US basketball team Sacramento Kings is to trial a first-ever blockchain ticket accompanied by exclusive experiences and other benefits.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) team has partnered with Lava and Flow, the blockchain that supports NBA Top Shot, to release the Smart Ticket NFT Experience Pass for fans during this summer’s California Classic.
A select 100 fans with tickets to the NBA Summer League games, set to take place August 3 and 4 at Golden 1 Center, will have the opportunity to test the experience and receive digital art commemorating the games.
“With the Smart Ticket, you have the ability to assign more than just the rights to a seat but also the right to a variety of additional benefits such as merchandise, exclusive experiences and digital collectibles,” said Vivek Ranadivé, Sacramento Kings owner and chairman.
“Through blockchain, the Smart Ticket can be authenticated, and the attached privileges and experiences can be sold and exchanged. This is the future of sports, entertainment, media and all experiential business.”
Select ticketed fans will be contacted to claim their Smart Ticket NFT Experience Pass, which will then be loaded into their mobile digital wallets with funds towards food and beverage and a limited edition digital NFT animation of the California Classic poster design.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Kings and Flow to activate real-time experiences that last forever using blockchain,” said Wen Miao, the founder and chief executive of Lava.
“With Lava’s real-time experience activation platform now integrated with Flow, every live experience can be authentically shared, transferred, or traded – inside or outside the venue anywhere in the world. With this technology, the event never ends and the memories live on forever.”
The Kings has been a leader in the adoption of new technology having announced the NBA’s first blockchain-powered reward program in collaboration with Blockparty in 2019.
Last week the team launched a digital collection of 85 NFTs depicting the 1985 commemorative pin given out in the Kings inaugural season in Sacramento and featuring exclusive experiences including 2021-22 Opening Night tickets.
Image: Markus Spiske on Unsplash