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St. Louis, MO – (September, 2023)

This past week, Prolific 1 CEO and other key staff members attended the annual Sports Business Journal DRIVE conference in St. Louis.

During an extremely productive and engaging three day period, our team joined various industry leaders through educational sessions tailored to the ins and outs of revenue optimization, streamlining business operations, fostering innovation and enhancing the fan experience through business analytics.

Thank you to those who attended our panel, Consolidated Secondary: Today’s Partnerships Between Teams & Resale Platforms where our CEO, Mike Garvie, offered a deep dive into the evolution of trusted distribution partners, and the many benefits it provides to teams. This exclusive conversation dove in to the current secondary market landscape while highlighting the many benefits of utilizing a trusted distribution partner.

As a proud sponsor of the 2023 event, our team already looks forward to what next year will bring.

As ticketing continues to innovate, rights-holders must determine the value and importance they place on the secondary market.

The following content and data was presented at INTIX featuring industry professionals from Prolific 1, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Clippers and Qcue. 

As ticketing continues to innovate, rights-holders must determine the value and importance they place on the secondary market. If controlled through a distribution partner, it will have positive, long-term benefits towards your business. If not, the result is oversaturated marketplaces, underpriced tickets and empty seats.

Reaching new ticket buyers and providing value of purchase is more difficult than ever before. As your organization approaches this new business silo, it’s time to get informed on how the secondary market can drive more revenue, target new ticket buyers and obtain actionable data.

Market Growth

The leading marketplaces on the secondary market continue to grow tremendously year over year due to their extensive marketing reach of targeting ticket buyers. Projections on the secondary market size show that it will continue to maintain the average annual growth rate of the last five years.

Powering Rights-Holders

With a large volume of sales occurring on secondary marketplaces, rights-holders utilizing a distribution partner receive benefits that provide value to their entire ticketing ecosystem. This includes:

STRATEGY

CONTROL

DISTRIBUTION

REVENUE

Actionable Data

The leading distribution partners operate in full transparency and share real-time, comprehensive sales data. With this information at your fingertips, rights-holders can make more informed decisions for current events while building business intelligence for the future. This will allow for optimized pricing to drive more revenue, create a value of purchase and a balanced resale market. The types of data available include:

Additionally, these partners also create custom data reports that can be shared via a real-time portal or in raw formats.

The Future of Mobile

Mobile ticketing is here to stay as the number of current and future users is growing daily. With the majority of buyers on secondary marketplaces using mobile as their preferred ticket entry, rights-holders and venues are able to capitalize.

With 80 million people using mobile ticketing for sporting events last year, this entry platform will increase over the next few years. Recent reports show that mobile tickets for sports events will grow from $14 billion to $23 billion by 2023. For all non sporting events, mobile tickets will increase from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion by 2023.

Dynamic and variable pricing of tickets has become standard.  Fans now expect prices to shift throughout the season based on basic supply and demand.

Prolific 1 helps teams create a comprehensive data and analysis driven distribution model which delivers benefits to the primary and secondary ticketing market.

Over the past five years, dynamic and variable pricing of tickets has become standard.  Fans have come to expect ticket prices to shift throughout the season based on basic supply and demand trends.  This pricing structure, however, is not a new concept.

Secondary market distribution leaders have benefited from the ebbs and flows of the sports industry for decades.  Companies like Prolific 1 partner with rights-holders on macro goals of driving attendance and providing secondary market insight on buyers. Through secondary exchanges, teams put more eyes on seats while offering fans a preferred buying experience. This controlled sales process helps teams’ price more effectively on the primary by using dynamic and variable primary pricing models, while supplying new lead information and customer data for teams utilizing mobile transfer technology.

In many mobile ticketing partnerships across the NFL, teams have grown their buyer database by up to 500% due to the amount of volume that occurs through these distribution channels.

Rights holders can create a customized secondary market selling strategy to focus on specific inventory locations where primary demand may be lower, including near-term inventory.

Utilizing a trusted distribution partner allows for an open concept selling strategy.  This strategy positively impacts building optics and produces ancillary revenue where otherwise the seat would have remained spoiled or unsold.  Prolific 1’s distribution process allows prospective customers a chance to sample premium areas on a single game basis, which enters them into the corporate sales funnel.

