Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ticket King St. Paul Website

As I've noted, Ticket King St. Paul now has our very own website. It's very easy to find: http://www.ticketkingstpaul.com. Ticket Kristy has been working very hard on putting everything together, and the Ticket King girls (including me) have been helping her out as much as possible with the web content. And by the way, if you have any suggestions or think of a venue, team or performer we should feature on our website, please email me. Anyway, this week, I'm focusing on the Minnesota State Fair concert tickets. The Minnesota State Fair is always a HUGE deal, it just brings everyone together with so many different events and shows that appeal to such a large variance of tastes. The Minnesota State Fair concerts are always sell outs, but we at Ticket King St. Paul work very hard to make sure we have tickets available for our valued customers! So...if you're looking for more information on the Minnesota State Fair, or any of the concerts that will be there this summer, just visit our Minnesota State Fair profile on the Ticket King St. Paul website!

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Snow Day?

What is going on? It's snowing down here at Ticket King St. Paul, and everywhere else for that matter! It is definitely not supposed to be snowing when it's almost MAY. It's almost time to start planting the summer gardens, for gosh sake. This is frustrating. It really does not put people in the mood to purchase Minnesota Twins MLB tickets when it still feels like winter! I was supposed to be out walking my friend's dog around Lake Harriet this morning, but instead it is snowing! I think it's time to book a flight to Arizona for next weekend.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Neil Diamond

So for the past two weeks, ever since the Neil Diamond show was announced, we at Ticket King St. Paul have been inundated with phone calls and emails for tickets. Here's the thing...well, things:

First: We don't have tickets yet because they're not on sale yet. Later this afternoon, we might have a couple of options from pre-sales, but most of our inventory won't be available until the regular onsale on Monday morning. So check back with the Ticket King St. Paul staffers then if you're looking for Neil Diamond tickets.


Second: When you put through a request for tickets on our website, that lets us know that you're looking for tickets. Every request comes through to me (Cortney) directly, and I honestly try to respond in a timely manner with when you can expect tickets to become available. Putting through six requests in a row is not going to make the tickets become available any sooner, so please submit only once.


Third: In regard to charging your credit card for concert tickets, when you place your order for tickets, be it Neil Diamond tickets or anything other kind of concert tickets, your card is charged right away, even though we might have to wait a few weeks for the tickets to actually be available to be sent to you. We charge you to secure the tickets for you, they can't be guaranteed unless your card has been charged.


That's all. If you have any other questions, shoot me an email and I'll get back to you with as much information as we have down here at Ticket King St. Paul. Peace out!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Ticket King St. Paul Catch Up

I think I will dub this week catch up week. There are so many things down here at Ticket King St. Paul that went un-done during the Minnesota Wild hockey season. That's partially my own fault, and partially because we really didn't move in until the NHL hockey season had already started. Now that the Minnesota Wild are out of the playoffs, there's quite a bit of "spring cleaning" that needs to be taken care of. When we first aquried the Ticket King St. Paul space down here on W. 7th Street in downtown St. Paul, the walls were completely plastered over. So we had to remove the plaster, which was a huge undertaking. The result was the unearthing of beautiful, original brick walls. What we didn't realize was that even though everything had been taken down and cleaned up from the plaster removal, we would still have tons of dust that will continue to settle for who knows how long. So no matter how clean we try to keep the Ticket King St. Paul office, there seems to constantly be a layer of plaster dust that settles! It's gotten quite a bit better than it was during the winter, but that could be just because we've been better about keeping up with the settling dust. Anyway, since we have no more events this week, our goal is to really scrub the Ticket King St. Paul office and to also work on the customer appreciation board that will be going up in our front lobby. Again, if you have pictures that you would like to share with the Ticket King staff from events you attended by purchasing tickets through Ticket King, please email them to me and they could end up on display in our office, on this blog or even on the Ticket King St. Paul website!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

All's Quiet On The Western Front

The Minnesota Wild lost their NHL playoff slot last night when they played in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche and lost another game in the first round of the NHL Western Conference Quarterfinals. So today is a very quiet day down at Ticket King St. Paul. I biked with my friends from Arden Hills down to our office in downtown St. Paul for the Santana concert tonight at the Xcel Energy Center. I guess that I am so used to it being crazy busy for events (the Minnesota Wild, mostly), that I got here waaaaaaaaaay too early for the show. It's so different down here at Ticket King St. Paul when the Minnesota Wild season is over. It's super nice out, plus it's a weekend, so when we biked over to the Starbucks on Grand Ave, there were so many people sitting out on the sidewalks having coffee, and the patio at Billy's on Grand was totally full!

