Reading a barcode that will be printed on every San Diego Opera ticket, the scanners will connect to a database where each ticket has a unique seat number with the patron's name attached to it. As a ticket is scanned by an usher, the patron's name and seating location appears on the scanner screen and the seat is electronically time-stamped in the database.

The company hopes that its new system will help keep lines short and get the auditorium filled more quickly and efficiently before each performance — in part by enabling ushers to be redeployed wherever a bottleneck develops. The scanners also mean that managers can reseat patrons more easily if there are mobility issues or confusion over seats. Additionally, administrators will be able to monitor attendance in real time, eliminating the need to count ticket stubs once the performance has begun.

San Diego Opera has also announced the return of $20 Rush Tickets, seventy-five of which will be offered (subject to availability) 90 minutes prior to each performance. The first discounted tickets of 2007 will be for opening night of Boris Godunov , the first production of the company's 2007 International Season, on January 27. The rush tickets replace the standing room tickets that the company has been unable to offer since the Civic Theatre was remodeled to accommodate wheelchair seating.

Seating for rush tickets will begin in the Mezzanine section and continue up to the Balcony.