Sydney Opera House orchestrates ticketing and CRM system transformation on HP Integrity servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

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1 Sydney Opera House orchestrates ticketing and CRM system transformation on HP Integrity servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors

2 HP Integrity servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors deliver reliable performance beyond our expectations, and this helps us provide continuity for our customers. Lindsay Kelly, Acting Director of Finance and Systems, Sydney Opera House Built in 1973 on Sydney Harbour at Bennelong Point in New South Wales, Sydney Opera House hosts world-renowned performers and stages some 2,400 events annually, representing a range of artistic genres, cultures and expressions. Having a magnificent structure has not exempted the organization from needing to improve its core business and customer service. A desire to offer patrons the best service possible through their ticketing transactions has driven a desire to upgrade to a next-generation ticketing system. To succeed in these endeavors, the underlying IT systems supporting customer interactions and business processes must be advanced, flexible, reliable and manageable. The organization was looking for transforming technologies that could increase its online selling capacity. In 2004, we conducted approximately 24 percent of our ticket sales online, explains Lindsay Kelly, Acting Director of Finance and Systems for Sydney Opera House, and now, with an HP enabling platform for our ticketing and CRM application, we can increase the potential of that sales channel. Sydney Opera House led an effort to create a consortium of arts organizations to achieve economies of scale and consolidate ticketing platforms for a number of such organizations, including Opera Australia, Seymour Theatre Centre and Australian Chamber Orchestra. Together they chose to build a Unified Customer Support System (UCSS) using Tessitura Arts Enterprise Software running on HP Integrity rx2620 servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors. A strong continuity solution from Intel and HP takes center stage After choosing the ticketing and CRM application in March 2005, Claire Swaffield, Sydney Opera House s Acting CIO, spearheaded the management and planning of the UCSS project and enlisted HP to design and supply the right infrastructure, working to stringent timelines to assist in implementing a robust hardware platform. We, Sydney Opera House, entrusted our business partner, HP, to lead us to the right server platform. HP s strategic infrastructure review helped us make sure we could provide flexible capacity and high availability to sustain our new Unified Customer Support System, says Swaffield. HP consultants recommended dedicating two HP Integrity rx2620 servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors to a 64-bit application stack, which housed Tessitura software, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and Microsoft SQL Server Additionally, HP consultants designed and implemented an extranet to give consortium partners access to the UCSS platform, and also provided staff with training. As the host of the arts consortium that includes Opera Australia, Seymour Theatre Centre, Australian Chamber Orchestra and potentially several other groups, we re responsible for a ticketing platform that is vital to all of our businesses, Kelly says. HP Integrity servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors give us the reliability, confidence and continuous operation to support our Tessitura Arts Enterprise Software.

3 The combination of multifunctional Tessitura software and hefty HP Integrity server computing capacity with rock-solid Itanium architecture from Intel is just the ticket for supporting the arts. For example, Sydney Opera House set new organizational records for the first major show it launched on the new ticketing system powered by Integrity servers. We sold approximately 60 percent of concerts for Scottish comedian, Billy Connolly, online, and we were able to support multiple transactions so that three concerts sold out within the first on-sale day, Kelly affirms. The upshot is that more customers wanting to make purchases via that sales channel can now do so with amazing reliability. CRM takes center stage on an Itanium 2-based Integrity platform Kelly acknowledges other advancements that UCSS brings, sitting on the Itanium 2-based Integrity platform, such as integrated customer information and a comprehensive suite of marketing and development tools. We re excited about using Tessitura to develop more targeted marketing through customer profiling and relationship management, says Kelly. The Integrity platform has virtualization features to help Sydney Opera House use its computing resources efficiently during service peaks, particularly as its CRM efforts increase. Later on, Sydney Opera House plans to build a virtual server environment to help them adapt computing resources to business priorities in We can place other applications within the partitions of HP Integrity servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors, so this platform gives us plenty of room to grow and the ability to support our expanding CRM and ticketing software capabilities. Claire Swaffield, Acting Chief Information Officer, Sydney Opera House

4 real time. We can place other applications within the partitions of HP Integrity servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors, says Claire Swaffield, so this platform gives us plenty of room to grow. Meanwhile, Sydney Opera House system administrators enjoy the benefits of simplified management on the Integrity server platform using HP Systems Insight Manager. The software provides an extensible, secure tool set through a single management console, so the IT staff can monitor server usage and organize their management processes around IT services. HP Systems Insight Manager is absolutely essential for us. The software allows us to be proactive and quickly resolve impending problems, Swaffield explains. HP Integrity server support for the Windows operating system also eases management and maintenance. The servers integrate well with the organization s Windows-based desktop PC environment, eliminating complexity and the need to retrain on another operating system. In addition, Integrity servers running Microsoft SQL Server 2000 offer a compelling alternative to supporting databases on proprietary mainframes. With the Integrity architecture, data-rich applications like Tessitura and the SQL Server database gain continuous performance and the flexible capacity necessary for future growth. Swaffield notes, HP technology allows us to easily manage our computing resources to meet unforeseen needs ahead. Establishing a stronger foundation of trust, technology and innovation To supplement the Intel with HP continuity solution, Sydney Opera House is consulting with HP on recommendations for disaster resilience and data protection. HP will also be configuring a storage area network around HP StorageWorks solutions, creating a disaster recovery capability offsite, and will potentially provide hosting services for it. The HP professionals are experts in continuity, high availability and disaster recovery, says Swaffield, and we re working with them to support our systems, which operate 24/7, 365 days a year. Now with an innovative platform for its new ticketing system helping take the business capacity to new levels, Sydney Opera House looks forward to tackling other business transformations in the future, including consolidating several business systems, refreshing the file servers, and enhancing its website so it becomes a virtual Sydney Opera House. Kelly concludes, Although we aim to streamline our business processes and IT systems further, we are extremely delighted with our progress made with business partner, HP. They truly want the best possible outcomes for us. Our interests are their interests.

5 Challenges: Solution: Results: Sydney Opera House Australia s flagship performance arts center, attracting more than 4 million visitors annually Employees: approximately 450 full-time staff Location: Bennelong Point, Sydney, New South Wales 2000 Further enhance the visitor experience for our customers Build strong patron relationships Create a reliable platform for a unified, multifunctional ticketing system Provide continuity and computing performance to support arts consortium partners Hardware 2 HP Integrity rx2620 servers with Intel Itanium 2 processors 1 HP ProLiant DL380 server with Intel Xeon processor 2 HP ProLiant DL360 servers with Intel Xeon processors Software Tessitura Arts Enterprise Software HP Systems Insight Manager Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Microsoft Active Directory HP Services Consulting and integration Technical support Infrastructure review Server installation System integration Extranet design and implementation Hardware warranty Value Creates greater sales capacity with simultaneous transaction ability Gives arts organizations access to top-tier IT solutions Makes the arts dollar work harder Agility Enables the customer to be supported through transaction without interruption Accommodates substantial user activity and heavy online traffic Provides redundancy and resilience to minimize disruption Brings new consortium members online quicker Simplicity Enables virtualization for future business systems consolidation Telephone: Fax: Website: sydneyoperahouse.com Why Intel and HP? Leadership and long-term association Solutions with unmatched breadth and depth Continuity, knowledge and skill Strength in addressing pressing business problems 2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. Quotes provided are customer comments. This customer s results depended upon its unique business and IT environment, the way it used HP products and services and other factors. These results may not be typical; your results may vary. Intel, Itanium and Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Sydney Opera House is a registered trademark of Sydney Opera House Trust. Tessitura Arts Enterprise Software is the property of Impresario L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Metropolitan Opera Association.