Wolftrap sold out (Wolf Trap: appointed, for sale, 2014)

[SmartMoney]

I was disappointed to receive my Wolftrap calendar with several concerts sold out, apparently long enough in advance to label the sales brochure mailed out showing several concerts as totally sold out. I hop over to stub hub dot com and found well over 150 tickets for sale at 5x the original cost. Normally, I could care less about most venues, but Wolftrap is a National Park built on tax dollars, my tax dollars.

Bad move Wolftrap for allowing runaway ticket purchases to occur.

[johnsonkk]

Clearly its a supply and demand market. With sports, 80% of resale tickets are below the original price. If people/ companies want to profit by being aware of these sales timelines, then how could sellers prohibit this? The sales timelines are published, how is a seller to know if the buyer is the actual user or if they should delay selling tickets because of slow buyers?

Seems like the system is working. But not everyone is happy.

[Ffxdata]

Were you interested in seeing a sold out show? I got the same mailer and wasn't surprised at the ones that were sold out (Dolly Parton, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me). Even at the crazy resale costs, Wolftrap is still cheaper and more accessible than at most other venues where these acts play.

I had no trouble getting tickets through Wolftrap official for Jim Gaffigan last summer even though it ended up being a sold out show. I guess I don't see the problem per se. Tickets are often resold like this. I don't think it's always professionals doing the reselling.

[Carlingtonian]

For some events, you have to really pounce to get tickets. We bought Flight of the Conchords tickets the morning they went on sale (online), and they were sold out about two hours later.

[hertfordshire]

It's not Wolf Trap's fault. No matter what venue ... more shows sell out quicker because everyone purchases online now. Gone are the days of either camping out at the box office or going to the record store in the mall to buy your show tickets. You log on the second the tickets go live, and you snatch up what you can or else it's gone.

Frankly, I think the mailer has become a relic, and they could probably explore if that money should be spent elsewhere.

[Scratch33]

It's a racket alright:

New York’s Attorney General Explains Exactly Why All of Your Favorite Shows Sell Out Immediately

Automated bots — which are prohibited in New York State — use multiple IP addresses to get around sites’ standard four-tickets-per-customer rules. Once they scoop up tickets, they resell them for high prices on third-party sites. In 2014, a bot grabbed 1,012 U2 tickets to the Garden in the first minute they were available; more than 15,000 tickets were bought by two bots that day, and some that had been sold for $350 were resold for $1,249.

[gomason]

What is your point again?

Nationals Park was built completely w tax dollars too as well as other venues probably.

[SmartMoney]

Originally Posted by gomason

What is your point again?

Nationals Park was built completely w tax dollars too as well as other venues probably.

My point, the special sales for donors only. I guess it was a post someone was talking about they donated $500 and that gave them the right to purchase 50 tickets. Average mark up $175 (grass seating), $200+ for other seats, put him ahead over $8K for one tax deductible donation. Sure, I understand sports tickets, but you must buy season tickets, and you can't purchase prime seats in bulk from the window.

There's no jumping on these seats as soon as they are available, they are gone by the time they are released to the general public.

No, I guess I will try this new way of making some pocket change and getting my tickets. If the mark up is so much this far out, imagine as you get closer.

[SmartMoney]

Originally Posted by gomason

What is your point again?

Nationals Park was built completely w tax dollars too as well as other venues probably.

Not even close. Actually, Wolftrap is the ONLY National Park devoted to the performing arts. Nationals Park was built by proffers, from the local government, on the backs of DC residents. I guess you weren't around for the bloodbath of where Nat's Park was to be built?

[hertfordshire]

Originally Posted by SmartMoney

My point, the special sales for donors only. I guess it was a post someone was talking about they donated $500 and that gave them the right to purchase 50 tickets. Average mark up $175 (grass seating), $200+ for other seats, put him ahead over $8K for one tax deductible donation. Sure, I understand sports tickets, but you must buy season tickets, and you can't purchase prime seats in bulk from the window.

There's no jumping on these seats as soon as they are available, they are gone by the time they are released to the general public.

No, I guess I will try this new way of making some pocket change and getting my tickets. If the mark up is so much this far out, imagine as you get closer.

Presales are common at all venues. There's the fan club presales, the credit card holder presales, the venue supporter presales. Definitely not unique to Wolf Trap.