Public ballot attracts record 27,000 participants

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After the completion of today's public ballot draw at Olympic House, the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) has confirmed that the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens has sold out for a 12th consecutive year in 2015.

With an extended three-month registration period implemented in late 2014, the ballot attracted a record 27,007 applicants, generating over 134,000 specific ticket requests for the 9,000 individual day tickets available.

The overwhelming response to the public ballot - on top of the 37,000 tickets already distributed through local rugby clubs, overseas ticket agents, participating teams and event stakeholders and patrons, reinforces the pressing need for a larger home for the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens than the present 40,000-seat capacity of the Hong Kong Stadium.

The 9,000 individual day tickets distributed through the ballot will bring the Hong Kong Stadium to maximum capacity for this year's Sevens. 120,000 cumulative spectators are expected to attend the world-famous Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, which marks the 40th anniversary of sevens in Hong Kong in 2015.

Successful entrants drawn in today's ballot will be notified by email and will have seven days in which to make their payment (17:00 on 11 February 2015).

With the completion of today's public ballot draw, interested spectators still needing a ticket are encouraged to visit one of the 55 international websites run by viagogo, the official ticket marketplace of the Hong Kong Sevens.

To combat the historic incidences of touting and counterfeit tickets around the Hong Kong Sevens, the HKRFU engaged in a new partnership with international ticket marketplace viagogo to create a safe, transparent and convenient market for secondary ticket sales.

viagogo is the world's largest ticket marketplace. It enables people to buy and sell any ticket to any live event, anywhere in the world, using the language, currency and device of their choice. Today there are over four million tickets available on viagogo's network of global websites.

Vern Reid, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union said, "Like most major international sports and entertainment events, the Hong Kong Sevens has been afflicted by ticket touting and the sale of illegitimate tickets on the secondary market.

"As ticket touting is not an illegal offence in Hong Kong, the HKRFU decided to engage with an international ticket re-seller to provide the maximum confidence and convenience for spectators who want to attend HKRFU events, even after the box office has sold out."

Viagogo was established to improve access to live events and to clean up the ticketing market by introducing new levels of consumer protection. viagogo guarantees every transaction with sellers not being paid until the purchaser has successfully been granted entry to the event.

The HKRFU believes that partnering with viagogo will not only ensure confidence amongst interested spectators but also improve access to tickets for HKRFU events. viagogo provides a highly convenient method for ticket holders who want to sell tickets for the days that they are not able to attend, generating additional supply in the marketplace.

In partnering with viagogo, the HKRFU is following the successful model of the Scottish Rugby Union. The partnership in Scotland has helped reduce complaints about fake tickets to virtually zero and has greatly reduced the presence of nuisance sellers outside of the stadium on event days.

The viagogo pricing mechanism also works to ensure that only the most competitively priced tickets appear in a single page of the Hong Kong Sevens section of the viagogo website. The lowest priced tickets are listed first, thus sellers are incentivised to price tickets competitively to ensure the highest number of potential buyers views their offers.

The viagogo pricing mechanism has proven to be highly effective in regulating ticket prices on the secondary market. Since the start of the partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union, the average price for a ticket for Scotland games on viagogo has reduced by up to 50%.

Overall, around half of the tickets available on the viagogo platform sell for face value or less.

The HKRFU is continuing to work with viagogo on ensuring the widest access to tickets for the Hong Kong Sevens and its other international events while introducing greater regulation and confidence in the secondary market.

Currently both parties are exploring the option of establishing an on-event presence for viagogo at this year's Sevens, enabling fans with tickets they cannot use to return them on-event for sale to spectators without tickets removing the need for spectators to engage in the shadow market.

More details of the HKRFU's efforts to ensure maximum distribution of tickets for interested spectators will be announced once confirmed.

To learn more about viagogo, please visit: http://www.viagogo.com/about