By Alfred Branch, Jr.
TicketNews.com
Tickets.com, the nation’s second-largest primary ticketer, is ramping up its international strategy with a move into Singapore, the company has announced. In addition, Tickets.com also recently reached a partnership deal with ticketing analytics company StratBridge to provide solutions software to venues and professional teams domestically.
Moving into the Singapore market is part of a deal the company reached with Quebec Leisure International Pte Ltd., where Quebec Leisure will become a franchisee of Tickets.com, and will provide the ticketing services in Singapore. Quebec Leisure is owned by Singapore theme-park operator NTUC Club, and Tickets.com is owned by Major League Baseball.
“Our international efforts are extremely important to us,” Tickets.com CEO Larry Witherspoon said, adding that currently international sales account for about 15 percent of the company’s revenue. In addition to Singapore, Tickets.com also has divisions in Germany, the U.K., Netherlands, Hong Kong and Australia, and the company is also looking to expand in to the Middle East and Africa. . .
The company did not disclose the financial terms of the Quebec Leisure deal, but the Singapore franchise will work with AXS InfoComm Pte Ltd. “to expand its physical distribution channels, so that Tickets.com Singapore will be available from 450 AXS kiosks,” in addition to other locations. Witherspoon said Quebec Leisure had already been a software customer of Tickets.com, making the franchise deal easier to strike. He was quick to add that the Tickets.com decision to expand into Singapore was not to counteract Ticketmaster’s purchase of a majority stake in China’s Emma Entertainment Ltd..
“We’ve been very strong in Australia for some time, where we’re the second-largest primary ticket company,” Witherspoon said. “We’ve identified Asia and Australia as having a lot of growth opportunities.”
As for the StratBridge deal, Tickets.com gains a partner that will give venues the ability to perform extensive analytical forecasts and projections on a myriad of statistical data relating to ticket sales and trends.
“StratTix software gives venue operators a lot more power to better run their facilities,” Witherspoon said. For example, venues or stadiums can perform statistical analysis on which road teams are better draws based on weather or other factors.
“This will help our clients better project operating costs and ticket prices,” Witherspoon said.
