Fans of the Red Wings and Pistons won’t be able to use printed tickets for Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena anymore. The venue is moving to a completely mobile ticketing solution provided by Ticketmaster for the 2018/19 season.
“Both our organizations have been testing mobile technologies throughout the last year and have received positive feedback from both sports fans and concert goers,” according to a joint statement by Chris Granger, group president, Sports & Entertainment, Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and Charlie Metzger, executive vice president, chief revenue and marketing officer for the Pistons. “Guests are provided a streamlined and convenient experience, along with greater security when tickets are sold or transferred. Ticketmaster has built a user-friendly platform that is being utilized by fans in arenas and stadiums throughout the country. We’re excited to fully transition to the mobile ticketing process, and continue to provide our guests a world-class sports and entertainment experience.”
PDF copies of tickets, whether printed out or displayed on a phone’s screen can no longer be used to enter the Little Caesars Arena for games. Relying on Ticketmaster‘s technology will likely decrease fraud and make transferring tickets easier. But the lack of some sort of ticket stub further moves fans away from an era in which that would be a treasured memento of attending a game.
SportTechie Takeaway
Teams, leagues, and venues are moving to electronic ticketing systems in the quest to decrease fraud and increase security, and to gain greater control over ticket re-selling. In October, the NFL extended its existing partnership with Ticketmaster. In April, the New England Patriots launched a ticket exchange program also with Ticketmaster. Last week, biometric ID company Clear signed a deal with MLB and the league’s ticketing partner Tickets.com, paving the way for a fans biometrics, instead of a paper ticket or a mobile device, to be used to access games.