American Express Celebrates 25 Years of Putting Canadians at the Front Of The Line

TORONTO, Aug 7, 2014 /CNW/ - Today, American Express Canada is excited to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of its access program, Front Of The Line. Originating in Canada, the program launched in 1989 by giving Cardmembers advanced ticket access to the opening of Phantom of the Opera in Toronto.  Over 25 years, Front Of The Line has expanded into a world renowned marketing program offering advanced ticket access, priority seating and unique experiences to some of the hottest concerts, shows and events across Canada. The program, which is now part of the global brand, "American Express Invites", provides Cardmembers access to experiences and offers around the world, including, concerts, festivals, film previews, dining offers, and theatre productions.

The success of Front Of The Line is greatly due to the breadth of partnerships that American Express has formed with hundreds of  Canada's top entertainment providers, including, Live Nation, Ticketmaster, Mirvish Productions, Broadway Across Canada, AEG Live, Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall. As a result, Cardmembers have been given access to thousands of events and shows, and millions of tickets over the last 25 years.

"Front Of The Line has come a long way from one pre-sale to the robust program it is today," said David Barnes, Vice President of Advertising and Communications at American Express Canada. "For the past 25 years we have given our Cardmembers access to the best in entertainment, and we are building on this reputation with its evolution into the new global Invites program."  

This year the tradition continues with Cardmembers accessing hundreds of thousands of tickets for big concerts like Lady Gaga, One Direction, Aviici, and shows like Book of Mormon, Disney on Ice, Wicked and Russell Peters' Almost Famous tour.  In addition Amex has helped promote major Canadian events like Luminato Festival and Taste of Toronto Festival.  The program has also spun off into providing premium Cardmembers access to events such as, Wimbledon, London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week and unique experiences like a Porsche Camp 4S driving experience. Locally, Cardmembers have also been offered packages providing a full night out to the theatre, dining packages at Milestones Restaurants, and Canada's Wonderland offers.  

"American Express' commitment to providing great access and then further delivering memorable experiences with unique onsite activations give fans a great value proposition when they attend a Live Nation show", said John May, President – Ontario Region, Live Nation. "We believe that the success of the partnership has also helped drive ticket sales growth through Front Of The Line presales, great contests and fantastic activations like the lounge experience at The Molson Canadian Amphitheatre."

"American Express continues to be an industry leader through fully-integrated entertainment programs providing access, experiences & unique content to Cardmembers around the world", said Stew Heathcote, Senior Vice President, AEG Global Partnerships. "Their ability to not only drive ticket sales through pre-sales but connect the fan & artist by unique platforms like "Unstaged" demonstrates true marketing innovation and is why American Express is so respected in the entertainment space. We are not only proud but grateful for our Global relationship with American Express and the positive impact it provides."

To celebrate the 25^th anniversary, American Express is launching a series of special promotions running today until Sept 2, including:

• Hundreds of tickets to concerts, theatre and dining experiences through a daily Twitter Sweepstakes, and onsite at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
• Media partnerships with E-Talk Canada, CHUM FM, Toronto and CP24 with additional ticket  giveaways, including a Grand Prize Flyaway Experience from E-Talk Canada (worth $25,000)

About American Express Canada
American Express in Canada operates as Amex Bank of Canada and Amex Canada Inc. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries of the New York based American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc., the largest operating unit of the American Express Company. Amex Bank of Canada is the issuer of American Express charge and credit cards, with outstanding products like the American Express® Gold Rewards Card, and the American Express® AeroplanPlus® Gold Card. Amex Canada Inc. operates the Travellers Cheques division in Canada. American Express opened its first offices in Toronto and Hamilton in 1853 and now employs 3,700 Canadians coast-to-coast. For more information, visit AmericanExpress.ca or connect with us at Facebook.com/AmericanExpressCanada.

SOURCE: American Express

Amanda Betti, American Express Canada, [phone], [email protected]; Kelsey Strickland, High Road Communications, [phone], [email protected]