James B. Nelson | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Bucks new ticket office opens for business at the Fiserv Forum Wednesday, the first chance that the public will have for a peek inside the new downtown arena.

Like many other features of the new arena, the Bucks promise that the ticket office will be a state-of-the-art experience.

Gone are the windows and scratchy speakers separating customers and sales agents, making ticket sales a more personal experience.

"We are the only large-scale venue in Wisconsin with the open concept and one of a few in the country," the Bucks said in a statement.

Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Seven ticket sales counters with twin monitors await customers. The monitors display the seating charts for various events and allow customers to see the exact location of the seats they are considering.

"These things change and will update all the time," said Katie Dempsey-Fischer, director of ticketing services.

"Two monitors are going to be the gold standard for the industry," said Jonathan Lack, senior director of ticketing.

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The office is located at the north end of the atrium on the east side of the arena, facing the plaza and "entertainment block."

The ticket office is a "secure area" and customers won't have access to the rest of the building. But they will be able to see inside the soaring atrium and get an initial impression of the new building.

Grand opening of the arena is Aug. 26.

Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Tickets on sale Wednesday will be for the concerts and other events the Bucks have booked into the building. Six major concerts have sold out, Lack said.

For now, tickets for Bucks games will not be sold at the arena. The NBA schedule for the upcoming season will be released in the next couple of weeks, the Bucks said.

The Bucks are striving for the ticket office to be a "green" operation. Customers can receive a text and call up their ticket on their phone or receive a paper ticket if they choose, Lack said.

The Fiserv Forum will allow customers with tickets on their phones to scan their own tickets as they enter the building. The system is similar to that used by airlines for mobile boarding passes.

Long-term, customers will simply use their phones for tickets and they will automatically pop up as the customer approaches the building.

Tickets will no longer be emailed to customers. That form of ticketing has led to unauthorized copies and other problems, Lack said.

"More people are buying tickets online, but some people still need that personal approach" found in a ticket office, Lack said.

Jim Nelson and Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Customers will also find it less expensive to buy tickets in person because they will not be assessed the Ticketmaster order processing fee, he said.

In-person customers will be charged a $4 per ticket "facilities charge" and also a processing fee of 3% per order, Lack said.

The Fiserv Forum box office will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

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