Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Save Big on Tickets to Games, Concerts, Theater and More

And Get an Additional $20 Credit as a Friend of Pop Culture Passionistas



We have come across an amazing deal for lovers of concerts, theater, major pro sporting events and more, that can save you as much as 60% off the face value of tickets. And Pop Culture Passionistas readers can save even more. ScoreBig.com is a new online service offering huge discounts on unsold event seats. And it's fun to boot.

It works like Priceline.com without William Shatner. If there's a show you want to see or a game you have to get to, log on to ScoreBig.com, find your event, choose a seating area and name your price. The company's co-founder Joel Milne explained how it works, "You tell us how much you want to pay for the tickets. We tell you the retail price for the seats you’ve selected and the percentage that other members have recently saved to guide you. You submit your offer and find out instantly if it’s accepted. If so, great! You’re on your way to the event for less. If the offer isn’t accepted, you may receive a one-time counteroffer. If not you’ll need to wait 24 hours before bidding again on the same seats."

Remember just bidding $1 won’t work, but you can expect to save at least 10% and sometimes as much as 60% off the ticket prices. And ScoreBig.com offers handy hints to help you decide what to bid. Look for the icons that say "Big Deal," "Bigger Deal" and "Biggest Deal" indicating the range you should expect to pay. Joel said, "We give our members guidance before they make an offer. The deal tags let them know what kind of savings other members have received in the past 24 hours on similar tickets."

Because the service is new, it is by invitation only, but Passionistas' readers can click this link and bypass the waiting list. And as an extra bonus for being our fans, if you register through this link, you'll get a $20 ScoreBig credit to be used towards your purchase. Joel clarified why users must be invited, "We’re a new site and we want to ensure a great experience for our members, so we keep our membership in line with the ticket inventory on the site."

One hitch is you can’t choose your specific seats. You select an area you'd like to be in and find out the exact location after you buy. But that's a small price to pay for big savings. Joel noted, "Flexibility is what allows us to give our members such great deals. Not telling you exactly which seats you will have until after your offer is accepted is part of what makes ScoreBig work. We can promise that we will always get you the very best ticket available within your selected area."

Plus, unlike other ticket services, there are no additional fees. "At ScoreBig the price you offer is the price you pay," Joel professed. "There are never any fees or shipping charges."

So who are the geniuses behind ScoreBig? The site was started by Joel, who used to work for SeasonTickets.com, and his partner Adam Kanner, who worked for the NBA. While at their previous jobs they discovered that 40% of all event tickets went unsold. They saw a void they could fill.

He recalled, "We started ScoreBig with the goal of making live events more accessible and affordable to the casual fan by helping the industry sell its unsold seats at a discount." He continued, "Our research showed that many people would attend more live events if the prices were lower. ScoreBig can offer lower prices by having members pick their own price for tickets in a general seating area. By selling tickets through this opaque channel, the ticket sellers are able to offer substantial discounts without undermining their current business. Casual fans get great savings, ticket sellers sell more seats while protecting their core business, and everyone wins."

But it's not like the currently trendy deals offered by GroupOn or LivingSocial. Joel commented, "Flash deal sites are built on the premise of a one-time deal bringing in new consumers who will hopefully pay full price on future purchases. At ScoreBig, you get a deal every time you log on. We are making events affordable for casual fans who wouldn’t otherwise purchase tickets, so ultimately, ScoreBig, the consumer and the industry benefit."

And while there is no one type of person that makes up the ScoreBig user Joel pointed out, "The one thing all of our members have in common is a desire to get out of the house and have a great experience without spending an arm and a leg to do it."

So visit ScoreBig.com and tell them the Passionistas sent you to get your extra $20 credit. Enjoy the show!

For related stories check out:
Socks Incorporated Puts Old Socks to Good Use
Little People in Bog Food is Enormously Fun


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