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!
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/
SOUTH WINDSOR, CT ( December 20, 2021) – Through a partnership with the Gotham Classic, Prolific 1 presented an on-court donation to the Veteran Tickets Foundation on Saturday December 18th at Madison Square Garden. During half time of the St. John’s vs. Pittsburgh game, Prolific 1 Chief Executive Officer,
Mike Garvie, presented the donation to Vet Tix Chief Strategy Officer, Steven Weintraub.
“Through Prolific 1’s commitment to supporting veterans, we are grateful to donate to those who have served our country,” states Mike Garvie, CEO of Prolific 1. “VetTix has been an amazing resource, and we look forward to continuing our support.”
Founded in 2008, Vet Tix provides an easy outlet for Veterans and currently serving military members, including immediate family of troops KIA to attend live events across the country.
“Vet Tix is honored to be the recipient of such a generous ticket donation from Prolific 1. Because of donations such as this, Prolific 1 and Vet Tix are able to create lifelong memories and experiences for our VetTixers and their families.” said Michael Focareto III, Navy veteran, Founder and CEO of Vet Tix.
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About The Veteran Tickets Foundation
Veteran Tickets Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that teams up with major sports teams, leagues, promoters, organizations, venues, and ticket holders to provide free tickets to the more than 21 million military and veterans. Currently serving military, honorably discharged veterans from all eras and branches of service, and family of those Killed In Action are eligible. Vet Tix does this to support our troops and veterans by honoring their service and sacrifice while providing positive family and life experiences, during and after their years of service to our country. To learn more about Vet Tix, go to: https://www.vettix.org/
About the Gazelle Group
The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm located in Princeton, NJ, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the Good Sam Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire, the Roman Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, the inaugural Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, the Duke Veterans Day Weekend
Showcase, the Abe Lemons Classic, the Kentucky Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
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.
For more information, visit prolific1.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.
PRINCETON, NJ (Nov. 11, 2021)– The Gazelle Group has announced an extended partnership with Prolific 1 for its series of events occurring across the 2021-2022 men’s college basketball season.
These events include the Good Sam Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire, a four-team, two-day event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on November 22 and 23 featuring No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 UCLA, Central Michigan and Bellarmine. The Roman Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper, a four-team, two-day tournament at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on November 22 and 23 featuring Providence, Virginia, Georgia and Northwestern. And the Gotham Classic, a one-day doubleheader at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on December 18 featuring St. John’s Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and Iona.
“We look forward to working with Prolific 1 to help further market and promote our portfolio of nationally-recognized collegiate men’s basketball events,” says Gazelle Group president Rick Giles. “Prolific 1’s resources and know-how are second to none and we feel this partnership will be beneficial for everyone involved.”
As the Official Secondary Ticketing Partner, Prolific 1 will utilize their distribution expertise and solutions raise awareness and drive attendance to new levels, while providing informative ticketing data and analytics back to the Gazelle team.
“The Gazelle Group and their portfolio of events continue to offer fans premier matchups featuring the top programs in college basketball” stated Michael Garvie, CEO of Prolific 1. “We
are excited to continue our partnership and support their ticketing strategy on a game-by-game basis.”
During the Gotham Classic, Prolific 1 will also present an on-court donation of 5,000 tickets to The Veteran Tickets Foundation. Founded in 2008, Vet Tix provides an easy outlet for Veterans and currently serving military members, including immediate family of troops KIA to attend live events across the country.
“Vet Tix is honored to be the recipient of such a generous ticket donation from Prolific 1. Because of donations such as this, Prolific 1 and Vet Tix are able to create lifelong memories and experiences for our VetTixers and their families.” said Michael Focareto III, Navy veteran, Founder and CEO of Vet Tix.
About the Gotham Classic
First played in 2012, the Gotham Classic features teams from across the country in one of the most competitive events of its kind. In eight short years, the tournament has attracted the likes of Syracuse, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Louisville, Memphis, Davidson, Pittsburgh, NC State, and West Virginia, among a host of other prominent programs.
