Free-admission for popular NUS concerts, a double edged sword?
UCC Concert Hall
FEATURE by Melvin Tan
Having stood in line for almost two hours, Ming Yi was getting tired. The former NUS student was not attending the concert of the latest Korean pop sensation. Instead, he was queuing up for tickets to watch the ExxonMobil Campus Concerts (EMCC). To his dismay, the venue organisers told him that they just reduced the number of tickets issued from two to one. There was no way he could get another ticket for his friend. Should he watch the concert alone? Or worse, not watch at all?
Even the early bird, in this case, could not to catch the worm.
Since 1986, EMCC has always set the stage for NUS culture groups and professional artistes to showcase their talents and reach out to a wider range of audiences. These concerts are sponsored by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific and were initiated by NUS Centre for the Arts (CFA). This successful programme has always taken pride in being a free-admission outreach platform. However, there is a flipside-- the lacklustre ticket-issuing system has proved to be problematic in catering to more popular events, such as dance and hall-related concerts.
Earlier this month, Kim Tan, UCC front-of-house usher, turned away more than 150 people for both nights of the successful Hip Hop concert by NUS Dance Blast! The concert, A Series of (Un)fortunate Events, was held at UCC over two days. The tickets for both nights were snapped up in less than 30 minutes after its release at 7pm.
“It is common for such things to happen as UCC theatre can only accommodate 450 people. I always tell my performers to ask their friends to come earlier to ensure that they get tickets,” added Huang Shi Wei, Dance Uncensored Senior Committee Member, which is another popular EMCC event.
This might be the worst situation yet with similar incidents occurring over the past year.
As the standard operating procedure, UCC personnel will issue free tickets on a first-come-first-serve basis at 7pm. However, it is common for queues to start forming as early as 6pm for the more popular concerts. For the recent NUS Dance Blast! concert, supporters started queuing as early as 5.30pm. Richard Chung, a NUS student, said: “I was shocked at the long queue; it went all the way outside UCC. I was lucky to be able to get tickets.” However, others were not as fortunate. People who arrived at UCC later left disappointed as the queue was already too long.
There have been measures implemented to ease the situation. To ensure that everyone present in the queue can get a ticket, the organisers reduced the number of tickets a person can collect from two to one. However, this only occurs if there is an overwhelming response.
During the recent NUS Dance Blast! concert, many people were unaware of the last minute implementations and were already queuing for their friends. A similar incident also occurred during the combined hall concert in April. “I remembered that three of our friends could not watch Dance Uncensored 2011 because of the last minute changes. The UCC ushers only informed us 45 minutes after we had started queuing,” said Jasper Wong, a Hip Hop enthusiast. “These concerts are always very popular. They should have foreseen the situation and stated clearly from the start that they were only going to issue only one ticket per person,” he added.
Audiences and supporters are not the only ones affected by the new measures. Since early this year, UCC has decided not to issue tickets to the performers.
Prior to this, performers were allocated at least two tickets for their loved ones. Instead, performers can now invite their loved ones for a preview in the afternoon. However, most concerts organizers often choose to not organize a weekday matinee or organize it with a risk of a small turn-out. “Most people are either busy with school or work during the day. Our weekday matinee show had only two parents,” said Alex Teo, NUS Dance Blast! President.
Also, the lack of pre-allocated tickets to the performers has resulted in parents having to endure long queues and still risk not getting tickets to watch their children perform. Such examples are a plenty.
“My parents came to queue at 6.30pm immediately after work on both days and still did not manage to get tickets. It’s a waste of their time. I will think twice the next time I invite someone,” said Chew Zheng Han, NUS Dance Blast! member. “I am disappointed to have made the wasted trip and I would have loved to watch my son live on stage,” added Mrs. Chew, Zheng Han’s mother.
Despite the trouble in obtaining tickets, supporters for such school concerts are still on the rise. The reason is because these groups of NUS talents have proven time and time again to provide high-quality entertainment. “Even though I was turned off by the long the waiting time, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and it was worth the wait,” added Ming Yi.
Such supportive attitudes towards dance concerts are an apt reflection of the cultural trend in Singapore. According to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, the number of supporters at ticketed dance events has doubled since 2009, from 127,800 to 243,200. This could be attributed to the widespread acceptance of popular culture and the use of its music in the performing arts. Coupled by the accessibility of learning and appreciating dance, it is no wonder that supporters of these concerts, such as EMCC, are willing to endure the long queues.
Even though supporters understand the limitations of the venue, organizers can definitely do more to alleviate the situation and prevent it from worsening. With the upcoming Dance Uncensored 2012 next semester, we shall wait and see.
