Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

A24 technology
Tuesday 27 augusT 2019
Frustrated with event ticketing? New ventures try to help

By JAMIE STENGLE has the effect of actually
Associated Press driving those crazy second-
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — ary market prices down."
Event organizers hoping to Those working with Lyte
eliminate ticket scams and have included Mumford
huge markups in the sec- & Sons, the Newport Folk
ondary market are increas- Festival and the Coachella
ingly turning to companies Valley Music and Arts Festi-
that use technology to al- val.
low fans to buy and resell Thomas Cussins, president
their tickets while putting of Oakland, California-
caps on prices. based Ineffable Music,
Partnering with such com- which owns and operates
panies allows event orga- clubs and festivals, said the
nizers to take control of the number of their tickets that
resale of their tickets. Fans are scalped was cut in half
who can't go can return by partnering with Lyte.
their tickets, which can be Newport Beach, California-
reissued to someone who based FlipTix focuses on
wants to go, helping en- selling the time remaining if
sure that venues are filled someone leaves an event
with fans. like a festival. CEO Jaime
"As in many other areas of Siegel said tickets aren't
our economy, technology sold for above face value
is racing ahead to try and and what the seller gets
address some of the issues varies from event to event.
that we and others have Kaaboo Texas partnered
identified — and any con- with FlipTix for its multiday
sumer who has tried to buy In this photo taken Friday, June 21, 2019, FlipTix CEO Jaime Siegel demonstrates his company's festival in Arlington, Texas,
a ticket recently can prob- application at the Clusterfest comedy event in San Francisco. in May. Other partners
ably attest to," said John Associated Press have included Clusterfest,
Breyault of the National a comedy festival in San
Consumers League. acts — and don't end up Dice. be better," Campbell said, Francisco, and the Sonic
The U.S. ticketing industry with fake tickets. The secondary market, adding that her company Temple Art and Music Festi-
is sporadically regulated: "We make a really, really though, does give those offers guarantees to buyers val in Columbus, Ohio.
Pursuit of those who violate concerted effort to keep buying and selling tickets and sellers. Ali Coffman, 37, of Okla-
the law by using ticket-buy- our ticket prices as low as options: Sellers can pick the With the San Francisco- homa City, planned to at-
ing software known as bots we possibly can to make asking prices, and buyers based online ticket ex- tend just one day of Kaa-
is rare, and laws capping sure that people have a may be able to find tickets change Lyte, those return- boo Texas, so when fam-
the resale price of tickets good fan experience," said at below face value. ing tickets to sold out shows ily members wanted to go
are difficult to enforce. Megan Gaver, director of Aimee Campbell, a spokes- are offered a price — usu- the next day, she decided
"I think it's great that there's operations at Sound Night- woman for StubHub, the ally a full refund though to try Fliptix, which she had
a lot of entrepreneurial ac- club. world's largest ticket mar- sometimes a bit more or a just heard about.
tivity in this space because Tickets to events are ketplace, said that on av- bit less, depending on how "It's very easy, foolproof. If
this market is pretty bro- bought on the Dice app, erage, about half of their oversold they are, said CEO you have a smartphone,
ken, but I also think some then delivered and linked tickets sell for face value and founder Ant Taylor. anybody can do it," she
government intervention to the buyer's cellphone. If or below. She also said the Tickets are resold at price said
would help too," said Eric an event sells out, a wait- notion of face value is "be- lower than they're going for Coffman said she almost
Budish, a University of Chi- list starts. Ticketholders who coming fairly obsolete" as on the secondary market, always buys tickets from
cago economics professor. can't make it can return some primary ticket sell- he said. the venue, so it wasn't until
Sound Nightclub in Los tickets for a full refund. ers have started adjusting "What actually ends up she confirmed with the box
Angeles decided to work The app also lets someone ticket prices based on de- happening is the scalpers office that FlipTix was part-
with London-based mobile send their ticket to a friend. mand. who are sitting in the sec- nered with the festival that
ticketing company Dice "We just cut off the scalp- "We do believe that an ondary market are having she bought from them.
to make sure that fans pay ers' supply completely," open market — where the a much harder time finding "I'm very cautious about
the price they've set — usu- said Shanna Jade, head of market sort of figures itself buyers and making mon- buying tickets because
ally $15 to $30 for musical music for North America for out — is going to ultimately ey," Taylor said. "And so it I've had so many friends

British airports to introduce 3D screening for carry-on bags

LONDON (AP) — Putting ports. Under current security re- under the new screening to other British airports by
small containers of liquids Transport Secretary Grant strictions, passengers are regime and passengers Dec. 1, 2022, the govern-
in plastic bags could soon Shapps said in a statement not allowed containers may also be able to keep ment said. Heathrow CEO
be a thing of the past for that the new technology carrying more than 100 electrical equipment such John Holland Kaye says
airline passengers in Brit- will improve security and milliliters (3.38 fluid ounces) as their laptops in their the technology "will trans-
ain after the government could also mean "an end of liquids in their carry-on cabin bags. The screeners form the passenger expe-
announced plans Sunday to passengers having to luggage and the contain- already are being used in rience, making air travel
to introduce 3D screening use plastic bags or ration- ers have to be in a clear trials at London's Heath- simple, streamlined and
equipment for carry-on ing what they take away plastic bag. row Airport and they will more secure through the
luggage at all major air- with them." That could come to an end progressively be rolled out U.K.'s only hub airport."q