New technology lets Magic fans take a virtual tour before buying seats online.
Seated at his home computer, Tom Cannold could almost see Tracy McGrady racing down the court at TD Waterhouse Centre.
Cannold's online ticket-shopping experience left him nearly as jazzed as watching a McGrady explosion to the basket, leaving behind a slack-jawed defender.
"I found this a visceral thing," said the Orlando-based travel writer. "It looked so realistic; it gave me a tingling and a shortness of breath."
Cannold, 43, and his wife, Kim, will share a set of 11th-row, lower bowl seats with three other couples, who heard Cannold's description of the view as seen from www.seats3d.com/nba/orlando_magic.
The Magic recently joined a small but growing group of pro sports organizations, including Daytona International Speedway, in offering a new computer-based seat-viewing and ticket-buying system.
The online technology, Seats3D, was developed by Ballena Technologies of Alameda, Calif., using high-resolution, computer-generated models. It is similar to technology used by real estate and other Web sites that give viewers three-dimensional tours of homes.
A ticket shopper can make use of the technology with a dial-up connection, since Seats3D was created to serve a broad base of fans, many of whom might not have access to a high-speed cable modem or DSL connection.
"We believe this will drive more revenue through sales of season tickets and individual games," said Chris D'Orso, Magic vice president of marketing.
"You could go online from anywhere in the world, like London, England, and select seats. That's a real convenience for fans."
Online shopping also represents a potential timesaver for the team's marketing staff, who no longer have to spend an hour or so meeting with ticket shoppers to show off available seats and discuss pricing.
"It takes some of the guesswork out of buying tickets," D'Orso said. "You get a sample of the product you're buying -- and you can even e-mail the view to friends."
The team, which said its goal is to sell out the arena for the season, declined to say how many tickets have been sold through the new technology.
The Magic have recorded 57,000 fan views of their Web site since Seats3D launched June 12, more than doubling the number of views for the same time period a year ago, spokeswoman Michelle Andres said.
And season ticket shopping won't swing into high gear until the NBA releases the 2003-04 schedule next week, she said.
The Seats3D vendor plans to ask John Dorman, deputy director for the Orlando Centroplex, about making Seats3D available for other events, such as concerts, at TD Waterhouse Centre.
Dorman said the technology is interesting but doesn't fit into the budget now.
To sample Seats3D, a user surfs to the Web site and is presented with an overhead view of the arena.
All sections of the upper and lower bowls are visible, two stacks of dark red seats rimming the court.
As the user drags the mouse across a section of seats, highlighted areas appear.
Clicking the mouse provides a sweeping panoramic view of the court from one end of the arena to the other.
For example, clicking on courtside seats near midcourt brings up the view for Section 102, Rows AA-EE. The seats, priced at $150, are sold out, so theonlineshopper must select another area of the arena to browse.
Moving the mouse pointer directly up into the second tier of seats delivers a view from Section 202, Rows P-T. These seats cost $18 and are available.
If the shopper decides these seats are the right choice, clicking on "Purchase Tickets" brings up another screen with a phone number to call or an online form to complete.
Views from luxury suites also are available.
Seats3D is a 3-year-old product first used by the University of California, Berkeley, said Richard Sherratt, Ballena's chief executive.
Other teams that employ Seats3D include the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets of the NBA, Houston Texans and New England Patriots of the NFL, and San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball.
"We want to expand to college sports and overseas to areas like Europe and China," Sherratt said.
Such growth could hinge on fans sharing the enthusiasm of Magic supporters such as Jerry Vaxmonsky, who bought season tickets via Seats3D after trying to envision how 7-foot-5 Houston center Yao Ming would look from various vantage points.
"As you move nearer to the court, you get a better feel for the game, especially the vertical aspect," said Vaxmonsky, 42, a manufacturing sales rep based in Indian Harbor Beach.
Vaxmonsky, a season ticket holder the past two years, moved six rows closer to the floor after trying out three other vantage points online.
"I wanted a view where I could be sure to see a guy dunking," he said.
Chris Cobbs can be reached at ccobbs@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5447.
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