Mobile ticketing at 2010 Soccer World Cup?

With less than 350 days until kick-off in the first of the 64 matches to be played in the South African 2010 Soccer World Cup, the tension is rising as the availability of tickets decreases. The second phase of tickets sales ends in just over a month with just two more chances to purchase prior to the World Cup. Looking at the immensity of organisation involved in selling over 3 million tickets for this mega-event, it is easy to see how mobile ticketing has a major role to play in future sporting events.

Mobile ticketing is the process whereby customers can order, pay for, obtain and validate tickets from any location and at any time using their cellphones. Juniper Research forecasts that by 2013 there will be in excess of 400 million mobile ticket users and the total gross mobile ticketing transaction value will reach $92 billion by the same year. Their report goes on to state that the sectors leading this mobile ticketing initiative will be transport, followed by entertainment and then sporting events.

South Africa has one of the highest cellphone penetration rates in the world plus more consumers access the mobile Internet than through fixed line Internet points. This trend is only set to increase and South Africa would do well to capitalise on the mobile ticketing trend for the 2010 World Cup.

There are several obstacles facing a smooth transition to mobile ticketing over paper ticketing including bar code reading issues, a lack of reader infrastructure and the availability of Near Field Communications (NFC) handsets however the advantages offered by mobile ticketing and receipting outweigh the initial investment required.

Just some of the cost-cutting advantages offered by mobile ticketing include reduced production and distribution costs. Traditional paper-based ticketing channels rely on more personnel and infrastructure than a mobile platform. The elimination of human error and opportunity for fraud reduces risk for event organisers. Mobile tickets cannot be photocopied, mobile receipts can be tracked and tickets can easily be blocked or cancelled in the event of fraud. In the event of an emergency in the sporting stadium such as a fire, the mobile database gathered from mobile ticket sales can be used to control evacuation proceedings.

In addition to these cost savings, mobile ticketing also affords the chance to offer additional services and products to users of the system thus increasing revenue streams. The convenience afforded by immediate accessibility to information has several advantages for event organisers. Mobile ticketing applications do not have to be limited strictly to event ticket sales; they can extend to airline tickets, taxi bookings, hotel bookings as well as tourism information and business location SMS services. Additional revenue is easily generated through add-on value services to the ticket purchase. This can include subscription services for score updates, the purchase of memorabilia and other information about the tournament.

Mobile ticketing still relies either on the cellular network operator allowing the ticket purchase price to be added onto the users’ phone bill or by deducting airtime credits or the creation of a mobile wallet that allows the user to directly charge stored value or their credit card with the purchase. A move in the latter direction is more likely as event organisers would not have to split the revenue generated with the network operator.

For mobile ticketing to be successful, a stable and secure SMS Gateway Provider is required. We have this in South Africa as well as the potential users; close to 100% of the population are already using SMS text messaging with confidence. There will never be a better time to roll out mobile ticketing features in South Africa than for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

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