London 2012's corporate hospitality ticket gamble
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So now we finally know how hard it's going to be for the public to get a ticket to watch Usain Bolt in the 100 metres final at the 2012 Olympics. London 2012 chairman Lord Coe has told ´óÏó´«Ã½ London that only half of the tickets for the big nights will be available to ordinary fans.
Sponsors, corporate hospitality and VIPs have often snapped up many of the tickets for high-profile events at previous Games.
On the day 2012 tickets went on sale, Coe said: "We're still working through it but I can tell you that it is probably more likely to be 50% for something like the 100m final or the opening ceremony. But that's the way this whole process works."
I was talking to some young adults visiting the Olympic Park the other day and they believed the percentages should be much higher because so much public money has gone into the project.
Sponsors would argue, of course, that they play a key role in funding the Games and they are not allowed any advertising in the stadium. Offering tickets to clients and staff is therefore important to them.
The tickets for corporate hospitality will be the most expensive ever - around £270,000 for a package of tickets for the opening ceremony.
But we've spoken to 20 top companies which usually entertain clients at sports events and there's a feeling in the market that the prices of the packages are too high and that they are not flexible enough.
So 2012 may have a battle on their hands selling them. That matters because the free tickets being offered to schoolchildren in London and across the country are being funded by corporate hospitality sales.
I've been asking 2012 officials for a long time about how many tickets the public will have a chance to buy for the big nights. I'm glad we have finally got some clarity.
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I'm ´óÏó´«Ã½ London's Olympics Correspondent, which means I report on every aspect of the preparations for 2012. I'm going to be telling you what people are saying about London's preparations - both in the Olympic corridors of power and on the streets of the capital - and I want to hear your views.
Comment number 1.
At 16th Mar 2011, Jordan D wrote:Just for completeness, how many seats will be going to the Media and be made available to other athletes. My experience of Athens is that a healthy proportion of seats go to both these groups, neither of which are reported above.
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Comment number 2.
At 16th Mar 2011, AdamAntsDiscoPants wrote:Ridiculous that fans can't get in whilst fat cats do. Not good for sport.
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Comment number 3.
At 16th Mar 2011, hainba wrote:Lord Coe "But that's the way this whole process works" - one word arrogant!
But this time in an economic downturn it may not work and we have seen at Wembley / Wimbledon when the prime seats are empty that it does not look good on TV.
This time was the chance to rather than do 50/50 (or less) to do 60/40 or even 55/45 in favour of the public, the finances would've been little worse as a result but so what!
Here's hoping that some of these tickets now have to come back into the public pool to avoid those embarassing empty seats....
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Comment number 4.
At 17th Mar 2011, hainba wrote:Sorry Adrian but your article has been so well hidden that no one is commenting.
I wonder why, moderators would be working overtime I guess.
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Comment number 5.
At 27th Mar 2011, Pete wrote:I have just been filling in my application, but have found that I am being restricted to only 20 sessions in Total. Why?
I have over 40 sessions I wish to go too, 3 per day, but I can not do that under the present system. I am also doubling up on a couple of sessions (i.e Chosing 2 different sessions at the same time) in case I do not win tickets of one of them. If I win both, then they will be offered back when the exchange opens.
If we (general public) are expected to support the Oylmpic then we should be able to book up any numner of session and only be restricted on the number of tickets we can buy for those sessions.
Would it be possible to investigate this, as I only have 4 weeks left to get an application in, and I do want to go to all the sessions I have listed.
Pete Wadsworth
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