July 23, 2012

BERKELEY -

Cal Athletics announced Monday a new partnership with Qcue, the leading dynamic pricing software provider, to dynamically price football and men's basketball single-game tickets for the 2012-13 seasons, providing fans greater choice when purchasing tickets as well as offering prices that better reflect market value.

Cal is the first university to take advantage of a dynamically priced ticketing structure for multiple sports. More than half of Major League Baseball teams have implemented dynamic pricing, including the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics.

Qcue will analyze the Golden Bears' market to establish single ticket-prices and adjust them, game-by-game, based on a variety of market conditions such as team performance, opponent, national ranking, weather, game date and time. "Market conditions in sports are constantly changing, which creates opportunities for innovative teams to quickly adapt and provide greater value to their fans," said Eric Freeland, vice president of business development for Qcue.

Rewarding Season Ticket Holders
Among the goals of dynamic pricing is rewarding fans for buying earlier in the season and protecting season-ticket holder value. The new structure only affects the sale of individual-game tickets for the general public and does not impact the sale of season tickets. With dynamic pricing, Cal season-ticket and partial-plan holders are still guaranteed to pay the best possible price for their seat, but there will now be an increased variety of ticket options available on a single-game basis.

"We want to treat our season-ticket holders and donors like gold by giving them the best price, benefits and value for their commitment, and at the same time encourage fans to purchase single-game tickets early and online," said Ashwin Puri, Cal's associate athletic director for sales, marketing and service. "Dynamic ticket prices can go up and down, so when prices go up, season-ticket holders and donors end up with an even greater discount."

Buy Early
As part of the Gold Standard Initiative, football season-ticket holders and donors in select tiers will gain early access through their ticket account to locked-in "floor pricing" throughout 2012-13 that will not fluctuate for single-game tickets beginning July 25-27. When single-game tickets become available to the general public on Aug. 1, Qcue's sophisticated market analysis could adjust prices through the day of the game. Details on presale dates and tiers can be found by clicking here.

Buying early or becoming a season-ticket holder gives fans the greatest seat choice at the best price. Fans should visit the Cal Athletic Ticket Office online window frequently as prices are subject to change. The best deals will most likely be found early.

For additional information on Qcue, visit www.qcue.com.

Dynamic Pricing Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Which games are subject to dynamic pricing?
A. Single-game tickets for the general public will be dynamically priced for the 2012-2013 season for football and men's basketball. Season ticket holders and donors to athletics will receive locked-in "floor pricing" throughout 2012-13 that will not fluctuate for single-game tickets. In order to purchase the locked-in prices, season-ticket holders and donors must login to their Cal ticket account prior to purchase.

Q. Will season-ticket holders be subject to this change and dynamic pricing?
A. No. Dynamic pricing only applies to single-game tickets for the general public. As always, being a season ticket holder guarantees fans that they will pay the best price for their select seat.

Q. Will partial seasons or mini plans be subject to dynamic pricing?
A. No. We continue to offer the lowest prices to fans that take advantage of these game packages.

Q. How do you decide when to raise or lower prices?
A. We have very sophisticated software on the back-end that analyzes multiple data points. Timing for price adjustments is not pre-determined and will depend entirely on market conditions.

Q. Will this change other promotions?
A. We will continue to work with our partners to offer great ticket deals to fans. You can view the latest promotions on the Cal Athletics ticketing page.

Q. What happens if prices are lowered after I buy my tickets?
A. Tickets are always priced based on market demand. While prices typically increase leading up to a game, there may be times where prices decrease should conditions fit. As with all of our tickets, all sales are final.

Q. Does this change how I purchase my tickets?
A. Not at all. Fans will be able to continue to purchase their single game tickets the same way they have in the past - online through the Cal Athletics ticketing page, by calling (800) GO BEARS (462-3277), at the Cal Athletic Ticket Office or at the ticket windows on gamedays.

Q. How do I find out what the price is for a ticket or when there is a good deal?
A. We will promote ticket deals through a variety of ways including our sport-specific enewsletters, and the official Cal Bears Facebook and @CalAthletics Twitter pages. As always, you can visit the Cal Athletics ticketing page or contact the ticket office for the current prices.