PDA

View Full Version : Smartcard Access System



mclaren
02-11-2009, 04:29 PM
Can't we do something like this? It's the 21st century afterall:
http://www.safc.com/news/?page_id=16833

Don Julio
02-11-2009, 04:44 PM
Fuck that.. Why bother.

spezz44
02-11-2009, 04:50 PM
this was mentioned last week sometime and sounds like a good idea but doubt it will happen this year

I_AM_CANADIAN
02-11-2009, 04:53 PM
That's extremely cool... Hopefully this or something like it lies in the future of Toronto FC.

bdiddy
02-11-2009, 04:54 PM
This should be done for so many different things...

Don Julio
02-11-2009, 05:03 PM
They have this at Eastlands and I would've had to buy a fucking membership and Access card to go to one match.. I really don't see the upside. Do your tickets keep catching fire on the way to the match or something?

Don Julio
02-11-2009, 05:05 PM
Not to mention people get banned for lending the cards to others regularly, and they have an electronic log of when everybody enters and at which gate that they can link to CCTV. Not that I'm up to anything funny, at BMO, but it seems a bit of an invasion of privacy.

mighty_torontofc_2008
02-11-2009, 05:07 PM
these smart cards can fail, can you see going to an important TFC match the your card is not accepted because of a failure....No thanks...keep the paper tickets.

Steve
02-11-2009, 05:08 PM
Not to mention people get banned for lending the cards to others regularly, and they have an electronic log of when everybody enters and at which gate that they can link to CCTV. Not that I'm up to anything funny, at BMO, but it seems a bit of an invasion of privacy.

Yeah... they have that now buddy. Scanner = assigned to a gate, database knows who has which ticket (who it was sold to). The card would not change that at all.

mclaren
02-11-2009, 05:09 PM
They have this at Eastlands and I would've had to buy a fucking membership and Access card to go to one match.. I really don't see the upside. Do your tickets keep catching fire on the way to the match or something?

The new system will make entry to the stadium quick and easy and will also offer enhanced security to both the Club and supporters. Plus, it would be presumably easier to get other games added to your season ticket (friendlies, cup games) so that you can order them online easily as a season ticket holder. Also, it would likely have some effect regards scalping.

mclaren
02-11-2009, 05:10 PM
these smart cards can fail, can you see going to an important TFC match the your card is not accepted because of a failure....No thanks...keep the paper tickets.

Barcodes on printed tickets fail too - happened a few times to me already.

Steve
02-11-2009, 05:12 PM
Barcodes on printed tickets fail too - happened a few times to me already.

Exactly. The tickets right now are barcode based, how is that different? Why not just have a system with a "smartcard" that actually had a barcode on it for season ticket holders, so season's ticket holders don't have to keep track of their tickets, can just keep the card in their wallet?

Parkdale
02-11-2009, 05:12 PM
sorry to burst the bubble, but if they aren't doing it for the Leafs / Raps, then TFC is probably low on their list of places to introduce it.

On the other hand, might be the perfect place to test it out, and then introduce it to the bigger (attendance) teams.

mclaren
02-11-2009, 05:14 PM
They'll be won over slowly - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite :)

Don Julio
02-11-2009, 05:23 PM
There's lots of reasons the team would want this, and almost no reason any reasonable fan would.

I've never been in a line up entering the stadium that would have been helped with a Smart Card.

If I lose a ticket I print a new one, instead of losing the whole season and having to pay $20 for a replacement card.

Any advance against scalping is also an advance against me being able to share tickets with friends.

Security? Have you had a lot of insecure moments entering the stadium?

Steve
02-11-2009, 05:25 PM
There's lots of reasons the team would want this, and almost no reason any reasonable fan would.

I've never been in a line up entering the stadium that would have been helped with a Smart Card.

If I lose a ticket I print a new one, instead of losing the whole season and having to pay $20 for a replacement card.

