Stubhub & The O2 Sign Ticket Partnership
The O2 has announced an exclusive partnership with StubHub that will see America’s largest ticket marketplace become the official ticket resale marketplace for all events at the arena.
Through the partnership, StubHub will be the official ticket resale marketplace for The O2, where fans will know every ticket they buy is guaranteed for entry and available for instant download upon purchase.
The new partnership is the latest element of the global partnership between eBay Inc. and AEG Worldwide signed in November 2012 and is a first of its kind in the UK.
The multiyear deal includes ticketing platform integration and marketing assets with AEG venues across the world, including Los Angeles’ Staples Center, official partnerships with major clubs including the LA Galaxy and LA Kings and a number of other joint ventures.
In March, StubHub officially announced it will take over naming rights for the Home Depot Center in LA, which will be known as StubHub Center, starting this month.
The O2’s primary ticketing platform, AXS.com, will integrate with StubHub to ensure that when fans buy through StubHub, the original ticket will be validated, cancelled and a new ticket and barcode in the buyer’s name will be issued, helping to further reassure fans as to a ticket’s validity. The O2 and StubHub will work together to combat ticket fraud and abuse of the ticketing system with bot technology.
StubHub, as a managed marketplace, does not acquire, own, price or list any tickets itself but provides a safe and secure platform for ticket buyers and sellers. The O2 partnership follows the recent retirement of the eBay tickets category in the UK and migration to StubHub.
Rebecca Kane, general manager of The O2 said: ‘The O2 is the most popular venue in the world and tickets for our events often sell out extremely quickly. To ensure that as many people as possible can come to events here we wanted to partner with a trusted and secure ticket resale provider. By partnering with StubHub we are working with a resale marketplace that has a proven pedigree in serving fans and providing an innovative service for our customers. Integrating our own ticketing platform means that fans can buy in confidence and enjoy the best in live entertainment at The O2.’
Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, general manager, International, StubHub added: ‘StubHub is about giving fans access to the very best in live entertainment and providing a safe, secure platform to buy and sell, up to the very last minute on our website, in person or on their phones and tablets. With more than 8.6 million visitors every year, The O2 is the most popular venue in the world and we know that there is high demand for events there amongst our customers. We also know that a high proportion of these are visitors from abroad and with an increasingly percentage of our sales comings from cross border trade we know that we can offer these fans a service that guarantees peace of mind.’
