TicketCity

TicketCity is an American secondary-ticket broker and online marketplace based in Austin, Texas. The company sells access to live events, including sports, concerts, theater, and other entertainment activities, by connecting customers with available tickets through a resale-oriented marketplace and broker operation. The business was founded by Randy Cohen in March 1990. Cohen had begun gaining experience in the secondary ticket market in 1988 while attending the University of Texas at Austin, and he used that experience as the foundation for TicketCity. Its early development followed the broader growth of ticket brokering in the United States, where brokers sourced tickets for events that could be difficult to access through primary box offices. TicketCity became one of the early ticket brokers to establish an online presence when it moved onto the internet on August 7, 1998. This transition allowed the company to present inventory to customers beyond its original Texas market and helped position it within the emerging online-commerce sector. The company subsequently expanded through acquisitions. In 2000, it acquired SoldOut.com for $250,000, an action described as expanding its customer base from Texas toward the East Coast. In 2002, it acquired Ticketsupfront.com, increasing its access to customers in the Midwest. The company has also expanded beyond the sale of individual event tickets. On May 21, 2019, Fandeavor announced that it had been acquired by TicketCity. Fandeavor was associated with sports and event experiences, giving TicketCity an avenue into broader event-related offerings in addition to conventional ticket resale. TicketCity's history also includes regulatory scrutiny. In August 2008, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott charged the company with violating the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act after customers seeking tickets to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games complained that the company had not honored a promised 200 percent refund when tickets could not be delivered. TicketCity and the attorney general reached a settlement in June 2011 without an admission of liability or payment of penalties. As part of the resolution, TicketCity was required to display a 120-day notice on its website explaining how customers who had purchased undelivered opening-ceremony tickets could apply for the promised refunds. TicketCity remains characterized in available reference material as a privately held ticket broker and online marketplace. Its core proposition is convenience and access: customers can search for and purchase tickets through an online channel, while the company participates in the fragmented secondary market for live-event admission.

TicketCity was established in March 1990 by Randy Cohen in Austin, Texas. Before founding the company, Cohen had obtained experience selling tickets on the secondary market in 1988 while studying at the University of Texas at Austin. TicketCity began as a ticket-brokerage business serving customers seeking admission to events where primary-market inventory was limited or unavailable. The company became one of the early ticket brokers to operate online on August 7, 1998. Its internet presence broadened the potential reach of the business beyond its original Texas customer base and placed TicketCity among the early participants in online ticket commerce. As online purchasing became more important to the ticket industry, the company used acquisitions to extend its geographic reach and customer relationships. In 2000, TicketCity acquired SoldOut.com for $250,000. The acquisition was described as expanding the company's customer base from Texas to the East Coast. Two years later, in 2002, TicketCity acquired Ticketsupfront.com, which expanded its access to customers in the Midwest. These transactions supported the company's development from a Texas-centered broker into a broader United States ticket marketplace. TicketCity's business has included tickets for sports, concerts, theater, and other live entertainment. Its model combines online presentation of available inventory with ticket-brokerage activities associated with the secondary market. In 2019, the company added an event-experience dimension when Fandeavor announced on May 21 that it had been acquired by TicketCity. The company's history also contains a significant consumer-protection dispute. On August 5, 2008, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott charged TicketCity with violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The action followed complaints from customers who had attempted to purchase tickets to the Beijing Summer Olympic Games and alleged that TicketCity did not honor a 200 percent refund promise after tickets could not be delivered. On June 17, 2011, TicketCity and Abbott reached a settlement. The settlement did not include an admission of liability or payment of penalties. To resolve the state's legal action, TicketCity was required to publish a notice on its website for 120 days. The notice explained how customers who had purchased undelivered opening-ceremony tickets could apply for the previously promised 200 percent refunds. Available reference material identifies TicketCity as a privately held American ticket broker and online marketplace headquartered in Austin. It does not establish a public listing, a parent company, a current chief executive, or a precise present-day ownership structure. The brand's documented identity therefore rests primarily on its long-running ticket-brokerage operation, early adoption of online sales, regional expansion through acquisitions, and later move into event experiences.

• 2019

  Fandeavor acquisition announced

  [1]TicketCityen.wikipedia.org

  Fandeavor announced on May 21 that it had been acquired by TicketCity.

• 2002

  Ticketsupfront.com acquired

  [1]TicketCityen.wikipedia.org

  TicketCity acquired Ticketsupfront.com, increasing its access to customers in the Midwest.

• 2000

  SoldOut.com acquired

  [1]TicketCityen.wikipedia.org

  TicketCity acquired SoldOut.com for $250,000, expanding its customer base from Texas toward the East Coast.

• 1998

  TicketCity launches online brokerage

  [1]TicketCityen.wikipedia.org

  On August 7, TicketCity became one of the first online ticket brokers.

• 1990

  TicketCity founded

  [1]TicketCityen.wikipedia.org

  Randy Cohen founded TicketCity in March 1990 in Austin, Texas.

• 1988

  Founder gains secondary-ticket-market experience

  [1]TicketCityen.wikipedia.org

  While attending the University of Texas at Austin, Randy Cohen began selling tickets on the secondary market, experience that later informed the creation of TicketCity.

A privately held, online-first secondary ticket broker focused on helping customers find tickets and event-related experiences across the United States.

• Live-event tickets

  Sports tickets

  TicketCity's marketplace and brokerage operation includes tickets for sporting events. The available reference material does not identify particular leagues, teams, venues, or ticket packages, so the offering is described at the general sports-event level.

• Live-event tickets

  Concert tickets

  The brand offers access to concerts through its online ticket marketplace and brokerage activities. Specific artists, tours, inventory policies, and product tiers are not established by the supplied reference material.

• Live-event tickets

  Theater and entertainment tickets

  TicketCity participates in the broader market for theater and entertainment admission. The documented business model is centered on helping customers locate and purchase tickets through an online resale-oriented channel.

• Event experiences · 2019

  Sports and event experiences

  Following the acquisition of Fandeavor announced in 2019, TicketCity expanded into sports and event experiences. The available source does not provide a detailed catalog of the experiences or explain their current packaging.

• 2008

  Beijing Olympics ticket-refund dispute

  Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott charged TicketCity under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act after customers complained that the company did not honor a promised 200 percent refund when Beijing Summer Olympic Games tickets could not be delivered.

  Source

Read more

• 2019

  Acquisition of FandeavorM&A

  Background

  TicketCity pursued expansion beyond conventional ticket brokerage into event-related experiences.

  Action taken

  Fandeavor announced that it had been acquired by TicketCity on May 21, 2019.

  Aftermath

  The transaction gave TicketCity an association with sports and event experiences in addition to ticket sales.

  Source

• 2002

  Acquisition of Ticketsupfront.comM&A

  Background

  TicketCity continued using acquisitions to broaden its geographic customer access.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Ticketsupfront.com.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded TicketCity's access to customers in the Midwest.

  Source

• 2000

  Acquisition of SoldOut.comM&A

  Background

  TicketCity sought to extend its customer reach beyond Texas as its online and brokerage operations developed.

  Action taken

  The company acquired SoldOut.com for $250,000.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition expanded TicketCity's customer base toward the East Coast.

  Acquisition price. $250,000 (2000)

  Source

• 2019

  Fandeavor acquired by TicketCity[1]TicketCityen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Fandeavor announced that it had been acquired by TicketCity, extending TicketCity's activities into sports and event experiences in addition to its ticket-brokerage business.

1. 1TicketCityen.wikipedia.org