Any advance against scalping is also an advance against me being able to share tickets with friends.

Security? Have you had a lot of insecure moments entering the stadium?

As a season ticket holder, I would much rather carry around all of my tickets in my wallet at all times, not have to worry about remembering to bring my ticket for the game. As for sharing, you could set it up so you can still email tickets to friends (it would just invalidate the card for that game).

stretchthetruth
02-11-2009, 06:01 PM
There's lots of reasons the team would want this, and almost no reason any reasonable fan would.

I've never been in a line up entering the stadium that would have been helped with a Smart Card.

If I lose a ticket I print a new one, instead of losing the whole season and having to pay $20 for a replacement card.

Any advance against scalping is also an advance against me being able to share tickets with friends.

Security? Have you had a lot of insecure moments entering the stadium?

i'm with you on this one... they'll still do gate searches, etc... i prefer the paper tickets - is nothing sacred?

mclaren
02-11-2009, 08:18 PM
There's lots of reasons the team would want this, and almost no reason any reasonable fan would.

I've never been in a line up entering the stadium that would have been helped with a Smart Card.

If I lose a ticket I print a new one, instead of losing the whole season and having to pay $20 for a replacement card.

Any advance against scalping is also an advance against me being able to share tickets with friends.

Security? Have you had a lot of insecure moments entering the stadium?

Personally I'd prefer one small durable card I can slip in my wallet rather than lots of paper tickets - but that's just my preference.

CanadaLFC
02-12-2009, 09:18 AM
I think the smartcard is a great idea. I would want something i can just stick in my wallet too rather than have paper tickets. The best solution would be to have a smartcard, but if you wanna share with friends, then have the account manager be fully functional too. You could still e-mail, print tickets for friends etc, but have the convenience of a smartcard.

Nuvinho
02-12-2009, 09:24 AM
One word:

Corporate


It is great for the season ticketholder fans. But what about those corporate seats? That is why it is not done for any of MLSE's teams.

jaahuuu
02-12-2009, 09:25 AM
I've got the ticket from the first TFC home game framed hanging on a wall in my bedroom, along with tickets from a few other TFC games, the last game at Yankee Stadium (that I got from an STH), and few Sabres tickets. I'm sure a stack of smart cards sitting in my desk drawer would look just as nice though. :(

JonO
02-12-2009, 09:34 AM
For the most part I agree with Don Julio. There are too many season ticket holders with expensive seats who like to share the costs of ownership and maybe sell a game here and there. A card system could lose the team quite a bit of revenue.

However, if they were to implement a card system as a straight replacement for original paper tickets I think it would alleviate a lot of issues. That is - you don't need the card and can still print/e-mail paper tickets to individual games. If you have printed a ticket, the card will not be usable for that game (just like the orginal tickets are void when you print a copy).

As I see it, such a hybrid system would provide a lot of advantages of both systems...

Jay P
02-12-2009, 09:35 AM
no thanks

KrazyKanadian
02-12-2009, 09:46 AM
If we're going this route, why not implanted RFID chips in our necks that are keyed to our account, so then they can just let us pass right through after running an exhaustive criminal and background check?

/sarcasm

Paper tickets + ability to email copies = win.

Steve
02-12-2009, 09:49 AM
ZOMG Big brother! Everybody run! He might getz us with the thought polize!

olegunnar
02-12-2009, 09:50 AM
For SG sections this would be great.

No paper/e-mail tickets means it's impossible to scalp the tickets (you're not going to lend your card to a stranger).

People are always complaining about tourists in the SG sections...this would get rid of them.

Also too, for friendlies and playoffs...yes I said playoffs...you wouldn't have to worry about what voucher or if you got tickets in the mail or if the TFC e-mails get blocked by your spam filter etc. etc. because the "tickets" would be added to your card automatically.

canadian_bhoy
02-12-2009, 09:58 AM
Can't we do something like this? It's the 21st century afterall:
http://www.safc.com/news/?page_id=16833

This was one of the suggestions I made (toot toot <-- my own horn) in the "what are we getting in our ST packs).