In fact, I don't think I've been over to Billy's on Grand during the day since Grand Old Day last year. Grand Old Day is one of the highlight festivals of the summer in the whole state. First place would definitely have to be a tie between Grand Old Day in St. Paul and Lumberjack Days in Stillwater. Ticket King St. Paul has contemplated participating in the parade for Grand Old Day this year, but we decided against it. Perhaps next year, right? We do have a Ticket King costume, it's pretty funny actually. I've worn it around the office before:



Ticket King Costume



I think that next year we'll have some of the girls from Ticket King wear the costume to promote Ticket King St. Paul during the big Minnesota Wild games and really popular concerts next season. In fact, this is a great idea for a poll. I'm going to have to look into this poll during the week. Check back to vote on whether or not we should have one of the Ticket King girls dressed up in the costume next season to take pictures with Minnesota Wild fans who come into the Ticket King St. Paul office for the bulletin board.



Thursday, April 17, 2008

Minnesota Wild Playoffs

Tonight is Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche. Now here's something that is somewhat funny, somewhat frustrating for us down here at Ticket King St. Paul. On Monday night, the Minnesota Wild blew the Colorado Avalanche out of the water, beating them in the first game on their home turf for this round of the playoffs. So Tuesday morning, we were super busy, basically had a really small amount of tickets available for the game, and people were soooo excited for the game tonight. Then Tuesday night, Minnesota Wild fans were crushed when the team took a devastating 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. And our phones weren't just quiet down here at Ticket King St. Paul on Wednesday for the game, they were dead. I couldn't believe that one game could make such a difference. Especially when I realized that had the wins been switched around, had the Minnesota Wild lost on Monday night and won on Tuesday night, we would have been just crazy busy until the game that's taking place tonight. But Minnesota Wild fans have rallied today, and are over the "mourning" period of the Game 4 loss, pumped up for the game tonight and we are almost completely out of tickets - sad because I actually wanted to go to the game! But hopefully the Minnesota Wild boys will now have a little push with the home ice advantage to win (knock on wood!), win this weekend at Denver and push us into the next round. If you're looking for last minute tickets, it's definitely worth it to call or stop into our office on West 7th Street by the Xcel Energy Center, and if you're going to the game, make sure you stop in and say hi!

Peace out.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Public Speaking 101

Today was quite a day at Ticket King St. Paul. The Minnesota Wild are in the playoffs, granted they play away tonight, and the official Minnesota Vikings 2008-09 schedule was released. Ok, and before I go any further, I just want to add that it feels REALLY weird to say "2009". Like back in the day in, say, 1998 (freshman year of high school for me, wow), the years of 2005 and beyond just seemed like a distant mark in the future. Yet, here we are, suddenly making plans for the 2008-09 sporting season.

Anyway, today I went to speak to the Surety group, they are an organization that works with construction bonding for construction companies doing big projects in the Twin Cities. Super nice group of people. And I really don't have a problem talking to groups of people about what we do, but the whole everyone-is-staring-at-you part of public speaking is something that I have never gotten the hang of and it makes me super uncomfortable. But, I made it through (obviously, as I am writing this blog post) and it's done with. I think because I don't have to give speeches very often that when I do actually have to go talk to a larger group, I revert back to my old high school speech class, where I never felt quite right standing in front of thirty classmates and the intimidating Ms. Wycoff. Good thing we don't have to give very many of those down here at Ticket King St. Paul!

Well, the week can only get better. Our Minnesota Wild play tonight and tomorrow night against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver, then at home on Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center. Then on Sunday, Carlos Santana will be playing at the Xcel Energy Center. And The Mars Volta will be playing at Roy Wilkins on Monday night, and if our Minnesota Wild make it to game seven in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, that will be taking place next Monday night as well.

