AXS has signed a four-year partnership deal with Wasps Holdings and the Ricoh Arena stadium in Coventry, England.
The deal will cover Premiership rugby union club Wasps, Superleague team Wasps Netball, concerts, exhibitions and other live events at the 32,609-capacity venue from October 2018.
Under the agreement, AXS has been named as the exclusive ticketing partner for the Ricoh Arena, as the firm continues its expansion in the UK ticketing marketplace.
“This partnership with Wasps is a major landmark as we move to expand our fan-friendly ticketing experience to more venues in the UK,” said AXS senior vice-president and managing director for Europe, Rob Byrne. “AXS technology puts the fans back at the centre of the experience – where they should be.”
AXS will implement its technology solutions to ensure a frictionless purchasing and entry experience for ticket holders. This will include Fansight, AXS’ virtual reality seat maps which will provide an opportunity to choose seats online and view the whole of the stadium in high definition before purchase.
Wasps will also be able to use AXS Mobile ID, which is the firm’s identity-based digital ticketing platform, allowing fans to buy tickets and enter the stadium using their mobile devices for the first time and providing Wasps with better information about who is actually in attendance.
Also being introduced is ‘Fan Account,’ a new portal that allows ticket purchasers to create a friends and family group, giving them permission to purchase on their behalf and view their “Buzz Points,” which are loyalty tokens that can be accrued when buying tickets and merchandise.
Fan Account will also have branded sponsorship areas for key sponsors, enabling them to sign into their own portals and manage their ticket allocations. This feature will also be available to community rugby clubs, pubs and societies that partner with Wasps for cashback on ticketing sales.
Stuart Cain, managing director at Wasps said: “Having the right ticketing solutions in place is crucial regardless of the event. We need to make it intuitive to book a ticket and we’ve worked closely with AXS to come up with an enhanced online experience that beats anything else we’ve seen in the market. We look forward to building a long-term relationship with them.”
AXS Intelligence, which is a dedicated real-time business intelligence platform providing detailed insight and analytics into the data surrounding ticket purchases, will also be available to Wasps.
Giles Bayliss, business development director at AXS said: “AXS is delighted to announce this new partnership with Wasps and the Ricoh Arena. We share their long-term vision for ticketing live events and are looking forward to working closely with them to deliver on those requirements. Our shared mission is to enhance the ticketing landscape not only for the venue but for the fans who buy tickets to constantly improve their customer journey.”
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