For a quarter-century, the opening riff of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" has signaled the start of something electric at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium. As the team takes the field, the song blasts through the speakers, sparking an eruption of Hokie pride. Metallica's world tour features major U.S. cities like Chicago and international hotspots like Toronto. Then, nestled among these metropolises is Blacksburg - home to Virginia Tech, a stop that honors the connection between the iconic band and the university.
"Our entire team at Virginia Tech is excited and humbled to have the opportunity to host one of the most iconic bands of all time in Lane Stadium," says Brad Wurthman, Executive Associate AD/External Affairs and Advancement, Virginia Tech. "It's an opportunity that many people have worked on collaboratively, and we are thrilled to bring Metallica to Lane Stadium for an incredibly memorable night."
As news of the May 2025 concert spread, one question emerged: How would Virginia Tech transform its beloved gameday ritual into a rock spectacle?
Mastering the Rush: On-Sale Approach
While in the thick of football season and managing renewals, preparing for a highly anticipated Metallica on sale was no easy feat. Virginia Tech, working alongside their ticketing partner, Paciolan, executed a strategic multi-day on-sale approach for the highly anticipated Metallica concert from September 23-27, 2024. The carefully orchestrated plan included presales for Metallica fans, students, and Hokie Club members. Each day's pre-sale inventory was completely exhausted, with nearly 67,000 tickets sold for the event, while Paciolan's eCommerce platform handled over 423,000 devices throughout the on-sale period.
Behind the Tickets: The Tech and People
For a large-scale concert powered by technology and expertise, three key elements proved instrumental in ensuring a smooth onsale and enjoyable customer purchase experience:
Seat Management enabled simple and immediate seat updates to maximize revenue. Included in Paciolan’s seat management is the ability to offer platinum seats to fans looking for the best seating locations.
Fee Management tools streamlined the implementation of consumer fees, simplifying a typically complex process while enabling transparency and visibility to consumers.
Expert Guidance enabled Virginia Tech to lean on Paciolan’s extensive experience in live events, including its numerous Arena and Performing Arts clients, to manage an event outside of anything the Virginia Tech ticket office has handled before.
Beyond the Purchase: Keeping the Beat Going
Virginia Tech partnered with Paciolan's marketing services to craft a series of engaging post-purchase emails. This strategy built excitement for the Metallica concert and drove engagement for other Virginia Tech athletics events, turning a single concert into an ongoing fan engagement opportunity:
Day-After Purchase: A thank-you message with event preparation details, ticket download instructions, merchandise options, and parking information.
30-Day Post-Purchase: This communication delves into the rich history of "Enter Sandman" at Virginia Tech and features Metallica discussing their special connection with the Hokie community.
40-Day Post-Purchase: With the concert still months away, this email will promote upcoming Virginia Tech athletics events, encourage program donations, showcase "Enter Sandman" fan footage, and direct fans to their official secondary marketplace, SeatGeek, for sold-out events.
New Account Welcome: Over 20,000 new patrons received an automated welcome message that collected additional data and allowed users to opt into specific content types, laying the groundwork for future personalized, targeted marketing efforts.
In Closing
Virginia Tech has turned a gameday tradition into a landmark event through strategic planning and effective ticketing solutions. The overwhelming demand made it one of the fastest-selling shows of Metallica's entire tour. This achievement demonstrates the power of strong partnerships and the dedication of the people working behind the scenes to bring such a monumental event to life.
"We are so appreciative of the partnership with Paciolan and its impact on our ability to successfully navigate this event. The team at Paciolan was with us every step of the way as we built this out from concept to execution" - Brad Wurthman, Executive Associate AD/External Affairs and Advancement, Virginia Tech