Call me if you're looking for Minnesota Wild playoff tickets!!!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Minnesota Wild Home Game Two

The Minnesota Wild definitely took a win last night when they played at the Xcel Energy Center against the Colorado Avalanche, and here at Ticket King St. Paul we've been getting calls all morning from fans that are super excited to see Home Game 3 (Game 5) at the Xcel Energy Center next Thursday night! This is exciting, I think I'm feeding off of fan energy because I am super hyped up. We sold out of tickets an hour before the game started - that seriously never happens. My friend Michelle stopped by about fifteen minutes before game time (she has her own clothing line, it's great, and her website is adorable), and I felt so bad because I literally didn't have anything that I could sell her. My cousin Lisa (she has a band that plays around the twin cities called Belladiva, sometimes they even play the club level at the Xcel Energy Center) went to the game, her boyfriend has tickets on the end that the Wild shoot at twice - and I guess he was singing/yelling to Ian Laperriere to watch out for the Boogeyman after his little hit on Marian Gaborik last Sunday. Apparently everyone around them thought it was hilarious and joined in. Now that's the kind of section I want to sit it, where there's fan comraderie and everybody just wants to have a good time! Anyway, I suppose we'll have to see how the next couple of games go in Denver, Colorado before it gets super busy again down here at Ticket King St. Paul....and I like it when we're busy (plus I love the boys) so...

GO WILD!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Minnesota Wild Home Game One

The Minnesota Wild played last night at the Xcel Energy Center, and it was unbelievably crazy down here around Ticket King St. Paul. There were so many Minnesota Wild fans with their gear on, and lots of people with their faces painted in the traditional red, green and white of the Minnesota Wild! I even saw some people with Stanley Cup hats, they were pretty funny and I would love to have one! So I didn't think there would be any giveaways at the Xcel for the game, but they did end up having playoff towels on the back of every seat, which were pretty fun to wave around! Plus they're having a special auction going on at the games where you can buy a miniature helmet signed by your favorite player to benefit the MSE giving fund. Molly and I had a blast at the game, despite the fact that they lost :(, and we sat in section 102 and ended up back at Eagle Street Grill after the game, which is always a fun time, though they were super packed! I wore my jersey all day, but didn't end up wearing it to the game. HOWEVER, if you're down by the Xcel Energy Center for the next couple of games, make sure you say hi if you see this jersey:





Yes, I had my own last name put on the back. I figured that I'll never be traded, so I can wear it for as long as I want. And that carpeting underneath my jersey? Why, that's one of the new rugs in our office! It's actually pretty cool, it's dyed completely with coloring made from vegetables. It kind of smelled when we first got it, but the coloring really complements the colors in the brick walls. Make sure you check it out on your next visit to Ticket King St. Paul! Oh, and if you're looking for tickets to the next couple of games, make sure you check out the new Ticket King St. Paul website for information!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Playoff Fever

The Twin Cities have Minnesota Wild playoff fever! I've been crazy busy today trying to help all of our customers with their home game one tickets. I've also had quite a few sellers calling today, but a lot of people think their tickets are worth quite a bit more than what we're able to pay. Unfortunately, the first round of the playoffs are never great - the tickets are selling for only slightly over what they would sell for in a regular season NHL game, and with the raise in the face value of the ticket for the playoffs we just aren't able to pay much over face. I've done two interviews today for WCCO news and Fox 9 News, and apparently some of the radio stations around here as well. I'm thinking about going to the game tomorrow, so if you see me there say hi!

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Who Will We Play?

Today the Minnesota Wild play the Colorado Avalanche in Denver, determining who we play in the first round of the playoffs. Will it be the Calgary Flames or the Colorado Avalanche? It's a close call. Personally, I'd rather have it be the Colorado Avalanche. The Minnesota Wild seem to have a bigger rivalry with the Avalanche, which means fans would be more excited to see these two teams face off at the Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota Wild fans already seem to be pretty geared up for the next two home games, the first games of the first round of the playoffs! It's such an exciting time to be working in downtown St. Paul, there's a playoff buzz in the air. They put up a HUGE "Fight To The End" sign in the front windows of the Xcel Energy Center, and we're working on getting ready to help a lot of Minnesota Wild fans get tickets to the games here at Ticket King St. Paul. If YOU'RE looking for tickets, be sure to visit our website, email me or call me directly at 612.341.4131.

GO WILD!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Minnesota Wild Playoffs.

