The Welsh Rugby Union’s new print-at-home ticketing system – managed via www.wru.co.uk/tickets is p[roving a major hit.
Tens of thousands of fans used the new system when Wales took on Southern Hemisphere opposition in November and high numbers have been using the system – which will still be in place on match-day – for the first time in the RBS 6 Nations Championship.
Wales begin their historic attempt to take a record third Championship title in succession, against the Azzurri in Cardiff (Kick-off 2.30pm) and the convenience of being able to buy online and print a bar coded ‘paper ticket’ right up until the final stages of match-day is expected to be of major appeal.
There are a few thousand tickets remaining for the 74,500 capacity Millennium Stadium this weekend and the strong walk-up crowd which is expected to snap up most of the remaining seats, will be boosted even further by the use of the print-at-home system, which removes the need for fans to queue up for tickets.
The ‘print-at-home’ ticket utilises a new bar code scanning system, which will also greatly increase security at the Millennium Stadium and help combat black market ticket sales.
Fans are able to purchase their tickets online and use their home printers to produce a ‘paper ticket’. These tickets carry the barcode which is used to gain admission, in a similar way to what is common practice for airline travel and for many theatres and cinemas.
The unique advantage for fans is that they will not be charged for post and packaging and, for those fans used to buying tickets online less than four days in advance of match-day, there will be no need to queue to collect your ticket in person.
“The ‘print-at-home’ ticket could become the future for Millennium Stadium events,” said Millennium Stadium Manager Mark Williams, who is keen to remind fans purchasing online not to forget to actually print their ticket (identifiable most simply by the presence of a barcode) so it can be scanned at the turnstile.
“We have used the system at recent major events and we are now rolling it out for the RBS 6 Nations opener against Italy.
“There is a simple online credit card payment which fans are now more than used to and that is ultimately it; everything you do next is within your own control.
“Print off your ticket at your leisure and simply present it at the turnstile; the only note of caution is that obviously the barcode is individual and unique and it will only admit one person.
“So, as with any ticket, you need to look after your ‘print-at-home’ version and ensure that it doesn’t get passed on to anyone else and we still strongly recommend that fans get to the Millennium Stadium early in order to ensure they can get to their seat quickly and not miss any of the action.
“The other thing to remember is that, a form of identification should be presented alongside your ‘print-at-home’ ticket to avoid any potential problems.
“This should also help us combat black market ticket sales. The message to fans wishing to come and watch Wales play at the Millennium Stadium is; getting hold of a much sought after ticket has never been easier.”
