Unscrupulous individuals seek to acquire tickets using automated software
In the world of live entertainment, ticket touting using software bots has become a significant issue, particularly for high-demand events like concerts and sporting competitions. These bots, equipped with advanced tools, often circumvent purchase limits and buy tickets in bulk, leading to rapid sellouts on primary markets and expensive resales on secondary platforms.
To combat this issue, Eventim, the second-largest ticket vendor globally, has taken a proactive approach. The company, which is a stock-listed entity and also organises concerts itself, has built its own platform, Fansale, to prevent abuse and fraud on secondary markets.
Fansale offers a secure, official resale channel integrated within Eventim's ecosystem. This controlled resale environment ensures ticket validity and prevents fraud, a common issue in third-party platforms dominated by scalpers and bots. By centralizing all buyer data (primary and secondary ticket holders) in Fansale, Eventim maintains direct communication with fans, allowing them to send updates, directions, or exclusive offers, thus enhancing the fan experience and protecting the brand.
Last year, there was a low double-digit number of unauthorized resales of Taylor Swift tickets on Eventim's platform. However, due to the bot requests, Eventim was able to prevent such purchases. It's worth noting that the private resale of tickets is generally allowed in Germany.
Eventim's CEO, Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, leads the company's efforts to tackle ticket touting. The company sells tickets for a variety of events, ranging from concerts to theater performances and sporting events.
Eventim's strategy enables the company to reduce the negative effects of automated ticket scalping, protect fans from fraud, and preserve fairer access to tickets for large-scale events. The company operates venues, including the Waldbühne in Berlin.
While Eventim is making strides in combating ticket touting, it's important to note that Live Nation Entertainment remains the largest ticket vendor globally. Eventim has been operating the Fansale platform since 2007 and receives millions of bot requests during major onsales.
Event promoters can also prohibit commercial resale to further combat ticket touting. Despite these efforts, ticket touts continue to use software in mass to secure tickets. However, with platforms like Fansale, the fight against ticket touting and bot scalping is ongoing, aiming to provide a fairer and safer environment for fans and event organisers alike.
- In light of the ongoing issue of ticket touting at sports events, Eventim, a major player in the cybersecurity realm, is applying its technology to combat the problem.
- Being aware that sports-betting and sports-analysis communities are also targeted by cybersecurity threats, Eventim sees potential for expanding its services to safeguard these industries from fraud and manipulation.
- In parallel to setting a benchmark in the live entertainment sector with its robust anti-tout measures, Eventim envisions a future where its expertise in technology can contribute to enhancing the overall safety and fairness of other high-demand markets.
