Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas is suffering a backlash and loss of business over their strict ticketing policies for Garth Brooks’ show.
Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn are under the spotlight again, but this time it’s in scrutiny over the strict policies that govern the sales of tickets to Garth’s live show. Fans and brokers alike are furious that the policy does not allow for transfer or resale of tickets. In fact, the National Association of Ticket Brokers have even pulled their summer conference from the Wynn hotel, losing them hundreds of thousands of guests! Why you ask?
The Wynn’s ticketing system requires that you identify who is going to use the tickets you purchase at the time of sale, which prevents you from transferring those tickets to anyone else. Sure, that means a ticket broker can’t buy lumps of tickets, mark them up, then sell them to the highest bidder, but it also means that once you buy the ticket, you are out the money. What if you get sick and can’t go? What if there’s a convention in town and you can’t get a flight in or a hotel room? What if for any reason you are unable to attend the concert? You are out the money you spent. You can’t give the tickets to your little sister. You can’t let your friend go in your place. Hell, even radio stations can’t give them away as a prize! Then, on the day of the show when you don’t check in at Will-Call, Wynn re-sells the very same seats he told you NOT to resell, doubling HIS income for the ticket. How does that make him any different than a ticket broker?
I’m on the fans side. If Wynn wanted to control the ticket sales in a way that doesn’t screw fans, then he should have used a reservation system instead of a ticket system. Treat each seat like one of his precious hotel rooms. Reserve seats or tables by the individual name, and allow people up to a certain deadline to cancel or change their reservation. I’m sure, being a hotel owner, that he is VERY familiar with that concept. He can charge attrition if a person waits too long to cancel. He can re-sell seats if they don’t show up. It’s a no-brainer.
If they want to control who uses that seat then don’t use the now standard practice of tickets that are expected to be bartered, resold, etc. What do YOU think?