I think this would be amazing to have at BMO.

- No wasteful paper tickets
- Simple easy system for fans
- HARDER FOR SCALPERS TO SELL TICKETS
- quicker lines at the gates
- card can be combo'd with a membership rewards program or even store cash (like the tim hortons card) which can be used at concessions etc. (i.e. more quicker lineS).

olegunnar
02-12-2009, 10:04 AM
- quicker lines at the gates


Especially since the crappy ticket scanners they have now don't work in the sunlight.
So many times I got stuck in a line where the person at the gate was trying to scan people's tickets 4-5 times before it would pick up.
That's not to mention the times when the person at the gate was just pretending to scan tickets. It's fun trying to explain to the staff when you're trying to go out at halftime how you got in the stadium eventhough your ticket hasn't been scanned.

Carts
02-12-2009, 10:15 AM
I would love for this to come to North America one day in the future...

It would seriously hurt the scalping industry - which is a good thing...
It is very "green" without the printing of millions & millions of paper tickets...

Tons more good things about this - but the main one that might actually make it happen one day is the big millionaires that own pro teams in North America could find a way to cut costs and ad revenue with these...

Carts...

TFCREDNWHITE
02-12-2009, 10:23 AM
Absolutely they should have this!!

Thats what i used when i went to a West Ham game at Upton Park, they are already using the smart card system

i say Giddy Up!

Steve
02-12-2009, 10:40 AM
I don't understand why some people are so resistant to change. I would pay extra for the convience of this cards. Have access to the tickettrader on the TFC site? Don't even need a printer, just put it directly on your card. Want to give a friend your ticket? If they have a card, just send it to them, if they don't, lend them your card (make the cards transferable, no reason not to). I see huge positives for the consumer (less waste, fewer tickets to keep track of/remember, ease of use, potential for quicker lines, etc). I see positives for TFC (less money on tickets, reduce scalping problems, etc).

The only potential problem I see with this system is seating organization. By allowing seats to transfer, there is no record of where you are sitting, so they will not be able to keep people in the correct sections. Further, if there is a conflict (someone is sitting in your seat) they would need to bring in a card reader to verify. The only way around this is a hybrid system. Give only season ticket holders the cards, have the seat printed on the card, and the only way to transfer tickets to a friend is email (not transfer to their card)

denime
02-12-2009, 10:52 AM
Bring it on,it is 21 century after all.

Some of you mention privacy, our privacy was fu*^ed long time ago and now smart card at soccer game will hurt us . :smilielol5:

It will hurt F*^@ING SCALPERS more than any of us,that why I would like to see it tomorrow if possible.

JonO
02-12-2009, 10:57 AM
Bring it on,it is 21 century after all.

Some of you mention privacy, our privacy was fu*^ed long time ago and now smart card at soccer game will hurt us . :smilielol5:

It will hurt F*^@ING SCALPERS more than any of us,that why I would like to see it tomorrow if possible.
It will hurt those peope in the expensive seats almost as much as scalpers. The team needs to make money too...

For the supporters group section absolutely. Outside of that I'm not so sure it would fly...

Cashcleaner
02-12-2009, 10:58 AM
I don't really see what the advantage is here with the smartcard system. You still need to line up to go through a turnstile. You still need to have your bags checked by security. Barcodes can still fail if printed on paper or stamped on plastic.

C_Bhoy's idea of tying it up with the ticket holder discount scheme or rewards would be cool, though.

denime
02-12-2009, 10:59 AM
It will hurt those peope in the expensive seats almost as much as scalpers. The team needs to make money too...

For the supporters group section absolutely. Outside of that I'm not so sure it would fly...

