LONDON, July 16 /PRNewswire/ --
- Supporters to Benefit From New Services
Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts) has selected
Ticketmaster, the world's leading ticketing company, as the Club's official
authorised ticketing provider. The Edinburgh-based football club will become
the first Scottish football club to use Ticketmaster's newest
state-of-the-art ticketing system, recently introduced in the UK.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Ticketmaster will
provide the club with added value and convenience for single match ticket
buyers as well as season ticket subscribers. Ticketmaster's AccountManager
service will enable new and renewing subscribers to manage their accounts and
ticket packages entirely online, including making payments and ordering
additional tickets. Hearts will continue to offer in-person counter sales at
the club's new on-site Ticket Centre and supporters will also be able to
access 24-hour telesales through Ticketmaster's own call centres.
Ticketmaster will also provide Hearts with online and offline
marketing and communication tools and a variety of other new services to help
drive ticket sales and enhance the overall ticketing experience for the
club's supporters.
The new services will roll out over the period of the
agreement and are due to launch in June 2007 after a co-coordinated hand over
period from Hearts current ticketing suppliers. Hearts join over 200 existing
Ticketmaster sports clients worldwide including over 40 football clubs in the
UK.
Ali Russell, Commercial Director at Hearts said, "With over
398,000 supporters(i) and an incredible demand for season tickets and match
tickets in the last two years it was essential for the club to find new and
innovative methods to provide the best ticketing services for the supporters.
We are delighted to be working with a blue chip partner in Ticketmaster to
deliver this through a range of flexible solutions that meet the demands of
an ambitious and growing football club."
"The Ticketmaster ticketing system will allow us create more
targeted and focused marketing campaigns. Our aim is to provide supporters
with more relevant information. That will have a positive effect on our
business and on Hearts as a club."
Chris Edmonds, Managing Director, Ticketmaster UK said, "We
are confident that we can offer an enhanced and superior ticketing service to
Heart of Midlothian supporters, because we constantly develop our technology
to deliver the choice and convenience that consumers demand and deserve. I'm
proud that Heart of Midlothian has chosen Ticketmaster and we look forward to
working with them closely to introduce these important new programmess and
services to their fans."
(i) Source: Roy Morgan International Survey
About Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is the world's leading ticketing company,
operating in 20 global markets, providing ticket sales, ticket resale
services, marketing and distribution through www.ticketmaster.com, one of the
largest e-commerce sites on the Internet, and international Web sites
including Ticketmaster.co.uk; approximately 6,500 retail outlets; and 20
worldwide call centres. Ticketmaster celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2006
and currently serves more than 9,000 clients worldwide across multiple event
categories, providing exclusive ticketing services for hundreds of leading
arenas, stadiums, performing arts venues, museums, and theatres. In 2006, the
company sold more than 128 million tickets valued at over $7 billion on
behalf of its clients. Ticketmaster is headquartered in West Hollywood,
California and is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI).
About Heart of Midlothian Football Club
Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts), founded in 1874,
is based in Scotland's capital city Edinburgh. Hearts plays its home matches
Tynecastle Stadium, a ground it has resided at since 1886.The club has a fan
base of 398,000 supporters (source: Roy Morgan International Survey). By the
end of the 2006/07 season 300,000 supporters will have attended home games
accounting for nearly 99% seat occupancy. Over 30% of match tickets are
currently sold online, 30% via telephone sales and 40% via counter sales.
Ticketmaster UK Ltd
For more information contact: Rosie Hills, Ticketmaster UK, Email: rosie.hills@ticketmaster.co.uk, Phone: +44-(0)-207-344-4000
