TICKETCORNER OPENS UP NEW DIMENSIONS IN SKI TICKETING IN CO-OPERATION WITH SKIDATA
Zurich, Salzburg, Cheseaux, June 14 2007 – Generating revenues in excess of CHF 2bn (EUR 1.2 bn) in Switzerland and Austria alone, the ski ticketing segment offers highly attractive growth potential. Novel technologies such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) are gaining a strong footing in various application areas. In ski ticketing, they open up a range of fascinating possibilities for getting access to the slopes from the comfort of your home. It’s all made possible by Swiss ticket distributor Ticketcorner and SKIDATA, a subsidiary of the Swiss technology group Kudelski, who have entered a co-operation agreement to further develop the ski market.
Use of the latest on-line technologies will allow ski enthusiasts to load their ski passes onto an appropriate RFID card – a Swiss Postcard Ticket or customer card, for example – and use that to gain instant access at the lift gate. As a result, it will save users the time and effort required to queue up at a ticket window. What is more, it will give lift operators the flexibility to adjust their pricing over the usually slower summer season to attract more guests to their resorts. SKIDATA will license to Ticketcorner the software components required for accessing the access management systems at the resorts.
“Lift operators used to sell less than one per cent of their tickets through third-party channels. Now they have the unique chance to utilize a whole new range of distribution channels and profit from innovative marketing services,” says Urs Grimm, a member of the Executive Board and head of the “People Access” division at SKIDATA. “These are the kind of benefits we want to make available to other SKIDATA clients as well.”
The co-operation is also of special significance to Ticketcorner CEO George Egloff: “The market potential is huge, and I’m fully convinced of our success in the ski ticketing business.” That is because by now access to the ski resorts is managed almost exclusively via RFID-based cards. The technology is now also available to card issuers in other industries who wish to offer their customers an attractive added benefit. RFID has already proved successful in applications ranging from large-scale concerts to sports events. Ticketcorner and Kudelski Group member SKIDATA intend to expand their presence to all mountain regions within the next three years. A first pilot project is already planned for the 2007/2008 winter season.
About Ticketcorner
Ticketcorner, which is based in Rümlang, near Zurich in Switzerland, was initially founded in 1987. The company is now one of Europe’s leading ticketing organisations. With a workforce of some 150 employees in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, Ticketcorner is currently implementing a policy of sustainable growth in Europe. Ticketcorner offers event organisers a highly-advantageous combination of an easily-accessible platform and advanced ticketing-software solutions for the handing of own sales. The company manages ticket sales via a state-of-the-art call centre, a high-profile website (www.ticketcorner.com) and a Europe-wide network of approximately 5,000 sales outlets.
Bernd de Wall
Manager PR&Communication
+41 (0) 44 818 34 24
[email protected]
About SKIDATA
Headquartered in Groedig/Salzburg (Austria), SKIDATA AG is an international market leader in access management and ticketing solutions for controlled access of persons and vehicles to buildings and venues. Reference clients include international hub airports (e.g., London Heathrow, Hong Kong International), renowned ski resorts (e.g., Zermatt, Les Trois Vallées), sports venues (e.g., key stadia of the 2006 FIFA and 2008 UEFA Championships), and leisure parks (e.g., Legoland, Ski Dubai). Currently around 4,500 SKIDATA applications are in operation in over 30 countries worldwide. Further information is available on-line at www.skidata.com.
Jörg Weisser
Head of Marketing / Corporate Communications
+43(0)6246/888-2271
[email protected]
About the Kudelski Group
The Kudelski Group (SWX: KUD.VX), is a world leader in digital security. Its technologies are used in a wide range of applications requiring access control and rights management, whether for securing transfer of information (digital television, broadband Internet, video-on-demand, interactive applications, etc.) or to control and manage access of people or vehicles to sites and events. The Kudelski Group is headquartered in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland. For more information, please visit www.nagra.com.
Rodolfo Ciucci
Head of Corporate Communications
Kudelski Group
+41 732 01 81
[email protected]