Why?

mclaren
02-12-2009, 11:17 AM
By the way - another reason - the environment! MLSE doesn't have to cut down a forest each season for paper tickets.

canadian_bhoy
02-12-2009, 11:20 AM
It will hurt those peope in the expensive seats almost as much as scalpers. The team needs to make money too...

For the supporters group section absolutely. Outside of that I'm not so sure it would fly...

Just brainstorming - but you could always offer a "addtional card" for giving to friends etc, which you would only load certain games onto. You could then give that card to clients. I'm sure business clients would get pretty excited about getting a card to take to the game.

Additional fee for the card too = extra revenue.

rocker
02-12-2009, 11:39 AM
what do they do in England or Scotland, where these cards exist already?

seems unlikely that those fans don't give tickets to relatives or friends too. or are they just so dedicated that they attend every single match themselves and there are no scalpers or corporate types?

jaahuuu
02-13-2009, 09:11 AM
- quicker lines at the gates
I don't think it would be that much quicker, you'd still have to go through the security check. Additionally it could still take 2 or 3 tried to read a barcode printed on a card or read a magnetic strip or rfid tags, just like it currently does with the paper tickets.


By the way - another reason - the environment! MLSE doesn't have to cut down a forest each season for paper tickets.
Doesn't plastic come from crude oil?

Once you add up all the production costs making 16,000 cards, plus 4,000 paper tickets for each game, probably isn't much different than making 20,000 tickets for each game. The paper tickets could also be recycled and reprinted into new tickets. I remember something about plastic losing certain properties each time its recycled, so the cards couldn't be made in to new cards.

olegunnar
02-13-2009, 09:23 AM
I think the quicker at the gates argument is thinking of a metropass style turnstyle rather than a bmo staff person trying to scan a card

I think until ticketmaster comes up with a smart card (which I doubt) we're stuck with them.

Maybe one of the many MLSE/TFC employees that post here can let us know how much longer the agreement with ticketmaster is for...and how much the buyout/escape clause is.
I'd bet it's big enough to squash any thoughts of a smart card.

akoto
02-13-2009, 09:31 AM
the 16,000 would be a one off, instead of 16,000 paper tickets EACH game. 16,000 x 18 games = 288,000 tickets not printed (in theory).

jaahuuu
02-13-2009, 12:04 PM
the 16,000 would be a one off, instead of 16,000 paper tickets EACH game. 16,000 x 18 games = 288,000 tickets not printed (in theory).
I know, that was what I meant. I just couldn't convey that in words.

mlsintoronto
02-13-2009, 01:27 PM
This is a topical subject because we're starting to study some European "membership schemes" that might fundamentally change the way we all buy and use tickets to games.

For example - at many EPL clubs there is no one who gets to a match who isn't a card carrying, fee paying member. If you have season tickets and you cannot attend a match (over there) you can't assign them to anyone who doesn't carry a card. The card carriers could be at any of a number of levels of membership. From what I've seen the membership starts at £25 and goes to £50+.

This would all but eliminate scalping ... but it would make being a season seat holder feel very different. If you normally use your tickets with 1 or 2 friends then they could become members and you could easily share your season with them. But if you are a small business owner and you want to give a pair of tickets to a client....that wouldn't be possible.

I'm interested in (yes Kingpin - free market research) your thoughts - especially those of you who have lived abroad and are familiar with these types of arrangements.

Wagner
02-13-2009, 01:31 PM
1st card is Free (part of your Season Ticket Package)
2nd card is $5
3rd card is $10

That way guys that split the tix can still go.

I go to every game, and if i miss a game, i give the tix to my sister or dad, so i could easily drop off my membership card with them for the weekend.

If we can get rid of the scalpers, i'd be all for it.

I kind of like the idea of having my TFC card in my wallet, and not worry about printing off tix...

Rochdale
02-13-2009, 01:38 PM
This has been in placed for years in the Australian Football League.

