Updated at 11pm with additional ticket information
While some fans of singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran were celebrating after securing newly-released tickets for his upcoming Qatar concert, others voiced their frustration after they went on sale an hour earlier than advertised.
Due to high demand for his concert in Doha on March 3, the event organizers announced last week that additional tickets would go on sale online from 10am today.
However, just after 9am today, fans reported on Facebook that they had already successfully bought tickets. Many other fans trying to access the ticket website closer to 10am complained that the site kept freezing.
Tickets for the silver (QR250) and gold (QR350) sections had already sold out before 10am, some residents said. By approximately 10:25am, all online tickets appeared to have been snapped up.
Iconic Advertising & Events, which is the local company managing the performance, advised fans to keep trying the website as it was receiving a high volume of traffic.
However, the website message had been triggered by an automatic timer on the ticket system, which reserves tickets for a period to enable the user to put in their card details and make the transaction.
This was resolved after the initial rush, and as of this evening, there were still 300 tickets available to buy online, according to ILoveQatar (ILQ), which managed the ticket sales website for the event organizers.
By mid-afternoon, some fans reported the glitch had been resolved and they had been able to book more tickets through the online system.
Khalifa Al Haroon, Founder and CEO of ILQ, told Doha News: “We are sorry that some fans had issues trying to book their tickets earlier today. We hope everyone who wanted tickets has managed to get them after the system updated itself and released the reserved tickets.”
Organizer’s advice
Just before 10am, Iconic issued a statement on its Facebook page advising fans that tickets could also be bought in person at the Grand Hyatt hotel, where the first phase of tickets were sold.
It also confirmed that the concert had moved halls within Qatar National Convention Center and, to increase capacity, would be mostly standing, with a limited number of seats available for those who had bought tickets in the first batch which went on sale last November.
However, these will be restricted “on a first come, first served basis with a priority to less able bodied people, families with children under 12 years old, pregnant woman and OAP’s,” the company said.
It also advises that tickets can be upgraded at the Grand Hyatt from 10am today until Feb. 4. Refunds on original tickets will be available from Feb. 4 to Feb. 7, 10am to 6pm at the Grand Hyatt ticket sales point.
A hotel spokesman told Doha News that tickets went on sale from 10:30am.
The situation caused confusion and frustration among fans, who complained on Iconic Qatar’s Facebook page for the event.
Michelle Arscott Njuguna said: “It is a shame that you didn’t publicise earlier re tickets also being vailable at grand hyatt! Also fact tickets have been pen before 10!”
John Hill said: ” 10:23am sold out already? are u kidding me? how many tickets were sold? the info said selling time starts at 10am, what happened?”
However, others were delighted to have secured their place to see the singer perform.
https://twitter.com/AbdullaAlsuliti/status/562219844662071296
Did you buy tickets today? Thoughts?
Why is anyone even surprised by these stories anymore? Ticket holders to sporting events not being let into the venue. Last-minute announcements on big-name performers’ concerts being cancelled — then suddenly NOT being cancelled. Selling high-profile tickets off before they were advertised as being on sale.
Don’t hold your breath expecting things to change anytime soon, people.
I’ll be amazed if they have their act together in time for 2022.
owe come!On! Susan! Qatar did host international artisits such as Pharrell, Gwen, Jason & Kylie at a ‘sporting’ event with little or no complaints… in such a short time… I attended 3 of thsese 4 and am an expat.. and I not only enjoyed it but was amazed how quickly and efficiently the organizers handled the sports & the concerts… don’t be so negative..it is not all that bad..these kind of website errors happen all the time. what about Coachella or even a lollapalooza or Yeezus tour..ticket sales start and sell-out almost simultaneously.. check out Lusail Multipurpose Hall… which was set up in a very short time and came out higher than expectations with high standards.. yes indeed ‘you’ will be so amazed in 2022
Are you one of those who still thinks Qatar will host? 😉
Yeah I’m hearin’ ya Susan, wondering now whether this concert venue is going to have everyone standing up packed like sardines in a tin…so we can expect painful to get in (and hope no ones stolen ur seat), stand up for hours and then fight the crush for another few hours trying to get out..is this why they are offering refunds? cause it suddenly doesn’t sound like a lot of fun no more..
Are you kidding me ???? This has completely crashed
Just turn up really early and your be able to jib your way in without a ticket no problem
Had to Google OAP:
“Accepted United Kingdom shortened form of Old Age Pensioner (OAP) and used on official documents in this form.”
“A pensioner is a person who collects a pension, most commonly because of a retirement from the workforce.[1] This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia where someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an ‘old age pensioner’, or OAP. In the United States, the term retiree is more common, and in New Zealand, the term superannuitant is commonly used.”
I never lived in the UK, it seems like the author thinks everybody knows this acronym.
I’m a fan of your comments 🙂
Not the author’s choice, it is a quote from Iconic – which is a local company.
