F4tickets.com provides equal access to all basketball fans
November 25th, 2004—Euroleague Basketball and CSKA Moscow, host of the 2005 Euroleague Final Four, today announced an unprecedented agreement with Tickets.Com that provides basketball fans worldwide with equal access to purchase tickets to the Euroleague Final Four in Moscow, May 6-8.
Beginning on Saturday, November 27, 2004 at 9:00 a.m., fans can purchase tickets on-line, at f4tickets.com. In addition, a direct link is available on all Euroleague and league websites, as well as through euroleague.net. This service is available in five different languages – English, Russian, Italian, Spanish and French – providing an easier purchase process for costumers.
“The Euroleague Final Four has become one of the premier sporting events in the world,” said Euroleague consultant Marshall Glickman. “In the past, the majority of the tickets have been set aside until only three weeks before the event, once the four teams were qualified. While a limited number of tickets will continue to be held for the clubs, the majority of tickets will now be available on-line, over six months in advance, no matter where you live or what price category you are interested in.”
In addition to providing on-line ticket sales for the Euroleague Final Four, Euroleague has entered into a separate multi-year agreement that designates Tickets.Com as the “Preferred Ticketing Company” of Euroleague. This agreement makes Ticket.Com’s ProVenueMax ticket inventory management software available to all Euroleague clubs, while Euroleague has appointed its IT Department to oversee the implementation of new criteria for the management of ticketing that all clubs must adhere to beginning with the 2005/06 season.
“Ticketing has become a top priority for Euroleague,” said Glickman. “This agreement with Tickets.Com gives our clubs access to the best customer relationship management software, which can help a club manage its ticket inventory, data base and reporting requirements at the most professional level. This is a big step forward for us.”
This season, 600 tickets will be set aside for each participating team, compared to 1200 tickets per team for last year’s Euroleague Final Four in Tel Aviv and 2000 tickets per team for the 2003 Euroleague Final Four in Barcelona. Moscow’s Olympisky Arena, home of this year’s Final Four, has a basketball capacity for 13,036 spectators, and approximately 500 media seats. Additional tickets will be held for guests of Euroleague and host CSKA Moscow. This results in over 7,000 tickets available on sale this Saturday for Euroleague fans worldwide. Ticket prices for these exciting two days of competition will range between 25 – 1000 euros for the 4-game package.
Fans that do not have access to the internet may also purchase tickets over the phone by calling CSKA Moscow’s Euroleague Final Four Ticket Hotline, at XXXXXXXXXXX. Fans in Moscow also can purchase tickets at the offices of CSKA Moscow.
Following Euroelague’s recent announcement of its historic agreement with FIBA, which recognizes Euroleague as the exclusive organizer of the top professional basketball competitions in Europe, Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu was clear that this agreement would pave the way to develop a new business model for Euroleague.
“This agreement with Tickets.Com is one of the first examples of how our commercial direction will move forward,” said Bertomeu. “The Euroleague Final Four is our showcase event that is now recognized on a global scale. Euroleague, and our host CSKA Moscow, felt the time was right to give basketball fans throughout Europe, and worldwide, equal access to tickets, including the very best seats. We very much appreciate the support we have received from CSKA’s CEO, Sergey Kuschenko, in standing behind this innovative approach.”
Tickets.Com is one of the world’s leading suppliers of tailored ticketing, marketing and customer relationship management software. Tickets.Com is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, with European headquarters in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. Their software has been used for the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. They handle on-line ticket sales for the majority of Major League Baseball clubs in the United States and are especially well-known for their breakthrough work with the San Francisco Giants.
“We are very pleased to start a new relationship with Euroleague,” said Tickets.Com European president, Christopher Goodhart. “We believe that professional basketball will show tremendous growth in Europe and we want to be a part of it. Not only does Euroleague manage the premier European competitions, but in our view, they have the right vision for the future. We look forward to expanding our relationship with Euroleague.”
Tickets purchased via www.f4tickets.com will be available in real time. When a customer goes to the web site, they will see what seats are available at that moment and will be able to complete the purchase immediately. Once the purchase is made, customers will have the option of having their tickets delivered or available at will call in Moscow, beginning on May 6.
“I believe this approach to selling tickets is unprecedented in European sports,” added Glickman. “There is no need for fans to wait until the last minute, when most tickets will already be sold. With this new system, basketball fans can purchase their tickets in advance and organize their travel arrangements with time, thus taking advantage of the Final Four´s two days of competition. They will be able to enjoy an atmosphere that is very special; combining some of the best basketball in the world and getting to know different cities and cultures”
Contacts
Marshall Glickman, Euroleague Consultant
001-781-772-1932
marshall.glickman@euroleague.net
Ferran Márquez, Euroleague Communications Director
0034 933 2784 27
ferran.marquez@euroleague.net
David Watts, CSKA Moscow Director of Ticketing
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
watts@cskabasket.com