Intrust Bank Arena and several other local venues will continue to sell tickets through Ticketmaster.
Wichita Eagle
Select-A-Seat, the ticketing agency that handled sales for many Wichita concerts and other shows for 36 years, is phasing out its operations and being replaced by global ticketing platform Ticketmaster.
Legends Global, which locally operates Intrust Bank Arena, the Orpheum Theatre, Century II and the Capitol Federal Amphitheater in Andover, quietly made the move on July 1st.
Tickets that originally went on sale on Select-a-Seat will continue to be sold through that platform, AJ Bolesky, regional general manager of Intrust Bank Arena, said in an email. All tickets on sale from July 1st are sold through Ticketmaster. For example, tickets for John Legend’s Aug. 30 concert, which will mark the opening of the renovated Orpheum Theater, were sold through Ticketmaster.
Neither Bolesky nor Legend Global communications director Meredith DeSanti agreed to be interviewed about the changes. Instead, they provided nearly identical statements via email. The letter from Bolesky said: “This business decision was made by our management company, Legends Global, after extensive due diligence of all major ticket suppliers and offers several key improvements for our customers and our venues. Ticketmaster has a proven track record, best-in-class operational capabilities, unmatched marketing reach and a track record of delivering more tickets to more fans than any other supplier in North America.”
Concert-goers will be able to purchase Ticketmaster tickets either online at www.ticketmaster.com or in person at the Intrust Bank Arena box office.
Intrust Bank Arena will use Ticketmaster for all of its sales going forward. Photo file Wichita Eagle
Founded in 1976, Ticketmaster has been the industry’s largest ticket provider since 1995 and controls approximately 80% of the ticket market for major concert venues.
In 2010, the company merged with concert promoter Live Nation. Since then, the company has been at the center of several controversies and has faced lawsuits alleging it engages in anticompetitive practices, defrauds customers through commissions and collaborates with speculators to increase resale prices. In April, a federal jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster guilty of illegal monopoly and overcharging customers. . Many famous artists, from Taylor Swift to Olivia Dean and Pearl Jam, have come under fire for the company’s handling of concert ticket sales.
Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City, Kansas Star Casino Arena in Mulvana and Stiefel Theater in Salina have all used Ticketmaster for years.
Select-a-Seat was launched by Sedgwick County in 1990 and was advertised as a “new computerized ticketing system” that would offer Wichita residents an easier way to obtain tickets to several local entertainment venues, including the Kansas Coliseum and Wichita State University. The program was transferred to the arena management company when the arena opened in 2010, ending the county’s involvement, Sedgwick County spokesman Brandon Zenner said.
The county, which owns Intrust Bank Arena, has hired private management company SMG World to manage the stadium once it opens. The management company, later renamed ASM Global and then, in 2024, Legends Global, has over the years added the Orpheum, Century II and Andover State Capitol Amphitheater to the list of Wichita-area venues it manages.
Denise Neil
Wichita Eagle
Denise Neal has been covering restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Facebook page, Lunch with Denise, is a place where visitors can get information about local restaurants. She regularly judges local cooking competitions and speaks to groups throughout Wichita about dinner.