HKRFU Statement:
Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens 2007 Ticket Sales

Regarding comments received from some people who were unable to purchase tickets at the public ticket sale for the Hong Kong Sevens 2007 (held at the Hong Kong Stadium on December 9 2006), the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is releasing the following statement:

Based on our past ticket sales experience, the HKRFU established a ticket sales policy that has proved to be effective and ensures the greatest possible number of tickets are made available for local fans within the capacity constraints of the Hong Kong Stadium.

This procedure had been successfully used for the previous two years when persons who came to the stadium were able to purchase tickets in as fair and safe manner as possible.

In 2007:

• 6000 tickets were allocated for the Ticket Sale and in the interest of public safety ( lessons learnt from previous rugby / other non-rugby ticket sales ) persons were issued "coupons", on a ‘first come, first served' basis in order to clearly identify their position in the queue. They were then escorted into the stadium, starting from 0730 am to wait for the ticket sales to commence.
• Allowances were made for the possibility of purchasers not requiring their full allocation of tickets ( four ) by issuing a controlled amount of “extra” coupons, with a proviso that these persons would only be able to purchase tickets , if the previous coupon holders did not take their full allocation.
• In the event, all 6000 tickets were sold to both the original and "extra" coupon holders but in a strictly "first come, first served" basis.
• No tickets were sold until the HKRFU had ensured a greater than sufficient number of people with purchasing coupons had been admitted to the stadium to account for all 6,000 tickets for sale. This commenced shortly before noon.
• To discourage touting and preserve the integrity of the ticket purchasing process, each ticket purchaser was required to provide their personal details and identification before purchasing their tickets.
• The 6,000 tickets allocated for public sale in Hong Kong combined with the tickets sold locally through other channels, including Rugby Clubs, Associations, Mini, Youth and Schools, Sponsors and Patrons account for 85% of ticket sales.
• The remaining 15% are allocated to Overseas Unions, the IRB, participating teams and Overseas Travel Agents.
• The HKRFU believes that the ticketing policy has been successful in allowing the significant majority of tickets to be sold within Hong Kong whilst at the same time ensuring the unrivalled international atmosphere of the Hong Kong Sevens being played before a full stadium.
• The HKRFU understands the disappointment of members of the public who were unable to secure tickets at the Public Ticket Sale and will continue to review the ticket sales policy ( including suggestions / points identified at this years sales ) with the aim of ensuring the greatest number of event tickets possible are available locally and sold in a fair manner.

The increasing demand for tickets is an unavoidable aspect of the success of the Hong Kong Sevens, and the significant numbers of early purchasers sleeping overnight outside the Stadium and large queues at breakfast time have not been seen since pre-handover times.

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