Bowling Green, Ky. – It seems that Santa Claus will be getting help from some jolly good fellows in Bowling Green this Christmas season.

The Western Kentucky University athletic department has teamed up with Hitcents to develop satellite ticket locations in the Bowling Green area. This cooperative effort between the two partners may revolutionize where, when, and how customers can buy tickets for athletic events.

“Thanks to Hitcents, we are reaching out to over 10 million Topper sports fans each year with off-site ticket buying options,” says WKU athletic director Dr. Wood Selig. “This technology is revolutionary and will assist us in our efforts to expand our footprint of support for our athletic events. It makes ticket buying easier without the additional charge typically associated with purchasing tickets off site. Fans get the best seat without having to call, order online, or travel to the ticket office.

“We have basically expanded our hours of operation and will be able to serve our customers much better throughout the year. We can place these kiosks in surrounding counties as well to gain a greater presence of mind for WKU athletics.”

Selig adds that no other collegiate program in the nation currently has such a system in place, as the necessary technology and computer programming was originally and uniquely devised by Hitcents. Their goal was to provide a convenient and user-friendly method to purchase tickets in lieu of the other ticket purchasing methods.

Fans can purchase tickets to WKU athletic events from the kiosks — which are designed and function in a similar fashion to ATM machines — at Greenwood Mall, Houchen’s Market in Glasgow, and the Rockfield IGA on Russellville Road.

The interactive program allows customers to select which games they would like to attend and the number of seats needed. They will be presented with a list of the best seats available based on the fan’s selected price level. After selecting the seats and swiping their credit or debit card, the customer will instantly receive their printed tickets and receipt. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards are the only forms of credit or debit payment accepted.

The kiosks also provide E-Fan information from WKU athletics. Fans can submit their e-mail addresses at the terminals free of charge to receive updates from the athletic department. They will also be sent a coupon which can be redeemed at the kiosks for a free ticket to any Hilltopper or Lady Topper basketball game this season.

The kiosks, which were installed in October, have already become a success according to WKU ticket manager Jim Cope. As more people found out about the stations, Cope explained, the machines actually had to be reloaded with additional seat locations after a flurry of purchases before the men’s basketball games against Eastern Kentucky and Southern Illinois.

Several other athletic departments have inquired about the logistics and possibilities of using the program as well.

—WKU—