Wagner
02-13-2009, 01:44 PM
i wonder if they have an idea of how many tix are currently with scalpers...like would 4,000 tix become available if this was implemented?

are we the guinea pigs for MLSE?

for example, do you need an MLSE card to go to any game? like if you want to go to one Raptors game, you'll need to buy your card one time, and that's your card for all Sports in toronto (except jays and argos)...
i bet that is where this is going...

mlsintoronto
02-13-2009, 01:52 PM
i wonder if they have an idea of how many tix are currently with scalpers...like would 4,000 tix become available if this was implemented?

are we the guinea pigs for MLSE?

for example, do you need an MLSE card to go to any game? like if you want to go to one Raptors game, you'll need to buy your card one time, and that's your card for all Sports in toronto (except jays and argos)...
i bet that is where this is going...

not really. This is just me thinking about two issues and trying to understand how other football cultures deal with them. The issues are: 1) way more demand than supply, and a desire to find a way to share the games among the largest possible group, and 2)the issue of being able to sell games quickly. for example after we win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship (knock wood), we have a two-game play play-in for the CCL. The first game of the CCL will be a short 13 games later. This timing issue comes up in a number of scenarios for Toronto FC as a result of us playing in a number of tournaments at once. This doesn't exist in other Canadian pro sports.

Item 2 is the root of the reason for me doing this research. The scalping thing would be an added benefit.

And if I had to guess how many tickets are with scalpers, I'd say less than 100.

Roogsy
02-13-2009, 01:55 PM
not really. This is just me thinking about two issues and trying to understand how other football cultures deal with them. The issues are: 1) way more demand than supply, and a desire to find a way to share the games among the largest possible group, and 2)the issue of being able to sell games quickly. for example after we win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship (knock wood), we have a two-game play play-in for the CCL. The first game of the CCL will be a short 13 games later. This timing issue comes up in a number of scenarios for Toronto FC as a result of us playing in a number of tournaments at once. This doesn't exist in other Canadian pro sports.

Item 2 is the root of the reason for me doing this research. The scalping thing would be an added benefit.

And if I had to guess how many tickets are with scalpers, I'd say less than 100.

I am with you all the way Paul but this last statement is ridiculous. I'd say you have between 500 and 1000 tickets in the hands of scalpers.

Wagner
02-13-2009, 01:59 PM
not really. This is just me thinking about two issues and trying to understand how other football cultures deal with them. The issues are: 1) way more demand than supply, and a desire to find a way to share the games among the largest possible group, and 2)the issue of being able to sell games quickly. for example after we win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship (knock wood), we have a two-game play play-in for the CCL. The first game of the CCL will be a short 13 games later. This timing issue comes up in a number of scenarios for Toronto FC as a result of us playing in a number of tournaments at once. This doesn't exist in other Canadian pro sports.

Item 2 is the root of the reason for me doing this research. The scalping thing would be an added benefit.

And if I had to guess how many tickets are with scalpers, I'd say less than 100.

I know you're not in a position to really spill the beans...
but 100 seems really low.
there are those guys with 6,8, 10 tix. There's that guy on Stubhub that flaunts his 10 tix.
(there's currently 60 just for the home opener on stub hub)
http://www.stubhub.com/toronto-fc-tickets/toronto-fc-vs-sounders-4-4-2009-791165/

that doesn't count the degenerates at the GO station, the prince's gates, in front of the Automotive building, and the bold ones in Lot J.
i guess it'll also penalize the regular guy that tries to make a buck off the Galaxy game.

Rudi
02-13-2009, 02:00 PM
And if I had to guess how many tickets are with scalpers, I'd say less than 100.
Surely you jest.

ExiledRed
02-13-2009, 02:00 PM
This is a topical subject because we're starting to study some European "membership schemes" that might fundamentally change the way we all buy and use tickets to games.

