I have read plenty about ticket touting in the press recently and have always struggled to share the same opinion as the majority of the industry. This is probably the result of very different objectives I have from those of more traditional event organisers. Few of the events that RPM run are looking for any financial return from ticket sales; doing one off spectaculars for brands works in a very different way from running a profitable festival or tour. Our and our client’s payback comes from increased brand loyalty and brand advocacy. The fact is we often charge simply to ensure the tickets have a worth and we get the capacity we want.The drop off from free ticket events is always high and can be difficult to plan for, but what I find far more surprising is that the drop off from paid for ticketed events still remains at about 10%, and hasn’t reduced in the current economic climate. For a lot of events that we run, the actual event is just the tip of the iceberg and the true value of the project comes from the word of mouth, press coverage and social media amplification of the event. With all this in mind the closer we can get to capacity the better the result of the event. If someone has a ticket to one of our events which they buy three months before the line up has even been announced, why shouldn’t they sell it on to a mate if it turns out they can’t or don’t want to go? It suits me much better if they do.
In the past some of the arguments against ticket touting have been around individuals cornering the market and limiting supply in order to inflate the ticket prices. My limited understanding gleaned from A-level Economics taught me about the principle of supply and demand. If it really is the case that supply is likely to far outstrip demand then the promoter should be looking at holding the event in a venue with a larger capacity. If that’s not possible, then they should look to repeat the event. Alternatively, if none of those options are available they can always increase ticket prices, within reason.
It is much easier these days to control who gets hold of the tickets. We often organise ticket sales for events through Facebook so you know who is coming to the event. It also means you can limit the number of tickets sold to individuals and stop people buying up large numbers. Similarly, technology such as RFID enables consumers' Smartphones to become their ticket, which stops them from being sold on so easily. Alternatively event organisers can go down a public ballot route like the Olympics, Wimbledon or Glastonbury. There are still the corporate/partner tickets that can be abused at these events, but that is a whole different issue, and should be dealt with contractually between the event organiser and the partner/sponsor.
I realise the Olympics has brought in special laws to fine touts up to £20,000, and I certainly wouldn’t encourage people to break the law, but it is down to individual event organisers to decide whether their tickets can be re-sold. Personally I think it is just as criminal as ticket touting and tantamount to theft to not allow someone who, for whatever reason, has decided not to attend an event they have paid for and are refused a refund. The idea that you can only pass tickets on for free is outdated and I can only hope that the rise of websites like Viagogo will reduce organisers’ resistance to ticket re-sales and also ensure consumers are not out of pocket.