About the Gazelle Group
The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm located in Princeton, NJ, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized events, such as the Good Sam Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project presented by Continental Tire, the Roman Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, the inaugural Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, the Duke Veterans Day Weekend Showcase, the Abe Lemons Classic, the Kentucky Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
About The Veteran Tickets Foundation
Veteran Tickets Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that teams up with major sports teams, leagues, promoters, organizations, venues, and ticket holders to provide free tickets to the more than 21 million military and veterans. Currently serving military, honorably discharged veterans from all eras and branches of service, and family of those Killed In Action are eligible. Vet Tix does this to support our troops and veterans by honoring their service and sacrifice while providing positive family and life experiences, during and after their years of service to our country. To learn more about Vet Tix, go to: https://www.vettix.org/
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.
For more information, visit prolific1.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.
ATLANTA (Aug. 3, 2021) – Peach Bowl, Inc. has once again teamed up with Prolific 1, naming them the official Ticket Resale Partner of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game for the next three seasons. This follows a recent agreement in 2020 where Prolific 1 also became the official Ticket Resale Partner for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
In this mutually beneficial partnership, Peach Bowl, Inc. will receive access to Prolific 1’s real-time, web-based data portal that provides insight into all current sales and available seat locations. In addition, Prolific 1 will provide strategic distribution models and ticket pricing consultation as needed by Peach Bowl, Inc.
“We’re happy to grow our partnership and deliver results for the Peach Bowl and their properties,” said Michael Garvie, CEO of Prolific 1. “Together, we have created a seamless and proven strategy for some of the premier games in college football that sets a new standard for sales and revenue.”
Prolific 1 will be integrated into the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game ticketing ecosystem to ensure a seamless transition, prior to tickets going on sale this year.
“We had a successful partnership that began with Prolific 1 last season and resulted in a sold out Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president.
“We’re thrilled to expand this partnership to our Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games these next few years, especially considering we are scheduled to feature some of college football’s most storied programs during that time.”
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game averages 69,170 fans for each game – higher than 36 bowl games from the 2019-20 Bowl Season. More than 1 million fans have attended the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game since its inception in 2008, resulting in 12 sellouts to date.
This year’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games will feature a projected top-10 matchup between Alabama and Miami on Sept. 4 and a Louisville vs. Ole Miss game on Sept. 6 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Additional Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games that will fall under the new agreement include Oregon vs. Georgia and Clemson vs. Georgia Tech in 2022, as well as Louisville vs. Georgia Tech in 2023.
For more information, visit www.Chick-fil-AKickoffGame.com
ABOUT THE CHICK-FIL-A KICKOFF GAME
Created in 2008 by Peach Bowl, Inc., the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is the preeminent bowl-style, neutral-site game featuring two elite football programs and has been nationally televised on the first Saturday of the college football season since its inception. The game has hosted teams with national rankings of No. 1 (twice), 2 (twice), 3, 5 (twice), 6 (twice), 7, 9 (twice), 14, 16, 18 (twice), 19, 22, 24 (twice) and 25 (three times). The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game boasts an average attendance of 69,170, has been watched on television by more than 78.4 million viewers, and has distributed $83.5 million in total team payouts. Since its inception in 2008, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game has featured 10 national coaches of the year, 32 players who were recipients of national awards during their collegiate careers, a total of 78 first-round NFL Draft picks and two teams that have used the game as a springboard to a National Championship that same season. For more information, visit chick-fil-akickoffgame.com
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.
ECHL News (October 26th, 2020) – The ECHL announced on Monday that Prolific 1 has been named the “Preferred Ticket Distribution Partner of the ECHL” for the 2020-21 Season.
As part of the agreement, Prolific 1 will offer controlled ticket distribution to select teams across the ECHL, providing benefits such as increased event awareness, historical and real-time sales data and a trusted buying experience for fans.
“Continuing our relationship with Prolific 1 allows us to ensure our fans get the best tickets available for ECHL games while also helping create new ones through their distribution channels,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “With the 2020-21 Season being different than any other year in our history, this relationship is even more important on the road ahead.”
The partnership is an extension based on a successful partnership following last season and continues to establish Prolific 1’s presence in hockey, with numerous professional and affiliate relationships already in place.
