Oak View Group (OVG) has announced a long-term partnership with Ticketmaster, the global leader in ticketing, to employ their latest venue and ticketing technology for six of OVG’s new world-class arenas including New York’s UBS Arena, Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, Austin’s Moody Center, Coachella Valley Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Savannah Arena, and Co-op Live in Manchester, England.
“OVG is setting a new standard for arenas with world-class hospitality and state-of-the-art technology. Their portfolio boasts some of the most modern and progressive new venues in the world,” said Mark Yovich, President, Ticketmaster. “Through our leading-edge ticketing technology, Ticketmaster will help OVG deliver premium fan experiences for sports fanatics and music lovers.”
Continuing a longstanding NHL partnership, Ticketmaster will expand its relationship with the New York Islanders as they make the move to UBS Arena. In addition to serving as the official ticketing partner for the team, Ticketmaster will offer fans a seamless ticketing experience for all UBS Arena events. Ticketmaster will further extend its NHL support by partnering with the league’s newest expansion team the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. When the state-of-the-art venue opens in October 2021, Ticketmaster will provide its innovative ticketing solutions for the Kraken as well as the WNBA’s Storm in addition to the arena’s exciting concert events.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with OVG at UBS Arena and continue to support our long-time partners the Islanders as they return to Long Island and welcome fans to a beautiful, custom-built facility,” said Marla Ostroff, Ticketmaster North America Managing Director. “And, we are very much looking forward to seeing the puck drop at the first home game for the Seattle Kraken as they take to the ice in the world’s most sustainable arena.”
OVG and Ticketmaster will broaden their partnership further across a number of music-forward facilities including Coachella Valley Arena, which is also home to a future AHL Palm Springs team; Moody Center, Austin’s multi-purpose arena specially-designed for headline entertainment; and Savannah Arena, a music, sports and entertainment destination that will be home to a future ECHL hockey team.
Ticketmaster will also support OVG’s international growth by providing digital ticketing technology at Co-op Live in Manchester, the largest arena in the UK that is set to debut in 2023.
Across many of these venues, OVG may utilize Ticketmaster’s digital technology to provide the industry leading tools needed to operate and adapt to the needs of concerts, games, and other events. Ticketmaster’s digital ticketing will provide fans with the safest and most seamless experience across their ticket buying journey from the moment of purchase all the way through to entering one of these state-of-the-art venues. This may include offering fans features such as instant ticket delivery and transfer right from your mobile device.
“Ticketmaster is the best ticketing system in the world, and we’re pleased to offer their industry-leading technology across all of our world-class venues,” said Tim Leiweke, CEO, Oak View Group. “We know what a strong partner Ticketmaster is when it comes to bringing that premium ticketing experience to fans, and we look forward to partnering with them to bring the biggest artists and sporting events as we return to live.”
Evoking a premium feel across all aspects of the experience, the venues may be equipped with “Ticketing Concierge,” a contactless box office powered by Ticketmaster’s TM1 product suite which enables all ticketing transactions, account support, refunds, or will-call to be handled digitally, reducing the need for physical interactions between fans and staff. Fans may simply enter the event through contactless scanners, accessing digital tickets on their mobile device, providing faster entry for a more seamless event-going experience. Going forward, the venues may also implement new capabilities for contactless payment, mobile ordering, and in-venue experiences via the Ticketmaster app. As this technology rolls out, the venue may be able to provide full autonomy for services like in-seat concessions as well as merchandise pre-order and delivery to dramatically reduce wait times at pick-up windows in the venue and allow fans to enjoy more of the event.
