Gold Coast Tickets, one of Chicago’s largest secondary ticket companies, has signed a sponsorship deal with the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field that calls for a section of premium seats behind home plate to be renamed the “Gold Coast Tickets Club.”
The 212-seat section in the stadium’s 200 Level was formerly called the “Jim Beam Club,” but Gold Coast Tickets took over the section with a multi-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the arrangement also calls for additional branding and signage throughout the stadium. Face values for the tickets were not immediately available, but prices for White Sox premium tickets generally start in excess of $50 per game in the lower levels and quickly escalate.
Such large-scale branding efforts used to be undertaken by the deep-pocketed likes of Ticketmaster and StubHub, but local secondary ticket companies have begun to take on these efforts. Boston’s Ace Ticket is the off-line secondary ticket provider for the Red Sox, and has marketing signage throughout Fenway Park, and late last year Texas-based TicketCity sponsored a college football bowl game.
“The agreement with Gold Coast Tickets brings the White Sox a distinct partnership with a local, reputable company that has provided Chicago residents with unique ticket opportunities to entertainment and sporting events for nearly 20 years,” Brooks Boyer, White Sox senior vice president of sales and marketing, said in a statement.
Max Waisvisz, owner of Gold Coast Tickets, told TicketNews that he hopes the White Sox deal will lead to other opportunities Waisvisz also owns rooftop seating across the street from Wrigley Field for Chicago Cubs games.
“This will be a multi-year deal [with the White Sox] and maybe a secondary ticket provider [deal] in the future is a possibility, but not yet,” Waisvisz said.
