services designed expressly with their needs in mind,” Butcher said earlier this fall. “We’re hoping to fill that void and give these groups the tools they need to independently host events and sell tickets.”
Over the past couple of years, international markets have become increasingly important for North American-based ticketing companies as they look to bolster their United States and Canadian sales.
For example, late last year Live Nation bought French ticketing company Ticketnet, and earlier this year the company also acquired Spanish ticketing company ServiCaixa.
The primary ticketing companies are not the only ones launching international efforts. On the secondary ticket front, eBay recently announced plans to launch a UK version of StubHub, and over a year ago TicketNetwork launched Spanish-language ticket exchange SuperBoletería.
BPT offers event producers a chance to control their own ticketing by charging low fees for their services. In the U.S., the fees are $0.99 plus 3.5 percent of the ticket price, which pays for a host of services.
Among the items covered by the fees include credit card processing, promotional support and creation of online seating charts. The company charges a la carte fees for some other services.
TicketNetwork is the parent company of TicketNews.