The Minnesota Wild are going to the playoffs - and what's even better, last night they clinched the Northwest Divison Championship when they played the Calgary Flames! And here at Ticket King St. Paul, we are hard at work getting ready for the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs to start next week. We here at Ticket King St. Paul have a lot of NHL Western Conference Quaterfinals ticket options already available for all of the first round games, and since the games start next week, all you need to do is select "in-store St. Paul pick-up" and your tickets will be ready and waiting for you the day of the game at our Ticket King St. Paul location, which is less than a block from the Xcel Energy Center! If you see something online, but would rather purchase by phone, just call me (Cortney) at 651.298.8100 or stop into our office at 186 W. 7th Street. We don't know the exact game dates yet, but since we did win home ice advantage last night at the Xcel Energy Center, we will be playing the first home game on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. I'll update on Monday with the official dates! Until then, make sure you catch the Minnesota Wild at the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday at 2. Peace out!

Spring?

I'm pretty excited down here at Ticket King St. Paul today. We had an afternoon rain shower. Which means we're definitely moving into spring and out of this late-season snow stuff. Tonight the Doodlebops are playing at the Xcel Energy Center. For anyone who doesn't know what the Doodlebops are...well, I really couldn't tell you. All that I know about them is that they have a show on Disney Channel and there are a lot of little kids running around on the streets of W. 7th today. There is also something else going on at the Xcel Energy Center, there have been quite a few college kids down here for the past couple of days, but of everyone that I've talked to no one really quite knows what's going on. There's obviously something, though, because there generally isn't an abundance of 18-20 year olds running around down here on a normal Friday afternoon.

So I have a new little pet project going on in the Ticket King St. Paul office. I'm creating a bulletin board for the front lobby of pictures that customers send me from events they have attended and purchase tickets for through Ticket King. Ticket Kristy and I will also be putting a slideshow of some of the pictures on my blog (http://ticketkingstpaul.blogspot.com) and on our website (http://www.ticketkingstpaul.com), so if you have pictures like these, email them to me or bring them into the Ticket King St. Paul office the next time you stop in to pick up some tickets. I'm looking for pictures to any kind of event - obviously the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minneapolis concerts, St. Paul concerts...but also if you've purchased tickets through us for events in New York City, Las Vegas, etc., and have pictures from attending the events, send those too! Then the next time you stop in, take a second to check out the board and find your picture! If you have any questions, you can always call me down here at Ticket King St. Paul at 651-298-8100. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Minnesota Wild vs. Calgary Flames

Tomorrow night the Minnesota Wild take on the Calgary Flames at the Xcel Energy Center in the last Minnesota Wild regular season home game of the season. It's a game that could determine the winner of the Northwest Division, and I have to say that this game seems to be the biggest game of the year - it's even a hotter ticket than when Sidney Crosby came to town with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It's also "Fan Celebration Night" according to my official Minnesota Wild calendar, so maybe that's playing into it, as well. I'm not really sure what a "Fan Appreciation Night" consists of, there really haven't been any super good giveaways at the games this year, so my guess is that there will be some kind of fan tribute video that will be played during one of the intermission breaks featuring season ticket holders at the games throughout the season, and maybe some sort of "superfan" that they'll honor on the ice, and they'll conclude all of this by saying, "To the team of 18,000, the greatest NHL hockey fans in the world!" or something similar. But probably no giveaway.

I'm all about the free giveaway, by the way. I think most girls are. I have a hard time resisting making a purchase when there is a free gift with purchase, and it's such a gimic because really, do I need another {adorable} Clinique cosmetics bag that's probably just going to end up with the drawer full I already have at home? Probably not, but it's just so cute, plus you get free samples! People try to work the freebie aspect when they come into Ticket King St. Paul. We have some really cool memorabilia here - some we've had at Ticket King for a while, some is stuff that I brought in from my house. So when some guys come in here, they think they should be getting some free memorabilia because they've spent x amount on tickets. I just titter away, I never really know how to respond to that request. So, jumping to another topic...that being - what's going on this weekend!

April 3rd: Minnesota Wild vs. Calgary Flames
April 3rd: Minnesota Twins vs. Anaheim Angels
April 3rd-5th: Jersey Boys
April 4th-5th: Doodlebops
April 4th-6th: Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals
April 5th-6th: High School Musical
Apriil 6th: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies