Groupon To Serve As Exclusive Ticketing Agent For Taste Events
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Groupon will be the exclusive ticketing agent for concerts and the new sit-down dinners at this year's Taste of Chicago.
As WBBM Newsradio's Bob Roberts reports, the daily deal Web site won't be offering discounts, since there are no other vendors. It is a new role for Groupon that Morningstar senior equity analyst Rick Summer says could grow.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Bob Roberts reports
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"Customer acquisition – it's great. It would be good for them to be able to gain some new customers, and I think that there is some credence to the spaghetti-on-the-wall strategy, particularly when it's reasonably low-risk, and it's a way that, you know, you might be able to take on new areas of business," Summer said.
The $25 price for concert tickets and $40 charge for dinner tickets will include all taxes and handling fees.
They will go on sale Friday at the Taste Web site. Customers may buy up to 10 concert tickets and four dinner tickets per purchase.
The city is drastically cutting back the Taste of Chicago this year. The festival will be reduced from 10 days to five, and will also be moved from the time around the July 4 holiday to mid-July.
The musical acts coming to the Petrillo Music Shell from July 11-15 include Jennifer Hudson, Death Cab for Cutie, Chaka Khan with opening act Raphael Saadiq, and Dierks Bentley with opening act Lindi Ortega.
