When Metallica plays the 02 in London, ENG on September 15, they will be using Ticketmaster’s new paperless ticket system for the first time in Europe. Ticketmaster first used this new technology in the United States on Tom Waits’ Doom and Glitter theatre tour this past June and July.
More than 15,000 people are expected to attend the event but tickets will not exchange hands, because fans will not have to wait at box offices to collect tickets. Customers using a credit card/Visa Debit Card to purchase their tickets will not be sent a ticket but rather, will only be required to arrive at the venue with their credit card and photo ID. Their card will then be swiped, they will be given a receipt, and they will then be granted entry to the event.
“The drive behind this innovative ticketing technology is our continued desire to provide our clients with new ways to provide quick and secure ticketing systems for their events,” said Ticketmaster’s Managing Director Chris Edmonds in a statement.
Concerts are not the only live events embracing the paperless ticketing technology; collegiate and professional sports teams are beginning to use it, too.
Tickets to the upcoming football season at the University of Alabama have gone paperless, and the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers are the first team to use paperless tickets via Flash Seats.
The trend of paperless ticketing was also a featured topic at the recent Ticket Summit 2008 in Las Vegas, NV, this past July.