For example - at many EPL clubs there is no one who gets to a match who isn't a card carrying, fee paying member. If you have season tickets and you cannot attend a match (over there) you can't assign them to anyone who doesn't carry a card. The card carriers could be at any of a number of levels of membership. From what I've seen the membership starts at £25 and goes to £50+.

This would all but eliminate scalping ... but it would make being a season seat holder feel very different. If you normally use your tickets with 1 or 2 friends then they could become members and you could easily share your season with them. But if you are a small business owner and you want to give a pair of tickets to a client....that wouldn't be possible.

I'm interested in (yes Kingpin - free market research) your thoughts - especially those of you who have lived abroad and are familiar with these types of arrangements.

So I have two season tickets, but l'm assuming I'll only receive one membership card?

Am I able to bring a guest, who has no membership card?

mlsintoronto
02-13-2009, 02:00 PM
I am with you all the way Paul but this last statement is ridiculous. I'd say you have between 500 and 1000 tickets in the hands of scalpers.

sorry - to be clear... fewer than 100 season tickets...which would account for 1800 tickets out there in the marketplace on a regular basis. Then you factor in the people who scalp a pair here and there...who knows? you may be right.

Roogsy
02-13-2009, 02:02 PM
sorry - to be clear... fewer than 100 season tickets...which would account for 1800 tickets out there in the marketplace on a regular basis. Then you factor in the people who scalp a pair here and there...who knows? you may be right.

Ah...I hear you.

I concur.

Roogsy
02-13-2009, 02:03 PM
So I have two season tickets, but l'm assuming I'll only receive one membership card?

Am I able to bring a guest, who has no membership card?

I don't think they have details on that, he's just musing about the possiblity but would need to know first what issues there are. Bringing a non-sth would obviously be at the top of how to deal with it.

Wagner
02-13-2009, 02:04 PM
sorry - to be clear... fewer than 100 season tickets...which would account for 1800 tickets out there in the marketplace on a regular basis. Then you factor in the people who scalp a pair here and there...who knows? you may be right.

I see what you're saying...
100 people on your list of 8000 Season ticketholders are hardcore scalpers...and they represent x number of tix...

so are there guys with 20 tickets?
100 x 20 = 2000....
if that's the case, don't you have the right to revoke tix for virutally no reason? you could probably make something up about behaviour unbecoming of the club...

AL-MO
02-13-2009, 02:04 PM
For example - at many EPL clubs there is no one who gets to a match who isn't a card carrying, fee paying member. If you have season tickets and you cannot attend a match (over there) you can't assign them to anyone who doesn't carry a card. The card carriers could be at any of a number of levels of membership. From what I've seen the membership starts at £25 and goes to £50+.



Not saying you are going to do it......but I hope this is not considered as it seems a bit overkill.

There are reasons for why they do things in the UK, and I don't think we have the same problems here.

mlsintoronto
02-13-2009, 02:04 PM
So I have two season tickets, but l'm assuming I'll only receive one membership card?

Am I able to bring a guest, who has no membership card?

I think you'd register a membership in your name, and provide the name of the other person. Then (perhaps) as Wagner suggests we'd provide some other memberships with some sort of limit per account. these are the logistical questions I need to do more research on. but suffice to say all people you'd potentially bring to a game would have to be members.

This feels pretty onerous to me (as a consumer) but seems to work over in Europe. Perhaps some of these rules have evolved out of the security concerns they'd had to endure in the past 50 years?

mlsintoronto
02-13-2009, 02:06 PM
Not saying you are going to do it......but I hope this is not considered as it seems a bit overkill.

There are reasons for why they do things in the UK, and I don't think we have the same problems here.

Agreed - but I do like some of the benefits...for both the club and the supporter.

Roogsy
02-13-2009, 02:08 PM
Honestly Paul...the ability to print tickets from the ticket manager is a fantastic feature you guys put in place. Maybe building on that would be a better idea. Such as for selling tickets for games that come up fast like the CCL you mention.

brad
02-13-2009, 02:10 PM
Not saying you are going to do it......but I hope this is not considered as it seems a bit overkill.

