Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team and also hosts many concerts and other entertainment events throughout the year. The arena needs a reliable ticketing partner to handle ticket sales for the large number of events held there annually. So what company has partnered with Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to be their official ticketing provider?
Ticketing Partnerships in Major Arenas
Most large arenas partner with a primary ticketing company to handle all ticket sales and distribution. The ticketing company provides the arena with software and services to sell tickets online, in-person, over the phone, and through mobile apps. This allows the arena to have a centralized ticketing operation rather than trying to run it themselves. Ticketing partners also provide valuable data and analytics to arenas on ticket sales, promotions, and customer demographics. Popular ticketing companies used by major sports and entertainment venues include Ticketmaster, AXS, Paciolan, Tickets.com, and Ticketfly among others.
Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is the largest and most well-known ticketing company in the live entertainment industry. They sell tickets for concerts, sports, arts, theater and family events across the country. Ticketmaster provides ticket sales, distribution, data analytics, and fan engagement services to over 200 elite venues and organizations worldwide. Some of their major sports clients include the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA, and European soccer teams. They are the official ticketing partner for prestigious venues like Madison Square Garden in New York and the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Given their dominant size and reputation in sports ticketing, Ticketmaster would seem a likely candidate to partner with Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
AXS
AXS is a ticketing company founded by AEG and purchased by Anschutz Entertainment Group in 2011. In addition to ticketing, AXS provides complete digital marketing services, client data insights, and audience engagement tools to venues and event promoters. They sell tickets for major concerts, live events, arts performances, and sporting events in over 50 global markets. AXS is the official ticketing partner for premiere venues like the O2 Arena in London, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, and L.A. Live and Staples Center in Los Angeles. They also partner with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings, Galaxy and Clippers. However, AXS does not have as large a footprint in professional sports as Ticketmaster which makes them an unlikely partner for the Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Paciolan
Paciolan provides ticketing, marketing, and analytics software specifically tailored for live entertainment organizations. Their systems power ticket sales for hundreds of live entertainment venues across North America including major arenas and convention centers. Some of their current sports ticketing clients include the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors, the NHL’s Florida Panthers, and many minor league baseball and hockey teams. While they have some presence in professional sports, Paciolan’s focus and large majority of clients are live entertainment venues like performing arts centers, smaller theaters, concert halls and casinos. With Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse being a major pro sports arena, Paciolan does not seem like the ideal fit for a ticketing partner there.
Tickets.com
Tickets.com provides e-ticketing services for sports teams, live entertainment event producers and major playhouses and venues. Their systems allow clients to sell tickets online, from mobile apps, kiosks, by phone and at box office windows. Some current sports clients include the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers and the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. However, they do not have the dominant reach and market share in pro sports ticketing that Ticketmaster currently enjoys. The Cavaliers were previously a client of Tickets.com before switching ticketing partners. While still an option, they don’t seem like the most likely choice to return as the official primary ticketing vendor for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at this time.
Ticketfly
Ticketfly provides ticketing and promotions software tailored for theaters, music venues and festivals, comedy clubs and other small indoor and outdoor live events. They power ticket sales for over 1,200 live entertainment venues across North America and Europe. While Ticketfly works with some niche professional sports like ultimate fighting, mixed martial arts and wrestling, their platform is designed for smaller music and arts venues that require more customizable sales, marketing and data tools. With Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse being a top tier pro sports and entertainment arena, Ticketfly is likely not equipped to handle their high volume ticketing needs and does not seem a probable partner candidate.
SeatGeek
SeatGeek is an online ticketing marketplace that allows people to buy and sell sports, concert and theater tickets. They do not offer primary ticketing services but rather an online secondary ticket exchange and aggregator connecting third party sellers with buyers. SeatGeek does not actually partner with teams or venues as an official ticketing solution. While they have some partnerships with leagues like the NFL for secondary ticket advertising, SeatGeek is not a viable option as the primary ticketing platform and official partner for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Vivid Seats
Like SeatGeek, Vivid Seats operates an online secondary ticket marketplace for buyers and sellers to exchange tickets for live sports, concerts and theater events. They facilitate second-hand ticket sales rather than serving as a venue’s official primary ticketing partner for new ticket sales. Vivid Seats frequently partners with sports franchises as a secondary ticketing advertiser but not as the provider of core ticketing software, sales and distribution services. Thus they would not be a practical choice for the official ticketing partner role for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Official Ticketing Partner of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
After reviewing the major players in the sports and live entertainment ticketing landscape, the logical choice emerges:
The official ticketing partner of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is Ticketmaster.
