With SeatGeek gone, Barclays Center plaza now branded by Ticketmaster (fourth sponsor in 10+ years).

New photos July 6 by Norman Oder

When in January news emerged that the Barclays Center was dropping ticketing company SeatGeek for industry heavyweight Ticketmaster, that meant that, eventually, the signage designating SeatGeek Plaza would have to change.

And it has.

As shown in the image at right, the plaza is now branded Ticketmaster Plaza or, using the typeface preferred, ticketmaster PLAZA.

(I'm not sure when the name appeared; I took the photos July 6.)

Previous sponsor. Photo Oct. 12, 2021

Given the length of the name, it's a little longer than SeatGeek (at left), though the latter had the advantage of greater symmetry.

Changing names

Since the arena opened in September 2012, the plaza has been branded as, respectively, Daily News Plaza, Resorts World Casino NYC Plaza, SeatGeek Plaza, and now Ticketmaster Plaza.

I'm not sure many locals notice or care much, but it does reinforce branding for ticketholders and others considering a visit to the arena.

When the arena company is promoting a commercial event, the sponsor's name is typically used, while the sponsor is dropped when the company is highlighting the plaza's civic (and public) nature.

If SeatGeek's mantra was "Get your seat into a seat," Ticketmaster's seems to be "Live Only Happens Once," a reference to the lure of live events.

That fits just as well with the "You belong here" neon signage over the arena transit entrance, presented as art, but which I think does double-duty as advertising, as I wrote in December 2021.

Note that ticketing companies, notably Ticketmaster have been slammed for taking advantage of their market position to add significant fees to ticket sales. Now they at least must be revealed upfront.

The Barclays Center returned to Ticketmaster because--take your pick--it had some tech problems with StubHub or Ticketmaster's connections to promote concerts meant the arena company had to compromise.

December 2021 article

More advertising signage?

Maybe I just hadn't noticed it, or maybe it's an upgrade of sorts, but it seems like the arena now has three layers of digital signage.

First came the oval oculus. Then, in late 2020, an LED "wall" was added over the entrance doors, as shown the photo below.

However, as indicated in that photo, as well as some of the others, there seems to be another layer inside the arena that shows the same digital ad.

It's all about monetizing the most canvas.