IRIS, the largest privately owned software company in the UK, has announced the acquisition of ts.com, developers of on-line ticketing solutions for a wide range of ticketing requirements including festivals, sports events, theatres, visitor attractions, travel and car parking.

The acquisition marks the next stage of IRIS’ goal to expand its ticketing capabilities. Combining the existing IRIS TALENT ticketing solutions with ts.com will allow IRIS to expand its on-line ticketing capability beyond its major presence in large sports clubs and arenas to include important new vertical markets.

ts.com has an excellent reputation for its easy-to-use and reliable ticketing solutions and an established and loyal customer base. Notable clients include The National Trust, The Red Bull Flugtag, The Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Arriva Group and Earl’s Court & Olympia Parking.

Glenn Jackson, Managing Director of IRIS TALENT, commented: “There is huge growth potential for on-line ticketing simply because it is the easiest and most convenient way to purchase event tickets. The ts.com ticketing solutions are entirely complementary to our current offerings – both for smaller sports stadia and to enable us to enter a number of new vertical markets; a factor that will undoubtedly strengthen our ability to satisfy a wider range of needs.”

Mark Ellis, Managing Director of ts.com, commented: “We are delighted that ts.com has become part of IRIS(Iris Online Gold). For some time, we have been searching for a way to develop further as part of a larger organisation with the resources, financial backing, service commitment and culture to increase our growth rate in the online ticketing market.”

“We have been particularly impressed that in all previous IRIS acquisitions the group’s emphasis has always been on ensuring “business as usual” for existing customers and we look forward to the further development of the ts.com ticketing product range with the support and resources that IRIS can provide.”