On The Move: Select-a-Seat 2011

If you're a Kings season ticket holder, you may have already experienced the new Select-a-Seat process this month. Or if you haven't already, your appointment is coming up. I got to move my seats yesterday using the new process and overall it's a far superior experience to the old Select-a-Seat process.

Previously, Select-a-Seat was an event. You actually went down to Staples Center at your appointed time and walked around the arena to check out sections you were interested in.

All the seats with a colored piece of paper were available, and each color determined whether if was a full season seat, weekend package, flex-pack, etc., along with the price for the seat.

Yeah, I blocked the price out. Can't have my ticket rep mad at me....

It was a good process in some ways but not in others. If you were debating on seats in dramatically different parts of the arena, there was the issue of walking around to each one. Then, if you found a seat you liked and someone else standing near you was checking it out as well, one of the ticket reps might have to intervene to determine who is more entitled to the seat based on seniority. This actually happened to me last year, and let me tell you, it's not a good feeling for you or the ticket rep. The whole thing ended up having the feeling of a land grab, and even though the free food and schmooze-fest was fun, it wasn't worth all that.

With the new process, you can see availability, pricing, etc. for every seat in the arena online on a color coded map! There is even a 3-D seat viewer function that lets you check out the view from your seat to have an idea of sight lines, etc. You can check it out right now on the Kings website.

If you're a first time ticket holder and haven't spent a lot of time in Staples Center, this process still has it's limitations. For instance, you can't figure out that a bunch of the seats in Section 1114 are removable (basketball configuration issues) and DON'T HAVE CUP HOLDERS.  Or that when you sit near the team benches, your view will be seriously hampered by a bunch of really large men in lots of hockey gear. Especially if you're sitting near the back-up goalie.

This set-up last year helped me understand some issues about my seat, but not others.

These are the things you learn through the school of hard knocks. But the good news is this -- even if your "dream seat" turns out not to be so dreamy after a full season, you can always move again next year.

GO KINGS GO!