There are reasons for why they do things in the UK, and I don't think we have the same problems here.

Wasn't controlling the hooligan element the primary driving force for the hard edge - no membership, no access policy in the UK?

olegunnar
02-13-2009, 02:11 PM
1st card is Free (part of your Season Ticket Package)
2nd card is $5
3rd card is $10



I think that would be the way to go....with higher prices of course.

Each seat would get a card, but you could buy extra cards. The same as with printouts though...once it's scanned in the other "copies" are voided for that day.

That way company X has season's tickets, they could give cards to a client for a game, then get them to mail it back, or pick it up at some point.

For Joe Shmoe going to the cottage, he could give a card to his friends, and then get them to give it back (or swear they'll never try and use it) to him when he's back from the cottage.

For people like me that will go to everygame, I won't buy an extra card.

The fact that the first scan voids the other cards on the account would get rid of scalpers. Who's to say the person they scalp home opener tickets to won't try and go to everygame after that with the card, and knowing that potential buyers will be wary.

ExiledRed
02-13-2009, 02:12 PM
This feels pretty onerous to me (as a consumer) but seems to work over in Europe. Perhaps some of these rules have evolved out of the security concerns they'd had to endure in the past 50 years?

You'd be correct, the ID system was pushed for by the police if I remember correctly, and it was a response to hooliganism and a way of keeping 'known hooligans' out of football grounds.

Parkdale
02-13-2009, 02:12 PM
Ease of access is critical. If you can't use a ticket without registering for a card, people will just end up wasting tickets.

as an example:

A client of mine was given quality raps tickets from his boss. My client passed these seats on to me as 'thanks' for a project I worked on. I went to the game with my friend. Right there, my friend is 3 generations away from the boss of my client's company, who might not even have been the original ticket holder himself. If someone that far down the chain had to register in order to use the ticket, it would probably end up going to waste.

and in the end, two girls sat in front of us who had ZERO interest in the game, as they showed up at the half, spent the whole time on their phones and looking at pics on a digital camera, and then left with 10 minutes left in the 4th. I don't care if people like that ever make it out to see TFC, but we shouldn't limit them. (yes, they were both hot and I spent a good amount of time looking over their shoulder at the pics on their camera.)

SLBuu
02-13-2009, 02:12 PM
I think you'd register a membership in your name, and provide the name of the other person. Then (perhaps) as Wagner suggests we'd provide some other memberships with some sort of limit per account. these are the logistical questions I need to do more research on. but suffice to say all people you'd potentially bring to a game would have to be members.

This feels pretty onerous to me (as a consumer) but seems to work over in Europe. Perhaps some of these rules have evolved out of the security concerns they'd had to endure in the past 50 years?

Bingo!

scut farkus
02-13-2009, 02:15 PM
I went to a Bayern Munich game years ago with my cousin. He had seats in the supporter's section, which came with a picture ID card...no tickets. The rest of the stadium was ticketed though.
What people would do to get around it was buy a non-supporter's section ticket to get into the stadium and then sneak into the supporter's section with a friend's ID and your thumb over the picture.
If I'm not mistaken, there was a specific turnstile gate just for card carrying supporters.

ExiledRed
02-13-2009, 02:16 PM
I think it would be nonsense at this stage of the game, when the future development of the clubs supporter base depends on 'new' people, who would be deterred by having to buy a membership card.

For instance, In the last two seasons, I have introduced about three people to TFC who have used my extra ticket more than once. They keep coming back when my ticket is available to them, and their support grows each time, now they catch the games they dont attend on TV.

Had they been required to each get a membership card, they wouldn't have come.

nfitz
02-13-2009, 02:16 PM
I think you'd register a membership in your name, and provide the name of the other person. Then (perhaps) as Wagner suggests we'd provide some other memberships with some sort of limit per account. these are the logistical questions I need to do more research on. but suffice to say all people you'd potentially bring to a game would have to be members.

