Author Topic: Your card is your ticket to the game  (Read 22926 times)

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Offline beerandyams

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Your card is your ticket to the game
« Topic Start: August 17, 2012, 01:01:49 PM »
Before I made the commitment for next year, I called the season ticket office. They confirmed that next year the Nationals ARE going to paperless tickets for season tickets (not just the reward tickets, but the entire season).

They also couldn't give me details on things like transferability. Some NBA teams use paperless tickets to have a monopoly on resale for games you can't use, including high fees, a price floor (so you don't udnercut the box office), and/or a price ceiling.

I really hate this idea and would file the traditional tickets under "not broken". At the very least they really should give the season ticket holders full details on this before pushing the 1 and 3 year commitments.

Online RobDibblesGhost

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #1: August 17, 2012, 01:21:45 PM »
Before I made the commitment for next year, I called the season ticket office. They confirmed that next year the Nationals ARE going to paperless tickets for season tickets (not just the reward tickets, but the entire season).

They also couldn't give me details on things like transferability. Some NBA teams use paperless tickets to have a monopoly on resale for games you can't use, including high fees, a price floor (so you don't udnercut the box office), and/or a price ceiling.

I really hate this idea and would file the traditional tickets under "not broken". At the very least they really should give the season ticket holders full details on this before pushing the 1 and 3 year commitments.

There have been a few discussions in various threads about this, and I agree.  I don't really see the need to do this, and it just doesn't make sense to me.  I'm anxious to see what happens, but I bet there are major issues.  For starters, how are ushers going to check tickets when you go into a section if there is no ticket to check?  Another one:  if I need to leave a ticket for someone who's running late to the game, it's easy enough to do now, as I just stick the paper ticket in an envelope and leave it at will call.  How will that work without a physical ticket?

Dumb idea.


Offline loshjott

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #2: August 17, 2012, 01:23:24 PM »
As a member of a season ticket group, but not the actual ticket holder, I have no idea how this will work for me.

Offline Mathguy

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #3: August 17, 2012, 01:23:54 PM »
Makes sense.  But what are the reasons for considering this in the first place ?  Is it just the cost of paper & printing ?

There have been a few discussions in various threads about this, and I agree.  I don't really see the need to do this, and it just doesn't make sense to me.  I'm anxious to see what happens, but I bet there are major issues.  For starters, how are ushers going to check tickets when you go into a section if there is no ticket to check?  Another one:  if I need to leave a ticket for someone who's running late to the game, it's easy enough to do now, as I just stick the paper ticket in an envelope and leave it at will call.  How will that work without a physical ticket?

Dumb idea.




Offline houston-nat

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #4: August 17, 2012, 01:29:55 PM »
Totally random thought: it would be really cool to have like a team "credit card" that looks like a credit card and swipes like a credit card, and comes loaded with data on which games you have tickets to. They'd mail you the card with your ticket package preloaded, and you could also load money onto the card to spend anywhere in the stadium.

Online blue911

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #5: August 17, 2012, 01:31:51 PM »
Makes sense.  But what are the reasons for considering this in the first place ?  Is it just the cost of paper & printing ?



If the Red Carpet cards are any indication, the goal is to play before an empty house

Offline beerandyams

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #6: August 17, 2012, 01:32:04 PM »
There are the printing costs (which I don't mind the team passing on to me because I'm able to sell my stubs for at least $.50 each).

The main upside for the team is controlling ticket resale. They can have an official "marketplace" that is the only resale option in town. They get all of the fees that Stubhub and EBAY are getting now (which I don't mind). What would not be good is if they set a floor on the price you can sell less popular games for (so you don't undercut the box office). And they could choose to really gig buyers or sellers on the fees since they have a monopoly.

Companies that have season tickets sometimes give every game to a different client. They are going to hate this too.

Offline geneticlyperfct

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #7: August 17, 2012, 01:36:31 PM »
Totally random thought: it would be really cool to have like a team "credit card" that looks like a credit card and swipes like a credit card, and comes loaded with data on which games you have tickets to. They'd mail you the card with your ticket package preloaded, and you could also load money onto the card to spend anywhere in the stadium.

I'm pretty sure that's probably how it's going to work. I know the new ticket scanners have RFID readers in them so getting in and out will be simple. Easy to load rewards/make rewards for purchasing stuff at the team store or concessions. But the usher checking tickets issue is what's going to be interesting. Only thing I can think of is an usher helping people use a form of the ticket scanners they have beside the entrances to the PNC Diamond Club.

EDIT: Probably the biggest pain to me is not getting a big box to drool over at the start of the season.

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #8: August 17, 2012, 01:45:56 PM »
I had this exchange with the RCR folks last week:

ME:
Quote
Can someone explain the "your ticket is your card" thing for next year? I have about 16 people in my group for 41 games. No one has more than 4 games, and a few have either 4 games, two seats, or two games, fours seats. Does that mean I will have to have each one set up an account with the Nats in order to get a RCR card and be able to go to games? What if I try to go from 41 to 81 games by expanding my group? this is going to be a tremendous hassle for me, and I suspect you. It'll be an incentive for me to cut the participants back to 5 or so and drop down to 21 seats just to make my management easier

The RCR Folks:
Quote
Thanks for your e-mail. You will not need to set up any extra accounts for your partners, unless you want to. You will be able to send any denomination of your tickets to e-mail addresses as print-at-home tickets. I actually see this program making your situation easier to handle, and not more of a hassle at all. If you have any more questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to ask.