Having stood in line for almost two hours, Ming Yi was getting tired. The former NUS student was not attending the concert of the latest Korean pop sensation. Instead, he was queuing up for tickets to watch the ExxonMobil Campus Concerts (EMCC). To his dismay, the venue organisers told him that they just reduced the number of tickets issued from two to one. There was no way he could get another ticket for his friend. Should he watch the concert alone? Or worse, not watch at all?
Even the early bird, in this case, could not to catch the worm.
Since 1986, EMCC has always set the stage for NUS culture groups and professional artistes to showcase their talents and reach out to a wider range of audiences. These concerts are sponsored by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific and were initiated by NUS Centre for the Arts (CFA). This successful programme has always taken pride in being a free-admission outreach platform. However, there is a flipside-- the lacklustre ticket-issuing system has proved to be problematic in catering to more popular events, such as dance and hall-related concerts.
Earlier this month, Kim Tan, UCC front-of-house usher, turned away more than 150 people for both nights of the successful Hip Hop concert by NUS Dance Blast! The concert, A Series of (Un)fortunate Events, was held at UCC over two days. The tickets for both nights were snapped up in less than 30 minutes after its release at 7pm.
“It is common for such things to happen as UCC theatre can only accommodate 450 people. I always tell my performers to ask their friends to come earlier to ensure that they get tickets,” added Huang Shi Wei, Dance Uncensored Senior Committee Member, which is another popular EMCC event.
This might be the worst situation yet with similar incidents occurring over the past year.
As the standard operating procedure, UCC personnel will issue free tickets on a first-come-first-serve basis at 7pm. However, it is common for queues to start forming as early as 6pm for the more popular concerts. For the recent NUS Dance Blast! concert, supporters started queuing as early as 5.30pm. Richard Chung, a NUS student, said: “I was shocked at the long queue; it went all the way outside UCC. I was lucky to be able to get tickets.” However, others were not as fortunate. People who arrived at UCC later left disappointed as the queue was already too long.
There have been measures implemented to ease the situation. To ensure that everyone present in the queue can get a ticket, the organisers reduced the number of tickets a person can collect from two to one. However, this only occurs if there is an overwhelming response.
During the recent NUS Dance Blast! concert, many people were unaware of the last minute implementations and were already queuing for their friends. A similar incident also occurred during the combined hall concert in April. “I remembered that three of our friends could not watch Dance Uncensored 2011 because of the last minute changes. The UCC ushers only informed us 45 minutes after we had started queuing,” said Jasper Wong, a Hip Hop enthusiast. “These concerts are always very popular. They should have foreseen the situation and stated clearly from the start that they were only going to issue only one ticket per person,” he added.
Audiences and supporters are not the only ones affected by the new measures. Since early this year, UCC has decided not to issue tickets to the performers.
Prior to this, performers were allocated at least two tickets for their loved ones. Instead, performers can now invite their loved ones for a preview in the afternoon. However, most concerts organizers often choose to not organize a weekday matinee or organize it with a risk of a small turn-out. “Most people are either busy with school or work during the day. Our weekday matinee show had only two parents,” said Alex Teo, NUS Dance Blast! President.
Also, the lack of pre-allocated tickets to the performers has resulted in parents having to endure long queues and still risk not getting tickets to watch their children perform. Such examples are a plenty.
“My parents came to queue at 6.30pm immediately after work on both days and still did not manage to get tickets. It’s a waste of their time. I will think twice the next time I invite someone,” said Chew Zheng Han, NUS Dance Blast! member. “I am disappointed to have made the wasted trip and I would have loved to watch my son live on stage,” added Mrs. Chew, Zheng Han’s mother.
Despite the trouble in obtaining tickets, supporters for such school concerts are still on the rise. The reason is because these groups of NUS talents have proven time and time again to provide high-quality entertainment. “Even though I was turned off by the long the waiting time, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and it was worth the wait,” added Ming Yi.
Such supportive attitudes towards dance concerts are an apt reflection of the cultural trend in Singapore. According to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, the number of supporters at ticketed dance events has doubled since 2009, from 127,800 to 243,200. This could be attributed to the widespread acceptance of popular culture and the use of its music in the performing arts. Coupled by the accessibility of learning and appreciating dance, it is no wonder that supporters of these concerts, such as EMCC, are willing to endure the long queues.
Even though supporters understand the limitations of the venue, organizers can definitely do more to alleviate the situation and prevent it from worsening. With the upcoming Dance Uncensored 2012 next semester, we shall wait and see.