Big Red Business: Tickets, parking passes going paperless

Say good-bye to paper tickets and parking passes on football Saturdays at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska is switching to an all-mobile system in an effort to improve safety by reducing touchpoints with ticket takers and parking attendants, and to upgrade and streamline fans’ access to tickets and parking passes.

Printed season and single-game tickets -- and parking vouchers -- purchased through the Nebraska ticket office will not be mailed out this year. Fans will also not be able to utilize a print at home option. Instead, fans will pull up their tickets through a new app, swipe the mobile QR code for each ticket on a scanner and away they’ll go.

The switch from paper to the virtual world through a new mobile app will cover all Nebraska home sporting events, not just football.

“We are all-in on mobile ticketing,” Brandon Meier, senior associate athletic director for marketing and multimedia said in an exclusive interview with HuskerOnline.

Nebraska joins many other Division I programs in switching this fall to mobile devices to combat the spread of Corvid 19 and to give fans a better way to manage their account, particularly when transferring tickets to another fan. In that regard, professional teams have been at the vanguard of mobile ticketing for several years.

Meier said Nebraska will work with fans without a mobile device, or any fans who have extenuating circumstances to ensure they are able to access their tickets and parking passes.

As part of the communications and marketing campaign, those fans will be urged to contact the athletic department’s ticket office to make arrangements for getting their tickets and other materials.

“We realize people will have lots of questions,” Meier said.

The athletic department has prepared a frequently asked questions list on its Huskers.com website, and a video and other marketing materials are being rolled out.

By upgrading the e-ticketing system, the athletic department will not only save money on printing and shipping costs but be better able to quickly adjust to ticketing policies and scheduling changes because of the coronavirus.

Meier said those ticketing decisions, including how many fans will be allowed into Memorial Stadium this fall, have not been finalized.

Many schools are switching to a lottery system to determine who will get into games. Such a system awards points based on the number of season tickets, the number of years they’ve been held, seat donations, and other contributions. But that approach would have to be balanced to cover season-ticket holders who are not big donors, students and university faculty and administrators.

Meier said the athletic department began taking a close look at upgrading its ticketing system last fall. At that time, he figured improvements might be one to three years out. The pandemic changed the timetable.

He estimated the cost of developing the app and adding and upgrading scanners around stadium entrances and the 30 parking lots utilized for home sports runs “well over $150,000.” He did not divulge how much would be saved, though the department is under a mandate to cut 10 percent of its budget to deal with expected revenue declines brought on by the pandemic.

Tests on the new app have gone well, Meier said.

“Given the current situation with Covid-19, I think this is a great move by the University of Nebraska,” said Chad Carr, the owner of Ticket Express in Omaha. “This will save thousands of dollars in printing and shipping costs.”

In addition, he said it will allow the ticket office to control tickets right up until game time. “If the stadium is reduced to a 10 percent capacity due to Covid-19, you don’t want a situation where you have 90,000 hard tickets printed when the capacity is only 9,000,” Carr said.

Nebraska has had a mobile ticketing system in place for some time through Paciolan, a California-based ticket technology company that is widely held as the leader in this business in the college ranks. (Its website includes a screenshot of Memorial Stadium.)

That said, most fans have relied on the printed tickets shoved into the mail to get into Memorial Stadium and other Husker venues. Ticket holders could also have their tickets emailed to them and printed out at home. Or they could pull them up in a PDF and scan the barcode at the gate.

By going all mobile, the print option will be eliminated. Meier said integrating the online ticketing platform into the new app will increase the convenience for fans.

“Accessing a mobile browser on your email at the gate can be challenging,” he said.

Indeed, some ticket brokers described the old e-ticketing system as being clumsy and cumbersome to use and in need of an upgrade.

While the Huskers app will be the easiest way for a fan to access their tickets and parking, fans can also still visit huskers.com/myaccount on their mobile browser, log in with their email or Husker tickets account number and password, and manage their online account from their smartphone.

The new Nebraska Huskers App is available in both the App Store and Google Play Store. Fans with the current Husker App do not need to search for anything; simply download the latest update for the app and it’ll quickly update to the new version, Meier said.

New users can search Official Nebraska Huskers in the App Store or Google Play Store, or simply visit https://huskers.com/mobileapp on their mobile device and

the link will automatically direct fans to the proper download location.

The new app includes other fan-friendly features, of which some are still not up and running. Among the features that will be launched:

*A customized news feed of the sports you want to follow. Sign up for only the news you want to get with customizable push notifications for news and score alerts.

*A user profile to customize your app experience.

*Mobile ordering at selected concession stands, a feature that will be released later.

*Fan associations, such as students and alumni, so the athletic program can better communicate with you.

*Free live and on-demand audio/video from the Husker Sports Network.

*Schedules and rosters, including live stats, photo galleries, podcasts, and online shopping.

Here’s more information from the athletic department list of frequently asked questions about the changes:

How do the accounts work?

Fans with the current Husker App do not need to search for anything; download the latest update for the app and it will quickly update to the newest version.

New users can download the app by clicking http://huskers.com/mobileapp.aspx. The link will automatically take your mobile device to the App Store or Google Play Store depending on your device.

When will tickets be available in a fans’ account?

The athletic department said tickets will be viewable in your account two-to-three weeks before the start of the season in which you hold tickets. Once the tickets are available on accounts, the ticket holder of record will receive an email letting them know.

How can I transfer tickets and/or parking to another person?

Tickets and parking can be transferred on the Husker App or by visiting huskers.com/myaccount. Log into your account and select the ticket or parking pass you wish to transfer. Then follow the instructions to send a text invitation to a friend or family member to accept the ticket.

Is there a cost to transfer my tickets or parking?

There is no fee to transfer single game tickets or parking from your online account. However, the sender and recipient must work out payment on their own if necessary.

What if my guests and I arrive at the venue at different times?

Each individual will need a ticket to enter the venue, the athletic department said. Tickets can be transferred to each member of your party prior to your arrival. This will allow you and your party the convenience of entering at your own time.

Can I take a screenshot of my digital ticket(s) and text or email the screenshot to one of my guests so they can enter?

No. To reduce fraud and counterfeiting, screenshots of your mobile ticket or pictures of your barcode will not be valid for entry.

How will this change get me into the stadium more quickly on game day?

To save time at the venue, fans are encouraged to save tickets and parking to their Apple Wallet or Google Pay apps prior to arrival on gameday.

Tickets and parking have not yet been fully released so the ability to save to Apple Wallet or Google Pay apps is not available at this time. Ticket and parking transfers are also not available at this time Fans will need to see a QR code on their ticket or parking pass in the app to have the ability to transfer to another fan or to be able to save to Apple Wallet or Google Pay.

I purchased tickets on StubHub (or another ticket broker), how can I access them on gameday?

Tickets purchased through StubHub, for example, are separate from tickets purchased through Nebraska Athletics. StubHub offers mobile tickets through the StubHub app that can be scanned from a smartphone on game day. Any questions regarding StubHub purchases should be directed to their customer support.

Are there still cash-only parking lots?

The university parking services will still staff cash-only lots. Go to huskers.com/gameday or the official Huskers App to find locations.

I collect ticket stubs.

Souvenir tickets for football will be available in the official football gameday program, the athletic department said.

Will I still get my Runza sandwich discount after a Nebraska win?

Meier said the athletic department is working on a version of “back-of-ticket” promotions with Runza, a longtime partner and fan favorite.

Steve Rosen covers the business of sports for Husker Online. Questions, comments, story ideas? Reach Steve at sbrosen1030@gmail.com.