Ticketing market issues
The excitement of attending a major concert or sporting event in the Gulf is often overshadowed by the frustration about quick sold-outs and their impact. Tickets sell out in minutes, only to reappear very soon on secondary platforms at already much higher prices. This situation undermines consumer trust and complicates business for the event industry. Fortunately, new technologies, such as innovative ticketing platforms and intelligent systems, are being introduced to improve the ticketing process and make it more secure and fair in the region’s live entertainment industry.
The Scalping Problem: A Threat to Fan Trust and Market Growth
The secondary ticket market faces two primary issues for fans and organisers. The first is the huge scale of uncontrolled reselling. Scalpers use sophisticated automated bots to purchase large quantities of tickets the moment they go on sale, creating a contrived scarcity. It’s considered that about 10% of tickets sold in the primary market are later resold by scalpers or other third parties. From the financial point of view, ticket scalping can be very profitable. At high-demand events, scalpers make hundreds to thousands of dollars. A study of 20 concerts found that resold tickets were, on average, twice as expensive as face value tickets. In some hot event cases, tickets can appear on the secondary market priced as much as 70 times their original value.
The second issue is the risk of fraud. Even as technology improves, fake tickets and scams remain a serious concern, particularly on unregulated marketplaces or social media. Fraudsters produce cloned versions of official platforms or use false identities to trick fans into purchasing invalid tickets. This not only results in financial losses for fans who are often turned away at the event but also damages the reputations of event organisers and artists. In a region that is investing heavily in its entertainment and live events scene, safeguarding fans and ensuring safe, reliable ticketing is not just desirable – it is absolutely essential for building a sustainable industry.
Safetickets as Security Solutions
The first step toward solving the issue of fraud was the implementation of advanced security technologies by specialised platforms, where you can learn about the events and buy tickets instantly. For example, Platinumlist utilises its SafeTickets system, which relies on secure dynamic mobile tickets. These tickets are protected with dynamic QR codes for extra security and are accessible exclusively through the Platinumlist mobile app, making them difficult to copy or forward. Implementing this at events of up to 50,000 capacity has already led to a drop in fraud reports by nearly 85%. Moreover, near-zero fake ticket cases were reported for events using Platinumlist’s dynamic QR code technology. Security is an important part of their service, which also includes fast secured payments and refund guarantee options to build fan trust.
However, these advancements are only the beginning. The industry is trending toward even tighter security measures. The central idea is to connect each ticket to a verified individual identity, making it nearly impossible to duplicate or transfer tickets illegitimately.
Platforms are implementing verified fan programs that require pre-registration, a move that helps to screen out bots and bulk buyers before tickets even go on sale. For events with heightened security needs, organisers are now tying tickets directly to the purchaser’s name and checking identification at the entrance. These methods create a high-confidence barrier that protects both fans and the event’s integrity.
The most secure systems combine these approaches. Such models demonstrate that with the right technology, large-scale events can be managed securely and efficiently.
Fan-to-Fan Exchange as an Ethical Resale Solution
The second step was creating a closed-loop, fan-to-fan exchange. When platforms implement resale price caps, they can effectively eliminate the profit incentive for scalpers while still allowing genuine fans to resell tickets they can no longer use. This approach proves that speculation isn’t the norm. In such communities, the majority of fans are not looking to profit – given a safe tool, 80% of fans resold their tickets at face value, and the average markup on the remaining 20% was just 45%. This framework ensures that the secondary market operates fairly.
Consumer Safety as a Business Priority
For the Gulf’s live entertainment industry to expand, ticketing can’t be an afterthought. It has to be considered core infrastructure. Secure, fair ticketing isn’t just a bonus; it builds reputation and drives growth. Platforms that understand this, the ones that prioritise fans, ultimately protect their own interests. Their strategy connects business success with fan trust. By implementing advanced ID verification, blockchain, and carefully controlled fan exchanges, the business demonstrates what the future could be. It’s possible to expand, ensure fan safety, and advance the entire industry – all at the same time.
