11/09/2024
Winter is definitely gone and the sun ☀️ is out. Summer is here! We're getting into what I call the business part of the year and events are happening all over the place. I thought I would take us on a journey as we prepare each other for the upcoming events season.
I am going to give us what I'm calling "The Ten Commandments of Being a Good Concertgoer in Zimbabwe"
And today we kick off with two.
1. Thou shalt buy tickets early!
Tickets, Tickets, Tickets!
In Zimbabwe, one of the biggest challenges for concert organizers is getting attendees to buy tickets in advance. Many people wait until the last minute, overwhelming the gate on the day of the event.
Often, when things go wrong—whether it’s seating, toilets, or vendors—organizers are unfairly blamed. The truth is, if tickets aren’t purchased early, the organizers are left planning in the dark. Without knowing how many people to expect, they can't properly prepare.
You can’t expect organizers to gamble. These are businesses, and profits must be realized. No one in their right mind would prepare for 5,000 guests when only 700 advance tickets have been sold.
Buying your tickets early has several advantages:
Save money!
Most events now offer "early bird" tickets at a discounted price. Take advantage and save yourself some cash.
Improve your experience!
Early ticket sales help organizers plan better, ensuring a smoother event for everyone.
Additionally, we need to start reducing or eliminating cash transactions at events. By promoting online and advance ticket sales, we can prevent the sale of counterfeit tickets, avoid rogue bouncers, and reduce the risk of handling large amounts of cash.
Some events should even adopt a "no tickets at the gate" policy. If tickets must be sold on the day, let’s use plastic money—swipe cards, Ecocash, OneMoney, InnBucks, and the like.
2. Thou shalt buy authentic tickets!
I cannot stress this enough: Please, please, please, I beseech thee brethren, please buy your tickets from official and authorized outlets only.
Even if you're buying at the gate, organizers will have official ticket booths. Use them.
The practice of buying tickets from dubious sources, rogue bouncers, or unofficial vendors has to stop if we want to grow this industry. Luckily, we now have ticketing companies that use technology to detect counterfeit tickets.
Buying fake tickets will either result in paying twice (which is more expensive) or being denied entry to the event. Save yourself the hassle—buy authentic tickets from authorized sources. Copied