Illicit ticket vendors looking to acquire passes through automated means
In the world of ticketing, Eventim, a publicly traded company based in Germany, stands as the second-largest ticket provider globally, following Live Nation Entertainment from the USA. Eventim's services extend to the sale of tickets for concerts, theater performances, and sporting events, as well as the organisation of events and management of venues like the Waldbühne in Berlin.
However, the issue of ticket scalping, where speculators acquire tickets to resell them at high prices on unauthorized secondary markets, is a common challenge. To combat this practice, Eventim has developed a multi-faceted strategy.
Firstly, Eventim imposes strict ticket purchasing limits per individual. For high-demand events like Ed Sheeran's tour, the company enforces a maximum of 6 tickets per person per show to give more fans fair access. Purchases that show signs of bot activity or attempts to bypass the limit through multiple accounts are cancelled to prevent scalpers from hoarding tickets.
Secondly, Eventim verifies the identity of buyers and links their devices to a unique identifier, such as the Brazilian individual taxpayer registry. This measure disallows ticket purchases across devices with the same identifier or reusing identifiers on different devices, helping to combat resale fraud.
Thirdly, Eventim employs technology to detect and cancel suspicious or bot-like transactions. This proactive approach helps maintain fair ticket availability and reduces scalping opportunities on Eventim's platform.
In addition to these measures, Eventim operates the Fansale platform, a secure resale platform where customers can resell tickets safely and transparently. Fansale functions as a controlled secondary market, connecting verified sellers and buyers under Eventim’s terms, ensuring tickets remain legitimate and pricing remains fair.
Eventim's decision to build its own resale platform was driven by the issues of gouging, abuse, and fraud that have occurred on unauthorized secondary market platforms in the past. By operating at cost, Fansale aims to provide a more transparent and fair market for ticket resales.
It's important to note that private ticket reselling is generally allowed in Germany, but event organizers can prohibit commercial reselling. Despite this, bot requests for tickets occur at all events, particularly at large sporting events like the Olympics and when prominent artists like Ed Sheeran are performing. CTS Eventim CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg reports millions of bot requests during major ticket onsales.
In Hamm, Eventim offers news updates on local events, joining regional ticket provider Live Nation Entertainment. Last year, Eventim temporarily suspended the reselling of Taylor Swift tickets after a hacker attack, highlighting the company's commitment to maintaining a secure ticketing environment. Despite occasional challenges, Eventim's proactive approach to ticket scalping continues to ensure fair access to events for fans.
Cybersecurity measures are vital in Eventim's strategy to combat ticket scalping on their platform, as they employ technology to detect and cancel suspicious transactions, protecting the system from bot activity and ensuring fair ticket availability. Moreover, the company operates Fansale, a secure resale platform that operates at cost and provides a fair and transparent market for ticket resales, addressing concerns about gouging, abuse, and fraud on unauthorized secondary markets.
