WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Charlotte 49ers and NIU Athletics have announced partnerships with IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions (IMGLTS), the leader in professional outbound ticket sales.
Following the successful introduction of football at Charlotte, IMGLTS will focus on harnessing the growing pride for 49ers sports in the Charlotte region by selling men’s basketball tickets.
“This is an exciting time for Charlotte 49ers Athletics, and we are pleased to collaborate with IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions, a nationally recognized leader in the area of ticket sales,” commented Judy Rose, Director of Athletics. “This partnership will help us continue to build on our strong tradition of basketball while developing our football presence across the region and nation. The experience they bring will be extremely beneficial to both current and future 49ers fans.”
“UNC Charlotte is a thriving young university with high aspirations for all its athletic programs. IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions is excited to partner with a forward-thinking administration and provide sales expertise on site to help push men’s basketball attendance to new levels while enhancing the connection fans have to 49ers athletics,” said Russ Dean, Director of Partner Management, IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions. ”There is a lot of excitement around the basketball program, and going into the 49ers’ second year back in Conference USA for basketball, we expect great things on the court and in the stands.”
IMG is the multimedia rights partner of the Charlotte 49ers. The school is also served by IMG in seating and licensing.
The NIU operation will sell football, men’s and women’s basketball, and volleyball. The operation will be managed onsite by Johnathan Jick, who was one of IMGLTS’ top performers while selling at Northern Iowa.
“This is another piece to the puzzle in making NIU Athletics better. We have a great product to sell and by bringing IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions into the mix, we will be able to maximize the use of our ticket inventory and provide a great game day atmosphere for our fans and student-athletes,” said NIU Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier. “I am confident we will get this done, and I credit, Associate Athletic Director, Ryan Sedevie’s effort to have a collaborative ticket sales department. We are excited to partner with an industry leader like IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions to make our goals a reality.”
“Northern Illinois has enjoyed recent success in football with four straight 11-plus win seasons, and we’ll be capitalizing on that excitement to match the team’s on-field success with increased ticket sales,” Dean said. “Additionally, following the direction of new Athletics Director Sean Frazier, we are eager to help grow the Huskie fan base while providing great customer service.”
NIU is represented by Learfield in multimedia rights and by IMG in seating.
IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions has been very successful selling tickets for its 32 university partners. Comparing the same properties from 2013 to 2014, season ticket revenue managed by IMGLTS increased 24 percent. Year-over-year, same property ticket sales increased more than $2 million. Overall, the company renewed 89 percent of all season tickets it was involved in selling.
Initially launched in January, 2011 as IMG College Ticket Solutions, and strengthened by a merger in April 2012, IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions provides schools a professional sales force to increase ticket sales. Either working from within the athletic department or from the national sales center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this privatized tickets solution is designed to increase attendance and revenues generated from athletic events as well as choice and convenience when fans purchase tickets.
Current IMGLTS partners include: Air Force, University of Akron, University of Arkansas, Auburn University, University of Colorado, Boston College, the Charlotte 49ers, Duke University, University of Florida, Georgia State University, North Carolina State University, University of Oklahoma, Penn State University, University of Richmond, University of New Mexico, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, NIU Athletics, Northern Iowa University, University of Pittsburgh, University of South Carolina, University of South Florida, Southern Illinois University, University of Southern Mississippi, Temple University, University of Tennessee, University of Texas-San Antonio, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Tulsa, Utah State University, Virginia Tech and University of Wyoming.