IRVINE, CA — (Marketwired) — 08/09/16 — Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement today announced it has launched Virtual Recruiter, a new virtual recruiting platform, powered by Ballena Technologies, to aid college athletics programs and campus recruiting efforts. The Virtual Recruiter platform is a high resolution photo-based web platform that guides prospective university recruits through campus athletic facilities and landmarks.
Every area of interest, including locker rooms, weight rooms and student lounges can be presented via 360-degree panoramic images from any desktop, tablet or mobile device. This tool allows every coach or staff member to virtually provide a photo-realistic tour of everything their athletic program has to offer.
Ballena Technologies was acquired by Spectra Oct. 26, 2015 to integrate into the Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement ticketing and fundraising platform. With the acquisition, Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement clients are able to take advantage of a tighter integration between the Ballena Seats3D, Seat Relocation Management System (SRMS) and Seat Upgrade Program with their Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement solution to drive sales and elevate the fan experience.
Ballena Technologies is the market leader in sports and entertainment venue visualizations, with its products serving hundreds of venues that are home to NCAA, MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL and MLS teams, as well as racing, performing arts, concert, and many other attractions. Ballena–s software is widely used by 50-plus college athletics institutions, and Virtual Recruiter is currently utilized by the University of Southern California (USC), UCLA and Liberty University.
The Virtual Recruiter idea was envisioned in conjunction with the USC, who was looking for a millennial approach to tour recruits through their campus facilities and amenities. Football and basketball recruits typically receive personal invitations to tour USC–s campus in person, however the majority of Olympic sport athletes never receive the opportunity to tour the University before committing.
“The Virtual Recruiter is an incredible tool that gives prospective student athletes a preview of our facilities on campus,” said Jose Eskenazi, Associate Athletic Director & Director of Digital, Strategic Partnerships, Brand & Licensing at the University of Southern California. “All 21 of our sports can show recruits all of our facilities including weight rooms, practice facilities and competition venues. A prospective recruit can even walk out the tunnel into the Coliseum on game day — providing a rich, interactive experience.”
The Virtual Recruiter is perfect for in-home recruiting visits where coaches and staff can showcase sport-specific fields, training and/or locker rooms, and other facilities. The virtual tour opens with an aerial shot of a campus to showcase areas of interest on the map and a toolbar to search specifically by sport. The virtual reality site can be accessed with or without Wi-Fi on computers, tablets and smartphones, and in addition to 360-degree high-resolution photography, it also supports video, 360-degree video and virtual reality capability. The 360-degree photography can also be added to Google Maps for users taking a tour through their maps and images.
“Virtual Recruiter is a unique recruit- and university-friendly platform that will provide college athletics partners with a new virtual service to enhance the recruiting process,” said Steve Stonehouse, Senior Vice President of Sales at Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement. “Our industry-leading technology helps institutions to better connect with recruits, aid recruiting efforts and showcase their unique campuses and athletic facilities with an innovative one-to-one experience.”
In addition to Virtual Recruiter, Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement offers numerous Ballena Technologies platforms, including Seats 3D, SRMS and a Seat Upgrade Program. Seats 3D allow fans purchasing tickets to see 3D interactive panoramic views from a seat with ability to view an entire arena or stadium. Sports teams and programs looking to move to a new venue, or reseat fans based on priority points in their current venue, are able to leverage SRMS and the Seat Upgrade Program to provide donors and season ticket holders with easy access to their accounts based on priority ranking and are able to upgrade seats or purchase additional single tickets before the general public.
Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement is the leading provider of ticketing, fundraising, marketing and analytics services in college athletics, powering 120 colleges throughout North America, including 49 of the 65 Power 5 schools with integrated services.
Spectra–s Ticketing & Fan Engagement division is a leader in ticketing, fundraising, marketing, and analytics solutions with over 35 years of experience. Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement enables college athletic programs, arenas, professional sports, and performing arts clients to sell more than 120 million tickets per year.
Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the expert in hosting and entertainment, partnering with over 300 clients at 400 global properties to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra–s expertise is embodied within three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services) and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan). Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com.
Comcast Spectacor is part of Comcast Corporation, a Fortune 50 media and technology company that operates Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa., in addition to Spectra, Comcast Spectacor owns and operates the National Hockey League–s Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center venue. Visit us at ComcastSpectacor.com, PhiladelphiaFlyers.com and WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com for more information.
Craig Ricks
Vice President of Marketing
Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement
949.823.1636 (O)
Steve Brown
Corporate Marketing Manager
Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement
949.823.4506 (O)
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