The Shubert Organization Acquires Showtickets.com Brand
Plans Integrated Travel Experience in Partnership
with Entertainment Benefits Group
July 13, 2021 (New York, NY) – The Shubert Organization has agreed to acquire the Showtickets.com brand from Entertainment Benefits Group (EBG) to expand ticketing capabilities and add more value to the Broadway customer experience. Showtickets.com has served entertainment and attraction partners in New York, Las Vegas and Orlando since it was acquired by EBG in 2009.
As Broadway begins to reopen, part of the agreement between Shubert and EBG includes a new partnership, which will include Shubert offering tours, activities, and hotel accommodations, powered by EBG. At launch, these offers will be featured in customer communications (emails and notifications), and later on its ticketing website Telecharge.com.
The Showtickets.com transaction and new partnership serves great purpose for both organizations as Shubert makes strategic investments to enhance its ticketing experience, and as EBG shifts its focus to corporate programs, opaque channels, and distribution partnerships.
“The Showtickets.com URL is exciting to us as we continue to invest in our online user and ticket buying experience,” said Charles Flateman, Executive Vice President at Shubert. “We are very enthusiastic about adding more value for our customers and introducing New York tours, attractions and hotels to our customers throughout their Broadway buying experience.”
“This is a win-win-win situation for our supplier partners, the Shubert Organization, and EBG,” stated Brett Reizen, CEO of EBG. “The strength and continued collaboration of our teams will help revitalize the tourism and entertainment industry in New York City.”
The Shubert Organization has been a strategic partner and shareholder in EBG since 2014 when Plum Benefits corporate platform became part of EBG’s corporate program division.
The Shubert Organization is America’s oldest professional theatre company and the largest theatre owner on Broadway. Since the dawn of the 20th century, Shubert has operated hundreds of theatres and produced hundreds of plays and musicals both in New York City and throughout the United States. Shubert currently owns and operates 17 Broadway theatres, six off-Broadway venues, and the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia. Under the leadership of Robert E. Wankel, Chairman and CEO, The Shubert Organization continues to be a leader in the theatre industry. Shubert delivers innovative ticketing solutions via its Telecharge interface, API distribution, and private-label technology, offering unparalleled distribution and marketing to the theatre industry and beyond. Its consumer-facing brands—Telecharge for retail ticket sales and Broadway Inbound for group buyers, tour operators, and the travel industry—sell millions of tickets each year. The Shubert Foundation, sole shareholder of The Shubert Organization, Inc., is dedicated to sustaining and advancing live performing arts in the United States. The Foundation provides general operating support to not-for-profit theatres and dance companies. Foundation grants in 2021 totaled $32.1 million.
EBG is an e-commerce company that specializes in entertainment, travel, and merchandising products and services through its proprietary platforms including the largest entertainment perks brands, TicketsatWork, Plum Benefits, Working Advantage and Beneplace. Through private, membership-based programs and other direct distribution channels, the company generates millions of transactions annually – reaching a captive audience and providing leading brands in entertainment, sports, travel, retail & services with incremental distribution opportunities. Headquartered in Miami and with offices in New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Austin, EBG owns and operates the largest and most comprehensive travel and entertainment benefits program in the country. EBG powers a robust portfolio of technology solutions and owns and operates a network of consumer and membership-based websites.