(Philadelphia,PA) - September 15, 2006 - Their ticket service charges might not be any cheaper. But a new ticketing company taking over for events at the Wachovia Center and the Wachovia Spectrum, the Borgata, the Liacouras Center and the Sovereign Bank Arena says it will offer customers more conveniences.
ComcastTIX, as the service is called, goes into gear on Oct. 3 (yours to contact at ComcastTIX. com, 1-800-298-4200, the respective facilities' Web sites and selected Acme Markets).
Owned by Comcast-Spectacor, the new kid in town has been building a national high-tech presence as New Era Tickets since 2004, company president Fred Maglione said yesterday. But the ticketing concern couldn't make real inroads into its home market until longstanding contracts with Ticketmaster expired.
"Last year, we sold six million tickets. This year that number will double," Maglione said.
Comcast-TIX will be able to build profiles of the service users and put that information to use, said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko.
"Say, you've purchased tickets to a Metallica or AC/DC concert. Now we know you're a metal music fan and can send you an e-mail alert when Slayer is coming to town," said Luukko. "We'll be able to set up preferred-users clubs, maybe even offer half-price tickets to some shows."
Parent company Comcast will also offer its triple-play customers (cable, Internet and phone) some perks, like VIP access to advance tickets for select events, said Dave Watson, executive vice president of operations for Comcast Cable.
Don't be surprised if the online site or a ComcastTix phone agent (available 24/7) offers you the chance to pack extras onto a ticket purchase.
"You'll be able to send your kids off to a show with a bar-coded ticket [printed on your home computer] that also pays for the parking, a T-shirt... food and drinks," said Maglione. The bar code might even stipulate only nonalcoholic drinks.
"If you can't get to an event," said Luukko, "you'll be able to e-mail your tickets to a friend. You won't have to go through the trouble of driving down and leaving them at the box office."
As ticket buyers are painfully aware, service charges can be sky-high on some concerts and sporting events, and that's not going to change much, conceded the execs.
"When someone's making a $1,000 charge for Barbra Streisand tickets, just the 2 percent fee we have to pay to the credit-card company is going to be steep, and that's built into the service fee," said Luukko.
Often, a high service charge hides the special terms negotiated by the ticketing company with the show promoter and performers - essentially an added, hidden chunk of profit for the presenter and talent over and above the face value of the ticket.
"We do hope to do something about lowering the service charge on family shows we present here," said Luukko. "And there's no reason for someone who buys a cheap ticket in the upper deck to be paying the same service charge as someone who's bought an expensive ticket on the floor."
As TicketMaster's contracts run out with other local entertainment and sports venues, ComcastTIX will "actively pursue those opportunities," Luukko said. "I believe they've got about two years left at the Tweeter Center. We can't even talk to them until then."
The new service also has agreements to sell tickets to Franklin Institute special exhibits and the Penn Relays.
