Ticketmaster Signs Three Ice Hockey Clients In Switzerland

Ticketmaster – Joren van Pottelberghe, keeper of Hockey Club Davos, in action
The club is one of Ticketmaster’s first three ice hockey clients in Switzerland

Ticketmaster Switzerland announced that it added three new ice hockey clients to its portfolio, which marks the company’s first foray into this popular Swiss sport.

The Live Nation company signed a non-exclusive deal with the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation and two exclusive deals with Hockey Club Davos and Spengler Cup, respectively.

The deal with the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation becomes effective in summer 2019, and gives Ticketmaster the right to sell tickets for all the home games of the men’s national team. The contract will therefore also include all preparation matches for the World Championships 2020, taking place in Switzerland.

Hockey Club Davos has signed an exclusive agreement with Ticketmaster. The club hosts games at the 7,000 capacity Vaillant Arena in Davos. The Club is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary during the 2020/21 season, which will see the arena increase the capacity by an additional 900 seats.

Hockey Club Davos is also the operator of the Spengler Cup, which is considered to be the world’s oldest invitational ice hockey team tournament, attracting more than 80,000 visitors across the six days.

George Egloff, CEO of Ticketmaster Switzerland, said: “With many key moments set to take place over the coming years in Swiss ice hockey, we’re proud that our new partners have chosen Ticketmaster for their ticketing needs. We look forward to harnessing our unparalleled innovation and best in class products, to provide a fantastic ticketing experience for Swiss ice hockey fans.”

Florian Kohler, CEO of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation, added: “We are looking forward to a successful partnership with Ticketmaster as of next year, providing tickets together to our many fans throughout Switzerland.”

Marc Gianola, Chief Executive Officer at Hockey Club Davos, commented: “Partnering with Ticketmaster was the best decision given their cutting-edge technology and expertise in ticketing. We’re excited to work with them on some of the most well-known events in Swiss sport, including the Spengler Cup which is the second largest sporting event in Switzerland.”

The news follows Ticketmaster’s recent launch in Switzerland in August 2017, having increased its presence to 29 countries across the globe.

Switzerland’s a tough market for the Live Nation company, seeing that CTS Eventim, through its Swiss operation Ticketcorner, and Starticket dominate the scene. Insiders expect Ticketmaster to catch up fast, though.

According to the country’s federal office for statistics, the Swiss market has a volume of 100m tickets annually, and an estimated worth of CHF 3-4bn Swiss (around £2.3bn).