For two weeks every June, the eight best college baseball teams descend upon TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska for one of the most exciting and demanding U.S. sporting events – the NCAA College World Series (CWS™). Like the NCAA Final Four®, the CWS is known for its historic matchups and upsets, and at the end of the best two-of-three CWS Finals, only one team is crowned national champions.
As the teams look to make their mark on history, the NCAA and the local organizing committee (College World Series of Omaha, Inc., Creighton University, the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority and the City of Omaha) – are focused on providing the thousands of loyal baseball fans that attend the CWS with an experience that’s as big as their pride. And because ticketing is a vital part of the overall event experience, the NCAA delivers fans a hassle-free solution to both purchase and manage tickets – the AXS Ticketing platform’s Flash Seats® digital ticketing technology.
Flash Seats has established continuity with the CWS, and 2015 was the fifth consecutive year that all tickets available on the NCAA Ticket Exchange™ were distributed as digital tickets. All advance sale tickets were also distributed as Flash Seats and CWS’ 2,700 season ticket holders had the option to convert their tickets from paper to digital, too.
“The CWS is an annual tradition for our season ticket holders and fans, but it can be hard for them to commit to every single game throughout the two-week series,” said Carol Foreman, ticket manager for the College World Series of Omaha, Inc. “With Flash Seats, we’ve reduced the number of no-shows and connected with new fans because of the opportunity to manage, transfer and sell tickets in a safe, NCAA-guaranteed environment.”
A year for the record books
The CWS motto, “History Happens Here™,” was carried out both on and off the field this year. An average of 22,086 attended each game, with a total attendance of 353,378 fans over the course of the 16-game series. Game 12 reached a new record attendance and six games were completely sold out.
In addition, there was a 24 percent increase of tickets sold on the NCAA Ticket Exchange, further demonstrating the appeal of Flash Seats and the official marketplace for buying and reselling single-game tickets. The Women’s College World Series®, played in Oklahoma City from June 2-8, also saw a 40 percent increase of tickets sold on the NCAA Ticket Exchange.
“Ticket sales are what drive our event – it’s all about getting people to our games for the experience of a lifetime,” said Foreman. “We hope to see Flash Seats’ utilization rates continue to increase among both season ticket holders and the general public so that it’s easy and convenient for as many fans as possible to come to the ballpark.”
Beyond driving more ticket sales and revenue, Flash Seats provides the NCAA with real-time data that enables the organization to engage with fans in meaningful and memorable ways year after year.
“AXS Ticketing has continued to be a strategic ally for the College World Series as well as other prominent NCAA-sanctioned events such as the Final Four,” said Josh Logan, director of marketing and ticketing for the NCAA. “Not only can we rely on them to help us champion a positive fan experience, but they help us collect valuable insights about our audience so we can keep them engaged in the years to come.”
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