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Event revenue management system

  • US 7,110,960 B2
  • Filed: 06/08/2001
  • Issued: 09/19/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method for managing revenue for an event, the event having event parameters including timing, resource, and discount categories, the method comprising:

  • a step for initializing forecasting parameters, wherein the forecasting parameter initialization step comprises creating a matrix comprising entries for each combinations of said timing, resource, and discount categories such that each row of the matrix is an allowable combination of each discount category, and wherein said timing categories comprising past and present future timing categories;

    a step for aggregating historical data using the forecasting parameters to generate initial forecast statistics for said matrix entries, taking into account the event parameters, wherein the initial forecast statistics for each of said entries comprise a fractional build curve, final net forecast, and remaining demand forecast,wherein each of the fractional build curves for entries associated with future timing categories is generated by calculating a weighted average of one or more historical curves associated with relevant past timing categories, wherein the weighting for each of the historical curves and the fractional build curves are calculated by normalizing the historical curves found by α

    *(1−

    α

    )(|j|−

    1)
    } where α

    is a predefined smoothing constant and j is a number of time periods between the timing period of the historical curve and the timing period of the fractional build curve, andwherein the final net forecast and remaining demand forecast for each of the entries is calculated using a booking curve comprising prior sales and forecasted net sales associated with each of the entries;

    a step for forecasting demand by updating the initial forecast statistics based on current data; and

    a step for optimizing pricing of the event, wherein said pricing optimization step comprises, defining a forecast mean for each of the entries representing the net remaining demand associated with the entries, setting a forecast variance for each of the forecast means, aggregating the forecast means for the entries associated with available discount categories, aggregating the forecast variance for the entries associated with available discount categories, calculate an average profit for each row by aggregating a profit per each of the discount category times the forecast mean for the discount category and dividing by the aggregated resource mean, and calculating the expected demand, expected profit, and marginal value for each row of the matrix, determining a maximum expected profit for each row using the expected demand, expected profit, and marginal value associated with that row, and identifying the row of entries producing a maximum expected profit.

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