Offline OldChelsea

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #9: August 17, 2012, 01:48:02 PM »
[...]EDIT: Probably the biggest pain to me is not getting a big box to drool over at the start of the season.

I'm going to miss that too - heck, I'm going to miss the paper tickets generally (for one thing, instead of individual tickets to each match you get just one card that can easily be lost/degaussed).

Just a way for the Lerners to upstage Ted Leonsis perhaps....

Offline Mathguy

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #10: August 17, 2012, 02:09:01 PM »
Sounds like there could still be a way for individuals to print at home and distribute in whatever fashion they want.


There are the printing costs (which I don't mind the team passing on to me because I'm able to sell my stubs for at least $.50 each).

The main upside for the team is controlling ticket resale. They can have an official "marketplace" that is the only resale option in town. They get all of the fees that Stubhub and EBAY are getting now (which I don't mind). What would not be good is if they set a floor on the price you can sell less popular games for (so you don't undercut the box office). And they could choose to really gig buyers or sellers on the fees since they have a monopoly.

Companies that have season tickets sometimes give every game to a different client. They are going to hate this too.


Offline heeman82

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #11: August 17, 2012, 03:23:56 PM »
I want my ticket to be a barcode tattoo'd on my wrist

Offline PANatsFan

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #12: August 17, 2012, 03:40:10 PM »
I had this exchange with the RCR folks last week:

ME:
The RCR Folks:



Sounds pretty great, actually - you can distribute tickets electronically and not have to hassle with splitting them up, also it makes resale EASIER

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #13: August 17, 2012, 03:50:55 PM »
heeman - if your ticket were your bar bill, then I'm guessing you'd have your share of RCRs

:)

Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #14: August 17, 2012, 04:11:05 PM »
I want my ticket to be a barcode tattoo'd on my wrist
:az: gangsta

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #15: August 17, 2012, 04:13:32 PM »


Sounds pretty great, actually - you can distribute tickets electronically and not have to hassle with splitting them up, also it makes resale EASIER

Yep. You got it. The only real difference will be that you won't get the nice printed tickets. You will have to split up the tickets electronically. If you have someone in your group who doesn't know how to turn on a computer, you can can print the tickets and give those to them.

Clarification in that if, say, you have 4 tickets in your group, you will need to have 4 cards. Each ticket gets one card. You can't put multiple tickets on your card. You will have all your games loaded on your card and it's up to you to transfer them to your partners via the MyNationals account.

I actually look forward to not having to cut up the tickets manually and having to transfer them to my ticket partners. I will just shoot them and email and be done with it.

For those who want those nice printed tickets for souvenirs, I'm told the Nats are looking into souvenir ticket buying options.

The real advantage to the Nats is not the printing and and mailing costs, which are minimal in the total scheme of things given how much money this stuff will cost to set up, I bet. It's that they will be able to track your usage, purchases, patterns, etc.


Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #16: August 17, 2012, 04:14:28 PM »
:az: gangsta

Speaking of gangsta, where's MDS? Did he get banned or something while I've been kind of busy the last week or so?

Offline Vega

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #17: August 17, 2012, 04:15:19 PM »
Speaking of gangsta, where's MDS? Did he get banned or something while I've been kind of busy the last week or so?
I hope so.

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #18: August 17, 2012, 04:16:56 PM »
I hope so.

I hope not. I love me some MDS. He makes me laugh in ways that I'm sure he's not aware of.

Offline Vega

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #19: August 17, 2012, 04:17:15 PM »
He's my nemesis.

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #20: August 17, 2012, 04:20:56 PM »
He's my nemesis.

Take a number.

Seriously, just don't take him, well, seriously.

Offline PowerBoater69

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #21: August 17, 2012, 05:24:01 PM »
Dumb idea.

Back when they first announced the plan to go ticketless I Googled up the company that handles the processing and they are already using this system for several of the large soccer teams over in England, I tried to find anyone complaining about the system and couldn't find anything.  The main thing for the team is tracking every movement by their fan base, they will want us to use these cards like debit cards for purchases, we get discounts and bonuses, they get data to maximize sales.

Offline santanaf

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #22: August 17, 2012, 06:19:18 PM »
I have each box with unbroken ticket books for 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. I'm sad I won't have that bit of memorabilia for 2013 and beyond.

I already issues all of the tickets as digital tickets to myself, then email them to people, so this should be a bit easier, but I will miss that thing I looked forward to from the time I was a little kid, and now that I can finally buy my own season tickets, they get rid of paper tickets a few years later.

Offline Baseball is Life

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Re: Your card is your ticket to the game
« Reply #23: August 17, 2012, 06:25:58 PM »
I have each box with unbroken ticket books for 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. I'm sad I won't have that bit of memorabilia for 2013 and beyond.

I already issues all of the tickets as digital tickets to myself, then email them to people, so this should be a bit easier, but I will miss that thing I looked forward to from the time I was a little kid, and now that I can finally buy my own season tickets, they get rid of paper tickets a few years later.

I'm going to bet they will give you the option to buy souvenir tickets. Hey, it's another revenue opportunity for them.