IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions (IMGLTS) has announced a multiyear partnership with the Big Ten Conference focused on ticket sales for championship events. The Big Ten is the first conference to partner with IMGLTS, a joint venture between IMG College and Learfield, which represents 35 collegiate partners.
Under the agreement, IMGLTS will sell Big Ten Football Championship Game and Hockey Tournament tickets. Beginning in 2017, IMGLTS will also assist with ticket sales for the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, which in coming seasons will be held in two new arenas: the Verizon Center in Washington, DC in 2017 and Madison Square Garden in New York in 2018.
Ticket sales will be handled from the new IMGLTS Call Center in Indianapolis, overseen by Midwest Regional Manager Wes England.
“IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions has a strong record of success in increasing ticket sales and providing outstanding customer service,” said Brad Traviolia, Big Ten Conference Deputy Commissioner. “The Big Ten will benefit from IMGLTS’s proven prospecting and sales methods and sophisticated use of data analytics to increase sales for our conference championship events.”
“The Big Ten is an elite conference representing some of the strongest brands in college athletics,” said Rob Sine, President of IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions. “We are thrilled to partner with the conference to help ensure successful championship events while giving student-athletes the best possible experience at their end of the year championships.”
IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions sells more tickets to university athletic events than any other outbound ticket sales company. IMGLTS sold nearly $80 million worth of tickets for its school partners in 2014, and an additional $9 million in donations was raised across its properties.
Universities extending their IMGLTS partnerships in 2015 include Florida, Oklahoma, North Carolina State, Colorado, Temple, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Richmond, UNLV and UTSA. Separately, Learfield Sports represents the Big Ten Conference through its local team, Big Ten Sports Properties.