MNUFC and Seatgeek Announce Breakthrough Ticketing Partnership
April 27, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- Minnesota United FC announced today that ticketing industry leader SeatGeek will become the club's Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace starting with the 2017 season and will become the club's Official Ticketing Provider in 2019. This comes on the heels of a July 2016 partnership that made SeatGeek the Official Ticketing Partner of Major League Soccer. MNUFC joins Sporting Kansas City and the Portland Timbers as one of the first clubs to adopt SeatGeek's ticketing product.
SeatGeek's newly launched primary ticketing platform, SeatGeek Open, features a radically different approach from that of industry incumbents. Built on the open architecture and principles of cutting-edge technology businesses, the SeatGeek platform will allow Minnesota United not only to sell match tickets on MNUFC.COM or through SeatGeek, but also via any site or app of the club's choice. This functionality -- historically uncommon in the ticketing space -- will allow for Minnesota United fans to buy tickets direct from the club in any number of places across the web or social media.
"We have been working to optimize the fan experience during our first season in MLS," said Dr. Bill McGuire, the managing partner for MNUFC. "The open ticketing system and related options offered by SeatGeek are consistent with our vision for a great fan experience - both for this inaugural year, as well as for the future in our soccer-specific stadium being built in St. Paul. The fan base is growing and diversifying, and we believe that this system will make ticket sales easier and more efficient for everyone, and will also provide the the best ticket buying and management tools for our younger, digitally-connected fans."
The SeatGeek Open platform will also be unique in its efforts to eliminate fraud by opening up ticket resale verification to third parties. Historically, the ticket resale verification solutions offered by teams and ticketing companies have been restricted to only a single officially-sanctioned resale marketplace. The SeatGeek Open platform will make ticket resale verification technology widely available to other ticket resale sites, enabling Minnesota United fans to securely buy or sell tickets on the platform of their choice with full peace of mind that their tickets will be authentic and verified.
Most immediately, for the 2017 season, SeatGeek will bring a range of unique features to Minnesota United that will make it easier for the club's fans to access and manage their game tickets. The company's best in class mobile experience offers a seamless process for fans to buy or sell tickets on their smartphone in just a few taps, use their mobile phone to gain entry to the stadium and easily transfer tickets to friends via a text or through the SeatGeek app.
One of two expansion clubs added to Major League Soccer in 2017, MNUFC and its young, talented roster have received a very warm welcome from fans in its inaugural season. The club is currently playing matches in the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium while its new, state-of-the-art stadium is being built. As the Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace, SeatGeek will offer access to a wide breadth of inventory as the number one destination for Minnesota United tickets. Fans can expect the best selection of seating options at various price points, even for the season's most competitive games.
"We couldn't be more thrilled to be partnering with one of the most exciting new clubs in MLS," said SeatGeek Co-Founder Russ D'Souza. "We know the SeatGeek platform will give Minnesota United supporters easy access to matches and help the club reach more fans as it continues to grow its strong soccer brand."
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