Abu Dhabi-based Flash Entertainment reported that masses of people were being turned away at composer Yanni’s (pictured) concert last month due to counterfeit tickets.
The organiser has warned concert-goers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to be hyper vigilant when purchasing rickets online via resale sites.
Flash said some of the fake Yanni tickets cost fans up to eight times more than standard cost.
For a Dh1,000 ($272/£208/€242) Yanni ticket, some fans dished out Dh8,000 and were turned away at the door after the barcodes were deemed invalid.
“They had purchased very expensive tickets that didn’t exist,” said John Lickrish, chief executive of Flash Entertainment, according to The National.
“We did our best to accommodate them and move people and try to find seats. We try to make sure our fans and customers get the best service possible.”
The company also said passes for tenor Andrea Bocelli’s concerts in Abu Dhabi in April were being resold before they were even released by official vendors Ticketmaster.ae and Virgin.
“That just blew me away,” Lickrish said. “I talked to ticketing and asked how many tickets had been sold and they said they hadn’t sold any yet.
“We keep telling people don’t buy tickets unless it’s through our registered ticket agents. And we are not doing that for any other reason than to prevent people from disappointment.
“Because even if it’s a secondary site it means they have already purchased from us. It affects me as a promoter when I have customers coming and they are unable to get in. We just want to get it out there to say it’s nothing we are doing or we can prevent. We have tried.”
Image: Tomás Del Coro
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