Ticketmaster has existing partnerships with both the Cavaliers and the building’s owner, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse’s parent company Rock Entertainment Group. Ticketmaster has been the exclusive ticketing partner for the Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse dating back to 2006 when they became the first NBA team to fully outsource ticketing sales and services to Ticketmaster. Given their longstanding successful partnership, global scale in sports ticketing, extensive technological capabilities, and local business relationships, Ticketmaster stands as the clear frontrunner and will remain the official primary ticketing partner of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the foreseeable future.
Why Ticketmaster?
There are several key factors that make Ticketmaster the ideal ticketing partner choice for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse:
- Existing long-term partnership – Ticketmaster has been the official ticketing partner for the Cavaliers and FieldHouse since 2006 so they have the proven experience handling ticketing for Cavs games and events.
- Market leading technology – Ticketmaster offers state-of-the-art ticketing software, analytics and security features not matched by competitors.
- Largest provider in sports – Ticketmaster has more major sports team clients and ticketing market share than any other provider.
- Global scale – They have the sales reach, distribution network, and inventory management capability to sell millions of tickets for a venue the size of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
- Local business relationships – Ticketmaster is based in the Cleveland area so they have the established local connections to coordinate ticketing efficiently with venue management.
The Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse management have clearly made the determination that Ticketmaster remains their best partner for direct ticket sales, distribution, maximizing audience reach, and data-driven sales techniques. With no signs this partnership will change, expect Ticketmaster technology and services to continue powering ticket sales for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse into the future.
Ticketmaster Ticketing Services
As the official ticketing partner, Ticketmaster provides the following services for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and the Cavaliers:
- Primary ticket sales – Online, mobile, phone, box office, season ticket member sales
- Print-at-home & mobile ticketing – Paperless and secure digital ticketing options
- Ticket distribution – Global delivery network for efficient ticket distribution
- Data analytics – Detailed sales reports, customer insights, targeted marketing data
- Fan retention technology – Loyalty programs, personalized content and offers for ticket holders
- Suite sales – Premium hospitality and suite sales management tools
- Access management – ADA, credit card, promo code handling and access control
- Digital marketing – Email, social, and SEM campaigns to promote events and drive ticket sales
This full suite of cutting edge ticketing functionality provides the Cavaliers, FieldHouse management and event promoters everything needed to efficiently sell tickets, manage inventory, understand their fans and generate maximum revenue from premium seating.
Ticketmaster Ticketing System
At the core of their services is the Ticketmaster ticketing platform which includes:
- Ticketmaster Marketplace – The leading consumer ticketing website where the majority of primary tickets are sold online.
- Ticketmaster Archtics – The back-end inventory management system enabling accurate tracking of ticket inventory and sales in real-time.
- Ticketmaster Presence – The branded white label ticketing website, custom designed for the Cavaliers and FieldHouse.
- Ticketmaster Access – Gate and mobile access management system for digital ticketing, credentialing and entry.
- Ticketmaster Insight – Business intelligence platform with data analytics on ticket sales, fandom, marketing campaigns and more.
This suite of robust ticketing products provides a seamless front-end sales experience for customers with sophisticated back-end inventory control and business intelligence. The Cavaliers and FieldHouse benefit from maximized ticket visibility and sales powered by data-driven ticketing strategies.
Ongoing Partnership
Ticketmaster will remain the exclusive provider of primary ticketing services and technology to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and the Cleveland Cavaliers through at least 2025 according to their latest partnership agreement renewal announced in 2018.
Some details of the ongoing ticketing deal include:
- Ticketmaster continues as the only authorized primary ticketing partner of the Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse through the 2024-2025 season.
- Renewal extended the partnership that began back in 2006 when the Cavaliers were the first NBA team to fully outsource ticketing.
- Ticketmaster systems will power all ticketing operations including Cavs season tickets, group tickets, individual game ticket sales, suite sales, and ticketing for all FieldHouse events.
- Agreement provides expanded distribution for Cavs and FieldHouse tickets through Ticketmaster’s global reach.
Based on the long-standing relationship and repeated extensions of this lucrative deal, Ticketmaster remains deeply embedded as the official ticketing partner for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and the Cavs. This primes Ticketmaster’s industry-leading ticketing technology to continue facilitating ticket sales at the FieldHouse for all upcoming events in the years ahead.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster stands entrenched as the dominant exclusive primary ticketing partner enabling event ticket sales for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland and its main tenant, the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. With Ticketmaster’s existing decade-plus long partnership and recently renewed contract locking in their ongoing services until 2025, expect all primary ticketing operations for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to continue being powered by Ticketmaster’s proven ticketing products and technology.