Digital security system gives pop festival Edge over touts

A NEW scheme is being piloted in the Capital in a bid to crack down on ticket touts.

The Edge Festival, formerly T On The Fringe, has used a system whereby music fans are sent a digitally coded ticket which includes personal data that can be checked at the venue.

During the registration process, users upload a passport- quality image of themselves.

And when the ticket is read at the door by a portable handheld machine, it flashes up an image of the ticket-holder, letting stewards check it is the same person.

Tickall, the company behind the new technology, is confident that it will provide a way to beat touts, who have targeted a number of high-profile events in Edinburgh in recent years.

The technology could be used at other Capital events. The company has been working with music promoter DF Concerts, which decided to trial the system for the first time at the Edge Festival, which includes performances by Raconteurs and Paolo Nutini.

Paul McGlynn, co-founder of Tickall, said: "We're more interested in validating who the person is rather than validating the ticket. This is more scientific than registering for the gym or anything like that. We would be 100 per cent confident that this would stamp out touting."

He said that as few as one fifth of ticket-holders at a recent gig were found to have originally bought the ticket – indicating the prevalence of the problem.

When registered, a wallet card is issued containing details of the user's name, address and photo. This card is scanned at a gig to show the registered buyer is actually the person using the ticket.

In order to avoid the problem of people being unable to sell tickets if they intended to go but are then unable to, the website offers the ability to add friends, such as on a social networking site, and pass the ticket to one of them.

There is also a governed sale section but, to keep out touts, Tickall sells the ticket for the user at face value to other users.

"This is stopping the problem of one person buying a vast array of tickets and selling them on. You just can't do it," said Mr McGlynn. "We want to grow this service and we will be looking at other large events that we can do this at."

Around 500 sets of tickets for last year's rugby World Cup game between Scotland and the All Blacks were touted for up to 200 per cent of face value. And tickets to last year's Hogmanay appeared on eBay before the event had even sold out.

Dave Corbet, promoter of Edge, said: "What is remarkable about Tickall is that despite being a relatively new idea, the system has worked operationally, even in its early stages. In the future, ticket touts systems like Tickall will be incredibly valuable and will help to protect genuine music fans."