Christopher BarrettAnti-touting organisation the Face-value European Alliance For Ticketing (FEAT) has published a guide, aimed at promoters and agents, with the aim of helping them to stamp out nefarious secondary ticketing activity prior to their events.
The Stop Touting: A Guide to Personalised Tickets in Europe report includes a step-by-step guide on how to implement a tout-proof personalised tickets system.
The report is led by Scumeck Sabottka, director of FEAT and the CEO Berlin-based promoter MCT-Agentur. An outspoken opponent of for-profit secondary ticketing operators, Sabottka has overseen shows with personalised tickets for acts including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nick Cave, Kraftwerk, Rammstein, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Björk and Massive Attack.
The guide shows how ticket personalisation can be carried out successfully and straightforwardly, without risking long entry queues or putting the reputation of an agent or promoter on the line.
It also surveys the landscape across Europe, including:
- The size of the issue in various European countries
- Specific rules and regulations to be aware of in each territory
- Suggested ticketing platforms that can be used to curb touting
The European secondary ticketing market was valued at €1.66 billion in 2020 in spite of the pandemic, and is predicted to grow to €2.29bn by 2023, according to Intellectual Research Partners.
FEAT director Sabottka said, “My hope is that the live business will use this pandemic-induced standstill to improve the way we sell tickets, and protect artists, fans and our own businesses from these ticket touting vampires”.
Guide contributor Nicole Jacobsen, MD and co-owner of tickets.de, said, “I really hope this guide can begin to give the live sector the confidence it needs to make personalised ticketing part of its practice.”
Download the guide for free here.