Schalke 04's Ticketing Runs on vivenu

Premier German soccer club Schalke 04 and vivenu have today announced a long-term strategic ticketing partnership. The agreement will see Schalke host and develop its ticketing operations and serve all tickets for its soccer franchise on the vivenu platform. Furthermore, the ticketing for the VELTINS Arena, Germany’s most-visited stadium and home to the Schalke 04 team, will run all ticketing on vivenu.

In our interview, Ashkan Maleki, Schalke 04's Head of Digital, reflects on why the club chose vivenu and how our platform enables them to do digital-first ticketing.

Why did Schalke 04 look for a new ticketing platform after years with a different solution?
"Because it was urgently needed. When we talk about “modernizing” our own digital platforms, it involves analyzing the status quo and looking for potential optimization potential – and this is definitely the case with our ticket store. The decision to implement our own ticket store matured among the developers several months ago. Our approach always follows the radical fan focus and the needs of our supporters – that’s why developing our own solution was the logical consequence for us."

What tipped the scales in favor of vivenu in the end?
"It was a very good fit, both technically and, above all, on a human level. We looked for the best solutions for seat maps and checkouts in the market and examined possible integrations with our existing systems. At vivenu, we quickly realized that their team possesses an enormous technical competence and was able to meet our requirements very quickly – and, above all, understands the intricacies of selling tickets in the soccer space.In addition, in vivenu we have found a partner who is constantly iterating and growing – which is a huge advantage for a long-term partnership."

How have you found working with vivenu so far?
"At no point did it feel like a classic customer-vendor relationship. The cooperation is always on an equal footing, and it is clear that both sides reap big benefits from the technical exchange to ultimately deliver a better product. I am thrilled that we are developing our new ticket shop with vivenu."

How does vivenu’s ticketing solution fit into Schalke’s digitization strategy?
"At the core of the digitization strategy at FC Schalke 04 e.V. is that we will improve existing products and platforms – and develop new products and services. This all builds on our radical focus on improving the fan experience through the use of technologies and, ideally, without any technical boundaries. I think Schalke 04 and vivenu are very similar in our attitude towards digital products and the customer experience as the north star of product development. That’s why the collaboration works so well."

Read Schalke 04's official announcement here.