Costa Mesa, CA and Chicago, IL – June 6, 2006 –Tickets.com, a leading provider of integrated ticketing solutions, announced today that the company signed a multi-year deal with the Chicago Cubs to continue providing ticketing services and digital ticketing technology to the club.

"We have a very strong and loyal fan base and the high demand for tickets can put a great deal of pressure on the ticketing system. Tickets.com delivers the technology that our fans expect from us and provides a robust, reliable system that can handle our heavy ticket volume,” said Mark McGuire, executive vice president of business operations for the Cubs. “We’re pleased to be extending our current five-year partnership with Tickets.com well into the future to take advantage of their new technologies and commitment to delivering a great fan experience.”

According to McGuire, ticket sales for the 2006 season on-sale was a great example of the robustness of the Tickets.com system, and of the successful partnership with the Cubs. The Cubs sold more than 600,000 tickets in the first 24 hours of tickets going on sale, breaking a team record for the most tickets sold in a single day. Eighty percent of those tickets were sold online. In addition, more than 200,000 tickets were Tickets@Home, delivered right to Cubs fans’ home printers, doubling the number of Tickets@Home printed during the entire 2005 season.

“We are very excited that the Cubs chose Tickets.com to continue to provide their ticketing services. We have had a wonderful relationship with the team, and the signing of this multi-year contract illustrates the Cubs commitment to innovation in the marketplace and shows their confidence in our technology,” said Andy Donkin, co-president of Tickets.com. “The Cubs have been leaders in the sports market, utilizing our advanced online features and functionality to offer more choices to Cubs fans online, while strengthening the relationship with the Cubs fan community. We look forward to helping the Cubs continue to build a great brand and business.”

Through the extended partnership with the Cubs, Tickets.com will provide enhanced ticketing features, including Tickets@Home, true Shopping Cart functionality, “My Tickets” fan portal, electronic ticket transfer and Access Control. “My Tickets,” a newly introduced branded fan portal available to Cubs’ season ticket holders through www.cubs.com, enables fans to manage their ticket inventory, as well as sell and transfer their unused season tickets online in a protected and secure environment. In addition, the Cubs have also made it easier for fans to enter Wrigley Field by installing Tickets.com Access Control throughout the ballpark. By wiring all of the Cubs entry points, including the expanded seating areas, to allow for handheld scanners, the Cubs can now verify bar coded tickets and speed up the fan entry process, while providing the Cubs with excellent customer service information.

There are still Cubs tickets available online for the 2006 season through www.cubs.com, by phone at 1.800-The-Cubs (for Illinois callers) and 1.866.652.2827 (for out-of-state callers), the Tribune Store at Tribune Tower, located at 435 N. Michigan Ave, and at the Wrigley Field Box Office.

About Tickets.com:
Tickets.com, a subsidiary of MLB Advanced Media, LP, the interactive media and Internet Company of Major League Baseball, is a premier event ticketing solutions and services provider for thousands of top worldwide entertainment and sports venues. Among the company's clients are Pepsi Arena, Greensboro Coliseum, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts, The Playhouse Square Foundation, and the HSBC Arena. Premier sports organizations and esteemed college and universities include the NHL Buffalo Sabres, several Major League Baseball teams, Princeton University, Brown University and Syracuse University. International clients include the New Zealand Postal System, the West Albion Bromwich Premiership football club in the UK, and the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy via its alliance with Milan-based Ticket One.

Back to Press Releases