Tao of Sports Podcast

SWAPCAST: Ticket Talk with Charlie Kaufman Interview

·1 hr 2 min·5 clips
Dynamic pricing firms count broker tickets as demand to artificially jack up primary market prices.
This episode is a swapcast between the Tao of Sports Podcast and Ticket Talk, featuring host Troy Kirby as a guest. Kirby, a sports revenue consultant, discusses various facets of the ticket business with host Charlie Kaufman. The conversation begins with the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea facing record-low sales due to geopolitical tensions. Kirby then delves into the secondary market, emphasizing that it provides consumer choice and open distribution, unlike closed primary systems. He cites the Denver Broncos revoking season tickets from resellers as an example of fraudulent practices in closed systems. Kirby argues against free or heavily discounted tickets, comparing them to McDonald's dollar menu, which failed when prices rose. He explains that brokers mitigate risk for teams by buying inventory, especially when teams are performing poorly. The discussion covers dynamic ticket pricing, with Kirby revealing that companies count broker-bought tickets as demand to artificially inflate primary prices. He touches on international ticketing markets, noting differences in countries like Australia, the UK, Russia, and China. Kirby also discusses attendance issues, referencing historical low attendance figures and modern challenges like stadium curfews. He highlights that only 12-15% of attendees are diehard sports fans, with moms being a crucial but underserved market. The episode concludes with Kirby inviting listeners to his podcast and discussing potential future topics like floorball in Oslo.

As heard by us

Local geography can make a minor league game the hottest ticket in town.

Ticket demand takes on a different shape when a team is the biggest entertainment option for 90 to 100 miles. This swapcast with Charlie Kaufman's Ticket Talk uses minor league baseball to look at the secondary market, moving from a Charlotte ticket conference to brokers around…

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You want to know how a minor league game can become the hottest ticket in town.

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