Last season, Prolific 1 offered a club product through its open distribution network at an affordable single game price with an NHL partner. This primary sales strategy allowed team professionals an opportunity to meet ticket buyers and speak to them directly about the additional benefits that these premium seats offer. As a result, over 100 new premium season seat packages were sold in that minimally marketed, high yield area.

These changes in ticketing strategies have granted teams new insight and benefits that have previously been inaccessible.

If you are looking for a custom distribution model for your organization or premium area, be sure you choose a trusted partner that can assist you in meeting your organizational goals.

As ticketing executives develop new ticketing strategies and goals, targeting millennials is a common topic that we discuss on a daily basis.

Prolific 1 delivered the following research and insight during an exclusive presentation at the annual TriTix Forum.

As ticketing executives develop new ticketing strategies and goals, targeting millennials is a common topic that we discuss on a daily basis. This demographic is widely considered as the next generation of fans that will be critical to driving business revenue over the next few decades.

Let’s start with the first important topic, who are millennials?

In past research, millennials have shown different types of shopping habits compared to past generations. As rights-holders start to aggressively target them as future ticket buyers, research has shown that millennials have common attributes when it comes to buying.

Mobile Trends

Digital and mobile technologies have allowed us to collect buying patterns on different generations within the sales funnel process. Compared to other generations, millennials fall into the “late” buying category. Driven by deals, they often wait 48 – 72 hours prior to the event to buy as this is when the market seems most affordable. Additionally, they have been researching the event, pricing and seating options before they purchase. If you look at the buying patterns below, you will see how millennials differ.

Now that we’ve covered all the shopping characteristics behind this generation, it’s important to know how the secondary market can align with your ticketing strategy to attract and retain these buyers.

In conclusion, millennial shopping habits enforce the importance of actively adjusting marketing strategies and other digital campaigns to help build credibility as an organization. Gaining the trust of these young buyers will ensure they become recurring customers, generating sales for years to come.

“Recently, I was visiting a National Hockey League (NHL) partner on the west coast. After a quick meeting regarding our business with them he offered me a tour of their arena. I have always been a student of the “Stadium/Arena sales tour game”, and quickly welcomed the chance to see the ins and outs of an Arena I had never been in before. Our partner gave a very informative tour, highlighting the pros and cons of each seating category and accessing my needs as if I were a potential new customer for him. He answered questions professionally and eloquently and was not pushy at all. Now this was probably because my company already distributes seats in his arena or maybe that is just how he has perfected his pitch. Either way, it was a very well put together sales tour.

Working within ticketing, this was definitely a highlight for me as we very rarely get to experience the perks of our purchases. We analyze margins, upside and demand and then combine those factors with our own data and analytics to make a buying decision for the potential resale value on ticketing marketplaces.

I knew the margins that these seats generate and as a past primary market seller I always catch myself thinking about the upsell potential of those buyers who attend and sit in our seats. I view these customers as “fish in a barrel” for the aggressive primary seller. I asked our partner “how many of our “customers” he has converted into full season or package buyers”? I was very surprised when he looked at me with an awkward expression on his face and told me that it was not his practice to “poach” our customers. I told him I certainly respected his ethics, but our business model does not necessarily work like that. As partners, part of our job is to drive traffic to your building. We do this by offering a price that a customer is willing to pay for a specific event or game and then make the buying process as seamless and easy for them as possible. What our primary partner then does with that “free” lead is up to them. I recommended to him to approach these buyers on a game by game basis, let them know they partner with a ticket distribution company and then explain to them the benefits of upgrading into a larger package. This should be an ongoing practice for him. He knows that he will potentially see new customers every game and all should be viewed as great opportunities for him and the organization to capitalize on.

As sellers, we all get caught up in finding that new industry, that new company, making the most outbound calls, setting the most appointments etc. How do we stay on top of the leaderboard? I would argue that capitalizing on in-stadium guests that paid a potential premium to go to one game should be close to the top of each primary seller’s target list. The offering of these leads is another example of working together to achieve similar goals and keeping your building full while maximizing every revenue opportunity available!”

– Eric Lapointe, Head of Sports Partnerships at Prolific 1

Six questions all teams must ask secondary market consultants before entering partnerships.

