Date confusion re ticket sale for Semi-final v Crows

[KTigers]

Roslyn Packer Theatre holds about 850 people, so at most 850 people were trying to buy a seat (but more likely 210 people were trying to buy four seats each) at 9AM yesterday to
a specific performance. Meanwhile there were 40,000 plus seats up for grabs at the SCG. The system the STC uses could not handle anywhere near the number of simultaneous transactions the Ticketek system is attempting to service. But sure, it is very frustrating for people to go through what many of us did yesterday morning.

I understand (and agree with all that) and wasn't being serious in my suggestion - rather it is an indication of my frustration about booking both football and cricket tickets that I muttered 'why don't they set up their own system?'. I was just interested in understanding the current situation and the hypothetical alternatives.

(And there are actually over 20,000 subscribers to the STC, all of whom can easily book up to 12 plays in three theatres choosing their own seats off seating plans as I did yesterday. So it's not just 'a few hundred tickets'. But I still agree with your overall point.)

[Meg]

But sure, it is very frustrating for people to go through what many of us did yesterday morning.

Is there any good reason why Ticketek can't provide 'choose-your-own' seat booking though? I'm pretty sure last year we were at least able to choose the bay that we wanted at ANZ (not that we necessarily got it .....). And I think Ticketmaster provide that technology - or at least for some events. Or would the simultaneous booking demand make that impractical? How do large, high demand sporting events overseas handle bookings?

[iigrover]

The AFL & CA would not be prepared to spend the kind money required to develop the systems that say Ticketmaster has developed internationally over many years. The investment would be hundreds of millions of dollars. They would essentially be starting a new business from scratch and trying to compete with the existing major players who are large multinationals and who are already very established in the marketplace. Re the systems used by the arts companies, there is a considerable gap in the systems required to sell a few hundred tickets to a play and 50,000 tickets to a football game. There is this sense that the technology that allows you to sell thousands of tickets to footy games simultaneously in stadiums is widely available. It's not.

Actually thats not quite true. While scalability is definitely an issue in any ticketing system, building and operating a system that handles high volume transactions isnt difficult nor expensive. Its certainly not "hundreds of millions of dollars". Indeed the cost to build such a high quality / high volume system today is well south of a million dollars. (I know, this is what I do - and have done). The issue has nothing to do with cost of AFL building a system. Thats the simple, low cost and easy to implement bit. The hard part is the contractual element with the venues.

In Australia and many other markets there is a very protective and litigious oligopoly of ticket sellers comprising Tickemaster, AEG Ogend and Ticketek.

They do deals with stadiums and venues that guarantee they are the exclusive ticket seller for that stadium/venue. Those deals guarantee stadium owners big $ (including upfront payments and paying for stadium's capital works) and comprise a significant part of the stadium's or venue's revenue base. To make ticket selling controlled by the performer/promoter would reduce the value stadiums receive from ticket revenue. This is big big bucks - and I stress again an important part of the stadiums revenue base. The $ size of these contracts effectively prevents start ups and small companies from entering the market and guarantees the place of the oligopoly. Presently the TPA/consumer law allows this.

Importantly for consumers, there is no incentive in this model for the three ticket vendors to invest in their technology and make their products and technology better or cheaper for punters.

The same logic applies to why stadiums give exlusive food and beverage contracts to one party. While having multiple food/beverage vendors would significantly reduce prices and expand offerings to punters, the stadiums would make far less $.

In Australia, there have been a number of attempts by new ticket selling companies to enter the market. Each offered significantly lower costs and better technology. Even Telstra tried to do this through partnering with BangoTango (which was backed by a lot of high profile people and companies $$) a few years ago. Even they gave up given the stranglehold of AEG/TM and Ticketek.

[AnnieH]

Roslyn Packer Theatre holds about 850 people, so at most 850 people were trying to buy a seat (but more likely 210 people were trying to buy four seats each) at 9AM yesterday to
a specific performance. Meanwhile there were 40,000 plus seats up for grabs at the SCG. The system the STC uses could not handle anywhere near the number of simultaneous transactions the Ticketek system is attempting to service. But sure, it is very frustrating for people to go through what many of us did yesterday morning.

Neither could Ticketek's system handle it.

[Meg]

Date confusion re ticket sale for Semi-final v Crows

Thanks iigrover, very interesting and depressing. This para. is the killer and so true:

"Importantly for consumers, there is no incentive in this model for the three ticket vendors to invest in their technology and make their products and technology better or cheaper for punters."

[snajik]

Is there any way of accurately tracking how many tickets have been sold for Saturday?

[KTigers]

I think only Ticketmaster are using that technology here. It is available for high volume events in the US, where generally the technology used is more advanced than it is here.
There is technology now where you can actually see where your friends are sitting and can choose a seat near them if you it's available. There is all sorts of privacy stuff around that though. It's the extremely large numbers of simultaneous transactions that cause the systems the most problems, like yesterday. It happens with concerts, and with airline systems too sometimes.

