Aradiant has the ticket for new Padres season

San Diego Business Journal, Feb 18, 2002 by Mike Allen

The San Diego Padres have contracted with San Diego-based Aradiant Corp. for its phone order ticket sales this year, ending a long-term arrangement with Ticketmaster.

"Aradiant has the same customer service philosophy as we do and we believe their kind of service is going to be a win-win for everybody," said Mark Tilson, the Padres executive director of sales.

The Padres had been thinking of making the change for about two years, but waited until the end of last season before concluding their partnership with Los Angeles-based Ticketmaster.

Tilson said because of a contract Major League Baseball signed with Bay Area firm Tickets.com about two years ago, it was only a matter of time before the Padres set up an agreement with another company for its telephone sales.

Ticketmaster would not set up a real-time connection for online ticket sales with Tickets.com, Tilson said.

Aradiant will provide telephone ticket sales for the Padres, while the team will handle walk-up advance sales, and tickets sold at outside outlets at 17 Office Depot stores and three Padres Store locations.

Under the contract with Aradiant, ticket buyers will see fees for an average ticket drop from $3.25 to $2.25 or $2.50, Tilson said.

The Padres' 2001 home attendance of 2.3 million included telephonic sales totaling nearly $1 million in gross revenues, Tilson said.

Customers will also get a better level of customer service when buying tickets over the phone, Tilson said.

"In the past, when ticket buyers ordered tickets over the phone, they were talking to customer service reps in Texas, who were also handling ticket sales for many other events," he said. "Now Padre fans will be speaking with local representatives in San Diego who are familiar With the team and with Qualcomm Stadium."

Aradiant, formerly called the National Dispatch Center, has branched Out from its initial business of a wireless messaging center to include a variety of outsourced customer support services including sales, billing and problem resolution. It has some 450 employees.

As part of the company's new ticket service for the Padres, Aradiant representatives will take immediate game orders and sell additional tickets to future games and Padres memorabilia, said Linda N. Hobbs, Aradiant's president.

"This is an exciting opportunity to be in business with a client that has the visibility of the Padres," Hobbs said. "Being part of an organization that's as public minded and committed to the community is going to be great for us."

The contract means the company will increase its staff initially by 20 positions, but more could be added depending on the flow of ticket sales, Hobbs said.

At certain times, Aradiant has employed as may as 1,200 persons.

Among Aradiant's other clients are Petco, Sol tube, Acres/Electrolux and Gifts.com, a unit of Readers Digest.

Padres ticket buyers can purchase tickets over the phone by calling (877) 374-2784. Th service is available around the clock starting Feb. 23 through the end of the baseball season.