On April 12, 2012, Groupon announced that its GrouponLive website would be launching “G-Pass,” a new feature that will allow users to bypass box office and will call lines.
Groupon, the online site that offers buyers the opportunity to purchase deals to various restaurants, stores, and events, expanded into the realm of live entertainment deals in 2011 when it teamed up with Live Nation. The joint venture between the two companies, dubbed GrouponLive, would offer access to tickets for upcoming Live Nation sponsored events, including concerts, sporting events, and theatre. Also included in the deal was access to Ticketmaster events, as Ticketmaster is now housed under Live Nation Entertainment.
Prior to the creation of G-Pass, individuals who purchased tickets through GrouponLive received vouchers, which they were then required to exchange for tickets at the event venue. G-Pass cuts out the need for exchanging a voucher and instead allows GrouponLive customers to enter the venue with minimal hassle. G-Pass creates a voucher for the customer that “provides ticketing, seating, and barcode-scanning information right on the voucher — eliminating the need to wait in multiple lines.”
According to Groupon VP and GrouponLive General Manager Greg Rudin, the launch of G-Pass presents a win-win for both the consumer and the various venues who participate in GrouponLive.
“G-Pass is a massive benefit to both box offices and event-goers, dramatically increasing the value GrouponLive delivers to the market. We’re proud to launch it with our partner, Ticketmaster, who brings the value of G-Pass to an industry-leading set of venue clients, ” Rudin said to BusinessWire.
G-Pass was launched in beta this past fall at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN and the Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit, MI, as well as at all Harlem Globetrotters games throughout the U.S. According to Groupon, response to the beta testing was “overwhelmingly positive,” and G-Pass allowed the venues and events to “kick off the customer experience on a positive, hassle-free note.”
Erica Noah a senior group events account executive with the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose team plays at the Target Center, offered praise for the beta testing in a recent statement to BusinessWire.
“G-Pass helps us run a more efficient operation on game days because we don’t have to allocate extra resources to exchange vouchers for tickets,” said Noah. “It enables us to take care of customers better, kicking off their experience at the Target Center on a positive note.”
Now that G-Pass is officially launching, all visitors to GrouponLive will have the ability to receive actual tickets to the events they buy. Ticketmaster events and Live Nation venues will be able to save time and money of their own by not having to process vouchers — money and time that can be better spent increasing the overall event experience for their patrons.
Most importantly, the consumer will be able to allocate their time and energy to enjoying the concert, theatre performance, or sporting event, increasing the likelihood that they will once again purchase tickets from GrouponLive.