“We’re excited to extend our partnership with the ECHL and continuing to offer teams a proven primary and secondary market strategy,” said Michael Garvie, Chief Revenue Officer of Prolific 1. “Collaboratively, we achieved great results last year and now more than ever, a trusted distribution partner will be needed help teams and organizations drive awareness and revenue as live events return.”
About Pro
Prolific 1 is the largest ticket distribution company and consultant in the United States. Collaborating with entertainment rights-holders, they combine industry-leading technology with expert analysis to drive incremental revenue and attendance for live events, on your terms.
With 250+ forward-thinking relationships across all sectors of live entertainment, Prolific 1 delivers flexible solutions that provide market strategy, real-time pricing optimization, controlled inventory management, actionable data and analytics, and more. Relying on decades of experience and millions of tickets sold each year, Prolific 1 provides next level insight, seat by seat.
For more information, visit www.prolific1.com or connect with them on LinkedIn and Twitter for ticketing trends, infographics, podcasts featuring industry executives, and more.
About the ECHL
Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 26 teams in 19 states and two Canadian provinces for its 33rd season in 2020-21. There have been 678 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including 16 who made their NHL debuts in the 2019-20 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 25 of the 31 NHL teams in 2019-20, marking the 23rd consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
ATLANTA (Oct. 12, 2020) – Peach Bowl, Inc. has teamed up with Prolific 1, naming them the official Ticket Resale Partner of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl for the next three seasons.
Through this partnership, Prolific 1 will provide benefits to both consumer and business channels by offering fans a trusted buying experience, as well as delivering benefits to the Peach Bowl, Inc. ticketing department that include increased event awareness, inventory management and real-time sales data.
“The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has a tremendous reputation and is widely regarded as one of the premier college football bowl games,” said Michael Garvie, CRO of Prolific 1. “We can’t wait to bring our wealth of experience and next-level insight to this partnership and continue their success.”
“The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has a tremendous reputation and is widely regarded as one of the premier college football bowl games,” said Michael Garvie, CRO of Prolific 1. “We can’t wait to bring our wealth of experience and next-level insight to this partnership and continue their success.”
“We’re excited to welcome Prolific 1 to our team as our official resale partner,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president. “We look forward to working with a leader in the ticket distribution industry to continue our longstanding tradition of sold-out Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl games here in the Capital of College Football.”
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has sold out 21 of its last 23 games, and just set a new attendance record of 78,347 for last year’s College Football Playoff Semifinal contest between No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 1 LSU.
Since its inaugural game in 1968, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has attracted more than 3.1 million fans to Atlanta, with an average of 71,807 fans attending the game since 2000.
This season’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is set for New Year’s Day at noon ET in Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will feature top-ranked teams as determined by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
About Prolific 1
Prolific 1 works 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 relationships 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.
About Peach Bowl, Inc
Peach Bowl, Inc. operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, one of the New Year’s Six Bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff. The Bowl has earned a reputation as one of the most competitive bowls in the country, with 52 percent of its games being decided by a touchdown or less. Peach Bowl, Inc. has disbursed $280.7 million in team payouts over its 52-year history. Peach Bowl, Inc. also leads all other bowl game organizations in charitable and scholarship contributions, having donated or committed $57.2 million to organizations in need since 2002. Peach Bowl, Inc. also created and manages the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award and led the relocation and financial foundation of the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta. For more information, visit Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com or follow us on Twitter at @CFAPeachBowl and find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CFAPeachBowl.
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.
- Comparison based shoppers, often from multiple devices
- Seek ease of transaction with saved account and payment information
- Driven by discounts and promos
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.
- Full Marketplace Distribution – All events, venues and ticket options in one place, which millennials prefer. They don’t search across multiple apps and websites, as they have their preferred platform. In this case, you are going to them versus them coming to you.
- Mobile First – Provides ease of transaction and can transfer tickets via text or email. Other ticket methods aren’t preferred, as hard stock requires shipping costs and delivery time, and PDF’s have to be printed and require additional steps in the process.
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