Hibs are to introduce a new Ticket Exchange system to make it easier for season ticket holders who are unable to attend games to return their ticket for sale for games where ticket demands exceed supply.
The system will be trialled between now and the end of the season for sold-out games only, starting with Friday night’s Edinburgh Derby, with a view to implementing for next season where games sell out.
For those games where the system is in operation, any season ticket holder that is unable to attend a home fixture will be able to return their ticket simply by selecting a button on their eTicketing profile.
The season ticket seat will then be available for sale and when bought, the purchaser will then receive a paper ticket or print at home eTicket when the ticket has been purchased. For the season ticket holder, when the seat is sold, their card is deactivated for the match in question and cannot be used to gain entry.
With attendances at their highest since the 1950s, Easter Road has been sold out on several occasions this season. However we understand that season ticket holders sometimes can’t make every match, and it causes frustration when seats remain empty for sold out fixtures.
The current method (contacting the Ticket Office) is not simple for supporters and creates an administrative task for each ticket from the Ticket Office. This new system aims to simplify the process for both the supporter and the Ticket Office.
The club are testing the system between now and the end of the season there will not currently be any incentive for returning a ticket. A number of supporters have exchanged their ticket for other matches this season, and it would be unfair to introduce an incentive at this stage without a complicated retrospective review.
Should the trial be successful an incentive or return-based system will be considered for season 2018/19.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
