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Entertainment News

How to avoid getting played at your next concert

Lights, music, a night with those you love, and probably the band/artist you have been dreaming of watching live, who doesn't love a good concert? But are you paying the cost of being scammed?

By Paul George

info@thearabianstories.com

Friday, October 25, 2024

You can probably picture this: Your favourite band/artist has just announced a tour, and they are coming over to your city/country, and the tickets are dropping in a few days. The anticipation grows, you have analysed the best seats, the savings can wait because memories are forever, and all that is left is for you to keep your devices charged and refreshed for the tickets to go live. You log in and put in your credentials, and as soon as the tickets go live, you find yourself in a queue that feels like the world is before you. Disappointed, you give up, only to find out that the tickets are now being sold elsewhere for an exponentially high rate.

If you are one of the fortunate ones who never had to experience this, then you should be aware of a world of scams that many have fallen for when it comes to events. To make sure you never go through a bitter experience like that and have the best night of your life, jamming to the songs you love, we had a chat with a veteran in the events business in Oman to figure out all about these scams.

While having a conversation with G. Ramesh, CEO, Orbit Events Management LLC, he emphasized the the main rules and regulations regarding ticketing for events/concerts in Oman.

“Procedure is relatively straight forward. For any event/concert, we need to get approval from the concerned Ministry. For example, for a cultural program, it would be Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth Affairs. For a corporate event, it would be the Ministry of Commerce, Industries and Investment Promotion.

Once the approval is obtained, ticket artwork must be approved by Muscat Municipality (MM). They will issue MM number. This MM number must be printed on the ticket,” said G. Ramesh.

If you have been keeping tabs on what’s happening with the Coldplay concert that is to take place in Mumbai, then you know there’s a world of controversy associated with it. Tickets are being sold in black, organizers are under scrutiny, and there is a possible chance that the event may get cancelled. 

“I tried getting in, but the app that I was booking through crashed,” said John, from Mumbai, who, along with his wife, was hoping to snag the tickets.

Fans online found innovative ways to watch their favourite band by tracking the next show in Abu Dhabi and finding out that with the amount they would pay for purchasing the ticket in black online, they could fund a trip to Abu Dhabi, watch the show, spend a day or two and come back.

G. Ramesh shared his perspective on facing the hurdles of having tickets sold in the black and how they ensure it doesn’t happen in Oman.

“Such occurrences are far and few in Oman. However, due diligence of event organizers and ticket selling platforms must be done. 

If the tickets are sold physically, the sale of tickets in black for a higher cost is difficult to control.

If it is offline physical sale of tickets, the ticket booklets must be taken to Municipality along with an official letter, along with event approval. Municipality charges 10% of the ticket value mentioned on the tickets. Upon payment, tickets are physically stamped by them, and those can be sold.  

If tickets are sold online, the same 10% needs to be paid. A letter stating the same with event approval must be submitted. It is likely that Municipality will allow the sale of tickets to happen and payment of the Municipality fee to be made as per the bonafide report of the ticket-selling platform,” he emphasized.

It is your right to ask when there’s proof that unfair practices have been used, but it’s also prudent to be cautious and avoid suspicious websites.

In the spirit of being cautious, G. Ramesh stressed that “Due diligence of event organizer and ticketing platform are the ways to prevent getting scammed. 

Most organizers mention what happens in case of cancellation of the said event. Consumer must go through the fine print to ensure they are safeguarded.”

It’s time to open your calendars and plan your next concert. With the winter season kicking in, there are a lot of events coming up soon in Oman, so make sure you have your devices ready, and your wits sharpened to ensure you have the best time ever.  


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