Things move fast in ice hockey. And not just on the ice. Those who help the clubs stay in play must also be quick in the turn. A good example is Metal Final4, the ice hockey league’s finals tournament, which the Aalborg Pirates hosted in Gigantium in mid-February.

It was not until early December that the Pirates knew they had won the tender to host the finals, but they managed to find a separate site for the tournament with sponsor branding as metalfinal4.dk, and with independent ticket sales and merchandise.

– What makes it easy and painless is that Venue Manager is on board for quirky and fun ideas, both when they think of them and when they come from us, says ticket and marketing manager Thomas Simonsen from Aalborg Pirates.

The solution was to build the finals on top of the existing ticket solution from Venue Manager. In this way the club avoided having to establish a new ticket shop with an arena plan and everything else that entails. It was fast and was a cheaper option. It was also a great advantage that the club’s administration knew the system in advance but could use new branding for the tournament with a separate site, ticketing, and merchandise sales. That made a difference.

– It can annoy fans from other clubs if they have to use their credit card at a competing club, says Thomas Simonsen. He was also happy to be able to better highlight the sponsor.

The Metal League with nine ice hockey clubs is special in that all clubs use Venue Manager’s ticket solution. This means that the same solution can be implemented elsewhere if another club hosts the Final4 tournament next year. It can also be valuable in other contexts, such as larger events, fairs, and concerts that need to be branded separately from whichever club arranges them.

For Venue Manager, the Final4 solution is a good example that it’s not enough to just deliver software and solutions. Advice and interaction with customers are also important.

Thomas Simonsen recognises this: – I just talked to Mathilde and the great thing about Venue Manager is that they approach most suggestions positively, says the ticket and marketing manager at Aalborg Pirates.

Mathilde Kjerulf Ravn is product manager at Venue Manager. She helped get the solution up and running so ticket sales could get underway.

– I love to expand the possibilities in the system when customers approach with complex challenges. In 90 percent of the cases, it is something we can solve within the product framework if we just think a little creatively, says Mathilde Kjerulf Ravn.