For many years, the secondary market has been viewed and treated as a back-end channel of underground entrepreneurs gauging the temperature of buyer tendencies and trying to score big by buying low and selling high. Purchases were made through traditional methods of season ticket purchases, group ticket packages, mini plans, and single-game on sales. For far too long, these buyers were “undercover.” Teams and venues had no true idea of who these buyers were and what it was they were trying to accomplish. It was a challenge to identify and weed out “the good ones” vs. “the bad ones.”

Over the course of the last five years, the landscape has changed.

The transactional opacity of traditional secondary market buyers has decreased through the advancement of large secondary consolidators. Teams and venues have begun to change their approach in dealing with these consultant and distribution companies and have demanded a level of transparency in these investments. The days of the rogue reseller trying to purchase under the radar and hide their identity is slowly coming to an end.

Partnerships have blossomed. Teams and venues have since been working directly with vetted, successful, major distribution partners to maximize revenues, attendance, and marketing value. Sales dashboards are shared in real-time; market trends are detailed in daily and weekly calls; presentations and investments are made at a very high level. Establishing market control and maintaining pricing integrity are top priorities of companies such as Prolific 1. The level of transparent interaction between partners is an integral part of making it a success.

For those teams and venues looking to form a true partnership with a distribution consultant, ask these six internal questions before beginning the vetting process:

What are my goals for ticket sales across all my different sports? Can my partner help me achieve these goals for all these programs?

To promote a healthy and robust primary and secondary market, what is the ideal size of my secondary market? Can my potential partner help me access this number and show me why this is beneficial?

What is the distribution plan for the inventory, and where is the inventory sold? What customer service is provided?

How important is sales data to help achieve pricing maximization on a game-by-game basis, and can my partner supply this information in real-time?

Will my partner assist me in distributing tickets for events the athletic department may be required to buy and help me get revenue back for them? (conference tournaments, bowl games, NCAA tournament)

Will my partner supply me good feedback and insight into ticket sales and serve as an extension of my department to make sure all customer needs are met?

Answering these questions will allow your team/venue to begin formulating a plan and selecting a distribution partner. Take time to determine what is best for your particular situation. Poll your peers, ask for referrals and call on them, and meet your prospective partners in person. Understand the technologies your prospects currently have in place and what technologies they are currently developing or investing in to help their business.

Selecting the right strategic distribution partner is a major step forward in achieving unit sell-through, revenue maximization, and ticket distribution success!

QUEENS, N.Y. (Jan. 31, 2023) – Through a partnership with Prolific 1, the Exclusive Ticket Distribution Partner of St. John’s Athletics, St. John’s Sports Properties hosted Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City during the men’s basketball contest against Georgetown this past Sunday, January 29th at Madison Square Garden. “This is the second year in a row Prolific 1 has offered this great experience to Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City,” said Kevin Waters, General Manager of St. John’s Sports Properties. “It’s a special thing to see the impact our partnerships can have in our community, especially on our younger fans. We greatly appreciate Prolific 1 for their partnership.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC is a 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to “build and support mentoring relationships to ignite the biggest possible futures for youth”. Adult volunteers are matched with children from ages 7 to young adulthood.

“Prolific 1 is thrilled to provide this unique experience to BBBS of NYC,” said Mike Garvie, CEO of Prolific 1. “We value the nature of our partnership with St. John’s which allows us to leverage our philanthropic values and support the NYC community, helping the youth build core memories that will last a lifetime.”

Sunday’s experience included the “Bigs” and “Littles” from BBBS of NYC enjoying pre-game photos on the court, BBBS of NYC being recognized in an on-court presentation during the game, and in-game branding for BBBS of NYC throughout the game.

“We are excited to partner again this year with St. Johns Athletics & Prolific 1. Creating meaningful experiences for our Bigs and Littles is essential to our mission to ignite potential, and we are thrilled to do this from center court at Madison Square Garden.” said Michael Coughlin, Chief Innovation & Program Officer, “Mentoring has never been more important, and we thank our partners in supporting our mission to build the next generation of leaders in NYC.”

