Ticket City
Encyclopedia
TicketCity is a ticket broker and online marketplace headquartered in Austin, Texas
. They buy and sell tickets to live events including sports, concerts, and theatre. The company was founded by Randy Cohen in 1990. They started out with four employees and one computer in a small office at Dobie Center
. Today, TicketCity employs more than forty personnel and occupies an office building in central Austin.
Randy Cohen, the founder and Chief Energizing Officer, started selling tickets on the secondary market in 1988 while a student
at the University of Texas at Austin
. In March 1990, Cohen founded TicketCity and continues in the role of owner and CEO. More recently he has ventured into other areas including speaking engagements at local events and writing a business book titled "Ticket to the Limit".
TicketCity and TicketCity Sports Travel have formal relationships with professional teams, college athletic programs, championship events and NCAA conferences. In addition, in 2011 they became the title sponsor of the TicketCity Bowl and the TicketCity Legends Classic.
TicketCity's website
launched in 1996. On August 8, 1998 TicketCity released the first fully functioning e-commerce website in the ticketing industry. The site allowed consumers to purchase tickets online for the first time. TicketCity's website has received several major face lifts to make it more interactive and SEO competitive, including a major addition in 2001 that integrated TicketCity's proprietary Real Time Ticketing software, enabling users to buy inventory in confidence of ticket availability. It also received a makeover in July 2011 which included new features such as predictive text and interactive venue maps.
In addition to the website, TicketCity heralds themselves as a personal service and they launched an ad campaign in 2011 promoting just this. TicketCity positions itself as the kinder, gentler event ticket provider relative to the Ticketmasters and StubHubs of the world.
On Aug. 5, 2008, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott charged TicketCity with violating the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act. It is alleged customers who attempted to buy tickets for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games complained that TicketCity did not honor their 200 percent refund when they could not deliver the tickets.
On June 17, 2011, Texas Attorney General Abbott reached a settlement with TicketCity. Under the terms of the agreed settlement, there is no admission of liability and no payment of penalties. In order to resolve the State’s legal action, TicketCity provided the 200 percent refunds that it originally promised customers who purchased tickets to the opening ceremonies. They also were required to post a 120-day notice on their website informing eligible customers how to apply for refunds. Under today’s agreement, TicketCity customers who purchased Olympic tickets but never actually received them and unnecessarily incurred expenses associated with traveling to China may be eligible for additional restitution. TicketCity customers who purchased tickets to other events and experienced the same treatment from the defendant, also may be eligible for restitution.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. They buy and sell tickets to live events including sports, concerts, and theatre. The company was founded by Randy Cohen in 1990. They started out with four employees and one computer in a small office at Dobie Center
Dobie Center
Dobie Center, named after J. Frank Dobie, is a privately owned twenty-seven story residence hall located adjacent to the University of Texas at Austin campus. In addition to being a private residence for students, Dobie also contains a two-story mall, a movie theatre, restaurants, and specialty...
. Today, TicketCity employs more than forty personnel and occupies an office building in central Austin.
Randy Cohen, the founder and Chief Energizing Officer, started selling tickets on the secondary market in 1988 while a student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. In March 1990, Cohen founded TicketCity and continues in the role of owner and CEO. More recently he has ventured into other areas including speaking engagements at local events and writing a business book titled "Ticket to the Limit".
TicketCity and TicketCity Sports Travel have formal relationships with professional teams, college athletic programs, championship events and NCAA conferences. In addition, in 2011 they became the title sponsor of the TicketCity Bowl and the TicketCity Legends Classic.
- NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
: San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... - NCAA: Army Black KnightsArmy Black KnightsArmy Black Knights is the name of the athletics teams of the United States Military Academy. They participate in NCAA Division I-A as a non-football member of the Patriot League, a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school, and a member of Atlantic Hockey, the Collegiate Sprint...
, Arizona State Sun Devils, Baylor BearsBaylor BearsBaylor Bears refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and some women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference...
, California Golden BearsCalifornia Golden BearsThe California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...
, Cincinnati BearcatsCincinnati BearcatsThe Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
, Colorado Buffalos, Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsGeorgia Tech Yellow JacketsThe Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that...
, Oklahoma State CowboysOklahoma State CowboysOklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
, Mississippi State BulldogsMississippi State BulldogsThe Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white...
, Rice OwlsRice OwlsThe Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest.Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic...
, South Florida BullsSouth Florida BullsThe South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams for the University of South Florida. The university competes in NCAA Division I, USF is a member of the Big East Conference, and has been since 2005...
, Vanderbilt CommodoresVanderbilt CommodoresThe Vanderbilt Commodores are the NCAA athletic teams of Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The university fields 16 varsity teams , 14 of which compete in the Southeastern Conference...
, Washington State CougarsWashington State CougarsThe Washington State Cougars are the athletic teams at Washington State University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Washington State University is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I... - NCAA Conferences: Pacific-12 Conference, Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley ConferenceThe Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
- Bowl Games: TicketCity Bowl, Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, BBVA Compass Bowl, Hawai'i Bowl, Beef 'O' Brady's BowlBeef 'O' Brady's BowlThe Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg is a NCAA Division I FBS college football bowl game played annually at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was first played following the 2008 college football season, when it was known as the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl after corporate...
, New Mexico Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Texas BowlTexas BowlThe Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, formerly known as the Texas Bowl, is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game that was held for the first time in 2006 in Houston, Texas. The bowl replaced the now-defunct Houston Bowl, which was played annually from 2000 to 2005...
TicketCity's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
launched in 1996. On August 8, 1998 TicketCity released the first fully functioning e-commerce website in the ticketing industry. The site allowed consumers to purchase tickets online for the first time. TicketCity's website has received several major face lifts to make it more interactive and SEO competitive, including a major addition in 2001 that integrated TicketCity's proprietary Real Time Ticketing software, enabling users to buy inventory in confidence of ticket availability. It also received a makeover in July 2011 which included new features such as predictive text and interactive venue maps.
In addition to the website, TicketCity heralds themselves as a personal service and they launched an ad campaign in 2011 promoting just this. TicketCity positions itself as the kinder, gentler event ticket provider relative to the Ticketmasters and StubHubs of the world.
On Aug. 5, 2008, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott charged TicketCity with violating the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act. It is alleged customers who attempted to buy tickets for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games complained that TicketCity did not honor their 200 percent refund when they could not deliver the tickets.
On June 17, 2011, Texas Attorney General Abbott reached a settlement with TicketCity. Under the terms of the agreed settlement, there is no admission of liability and no payment of penalties. In order to resolve the State’s legal action, TicketCity provided the 200 percent refunds that it originally promised customers who purchased tickets to the opening ceremonies. They also were required to post a 120-day notice on their website informing eligible customers how to apply for refunds. Under today’s agreement, TicketCity customers who purchased Olympic tickets but never actually received them and unnecessarily incurred expenses associated with traveling to China may be eligible for additional restitution. TicketCity customers who purchased tickets to other events and experienced the same treatment from the defendant, also may be eligible for restitution.