SpotlightTMS (www.spotlighttms.com), the market-leading Software as a Service (SaaS) ticket management solution provider, today reported record growth in 2011, the result of the increasing number of Fortune 1000 companies that have selected its SpotlightTMS™ to maximize return on investment (ROI) in sports and entertainment ticket and suite assets.

SpotlightTMS cloud revenues increased 400 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to Tony Knopp, SpotlightTMS CEO and co-founder. Among the other milestones in the past year: a 300 percent increase in new customers; channel growth to 35 team partnerships; integration of SpotlightTMS with Salesforce CRM; and an increase of tickets under management to two million.

“We’ve added a significant number of new corporate customers over the past year, which drove revenues to record levels in 2011,” said Knopp. “We’re poised to continue on that growth trajectory this year, thanks largely to the ability of SpotlightTMS to help our corporate sports and entertainment clients meet their marketing objectives.”

Baker Hughes is one such success story. “Since switching from our previous ticket management method to SpotlightTMS, we now achieve 90 percent ticket utilization, save time and are able to ensure that our tickets are going to the right people for the right reasons,” said Anna Lyssa Cuevas, industry events manager at Baker Hughes.

Major corporations – including Google, Comcast, MetLife, Nike, Oracle, NBCUniversal, Penske Truck Leasing, Principal Financial Group and Stanley Black & Decker -- are among those that have moved their ticket management to the cloud with SpotlightTMS.

Expanding Sales Channels

Complementing its direct sales efforts, SpotlightTMS built out its sales channels significantly during the last 12 months. The company has forged partnerships with 35 professional sports teams, creating a unique distribution channel, and additional teams are signing up virtually every month. The teams provide SpotlightTMS as a value-added capability to corporate customers, enabling organizations to drive revenue from their ticket and suite investments. SpotlightTMS’s roster of professional sports team partners -- from the NFL, NHL and NBA – now includes the Cincinnati Bengals, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bears, New Jersey Devils, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat, Philadelphia Eagles, Memphis Grizzlies, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Texans, Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.

“SpotlightTMS not only streamlines the suite ticket request and allocation process for our corporate clients, it provides metrics that enable them to accurately measure the return on their investment in the suite,” said Josh Hartman, manager, premium services and suites for the Baltimore Ravens.

SpotlightTMS also expanded its strategic partnerships with ticket sales and distribution companies, secondary ticket market distributors, and ticketing and CRM software companies, including the integration of SpotlightTMS with Salesforce CRM (S4S). The release of S4S earlier this year avails SpotlightTMS to salesforce.com’s 100,000+ corporate customers and enables that user base to maximize return on sports and entertainment assets, all without leaving the familiar Salesforce environment.

Tickets: Now an Asset, not an Expense

SpotlightTMS™ enables companies to measure and maximize the business impact of sports and entertainment ticket investments while maintaining compliance standards. The company views tickets and sponsorships as an investment rather than a perk. Organizations deploy SpotlightTMS as a way to optimize the use of tickets and suites for business development purposes, ensuring that tickets and suites are allocated to the right people for the right business reasons. SpotlightTMS additionally improves ticket administration, allocation and distribution processes; eliminates wasted tickets, reducing fraudulent ticket and suite use by employees; and ensures compliance with IRS and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.

“Sports and entertainment tickets and suites represent a powerful marketing tool,” Knopp said. “When used correctly, they can help build relationships, generate leads and increase sales, all while enhancing brand equity. But organizations that lack a rigorous process for managing these investments may be at risk for waste and fraud, and could be exposing themselves to substantial penalties.”

Knopp co-founded SpotlightTMS in 2007 with Joe Greiner and Aric Haut, now SpotlightTMS chief revenue officer and chief operating officer, respectively. While working with Fortune 1000 companies at StubHub, the trio recognized an opportunity in the $16 billion business ticket market for a ticket management solution that could enable organizations to maximize the business impact of their sports and entertainment ticket assets.

About SpotlightTMS

SpotlightTMS (www.spotlighttms.com) is an enterprise SaaS provider that enables companies to maximize the business impact of sports and entertainment ticket investments while maintaining compliance standards. Its SpotlightTMS™ application is currently in use managing millions of dollars in entertainment investments by companies that want to manage their entertainment asset investments in a simple, transparent way. SpotlightTMS includes a business impact engine that allows companies to drive and measure direct business outcome, such as ensuring utilization, assessing sponsorship effectiveness and measuring ticket use as a driver of revenue. The company is based in Calabasas, Calif.