USU Athletics adding several ticketing and fan experience programs

On Friday, the Utah State University Athletics Department announced a partnership with the global sales provider ReplyBuy, which comes as a continuation of a commitment from the department into revamping game-day experiences for Aggie fans.

ReplyBuy, which will act as an additional way for fans to purchase single-game tickets, provides a mobile service and notification system for ticket purchasing moving forward. Fans who use the application will receive customized notifications when tickets become available. They can then choose to purchase tickets on demand from their mobile device and the tickets will then be delivered instantly to the device.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Utah State,” ReplyBuy SVP of Partnerships & Strategy Brandon O’Halloran said. “This new solution for their fans to buy tickets is right in line with their leadership putting the fan experience first. It will now be easier, faster and more convenient than ever before for their fans to purchase tickets.”

Essentially, ReplyBuy will operate via a first-come-first-serve basis, as fans who respond first receive priority for the available seat locations.

“We see ReplyBuy as a way to engage our younger alumni and the casual fan,” said Paul Finn, Utah State Assistant Athletic Director in charge of ticket office operations. “It’s an exciting addition to our system as it can help us offer an additional avenue for our fan base to purchase tickets.”

ReplyBuy will rollout immediately and will undergo a trial period during the remainder of the 2016-2017 USU men’s basketball season, and then it will be utilized in full moving forward.

However, current Utah State students will not be able receive student-section tickets through ReplyBuy. Instead, Utah State Athletics is currently working with the Utah State University Fee Board to expand and streamline the current ticket system, Spectra, while adding a new program called FanMaker.

Currently awaiting an approval by the Fee Board, Spectra would be expanded to allow students to claim student-section tickets via their mobile device. This service would work alongside the current system in which students claim tickets from the ticket office in the TSC.

“This will eliminate the lines, eliminate the wait and eliminate the hassle of our current system,” Finn said. “It will make the process simpler and easier to use, and that’s been the goal moving forward.”

FanMaker will act as a rewards system for students to use, as the program will offer points for attendance at athletics events. The points could then be used to receive Aggie memorabilia and other prizes.

“FanMaker is an app that is utilized by top athletic programs across the country,” Finn said. “To join that list is impressive and it’s an exciting time for Utah State.”

Also rolling out for the 2017-2018 Football season will be a new ticket-marketplace program as a result of a partnership with StubHub. This program will allow for season-ticket holders to buy and sell tickets as they choose.

Utah State Athletic Director, John Hartwell, champions these new programs as ways to, “make athletic events more accessible and more student-friendly.

These partnerships join many past promotions, services, and other enhancements to the Aggie game-day experience.

The major commitment the university’s athletic department made came in the form of the newly-remodeled Maverik Stadium. Completed and revealed on Sep. 1, the $36 million renovation of Romney Stadium, added 24 luxury suites, 24 loge suites, 700 club seats and a new press box to the stadium, increasing the total capacity to 25,100.

The renovations also included a rebuilt concourse, new concessions and restroom areas and two video scoreboards — one four times bigger than its predecessor. Maverik and Utah State agreed to a 22-year, $6.3 million naming and advertising rights contract.

In the summer of 2016, Utah State soccer and softball also received new scoreboards, and volleyball had a new video board installed in the Wayne S. Estes Center.

Several HURD promotions, as well as ticket packages and promotions, have also increased in frequency over the past year, feeding into the commitment to the advancement of the game-day experience.