Prepping for presales
Before tickets are sold to the general public there are always "presales". Presales can be a misnomer: for example each year 18,800 Sevens tickets are "pre-sold" to season ticket holders, rugby clubs, hospitality companies and so on. Another 7700 are distributed to Sevens' teams and commercial partners. Just 8500 of the 35,000 tickets are sold direct to the wider public.
So the first rule of ticket buying is to get a head start on direct ticket sales. Try these tips:
- Join your favourite band's email list or social network page (Facebook or MySpace). You'll get information on tour dates, band members and - crucially - presales.
- Create Ticketmaster and Ticketek accounts. You can customise your account so that ticket alerts and presale options for your preferred events are sent directly to your inbox.
- Sign up with major promoters like Frontier Touring Company and Chugg Entertainment. It's their business to advertise upcoming gigs - and presale options often come as part of the marketing package.
- Register with your local venue. Some clubs and pubs sell gig tickets online. If you frequent a venue, join its email list for updates on events.
- Buy season tickets for your favourite team. If your team performs well, you'll get first go on semi-final and final tickets. Many season tickets also come with presale options for related events held at your home ground.
Buy with thunder
Event organisers differ in their approach to selling tickets. The NZI Sevens' organisers rely on presales whereas bands sell most tickets direct to the public.
Successful ticket buyers need determination and organisation:
- Find out what company is selling tickets and the exact time tickets go on sale.
- Pre-register with the ticketing company. You can log in your details (including your credit card number) and save yourself precious seconds when sales begin.
- Set yourself up next to a powerful computer (log on before the event goes on sale). Watch the clock closely ...
- Attack from different angles. Get one friend to phone the ticketing company while another buys tickets online.
- Stay cool. Online pages will take longer to upload if there's heavy traffic. Simply refresh the page if the server "times out". Likewise phone calls will take longer to get through. Be patient.
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