SeatGeek: Find Tickets to Live Events Wherever Your Travels Take You

Once you’ve set your strategy using RewardExpert’s service, it’s a good time to start to research your lodging and sightseeing options. But what about last-minute entertainment? Whether you decide to take a spontaneous weekend vacation or find yourself with a spare evening while away on business, SeatGeek can help you find and buy tickets to the hottest sporting events, concerts and plays in any city you visit.

RewardExpert spoke with Nate Rattner, a content analyst and spokesperson for SeatGeek, about the inspiration behind the rapidly growing company and how you can use it to score the best deals on live entertainment whether you’re on vacation or at home.

Much More than a Search Engine

Founded in 2009 by Russ D’Souza, Jack Groetzinger and Eric Waller, SeatGeek began as a ticket search engine that aggregated primary and secondary market tickets from dozens of big ticket websites. “We truly believe there is no better experience than a live event,” said Rattner. “From the start, Jack, Russ and Eric wanted to make it easier for fans of all kinds—be they music, theater, comedy or sports fans—to find tickets, buy tickets and get into events.”

The company’s services have grown substantially since its inception with new capabilities added regularly. “Selling and transferring tickets launched a couple of years ago,” Rattner said. “Last summer, we launched SeatGeek Open. It’s a primary ticketing platform and direct competitor to legacy ticketing systems like Ticketmaster.”

SeatGeek Open has enabled the company to partner with teams, rights holders and venues to sell tickets directly to fans. “Our first partnership was with Major League Soccer as their official ticketing provider,” Rattner continued, “and our first client was Sporting Kansas City. We’re in the process of talking to other MLS teams about using SeatGeek Open, and are excited that the Portland Timbers and Minnesota United will be coming on board in the next couple of years.”

Deal Score, Interactive Maps and More

Visit the SeatGeek website and you can search for tickets by team, artist, event or venue. Once you’ve found a live event that interests you, you can sort the tickets by type, quantity, price or Deal Score.

“Our Deal Score system ranks tickets by value, not just by price,” said Rattner. “For example, maybe you’re looking at a ticket in the upper decks but there’s another ticket for $10 more that will move you way down in the stadium. If you just look at tickets by price, you’ll miss out.”
Many factors go into the calculation of Deal Scores including historical ticket prices for the performer and venue, where the seat is located, the sightline from that location, and the quality of other available tickets for the event.

SeatGeek’s interactive maps allow you to see exactly where you’ll be sitting as well. “We humbly believe that the maps we have are the best in the industry,” Rattner said. “We offer views from your seat before you make a purchase. This allows you to get a sense of what it is you are buying.”

Depending on the seller, you may have the option to choose a traditional paper ticket or e-ticket at checkout. And because SeatGeek only lists tickets from websites and marketplaces with 100 percent (or better) guarantees, you’re always covered if a vendor fails to fulfill your order in time for an event or if the event is cancelled.

All of SeatGeek’s features are available on their mobile-optimized website as well as through apps for IPhone and Android.

Ideal for Travelers

According to Rattner, SeatGeek is ideal for travelers looking for entertainment. “It’s a great way to discover events that are happening in your hometown as well as the cities you are visiting,” he said. “If you travel to a new location, the app will pick up on the city you are in and offer suggestions for events happening there.”

A SeatGeek user account is necessary if you want to receive recommendations or track your favorite artists, teams and upcoming events. Setting up an account will also allow SeatGeek to notify you about drops in ticket prices for events that may interest you.

“The user experience of SeatGeek is vastly superior to that of anybody else in this space, especially on mobile,” Rattner concluded. “The mobile component is huge for travelers. You can buy tickets on the go super-easily, checking out with just two taps on the SeatGeek app.”