[News] Flames introduce paperless tickets

[Rhettzky]

I love this. Makes it way easier and much cheaper to manage tickets. Hard tickets were a pain to share with a buddy that lives on the other side of the city. It made swapping games a pain.

Ticket exchange will make things even better. I love it for buying NFL tickets and it will take out the walmart parking lot ticket exchanges with strangers. Sure it's not as exciting but I can deal with that.

BTW, at the STH session I attended there was a large applause when this was announced.

[moon]

Seems like an awful idea for anyone other than those that go to the all the games on their own. Its going to make things a pain in the ass for next year.

Glad you can get the hard tickets for this year for free, hopefully they review the policy and make changes in time for next season.

[Resolute 14]

I doubt it, and nor should they. The world is moving paperless. If you want to stick with the archaic, then you should pay for it.

[iggy_oi]

has anyone heard when tickets can actually be picked up?

[moon]

Lol

So archaic that they are still using it this year and fully used it last year. Heaven forbid the Flames make it easier for people that give them thousands of dollars to go to the games.

[Laner99]

I think it should be a free option no matter how you decide to get your tickets from the Flames. Paper or card. I cant think of any other company that I pay thousands of dollars to a year and get such horrible as the Flames give their STH.

[flamesrule_kipper34]

FYI I emailed my ticket rep about printing tickets and here's what I was told:

The tickets are printed on their internal thermal printers so they will not be the colourful tickets in a nice booklet as in previous seasons, rather the stock white ticketmaster-grade ones.

Also deciding to print the tickets voids your STH card completely for entry to games.

[Geeoff]

Paper is obsolete imo.

[homestand]

Originally Posted by moon

Lol

So archaic that they are still using it this year and fully used it last year. Heaven forbid the Flames make it easier for people that give them thousands of dollars to go to the games.

The introduction of the terms archaic or progressive into the discussion by others are only an attempt to cloud the really issue. Cost savings without revenue reduction.

I would be surprised if the suite owners will be asked to specifically pay extra next season for the internal thermal ticket stock.

[csnarpy]

I wish they could just scan them from your phone...

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I doubt it, and nor should they. The world is moving paperless. If you want to stick with the archaic, then you should pay for it.

That's exactly the rationale the automakers used when they were trying to push digital speedometers. Those sure worked out, huh?

Just because a technology is newer, doesn't mean it is necessarily better for a particular task.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by moon

Lol

So archaic that they are still using it this year and fully used it last year. Heaven forbid the Flames make it easier for people that give them thousands of dollars to go to the games.

This does make it easier to go to games. Now I don't have to remember my stupid ticket every game day as my card will be in my wallet all the time. Much easier. And for those that share tickets, the email option eliminates any concern about dividing up the tickets, now you don't even have to get together to exchange. Much easier.

Next step, make the tickets downloadable to your smartphone and do away with the card. That will be the easiest for all, especially those that want to share, but baby steps.

Those complaining simply haven't embraced the ability to email tickets or simply want the ticket collectible. Fair I guess, but time to embrace the way the world is going. The Flames are hardly the first sports franchise to head in this direction, and the sports world is hardly the first industry to head in this direction. I love my paperless bills and my airline boarding passes on my smart phone, so much better, greener and de-clusters crap for me. And for sure, there is a cost savings for the Flames, but so what? That's just smart business, to take advantage of what is becoming the accepted way of doing things, and is clearly the direction consumers and industry want to go as a whole.

[getbak]

I've been saying for years that it's stupid that I can go through airport security and board a plane to anywhere in the world with nothing more than a barcode on my phone, but still need a piece of cardboard to get into a hockey game.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

This does make it easier to go to games. Now I don't have to remember my stupid ticket every game day as my card will be in my wallet all the time. Much easier. And for those that share tickets, the email option eliminates any concern about dividing up the tickets, now you don't even have to get together to exchange. Much easier.

Next step, make the tickets downloadable to your smartphone and do away with the card. That will be the easiest for all, especially those that want to share, but baby steps.

Those complaining simply haven't embraced the ability to email tickets or simply want the ticket collectible. Fair I guess, but time to embrace the way the world is going. The Flames are hardly the first sports franchise to head in this direction, and the sports world is hardly the first industry to head in this direction. I love my paperless bills and my airline boarding passes on my smart phone, so much better, greener and de-clusters crap for me. And for sure, there is a cost savings for the Flames, but so what? That's just smart business, to take advantage of what is becoming the accepted way of doing things, and is clearly the direction consumers and industry want to go as a whole.

It is a shame that you missed a couple of reasons from others that have nothing to do with what you said and they are valid.
You would also be wrong if you think that the majority of the 400 people who get tix from me feel that way either.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by homestand

The introduction of the terms archaic or progressive into the discussion by others are only an attempt to cloud the really issue. Cost savings without revenue reduction.

It's both, actually. When you consider the number of season ticket holders, number of games and the fact that ticket books usually come as blocks of 2 or 4 tickets, so people with odd numbers of seats end up with blanks, then the difference is 16,000 plastic cards vs. 1 million printed tickets. Plus costs of artwork and design. Plus binding, etc. And they were printing the plastic cards anyway for the FanAttic discount. There is definitely a goal to save money.

Doesn't change the fact that the world is rapidly moving paperless and doesn't make this anything but a good idea. Making it easier to transfer tickets is the only real concern, and waiving the transfer fees is meant to help that this year. If they make the ticket transfer process easier to use - which I am doubtful of for this year, at least - this is pretty much a win all around.

[JD]

I'm pleased about this move and I'm surprised at how overwhelmingly negative this seems be going in this thread. If CP represents the more tech-savvy cross-section of Flames fans, what are the rest of season ticket holders saying? Is this a case of the vocal minority?

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by getbak

I've been saying for years that it's stupid that I can go through airport security and board a plane to anywhere in the world with nothing more than a barcode on my phone, but still need a piece of cardboard to get into a hockey game.

One of the airports on my last vacation had two lines for the security checkpoint. One for electronic boarding passes, one for paper boarding passes. The 5 people in front of me in the paper passes line all made it through while one struggler was trying to scan her blackberry. That line was moving 1/10th the speed. /cool story bro

Seriously though, just because you can do something without paper doesn't mean you should. It's not always better, and there have been a number of excellent reasons posted in this thread about the benefits of paper tickets.

[SeeBass]

Well I guess they could save a few bucks and get rid of the big scoreboard everybody has a phone now for updates and replays.
Just a big clock with the score and you can watch your own videos between whistles.
I mean come on its technology get on board, there is absolutely no reason why my idea is wrong and it is only your fear of technology that makes you not like it.

sarcasm off/

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

That's exactly the rationale the automakers used when they were trying to push digital speedometers. Those sure worked out, huh?

Just because a technology is newer, doesn't mean it is necessarily better for a particular task.

Well in this case it is leaps and bounds better. I can now manage my tickets from my cell phone. If I'm at work and something comes up I can just sell the tickets via email transfer and forward the tickets at no additional cost. I don't have to rush home at lunch to grab the paper copies and then set up a meeting place to exchange them. Just a comete pain in the arse.

Plus like Resolute said, printing off 1 million tickets and shipping them to each ticket holder across the city and province is a huge draw on resources. Staff to print and sort. Then organize the packages and put each one in envelopes and then FedEx each package out. That is a huge waste of time.

[SeeBass]

nm double post