Christopher BarrettThe Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) has announced plans for an international consumer awareness initiative to educate fans about the risks of buying tickets from uncapped secondary ticketing sites.
At the organisation’s AGM in Barcelona yesterday, 20 October, plans for the initiative were made by a working group consisting of representatives from organisations across Europe, including Germany’s live music association the BDKV, the European Music Managers Alliance, the European Arenas Association, FanFair Alliance and Pearle* – Live Performance Europe.
The event saw FEAT members agree to continue campaigning for a Europe-wide ban on ticket resale above face-value. It also welcomed new members Chris Ortiz, director of Cordova-based Riff Producciones, and Iñigo Argomaniz, CEO of Get In, based in San Sebastián.
FEAT said the AGM saw its board refocus its priorities after the past year’s successful campaign for tougher regulation of online marketplaces in the EU’s Digital Services Act. Approved by the European Council earlier this month, FEAT was instrumental in pushing for key amendments to the legislation, enforcing stricter due diligence requirements for online marketplaces and greater transparency for consumers.
FEAT director Neo Sala, founder and CEO of Doctor Music, who hosted the meeting, said: “It’s great to finally meet again in person and welcome more new faces among us. There’s a renewed energy to tackle touting, and we have been invigorated by positive changes in national and EU legislation over the last year – demonstrated not least in MCT-Agentur and Rammstein’s recent injunction against Viagogo in Germany.”
Established in January 2019, the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing is a non-profit organisation formed to promote better ticket resale practices across Europe. FEAT’s members are live event professionals from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, as well as EEA members Norway and Switzerland. They include the promoters of festivals such as Nova Rock Festival and Pitchfork Paris, as well as artists including Adele, Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Björk, Iron Maiden, Florence + the Machine, Rolling Stones, Radiohead and Rammstein.