I know what a “quote” is, but it needed an explanation…
I was wondering, do we even have OAP’s here, as an expat you are not allowed to work after a certain age. so your Work visa will expire and have to leave.. in the case of Brits you will draw your pension from the UK. do the Qatari govt. have a pension scheme for locals?
Yes, 15% of the basic salary and social allowance of all Qataris is deposited in the pension fund, the fund pays back at the rate of the basic salary, no allowances except social allowance. Pensioner needs to have completed 25 years of service and be aged 60.
If less than 25 years of service, it’s taken pro-rata, if under 60 the deduction is 2% per year.
Hth.
Thanks @osamaalassiry:disqus very informative.
Woooeee that’s pretty good. How do I become a Qatari? (P.S. I can’t run, or play football or handball, and I’m skint)
Do you have a stereotypical 1970s gay moustache? I think that that might get you in. 😉
You can’t.
There is an expat QS here who has worked in the GCC for the last 30years or so and is now well over 65. In this time he has had any trace of social graces replaced by absolute rudeness and he unfortunately looks remarkably like Gollum. Don’t make the mistake of staying too long.
According to the comedy show Little Britain, OAP stands for ‘Old and Putrid’ lol…
Thank you! I had no idea what this meant. Not all of us are Brits!
And by author I guess you are referring to the person from the promotion company that has botched this up?
B. Zedd I also attended Qatar Handball on the night of the Pharrel concert. A group of Woman who had tickets center stage could not use them as…….another group had already decided to just wander down to the front and sit in the vacant seats. The general rule at handball was don’t buy an expensive ticket as once inside just go and sit where you want. They did ask the Steward to intervene and move them but he was just ignored….
I can more than see the same happening at Ed Sheerans concert.
The usual shambles awaits……….
Same here 🙂
Same situation, we got in with our tickets and went to our designated seats. There were unticketed thobe wearers in our seats, refused to move, security refused to do anything. Little do they know that they’ll soon be on YouTube, `evil laugh`
I hope you asked someone from the group, and not just the security guard. My friends and I wandered closer to the front, since those seats had been vacated after the match, but if someone had shown us tickets for those same seats, we would have gone back to our own seats.
I was able to buy a vip ticket today after 2 and a half hours. It was hard and really chaotic. I felt so hopeless.
I got my ticket around 1 p. m today, My first attempt was frustrating it appears to be sold out, but when i keep refreshing my browser it did worked.
I’m sorry that it was hard. It was due to scramble of tens of thousands of visitors. I’m glad you finally did get your tickets and we’ll do our best to figure out a simpler way in the future. 🙂
Just purchased 2 tickets online..Did try around 20 times before i could get through the payment gateway…
Having a ticket doesn’t mean they’ll let you in. Don’t be surprised.
I’m sorry about that! It was a serious scramble and we received tens of thousands of hits. I’m glad you got your tickets though 🙂
Tickets are showing as available on the website again, although each time I tried to pay for mine with a credit card it crashed. I finally succeeded by choosing to use paypal. Don’t give up!
I was able to buy two tickets online at 2:30 pm today. Used ILoveQatar and it was very straight forward.
I just bought tickets online. 2:45 PM
if anyone is in the mood of giving out a free ticket, dont go far AM here waiting :D…….thank you in advance
NB: silver ticket will do just fine
How can we clarify our ticket is authentic?
If they let you in, it’s authentic
each ticket has it’s own unique scannable code.
The problem in Qatar is that nobody has ever had to organise a p***-up in a brewery so it’s a huge learning curve for any event.
Just got tickets at 6pm for Platinum and then just checked now again and there are tickets for Silver at 7pm.
i really wanna see ed sheeran but buying the concert tickets is really hard besides we’re paying to see a human why is it so expensive ???
i mean like not only for Ed Sheeran but concerts in general
HAHAHA I love your perspective ” we’re paying to see a Human”
yeah i thought it was funny too
I am trying using my american express credit card and it says error. I’ve tried several times and still got the same message. any office where I can purchase directly? Thanks
there aren’t any offices, but you can visit grand hyatt who will go through the backend of the site and help with your transaction online, what error did you get? Can you email it to [email protected]?
hmmmm… I wonder how come the title was altered at 11 pm yesterday from ” Fans voice frustration” into a much friendlier tone …hmmm .. well it seems you’ll only get ticket to this event if you know someone who knows someone..I was really excited for this at first but now i’d much rather fly off somewhere else and buy tickets for his concert in another country rather than attend such a poorly chaoticly organized event.
because the article reflects the full story now maybe?
Now people know how the reservation system works (just like how it works on major ticketing sites and airlines).
If you visit Ed.iLoveQatar.net right now you’ll see you can purchase tickets because the rush has died down and people aren’t simply reserving tickets and not purchasing.
you know, for an event organizer, you’re really rude
I’m not the organizer.
Either way, I apologize if you were offended by my post.
So we have VIP/Gold tickets bought from Hyatt in November, going off the above article does this mean we will now have to stand during the concert??