PRESS RELEASE –
Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD), North America’s largest producer of pop-culture and comic con events, and Front Gate Tickets, North America’s leading festival ticketing platform, today announced a long-term ticketing partnership. Front Gate Tickets will provide a full range of presale and onsite ticketing services for all Wizard World shows, beginning with the Wizard World Comic Con in Portland, running from February 17-19, 2017. Fans will be able to purchase tickets for that event and 14 other subsequent 2017 Wizard World comic cons.
“Wizard World is actively transforming itself into a significant force in the entertainment and live event space. We have worked very hard during the last number of months to enhance and professionalize our systems and operations. One of the ways that we are proceeding in that direction is to work with “best of breed” partners in our various endeavors, and we are thrilled about our new partnership with Front Gate Tickets,” said John D. Maatta, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wizard World. “The Front Gate ticketing system delivers ease of use for our fans and will provide a data-rich suite of services that will allow us to sell, market, operate and analyze and we now have the ability to tap into the largest ticketing database in the world. Front Gate’s powerful platform will allow us to sell more tickets with the most trustworthy and robust commerce platform in the industry. Additionally because Front Gate Tickets is a part of the Ticketmaster family of companies, Wizard World will have the added benefit of accessing the marketing clout of Ticketmaster to promote its productions.
Maatta concluded: “Those who are paying attention are well aware that Wizard World has shed its small-minded mom and pop skin and is moving forward as a serious and professionally-run enterprise. The agreement with Front Gate Tickets is a material step forward.”
“Comic Con events are full of passionate fans and Wizard World is on the forefront of unlocking technology to better the fan experience and we couldn’t be happier to partner with them,” said Maura Gibson, President, Front Gate Tickets. “By leveraging RFID technology to utilize cashless payments and our Fan Engagement Suite for marketing sponsors, we’re able to create seamless, engaging experiences with the tap of a wristband while providing rich data to the Wizard World team.”
Front Gate Tickets was founded in 2003 as an alternative ticketing service for venues in Austin, Texas. Its clients include such top-tier partners as Electric Daisy Carnival, Austin City Limits, Electric Forest, Lollapalooza, RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest and X Games. Wizard World’s partnership with Front Gate Tickets brings a streamlined festival marketing and entry technology platform to the hundreds of thousands of fans that attend Wizard World shows in North America every year. Front Gate Tickets offers features specifically tailored to the festival and event market, including RFID powered access control, cashless POS systems, highly integrated data and analytics, and sponsorship activation and concession sales technology that benefit organizers, partners and fans alike. Front Gate Tickets was acquired by Ticketmaster in 2015, expanding Ticketmaster’s ticket offering to the festival vertical, and the partnership will leverage Ticketmaster’s vast distribution and fan marketing network.
Wizard World fans will have the ability to purchase tickets through its website (www.wizardworld.com), though other platforms may also be made available for a very limited time. Tickets for all 2017 shows are on sale now.
About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, gaming, graphic novels, toys, sci-fi, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched ComicConBox™ (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service and Wizard World Rewards among its initiatives. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.
About Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is the global market leader in live event ticketing, digital marketing, and mobile fan engagement tools that drive over 530 million ticket transactions per year. Through exclusive partnerships with thousands of venues, artists, sports leagues, and arts and theater tours, Ticketmaster delivers unparalleled access to the most iconic live events to millions of fans worldwide. Ticketmaster is a division of Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company.
The Wizard World 2017 schedule is available at: http://wizardworld.com/searchby/city/.
