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Press Release |
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Life Ball mobile ticketing service
Vienna, Austria, May 14th 2008 - Over 49,000 people applied
by text message within three days in March for the 3,750 tickets on
offer for this year’s Life Ball, Austria’s largest charity event. The
VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media Division’s powerful ticketing platform
was the nucleus of A1’s mobile ticketing system. It made ticket sales
and automatic handling of the ticket draw smooth sailing. The winners
were notified and have received their exclusive access code for the
Life Ball by text message to their mobile phones. Swift access to Vienna’s
charity event of the year is thereby guaranteed.
Tickets for the Life Ball have been much sought after
for years, and the rush for tickets grows more hectic every time. From
18 to 20 March this year, anyone who was interested could text an application
for tickets to the Life Ball to be held in Vienna’s City Hall on 17
May 2008.
Over 49,000 people texted to get one of the coveted
3,750 tickets. This year was the sixth time that VeriSign handled ticket
registrations, the ticket draw and ticket sales for Life Ball sponsor
A1.
Alexander Igelsböck, VeriSign’s Vice President Messaging
and Mobile Media in Austria, said, “The high level of acceptance of
mobile ticketing is sure to be due to the many advantages that it offers
users. They no longer need to queue for tickets , can order them comfortably
– irrespective of opening hours and venue – and can pay for them right
away by having the price debited from their mobile phone bill.”
“Not only large-scale events like the Life Ball but
also small and medium-sized events can benefit enormously from mobile
ticketing. Printing and marketing costs for ticket sales are no longer
incurred, and texting offers organisers enormous savings potential,”
he added.
In the case of Life Ball these savings are passed
on in full to the Aids prevention projects that the event supports.
A1 donates the proceeds of mobile phone ticket sales to projects supported
by the Life Ball.
Life Ball organiser Gery Keszler sees A1’s SMS ticketing
system, operated by technology partner VeriSign, as the ideal solution
for managing the annual rush on the event. “This is the sixth time A1
SMS ticketing has handled the sale of our highly sought after Life Ball
tickets. Any other way of selling them would require too much organisation
and cost much more. Aids and HIV projects supported by Aids Life benefit
directly, and our ball guests benefit from the service and from the
fairness of the system.”
Lots have been drawn from the 49,000-plus SMS applications
and the winners have been notified. The lucky ticket holders were texted
a nine-figure code that will gain them swift access to the Life Ball
in Vienna’s City Hall on 17 May.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure
services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, VeriSign
helps companies and consumers all over the world engage in communications
and commerce with confidence. Additional news and information about
the company is available at www.verisign.com
Contacts
Media relations: Marianna Vyridi, mvyridi@webershandwick.com,
415-248-3412
Investor Relations: Nancy Fazioli, ir@verisign.com,
650-426-5146
Statements in this announcement other than historical
data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks
and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ
materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements.
The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty
of future revenue and profitability; potential fluctuations in quarterly
operating results due to such factors as the risk that VeriSign's announcements
may not result in additional products, services, customers, profits
or revenues; and increased competition and pricing pressures. More information
about potential factors that could affect the company's business and
financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the
forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
©2008 VeriSign, Inc.
All rights reserved. VeriSign, the VeriSign logo, the Checkmark Circle,
and other trademarks, service marks, and designs are registered or unregistered
trademarks of VeriSign, Inc., and its subsidiaries in the United States
and in foreign countries. All other trademarks are property of their
respective owners.
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