Spectra is selling its ticketing division to college marketer Learfield, spinning off the Irvine, Calif. ticketing company it acquired from Ticketmaster in 2010.
Learfield announced this morning that it's buying Spectra’s Ticketing & Fan Engagement division, a ticketer that had been called Paciolan since its founding in 1980 by Jane Kleinberger. Learfield will restore the Paciolan name and Kim Damron will continue on as president. Dave Butler will remain as CEO of Paciolan and Kleinberger will also stay on. Terms of the transaction were not released. The deal is expected to close in 30 days.
The Learfield sale marks the third time Paciolan switches hands in the last decade. Paciolan was purchased by Ticketmaster in late 2007, only to sell it to Comcast-Spectactor in 2010 as a way to appease regulators as a condition of Ticketmaster's merger with Live Nation.
"We have long admired Paciolan," said Learfield President and CEO Greg Brown in a statement. "Not only is it a great service with a number of segment-leading products, the reputation of its people, beginning with its founders and current management, is without peer. We couldn't be happier and look forward to having Paciolan as part of the Learfield family."
Paciolan is a pioneer in the white-label ticketing space, building customized applications for its 500 live entertainment clients including 120 collegiate athletic departments, 75 performing arts venues, and more than 100 professional sports and arenas clients. Paciolan also powers a number of regional ticketing companies like TicketsWest and Ticket Alternative in Atlanta.
"We are incredibly excited to join the Learfield family," said Damron in a statement. "Learfield is an exceptional company, with incredible leadership and an extensive client footprint in college athletics and live entertainment. It is the perfect strategic fit to help Paciolan deliver industry leading solutions for our entire client community."
Officials with Learfield said Paciolan will help the company offer new services to its collegiate clients. Paciolan employees will join a growing company that includes SIDEARM Sports, Mogo Interactive and SME, overseen by Marc Jenkins, chief operating officer of Learfield.
“Spectra by Comcast Spectacor and Learfield will continue to work together across our respective lines of business," said Dave Scott, president and CEO of Comcast Spectacor in a statement. "We are looking forward to tracking Learfield’s continued success in the ticketing space with Paciolan as Spectra continues to grow its business surrounding Food Services, Venue Management and Corporate Partnerships."
