Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to data evaluation, categorization, and presentation. More particularly, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems which manage ticket scarcity for interactive events.
Kenneth Haigh once indicated that “You need three things in the theater—the play, the actors and the audience, —and each must give something.” In many ways an interactive event is similar to live theater as every interactive event includes an event, a performer, and the audience. In an online community that now includes billions of terminals and even more users, determining who will be part of the audience is often a difficult challenge.
In view of the problems in the state of the art, embodiments of the invention are based on the technical problem of optimizing ticketing data evaluation, categorization, and presentation in an online environment to improve online event promotion and/or corresponding ticket sales and/or attendance, and methods for providing ticket scarcity management for interactive online events. In one embodiment, a ticket scarcity management system helps to drive online interest and/or attention of the event and encourage the rapid uptake of tickets to the event. For example, the ticket scarcity management system may generate ads or other online solicitation which emphasizes the need to obtain a ticket quickly before the available tickets run out. In one embodiment, the ticket scarcity management system regulates the exposure of tickets available for an event. A configuration of the ticket scarcity management system, suitable to solve the problems which at least one embodiment of the invention is based on, generates an event ticketing user interface component, such as a widget that may be used to solicit potential event audience members. In one embodiment, the ticket scarcity management system selects potential event audience members satisfying categorical criteria outlined for desired event attendees. The event ticketing user interface is dynamically generated in accordance to ticket sales thresholds previously provided by an event promoter to adjust sales strategies in accordance with a variety of factors including available seats to the event, time until event, and relative cost. In one embodiment, the relative size of the event and associated ticket availability may be adjusted according to performer requests, preliminary sales, and other event related data.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following drawings in which:
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of a portion of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take at least the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The meanings identified below are not intended to limit the terms, but merely provide illustrative examples for use of the terms. The meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” may include reference to both the singular and the plural. Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The meaning of “in” may include “in” and “on.” The appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but it may. The term “connected” may mean a direct electrical, electro-magnetic, mechanical, logical, or other connection between the items connected, without any electrical, mechanical, logical or other intermediary there between. The term “coupled” can mean a direct connection between items, an indirect connection through one or more intermediaries, or communication between items in a manner that may not constitute a connection. The term “circuit” or “circuitry” as used in any embodiment described herein, can mean a single component or a plurality of components, active and/or passive, discrete or integrated, that are coupled together to provide a desired function and may include, for example, singly or in any combination, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry, state machine circuitry, and/or firmware that stores instructions executed by programmable circuitry. The term “signal” can mean at least one current, voltage, charge, data, or other such identifiable quantity.
In an effort to clarify comparative phrases used in the specification and the claims of this disclosure, please note that the following phrases take at least the meanings indicated and associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The phrase “A/B” means “A or B”. The phrase “A and/or B” means “(A), (B), or (A and B)”. The phrase “at least one of A, B and C” means “(A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C) or (A, B and C)”. The phrase “(A) B” means “(A B) or (B)”, that is “A” is optional.
In addition, the various embodiments depicted in
As used herein, the term executable code, or merely “executable,” is intended to include any type of computer instruction and computer executable code that may be located within a memory device and/or transmitted as electronic signals over a system bus or network. An identified module of executable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions which may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be located together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations which together comprise the module and achieve the purpose stated for the module. Indeed, an executable may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may at least partially exist merely as electronic signals on a system bus or network.
Referring now to
In one embodiment, tickets to future performances by the performer or tickets to events by similar artists may also be advertised on the interactive client interface 100. This allows members of the audience to pre-purchase their next concert while they are still enjoying the current performance.
Referring now to
In one embodiment, the interactive event platform 230 includes a ticketing management system 260 to promote 269, sell 263, and admit 266 clients to the event. In one embodiment, the ticketing management system 260 evaluates the value of an event and artificially establishes ticket sales thresholds including size of event and various event promotion thresholds to help determine the type of promotion used for an event.
Events are configured with two parameters, ticket limit and scarcity limit. As used herein, the term ticket limit is intended to indicate when a predetermined quantity of tickets is granted the event/show becomes “sold out” and new tickets are not available. In one embodiment the ticket limit may include a stage variable limit, which would allow for a show to expand, but only after certain sales thresholds have been satisfied. As used herein, the term scarcity limit is intended to indicate the relative count of remaining tickets to the ticket limit after a quantity tickets are granted. In one embodiment, promotion messages with the relative event scarcity limit are displayed to encourage additional sales.
Referring now to
In a very basic configuration, computing device 300 typically includes at least one processing unit 320. In one embodiment, the processing unit 320 includes at least one processor. As such, the term “processor”, as used herein, should be interpreted to mean an individual processor, firmware logic, reconfigurable logic, a hardware description language logic configuration, a state machine, an application-specific integrated circuit, a processing core co-disposed in an integrated circuit package with at least one other processing core and/or component, or combinations thereof.
The processing unit 320 may be operably connected to system memory 310. Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device, system memory 310 may be non-volatile memory 311 (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.), volatile memory 314 (such as RAM), or some combination of the two. System memory 310 typically includes Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware code 312, an operating system 315, one or more applications 316, and may include program modules and data 317. A configuration library 318 (e.g., registries), which contain code and data to be shared and changed in a modular or database fashion to provide services to applications 316 and programs 317 is also often included in system memory 310.
Computing device 300 may have additional features or functionality. For example, computing device 300 may also have a dedicated graphics rendering device, such as video adapter 330 coupled with at least one display monitor 335. Computing device 300 may also have a variety of human input device(s) (HID) 359 such as keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, and the like. In a broader sense, human input device (HID) 359 may also include various output devices such as a display monitor 335, speakers, printer, and the like. Computing device 300 may utilize a variety of ports via port interface 350 to share data including wireless ports 353, parallel ports 355, and serial ports 357. Each of these port types may include further varieties, for example serial ports may include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port and/or a FireWire/IEEE 1394 port.
In various embodiments, computing device 300 may also include a storage drive interface 340 for communication with additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disk drives 342, optical disk drives 343, hard disk drives 344, tape drives, and other storage devices. Such additional storage is illustrated in
Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. System memory 310, removable storage and non-removable storage are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computing device 300. Any such computer storage media may be used to store desired information, such as operating system 345, one or more applications 346, programs 347, and/or registries and configuration libraries 348 accessible to computing device 300.
Computing device 300 may also contain a communication connection via port interface 350 and/or network interface card 360 that allows the device 300 to communicate with other remote computing devices 380, such as a remote server, over a communication network. The communication network may comprise a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN). Each network may be wired or wireless or combination thereof. The communication network may also comprise other large scale networks including, but not limited to, intranets and extranets, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment the communication network is an interconnected system of networks, one particular example of which is the Internet and the World Wide Web supported on the Internet.
A variety of configurations may be used to connect the computing device 300 to the remote computing devices 380. For example, although modem 365 is illustrated as connecting to the remote computing device 380, a remote server, via a WAN and network interface 360 is illustrated as connecting via a LAN, both the network interface 360 and/or the modem 365 may just as well be coupled to other large scale networks including, but not limited to, a global system of interconnected computer networks (internet), various intranets and extranets, or combinations thereof.
The information transmitted as data across the previously discussed communication connections are examples of communication media. Communication media may typically be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. The term computer readable media as used herein includes both storage media and communication media.
Although many of the examples refer to computing devices with a single operating system, file system and configuration library, the concepts, principles, and examples disclosed below may be extended to provide interactive event functionality across several or many operating systems, file systems, and/or configurations libraries (e.g., registries). Accordingly, it is contemplated that the principles described herein may be applied to these and other computing systems and devices, both existing and yet to be developed, using the methods and principles disclosed herein.
Turning now to
With respect to various embodiments using a software implementation (e.g., a hardware simulator), at least one of the processors of a suitably configured electronic communication device, such as a computer, executes the instructions from a storage medium. The computer-executable instructions may be written in a computer programming language or executable code. If written in a programming language conforming to a recognized standard, such instructions may be executed on a variety of hardware platforms and may interface with a variety of operating systems. Although the various embodiments are not described with reference to any particular programming language, it will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the embodiments as described herein. Furthermore, it is common in the art to speak of software in one form or another (e.g., program, procedure, process, application, etc.) as taking an action or causing a result. Such expressions are merely a shorthand way of saying that execution of the software by a device causes the processor of the computer to perform an action or a produce a result.
Referring now to
Ticket sales and/or admission code issuance are monitored in block 430 by the ticket scarcity management system 400 once the event is available to the public for tickets. Portions of an interactive event audience user interface where tickets for an event are initially available/on sale to the public is illustrated in
When a time threshold is reached in query block 440 the ticket scarcity management system 400 determines whether corrective action is necessary. In one embodiment this corrective action may include modification of the event marketing strategy in query block 470. In one embodiment, the modified marketing may include adding extra event promotion in block 480. Extra event promotion may include a variety of additional electronic marketing approaches, such as adding a message counter to the user interface, where the counter displays the number of remaining tickets available before the ticket limit is reached, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, adding the extra event promotion in block 480 may include a variety of different marketing systems including offering purchasers a “Buy One Get N Free” system. One configuration parameter on an event is the number of promotion tickets that are associated with each real ticket. When this parameter is configured to zero, promotion tickets are disabled. When this parameter is set to a non-zero value, N, if a user buys a ticket (e.g., not redeeming an admission code for free admittance) they are granted N free tickets to give to their friends, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the user can invite as many friends as they want via a social network, such as Facebook.com, or via other form of electronic correspondence, to join them at the show, as illustrated in
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In various embodiments, a promotion code can be granted in at least one of three forms. A first type of promotion code may work for any user and any event. In one embodiment, this type of promotion code allows a user to log into an online interactive event service, select a desired event and enter the promotion code to be granted a free ticket.
A second type of promotion code may work for a specific user and any event. In one embodiment, the designated user is registered and obtains a promotion code of the second type which represents free ticket credit that the designated user can apply to events of their own choosing.
A third type of promotion code may work for a specific event and any user. In one embodiment, a user enters the promotion code of the third type and is granted a ticket for that specific event. Promotion codes of the third type are treated differently than the other two types of promotion code for the scarcity system. More specifically, when type three promotion codes are generated, the ticket scarcity management system must count them against the allocated tickets for the given event. This is due to the character of the credit being extended by the promotion code. Specifically, as the third type of promotion code have already been allocated in the overall ticket count, tickets can still be redeemed using a type three code even for a show that is already sold out. This allows promoters to distribute the promotion codes without worrying about potential negative customer experiences as the virtual seats are held. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the promotion code may indicate that the code is valid only so long as the event is not yet sold out. This configuration may encourage individuals to obtain tickets as soon as possible.
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The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art and others, that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown in the described without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifested and intended that the disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalence thereof.
The present application is a non-provisional application that claims priority and incorporates by reference in its entirety provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 61/100,701, entitled “Interactive Live Events” and provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 61/100,703 entitled “Interactive Events” and provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 61/100,704 entitled “Ticket Scarcity Management for Interactive Events” and provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 61/100,706 entitled “Switching Camera Angles during Interactive Events” all filed on Sep. 26, 2008.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61100701 | Sep 2008 | US | |
61100703 | Sep 2008 | US | |
61100704 | Sep 2008 | US | |
61100706 | Sep 2008 | US |