Editorial | Urbtix system not quite the ticket to stop Hong Kong touts
- An upgraded Urbtix ticketing facility is long overdue and making purchases for events should be less stressful, but it does not address the problem of scalping
Hong Kong’s concertgoers have long suffered frustration when trying to buy tickets for popular events.
Hours spent staring at a computer screen have often ended in disappointment, with tickets sold out on official channels and scalpers offering them at inflated prices. There is a need for this to change, and the launch of an upgraded ticketing system last week is long overdue.
The government-run Urban Ticketing System (Urbtix) can now cope with 20,000 concurrent users, 10 times the previous capacity. This may be increased to 100,000 if necessary and it should enable speedier purchases.
Customers are able to see where they are in the queue and there is also an estimate of how long they can expect to wait. The system, relying on cloud computing and offered by a new contractor, provides interactive seating plans and a new app offers a range of e-payment options.
The new system is welcome, even though the roll-out was later than expected. It is too early to say whether it will end the suffering of fans, but the technology should, at least, deliver a better user experience.
However, problems with ticket touts remain. Popular boy band Mirror introduced a real-name registration system for a series of summer concerts after problems emerged with scalpers offering tickets at greatly inflated prices.
