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SeatGeek and Bloomberg Philanthropies Unlock NYC’s Undiscovered Arts

SeatGeek, a New York based tech start-up and leading ticket search engine, is partnering with Bloomberg Philanthropies to make the unique New York cultural arts experience discoverable in a new, dynamic way.

The Discover New York Arts (DNyA) Project is a groundbreaking partnership bringing together two of New York City’s most vibrant sectors: high tech and the arts. This pilot effort utilizes SeatGeek’s industry leading search technology to help promote live shows and events from over 30 New York City arts organizations, and will provide a new platform for these organizations to market their performances to a broader audience than ever before possible.

How it works: Now when anyone visits SeatGeek and accesses their unique user preference technology to search for tickets for anything from a Giants game, to a Broadway show, to the Rockettes at Radio City, they will also be provided information about exciting, unique, yet lesser-known arts experiences throughout New York City.

“By using SeatGeek’s dynamic technology, we can help more New Yorkers – and all people visiting our city – discover all of our great art offerings across the five boroughs,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, philanthropist and Mayor of New York City. “Our arts program at Bloomberg Philanthropies is driven by a deep commitment to enabling art to be a driving force in enriching communities and providing economic opportunity. This collaboration takes our programs a step further, offering a significant business partnership for our grantees with a leading New York tech company.”

The 30 participating cultural groups are part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts Advancement Initiative, an invitational program designed to support small and mid-size New York City arts organizations throughout the five boroughs. Through grants and rigorous arts management training, this initiative helps strengthen the organizations’ long-term capacity and broaden their audiences so they continue to thrive and contribute to the economic and cultural vitality of New York City.

“SeatGeek could not be more excited to be supporting some of New York’s most unique performing arts groups,” said SeatGeek founder Russell D’Souza. “We are helping to provide access to these organizations to anyone who has a computing device – laptop, PC, tablet or smartphone. And our belief is that by using technology to market and promote great experiences, the Discover New York Arts Project will help enable unique cultural groups – and the NYC arts ecosystem more broadly – to develop sustainable, lasting businesses.”

The DNyA Project will have a unique homepage on SeatGeek.com, providing information on upcoming events, the latest news and exclusive video content for each partner organization, and ticketing purchase links for all upcoming events. This new platform hopes to serve as an enhanced discovery tool for not only life-long New Yorkers, but also the millions of tourists who come to the city every year. It also will help to introduce new experiences to everyone from the Knicks fans to opera buffs.

“The DNyA Project provides an incredible opportunity for an organization like HERE to reach new audiences that aren’t even aware of the exciting work our artists do,” said Kristin Marting, Artistic Director of HERE, a multidisciplinary arts company in Manhattan. “This partnerships allows us to market our offerings in ways not possible or accessible to us before.”

“We often have people say to us, ‘If only we’d known about that program event, we would have come,’” said Lee Briccetti, Executive Director of the Poet’s House. “SeatGeek’s technology gives one of those rare opportunities to reach people, including those unfamiliar with us, that wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to our programs.”

About SeatGeek
SeatGeek (http://seatgeek.com) is the leading ticket search engine that enables fans to quickly and easily discover the best deals for sports, concert, and theater events. The company’s Deal Score™ and forecasting technology provides fans with the buying intelligence needed to find the best prices from trusted secondary ticket markets and alerts them of the ideal time to purchase tickets. Founded in 2009, SeatGeek is a venture-backed company based in New York City.

About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies works primarily to advance five areas globally: the Arts, Education, the Environment, Government Innovation and Public Health. In 2010, $279 million in grants were distributed and $20 million was invested in advocacy related initiatives.

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