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC:

Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC (BBBS of NYC) is the nation’s first and the city’s largest youth mentoring organization. By matching a caring adult mentor, a Big, with a New York City youth, a Little, we are inspiring the next generation of leaders. Through our one-to-one mentoring, Workplace Mentoring Program (corporate engagement), affinity groups, College & Career Success Program, Bigs in Blue, and other community partner programs, BBBS of NYC serves over 2,500 youths annually across all five boroughs. 99% of our Littles are promoted to the next grade, and 93% of our Littles are accepted into college.

About Prolific 1:

Prolific 1 partners with entertainment rights-holders, combining industry-leading technology with expert analysis to drive incremental revenue and attendance for live events, on your terms. With 250+ forward-thinking partnerships across live entertainment, Prolific 1 delivers flexible solutions that provide market strategy, real-time pricing optimization, controlled inventory management, actionable data and analytics, and more. With decades of experience and millions of tickets sold each year, Prolific 1 provides next level insight, seat by seat

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. (December 27th, 2022) – Orange Bowl has extended its relationship with Prolific 1, naming them the Official Fan to Fan and Strategic Ticket Provider of the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Through this relationship that began in 2019, Prolific 1 will help the Capital One Orange Bowl maximize event awareness, provide real-time sales data, and drive incremental revenue through a trusted ticket distribution process.

“We’re happy to continue our partnership with Prolific 1, which provides a convenient and secure outlet for Capital One Orange Bowl fans across the country,” said Ana Hernandez-Ochoa, Orange Bowl Chief Operating Officer.

“Year after year, the Capital One Orange Bowl is a top-performing event bringing together some of the best teams in college football,” states Mike Garvie, CEO of Prolific 1. “We’re proud to be a long-standing partner of this event, and we look forward to furthering the success of this relationship, while delivering fans a memorable experience.”

The 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl will feature the University of Tennessee vs. Clemson University in yet another historic matchup. The game will be held on Dec. 30th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

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About Orange Bowl

Orange Bowl is a 391-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl’s community outreach is embodied by the four pillars of its Orange Bowl Cares program: Youth Sports, Education, Community Engagement and Legacy Programs. Orange Bowl features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the 2022 Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. For more information on the 2022 Orange Bowl events, including promotional inquiries and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program, log on to orangebowl.org or follow @OrangeBowl on social media.

About Prolific 1

Prolific 1 partners with entertainment rights-holders, combining industry-leading technology with expert analysis to drive incremental revenue and attendance for live events, on your terms.

With 250+ forward-thinking partnerships across live entertainment, Prolific 1 delivers flexible solutions that provide market strategy, real-time pricing optimization, controlled inventory management, actionable data and analytics, and more. With decades of experience and millions of tickets sold each year, Prolific 1 provides next level insight, seat by seat.

HARTFORD, CT (November 18th, 2022) – Through a long standing partnership with UConn Athletics, Prolific 1 will collaborate with the Women’s Basketball Team on a food drive to support those in need this holiday season. As part of the effort, fans attending the game on Sunday, November 20th will be encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate.

As the presenting sponsor of this game, Prolific 1’s CEO, Mike Garvie, will join representatives from UConn and each of the local food banks to present the donation on center court.

“After a successful toy drive in 2021, Prolific 1 is excited to leverage our partnership with UConn Athletics to give back to the local community in a different capacity,” says Mike Garvie, CEO of Prolific1. “This is a challenging time of year for many people, and we’re eager to support our community and these deserving organizations in any way we can.”

The local organizations receiving the donations include: Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Inc, United Way of Connecticut and Access Community Action Agency.

“We know that nearly 40% of Connecticut residents live paycheck-to-paycheck at best, and at worst, are falling behind. This can mean stark choices between paying the rent and buying the nutritious food a family knows their kids need, shares Lisa Tepper Bates, President & CEO, United Way of Connecticut. “Feeding America tells us that 490,000 Connecticut residents struggle with hunger – more than 131,000 children in our state don’t get enough to eat. Every hour of every day, people in Connecticut turn to United Way of Connecticut/211 for help finding the resources they need – including food supports. We are proud to work together with community partners, like TVCCA and Access Agency, and with state agencies to help Connecticut residents access what they need for themselves and their families, and to build a path to thrive. United Way of Connecticut thanks everyone for combating food insecurity in our state. We wish you all a very meaningful Thanksgiving.”

“United Way is proud to bring together the right people and resources to make a tangible difference for local children and families. Today’s food drive is a powerful representation of what it looks like to LIVE UNITED,” says Eric Harrison, President and CEO, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut. “We especially want to thank those who donated non-perishable items. Because of them, more people in Eastern Connecticut will be able to put food on the table throughout the holiday season.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the UConn community to partner with local food pantries located in the heart of Huskyland. Access’ Willimantic site based pantry is 15 minutes down the road from Storrs and our mobile program delivers to food insecure communities that are also cheering on our Lady Huskies, a real win-win!” says Kathleen Krider, Senior Director of Community Engagement and Resource Management at Access.

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About TVCCA (Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Inc.)

The mission of Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Inc. (TVCCA) is to provide services and partner with other organizations to address the social determinants of health – housing, food security,

employment, education, and basic needs – of low-income and vulnerable households of Eastern Connecticut, with a focus on building the community’s self-sufficiency and resiliency.

TVCCA traces its roots to the historic anti-poverty initiatives of the 1960s. President Lyndon B. Johnson launched the War on Poverty with the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which defined the scope of the Community Action Program, and the structure and functions of Community Action Agencies, the grass-roots organizations that would oversee and administer the Program nationwide. More than a half-century later, Community Action Agencies throughout the county continue to help people in low-income and disadvantaged communities access the services they need at a local level, while fostering greater levels of self-reliance and economic autonomy among their clientele.

Since its incorporation on March 22, 1965 as New London County’s Community Action Agency, TVCCA has remained true to this vision, and steadfast in its commitment to address social and economic disparities in our area, and mitigate both the causes and consequences of poverty. Throughout the region, TVCCA is recognized as a community leader and a trusted partner in advocating for and meeting the needs of the area’s most vulnerable residents.

About United Way of Connecticut

United Way of Connecticut serves by 1) connecting people to information, education, and services; 2) supporting early childhood development and education; 3) responding to emergencies, whether they are personal/family crises or community-wide disasters; and 4) promoting strong communities in collaboration with many government and nonprofit partners. These four objectives are carried out by means of our diverse array of services which creates cross-cutting connections that help to integrate the work of multiple government and nonprofit agencies.

United Way of Connecticut’s core services include the Connecticut 211 contact center and point of entry for Mobile Crisis Intervention Services and Connecticut’s Coordinated Shelter Access Networks; 211 Child Care Resource and Referral Contact Center; 211 Child Development; and administering the State of Connecticut’s childcare subsidy program, Care 4 Kids. United Way of Connecticut also works with local United Way leaders to advance the common good by creating opportunities for all, with a particular focus on education, income/financial security, health and basic needs. For more information, visit ctunitedway.org.

About United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut   

United Way brings people and resources together to address immediate needs and find long-term solutions to challenging problems. United Way does this by investing in programs and services; leading community change initiatives; and, mobilizing resources and volunteers to ensure that children succeed in school; people get jobs and are financially secure; people are healthy; and, basic needs are met during tough times. For more information, visit unitedwayinc.org.    

About Access Food Pantries

Site-Based and Mobile is available to individuals and families in Windham and Tolland Counties who find themselves in an emergency situation where they run a risk of being without food. A crisis can happen to anyone at any time which can force them to have to choose between food and other necessities. A three-day food supplement is issued to those families/individuals experiencing a food crisis immediately and

weekly or monthly appointments can be set up. An individual or family can meet with a Case Manager for an assessment and determine what can be done to eliminate the barriers that created the need for an emergency food supplement. They can also see what other services they qualify for. Access goal is to help our customers to get past the short-term crisis that they are experiencing and have food security for their household. Visit https://accessagency.org/ to learn more

Prolific 1 is excited to announce its newest partnership with the Azalea House for 2022. Taking over as the naming rights sponsor, it will officially be known as the Azalea House, powered by Prolific 1.

Located just minutes away from Augusta National Golf Club, the Azalea House serves as a centralized location for tournament attendees seeking a premium, VIP hospitality experience throughout the entire tournament. This includes admittance into the golf tournament and full access to Azalea House amenities including valet parking, food and beverage offerings, private restrooms, onsite concierge, and golf cart shuttles to and from course. To learn more, please visit: https://azaleahospitality.com/