Interactive Venue Seat Map
Methods and systems provide an interactive venue seat map that shows where a user's contacts or friends are sitting to help the user select seats when purchasing tickets for an event, such as a concert or sporting event. The tickets can be purchased from an online ticket seller, such as StubHub, Inc. Information regarding where the friends are sitting can be obtained from a ticker server of the online ticket seller, a social network, or a list of contacts. The interactive venue map can show the seats or sections where the friends are sitting using photos of the friends. The user can use the map to determine which seats the user would like to purchase.
1 . A system comprising:
a memory storing information regarding seats at a venue and corresponding information regarding people who have tickets to sit in the seats during an event;
one or more processors operable to:
receive a communication including an indication of a desire of a user to purchase tickets for the event;
determine at least one friend of the user and the seat(s) of the at least one friend for the event; and
send to the user information identifying the at least one friend and the seat(s) of the friend.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the at least one friend comprises accessing a list of friends stored in the memory.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:
receive a list of friends from the user during a setup procedure; and
store the list of friends in the memory.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further operable to receive a list of friends in the communication.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further operable to obtain a list of friends by querying at least one social network.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to perform at least two of:
receiving a list of friends from the user during a setup procedure;
receiving a list of friends in the communication; and
obtaining a list of friends by querying at least one social network.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are operable to:
make a map of the venue showing pictures of the at least one friend at locations on the map of seats of the at least one friend; and
send the map to the user.
8 . A method comprising:
storing, via a memory, information regarding seats at a venue and corresponding information regarding people who have tickets to sit in the seats during an event;
receiving, via one or more processors, a communication including an indication of a desire of a user to purchase tickets for the event;
determining, via the one or more processors, at least one friend of the user and the seat(s) of the at least one friend for the event; and
sending, via the one or more processors, to the user information identifying the at least one friend and the seat(s) of the friend.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein determining the at least one friend comprises accessing a list of friends stored in the memory.
10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving, via the one or more processors, a list of friends from the user during a setup procedure; and
storing, via the one or more processors, the list of friends in the memory.
11 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising receiving, via the one or more processors, a list of friends in the communication.
12 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising obtaining, via the one or more processors, a list of friends by querying at least one social network.
13 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising at least two of:
receiving, via the one or more processors, a list of friends from the user during a setup procedure;
receiving, via the one or more processors, a list of friends in the communication; and
obtaining, via the one or more processors, a list of friends by querying at least one social network.
14 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
making, via the one or more processors, a map of the venue showing pictures of the at least one friend at locations on the map of seats of the at least one friend; and
sending, via the one or more processors, the map to the user.
15 . A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable and executable code for instructing one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:
storing information regarding seats at a venue and corresponding information regarding people who have tickets to sit in the seats during an event;
receiving a communication including an indication of a desire of a user to purchase tickets for the event;
determining at least one friend of the user and the seat(s) of the at least one friend for the event; and
sending to the user information identifying the at least one friend and the seat(s) of the friend.
16 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein determining the at least one friend comprises accessing a list of friends stored in the memory.
17 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising:
receiving a list of friends from the user during a setup procedure; and
storing the list of friends in the memory.
18 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising receiving a list of friends in the communication.
19 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising obtaining a list of friends by querying at least one social network.
20 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising at least two of:
receiving a list of friends from the user during a setup procedure;
receiving a list of friends in the communication; and
obtaining a list of friends by querying at least one social network.
21 . The computer program product of claim 15 , further comprising:
making a map of the venue showing pictures of the at least one friend at locations on the map of seats of the at least one friend; and
sending the map to the user.