As the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships climaxes today, there are again calls for more fairness in the sale of tickets for the event.
A recommendation has been made by Sports Management Consultant, Carole Beckford, for the process to be out-sourced to third party entities for better efficiency.
Complaints about the ticket situation have been long standing as tickets are not available to be purchased in advance, and when they become available shortly before the event there is a scramble with often unpleasant consequences.
“If you can’t manage, there is no harm in asking for help…..and there are certain things, like ticketing are outsourced. Leave that kind of a thing to the experts that know - all I’m asking is that for 2018, let us find a better solution. Let’s open it up to a new set of patrons.”
She also suggested that the organisers are missing out on larger markets because of the current approach.
“Sports is big. It is the premier event anywhere this side of the world. So there is revenue, all I’m recommending is a solution so that a consumer or patron can have access to as best as possible and there are days that tickets will get sold out. This is as franchises sell only a certain amount of season passes . They sell only a certain amount of early bird passes and then there are the other passes for those who come first (they) get served first….it’s very simple.”
According to Beckford the tourism component to the event needs to be explored.
“Market Champs, market Kingston. Whether you’re going to do it where hotels buy tickets and book room as a package - there are opportunities for that.”
Traffic changes
There will be traffic changes in areas surrounding the National Stadium to accommodate patrons on the final day of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships.
Several roads leading to the venue will be converted to one way.
“Such as Arthur Wint Drive, Roosevelt Avenue, coming up Mountain View Avenue and coming down to the National Stadium ……. So that we can have that free flow going out. There will be the normal traffic restrictions in that zone. We crave the understanding of persons who live in those zones, in terms of any intermittent delay that they may experience. But we will have senior officers on the ground at the critical points,” said head of the Highway and Traffic Division, Senior Superintendent Calvin Allen.
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