Dear Students,
As this is the first QA assignment, I would like to give you some background to what we are looking to accomplish together. This is the first of three assignments and this exercise will equip you to complete the next two QA sessions. The foundation of media is changing, becoming a more fully immersive experience and the laws around data privacy will continue to advance as we live in a more globally connected world. As you step out into careers in the sport industry it is important to explore the ecosystem of the relationship between a sport organization and its community of fans. Success on the field or court of play comes and goes. It is the business process of developing strong channels to connect with new people, telling your story, empowering them to share and transforming them to be advocates for your brand. This type of fan lifecycle creates lasting success for a team, maximizes the revenue opportunities and ability for brand growth when your team is winning.
When we look at the journey to becoming a fan it starts with an experience of either attending in person or watching a game on tv. As Howard Wright from Intel shared in class this week, in the near future you will also need a “digital ticket” to the experience the big game. This is shifting the industry, by creating the transformational transaction that will allow brands to collect more individualized and unique data on people at the game (digitally or physically). Today, US federal laws enforced by the FTC, state laws (ex: CCPA), and global laws (ex:GDPR). These laws all have different levels of complexity but ultimately outline how consumers need to “opt-in” to an experience in order for a brand to record, collect and keep their data and to communicate with them regularly. Currently, when you buy a ticket you are agreeing to a “Terms of Use”. This can often mean that you are waiving your rights, so that your likeness and image can be used in their marketing efforts. This can also mean you have “opted-in” to receive messaging and be delivered regular communication via all your contact info.
Tickets account for 15% of NFL teams, 22% of NBA teams and 30% of MLB teams’ revenue.* TV and media rights are the largest sources of revenue for all leagues equating to 50% or more of annual team revenue. Merchandising, licensing, sponsorships and concessions are some of the categories of revenue generation. Each of these pillars of financial stability are interrelated and rely upon each other to be successful, so it is important at a sports professional to gain continuous insight on this balance.
During this assignment we are going to survey some information about the classes interests, experience buying tickets, or attending live events. We are also going to do a review of the seated live event ticketing industry so that you can have a foundation of knowledge as you take the next steps in your career. Then we are going to ask for your feedback on a new design of TicketSocket’s white label SEATED ticketing checkout experience. You may be asking, “what is white label ticketing?”. It allows brands to full control the ticket buying experience and the content around it. Here are some examples: Spartan Race and MeowWolf. Our organization also gives clients full ownership of their data, we do not use it or sell it to their competitors. Large brands understand the power of data, the responsibility of it and how important it is for them to protect their consumers.
I ask that you be very objective in your feedback but I also want everyone to be very honest and direct. Don’t be shy because you know I work with the organization. Please note to ignore pictures and content for events as this is a mock up. All feedback constructive, positive and/or negative helps businesses better understand how to make better plans/design, decisions and/or experiences. Please do your best to follow the instructions below and be prepared to discuss the assignment in the next class.
Have a great week!
Prof Keal
The goals for learning during this assignment:
• How ticketing, data, media and the experience are inter-connected
• What type of data ticketing companies collect for teams
• Why data privacy and GDPR are important topics for sport teams
• Reviewing the fan facing ticket software of the major “seated” industry players.
Instructions
1. Read the articles in the links here.
a. What is next for the ticketing industry?
b. Key information on the GDPR for the Sports Industry
c. Why sports team should avoid relying on consent to comply with GDPR
2. Complete Part 1.
a. Personal Profile Questions
b. Privacy & Data
3. Complete Part 2 & Part 3 .
a. Industry Review
READ THE FORM QUESTIONS FIRST & THEN DO THE BELOW
ii. Leave the form open and search online for an event that is using that specific platform. You will have a unique event for each ticketing platform. (Note: Note your answers outside of the form first and fill out all at once. If you lose internet connection or leave the page you will lose progress.)
iii. Pretend to purchase a ticket, but stop before submitting your payment details. Use your email or a fake email if you do not want to share your information.
iv. Take a screenshot of the seat selection page on desktop and mobile.
Save in a folder and label the images as ex: “ticketmaster-desktop.png or paciolan-mobile.png” for when you submit the form.
1. How to take a screenshot:
a. Desktop
b. Mobile
b. TicketSocket QA
i. Please visit the design concept to review for the assignment.
This is confidential information. Do not share outside of the conversation within class.
Note: This assignment should take you about 2-2.5 hours to complete.
Due: 11:59pm Wednesday, February 5th, 2020
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL THREE FORMS
*Sources
Statista, Percentage of Ticketing Revenue in the MLB Revenue
Statista, Percentage of Ticketing Revenue in the NBA Revenue
Statista, Percentage of Ticketing Revenue in the NFL Revenue