TicketsWest, a division
of WestCoast Hospitality Corporation, announced today it has
launched a new website.  TicketsWest engages in event ticket distribution
throughout the United States and promotes and arranges presentations of a
variety of entertainment productions, including a six week engagement this
fall of Disney’s The Lion King in Spokane, Washington.  Its new website is designed to take advantage of new technologies that
provide an exceptional user experience and deliver reliability during periods
of demand.TicketsWest contracted with MRM Partners, a unit of McCann Worldgroup,
which is owned by Interpublic Group of Companies, to develop the new website.
Taking a “customer first” approach in designing the site, extensive research
was conducted to determine what clients and customers thought were the most
important features when making ticket purchases on the internet.  Ease of use,
ability to zero in on a specific event quickly, intelligent browsing, and most
importantly, reliability and accuracy were some of the key factors mentioned
during initial focus group meetings.  The homepage now includes a quick search
feature that allows a customer to specify a particular artist, venue,
location, or date, all with the ease of one click.  The site is also user
configurable and allows specific interests or geographical preferences to
either be associated with a customer’s profile or modified on a single use
basis.  An advanced notification system allows customers to receive updates on
their specific interests as new events are introduced in the system.  The new
ticketswest.com site delivers an industry leading user experience that allows
for access to deep and broad content and makes it easier then ever for
customers of the new website.
  “TicketsWest is focusing on the end user and providing better options for
clients in the way they distribute tickets online,” said Jack Lucas, Vice
President, TicketsWest.  “Our new website and its underlying technology
represent a bold step forward for the industry in terms of distribution
options available,” continued Lucas.
  As an example of the new website’s flexibility, third party partner
websites can now interact directly with the ticketswest.com ticketing engine
eliminating the need to refer customers off of the host site or install
proprietary code to fulfill a web based event transaction.  This is especially
important as more customers seek sites that provide an integrated “one stop”
shopping experience.  Additional flexibility is delivered through new tools
that easily allow clients to manage editorial, informational and graphical
data through a comprehensive content management system that eliminates
redundant data entry.
  The new TicketsWest site is built around a sophisticated booking engine
and throttling platform that ensures severe spikes in volume are managed
effectively for maximum site reliability.
  Another strong feature of the new website is a flexible application
programming interface which was developed for ticketswest.com that provides a
multitude of options for third party partners to distribute their event
inventories.  These options include: delivering turn-key private label
solutions, deep-linking in to exclusive content areas of ticketswest.com and
servicing transactions via the application programming interface through
direct integration within a third party website.
  Lucas also noted, “When we began this project a year ago, our objective
wasn’t just to improve upon our current site—we wanted to build a 21st
century online event fulfillment solution that leveraged the growing
importance of the internet for on-line ticket sales.  We believe this new
website positions us to be even more competitive and will help improve our
already strong brand recognition throughout the United States.”
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