[goswannies]

I think only Ticketmaster are using that technology here. It is available for high volume events in the US, where generally the technology used is more advanced than it is here.
There is technology now where you can actually see where your friends are sitting and can choose a seat near them if you it's available. There is all sorts of privacy stuff around that though. It's the extremely large numbers of simultaneous transactions that cause the systems the most problems, like yesterday. It happens with concerts, and with airline systems too sometimes.

Yeah but if the AFL can generate billions in TV revenue, spend hundreds of millions building up new fake clubs to ensure success, tens of millions on a new women's comp (which they hope will make even more money), pay millions to a couple of spuds to code hop for a couple of years, why can't they invest some of this to replicate the best ticketing system available (for the fans, without whom the AFL would have no revenue)?

[KTigers]

I just don't think the AFL want to be in the ticketing business. There are two dominant very established players (Ticketek & Ticketmaster), and they (the AFL) probably thought about it, then put it in the too hard basket. I bag the AFL as much as the next person but at the same time I'm sure it's very hard juggling so many competing agendas.... growing the game, saving the poor clubs, paying the players enough, keeping the TV rights holders happy, keeping the fans happy, keeping Eddie happy etc etc. It's not like a regular business, where you just try to make as much money as you can. They probably think they have enough on their plate. Maybe you should ask them.

Yeah but if the AFL can generate billions in TV revenue, spend hundreds of millions building up new fake clubs to ensure success, tens of millions on a new women's comp (which they hope will make even more money), pay millions to a couple of spuds to code hop for a couple of years, why can't they invest some of this to replicate the best ticketing system available (for the fans, without whom the AFL would have no revenue)?

[goswannies]

I just don't think the AFL want to be in the ticketing business. There are two dominant very established players (Ticketek & Ticketmaster), and they (the AFL) probably thought about it, then put it in the too hard basket. I bag the AFL as much as the next person but at the same time I'm sure it's very hard juggling so many competing agendas.... growing the game, saving the poor clubs, paying the players enough, keeping the TV rights holders happy, keeping the fans happy, keeping Eddie happy etc etc. It's not like a regular business, where you just try to make as much money as you can. They probably think they have enough on their plate. Maybe you should ask them.

I don't blame the AFL. My criticism is solely of Ticketek. They have stuffed me over with AFL, tennis, concerts. Repeatedly.
Bass was way better back in the day.
I'd just like to see a new big (more competent) player enter the market and create some competition ... or just take over

[Mel_C]

The problem yesterday was that AFL members were also buying tickets at 9am for the MCG game which added to the volume. My brother and I were both trying to buy tickets and he was lucky to get them whereas I couldn't. We had similar problems at the start of the season. Looks like ticketek changed something with their system and it can't handle the volume.

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

[liz]

Is there any good reason why Ticketek can't provide 'choose-your-own' seat booking though? I'm pretty sure last year we were at least able to choose the bay that we wanted at ANZ (not that we necessarily got it .....). And I think Ticketmaster provide that technology - or at least for some events. Or would the simultaneous booking demand make that impractical? How do large, high demand sporting events overseas handle bookings?

I was able to choose my bay (or at least section of the ground - not sure if that's the exact same thing) when buying tickets on Tuesday. Were others not?

It surprised me because it's the first time I've had that option when buying a seat in peak buying periods. And when I bought tickets for the ANZ game last week, also via Ticketek (obviously) I was given zero choice of even which vague area I wanted to sit (ie ground level / elevated; behind the goals/wing).

[MattW]

I heard from a reliable source (me ) that ticketek is run by the same people that took care of the census recently...
Really does explain a lot

It does. Would also explain the same curt, passive aggressive tweets during the dysfunction yesterday.

[Bindo]

I was able to choose my bay (or at least section of the ground - not sure if that's the exact same thing) when buying tickets on Tuesday. Were others not?

It surprised me because it's the first time I've had that option when buying a seat in peak buying periods. And when I bought tickets for the ANZ game last week, also via Ticketek (obviously) I was given zero choice of even which vague area I wanted to sit (ie ground level / elevated; behind the goals/wing).

Every time I tried to put my bay in, from 9.03 onwards, it kept telling me that there were only 1 or 2 seats available (I was trying to buy 6 tickets), so I had to try elsewhere. In the end, I had to do 3 separate transactions, for tickets in 2 different bays, only to find via the public allocation after 3pm, that I could have purchased 6 seats a few rows from where we usually sit. Ridiculous!

[liz]

Every time I tried to put my bay in, from 9.03 onwards, it kept telling me that there were only 1 or 2 seats available (I was trying to buy 6 tickets), so I had to try elsewhere. In the end, I had to do 3 separate transactions, for tickets in 2 different bays, only to find via the public allocation after 3pm, that I could have purchased 6 seats a few rows from where we usually sit. Ridiculous!

I was only buying two, which I imagine was a definite advantage (though it still took four attempts before I was successful). I was just surprised to even see the option.

I agree with you that the fact that it is easier to buy tickets as a member of the public than it is as a member is seriously messed up. (How so much I'd love to use a different word!)