By Randall Turk

Transcript Business Editor

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of times a year, the same seamy scenario takes place outside stadiums, ballparks, concert halls and other venues.

In the last minutes before a sporting event or concert, scalpers outside will be hawking tickets to the event. Maybe, or maybe not, some loyal fan will buy them. Desperate ones could well pay premium prices for such late admission, only to find themselves in the “nosebleed section,” far from the action.

Matt Green has developed a better way to unload unwanted tickets and avoid disappointments, a solution that benefits buyer and seller alike. He is aided in this venture by unlikely partners – charitable organizations that get all the proceeds from the sale of unwanted tickets.

Green, 34, has established “Front Row Fans,” a club that buys and sells such aftermarket tickets. Under this program, those surrendering tickets can get a tax deduction for their full face value. The tickets are sold by participating charitable organizations for half price.

Tickets buyers pay $13 a year to join the Front Row Fans system, with $3 of that going to one of the nonprofits participating in the program. Besides getting a tax deduction, those donating tickets receive free membership in the organization.

“This system gives a maximum number of people the greatest opportunity to be fans,” Green said. So far, he said, five charitable organizations are partnering with Front Row Fans: the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Sooner Theatre and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “Charities accept the pricing structure to sell tickets at half their face value. We’re open to additional charities,” he said.

Another benefit is member discounts at participating Norman merchants. Several have signed up, and more have indicated interest, Green said. So far, Front Row Fans has more than 200 members, he said.

Front Row Fans has helped move tickets for several events in recent months, including a Travis Tritt concert and Redhawks baseball games. Activity will pick up this fall with the University of Oklahoma football and basketball seasons, Green said. “We anticipate most tickets will be donated the week of an event. This is a great program for people looking for tickets or have tickets they need to sell. These tickets are not scalped. We don’t mark them up or take a portion of the ticket price.”

Currently, Front Row Fans relies on a courier service to deliver tickets to buyers. The plan is to switch to e-ticketing as the company grows.

Robert Ruiz, a partner in the venture, is developing software for the company. He has developed his own Internet music company and a software group that specializes in database web-based integration.

The Front Row Fans web site, frontrowfans.net, has had a steady stream of traffic, Ruiz said. “The conversion rate is good. About one of every five Web site visitors signs up.” The company phone number is 888-7-be a fan (723-2326).

Green said he is searching for corporations and organizations holding large blocks of tickets. “We want to market directly to them. We do a lot of marketing through the charities.”

He said there are other ticket resellers, but none are allied with charitable organizations. “People have to pay their fees. It’s really of less value to sell a ticket than to donate it.”

Green said he also wants to connect with event promoters, but to do so requires a much larger member base. “If we can go to promoters and vendors and say we have 5,000 members, we’ll be in a better position to handle their inventory of tickets. They know any event is more successful with more people there.”

Green, a research assistant in the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, said he has been developing the Front Row Fans system for two years. The startup company has been based in eTec, the business incubator operated by the Norman Economic Development Coalition. “NEDC has treated us like we’re the next Dell (Computers),” he said.

He said Front Row Fans provides an opportunity to families who otherwise could not afford to attend events.

“When I take my six-year-old daughter to a Redhawks game, she doesn’t care who we’re playing. She just likes to sit up close and see how big the players are. At times like that, the popcorn and Cokes don’t seem that expensive.”