Giants May Redefine Variable Ticket Pricing in MLB, and Beyond

The Giants are using Austin-based qcue LLCto price 2,000 upper-deck seats dynamicallyusing 20 different variables during 2009. If you have been following the ticket pricing trends for MLB this off-season (see The Biz of Baseball's "Ticket Watch" section), it?s obvious that the vast majority of clubs are freezing, or lowering prices, and the San Francisco Giants are no exception. The Giants are lowering prices on 28 percent of their seats, and another 27 percent will remain flat for 2009. But, it is 2,000 seats in the upper deck that may redefine how to lure fans, and at the same time, garner the best revenues possible during the recession. The Giants have hired Austin, TX.-based qcue LLC to test a automated variable pricing system that may redefine how other clubs approach pricing structures in the years to come. As reported by Christopher Calnan of the Austin Business Journal, the system by qcue adjusts the cost of single-game tickets based on 20 variables that affe...