Online Ticketer Openseats.com Adds Eight New Markets To Territory

Nashville-based OpenSeats.com, a leading online marketplace for buyers and sellers of sports and entertainment tickets, has increased penetration to 29 major markets across the United States.

Adding to 21 existing markets, OpenSeats.com has launched in Buffalo, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and San Diego. The site now serves most professional sports markets throughout the U.S.

Launched in July 1999, OpenSeats.com is an online ticket exchange for sports and entertainment fans, connecting individuals wanting to sell tickets with those wanting to purchase for a local event.

"My partner, JD Steinhlber, and I are both season-ticket holders for the Nashville Predators [NHL] and the Tennessee Titans [NFL]," said Dan Maclellan, president of Openseats.com. "Each of the seasons have 40 games. When we weren't able to make it to a game, there were few options for us."

Openseats.com's local focus allows individuals to trade with others within the community days or even hours before an event.

After launching in two markets, Nashville and Atlanta, Openseats. com has quickly added the additional cities, moving an estimated 51,000 tickets during the past year.

The portal has been available in Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, D.C., for a number of months.

According to Maclellan, a 20%-25% increase in online traffic is recorded at the site each month.

Placing an ad requires a simple registration process, providing the prospective buyer with pertinent information about the seller and the tickets. OpenSeats.com's members complete ticket transactions amongst themselves, with the site serving as the facilitator.

The site's "Trading Partner Ratings" system allows individuals to rate sellers or buyers providing other site users helpful feedback before engaging in a transaction.

OpenSeats.com is a free service to buyers. Sellers are requested to forward a $3 voluntary success fee on consummated transactions.

According to Maclellan, only 5% of Openseats.com sellers pay the success fee. Selling advertisements and space to premium seat providers adds to annual revenues.

The company contrasts to other secondary ticket sellers with its exchange nature. Tickets.com and Ticketmaster both sell secondary tickets, but on an auction basis. "We wanted our site to be more buyer based than seller based," said Maclellan.