Most of the time this would work. Where this falls apart though, is one wants to bring a guest who wouldn't attend more than a game or two all season. For example, I've had an extra ticket, and then brought a friend's child with me; hang-on then, I'll have to pay $$$ to do that once a year? Or a relative from Vancouver, Seattle, Montreal, or New York City may be in town, once every few years. The end result is that someone who would get exposure to the team, doesn't.

The plan itself may make sense; there just needs to be a simple mechanism for occasional guests. Perhaps 2-3 coupons a year with the tickets for such guests (kind of like the new City of Toronto garbage tags).

And then there are the single game tickets.

Before going this route though, I'd think simply cracking down on individual scalpers is a start. It's pretty easy from Craigs list, E-bay, etc., to identify some major scalping going on.

werewolf
02-13-2009, 02:18 PM
A combination of e-tickets and cards might work well.

Issue cards to everyone with their seats on it (1 card per seat), but give an option of e-mailing individual games (satisfy corporations in Parkdale-type seats).

Eliminate having to bring the tickets that will be mailed to us usually. I also find people are more hesitant about buying the paper printouts from scalpers as those can be photocopied and what not.

AL-MO
02-13-2009, 02:21 PM
Wasn't controlling the hooligan element the primary driving force for the hard edge - no membership, no access policy in the UK?

That is what I was getting at.....

Parkdale
02-13-2009, 02:23 PM
(satisfy corporations in Parkdale-type seats)



ahaha... I know you just used my name as an example because of the story I posted, but I still have a laugh at corporate seats being referred to as 'parkdale-type'

mlsintoronto
02-13-2009, 02:25 PM
Honestly Paul...the ability to print tickets from the ticket manager is a fantastic feature you guys put in place. Maybe building on that would be a better idea. Such as for selling tickets for games that come up fast like the CCL you mention.

This feature (just playing devil's advocate) is also a scalper's wet dream. "no more picking up and delivering tickets? and MLSE offers it to me for free? "

turns out we're enabling them. But I am looking into the legalities of whether we can turn off this feature for the most obvious offenders.

Parkdale
02-13-2009, 02:30 PM
turns out we're enabling them. But I am looking into the legalities of whether we can turn off this feature for the most obvious offenders.



there's got to be a cap limit for the system. If more than X number of tickets have been transfered, then it takes a phonecall to get it turned back on.

RPB_RED_NATION_RPB
02-13-2009, 02:41 PM
This was one of the suggestions I made (toot toot <-- my own horn) in the "what are we getting in our ST packs).

I think this would be amazing to have at BMO.

- No wasteful paper tickets
- Simple easy system for fans
- HARDER FOR SCALPERS TO SELL TICKETS
- quicker lines at the gates
- card can be combo'd with a membership rewards program or even store cash (like the tim hortons card) which can be used at concessions etc. (i.e. more quicker lineS).

Not really cause you'll always have the option to print off tickets...if you cant go!

Stencils
02-13-2009, 02:54 PM
Just curious. How many people have seen the worst scalpers trying to sell printed off tickets?

I would be incredibly reluctant to buy a printout ticket from someone as shady as a scalper.

JonO
02-13-2009, 03:06 PM
A combination of e-tickets and cards might work well.

Issue cards to everyone with their seats on it (1 card per seat), but give an option of e-mailing individual games (satisfy corporations in Parkdale-type seats).

Eliminate having to bring the tickets that will be mailed to us usually. I also find people are more hesitant about buying the paper printouts from scalpers as those can be photocopied and what not.
I agree with this - it's right along the lines of what I posted on the 1st page :cool:

JonO
02-13-2009, 03:07 PM
Why?
I think that a good number of the expensive seats are company seats that people like to give to employees/clients/etc...