Tickets

All there is to know

The simple and fair Ticketing System that was in place last season is back.

The majority of tickets to Meredith will be available via The Subscriber Ticket Ballot.

There will be two rounds (draws) of the Ballot. The First Round will be available only to existing Subscribers; the Second Round will be open to new Subscribers as well as existing Subscribers.

After the Ballot is done and dusted, there will be Store Sales, then Online Sales, then Aunty's Last Chance.

Tickets this year will be in the form of wristbands. More on that later.

THE BALLOT [ top ]

Two rounds of ticket offers will be made via email to successful applicants; one on August 20, and one on August 29. You only have to enter once.

Any Subscribers who were unsuccessful in the first round will be automatically entered into the second round ballot.

Public Sales [ top ]

Tickets will be available in select stores from September 9, then online open to all comers on September 11, here at www.mmf.com.au.

These tickets will be sold on a first-in, best-dressed basis and there is a maximum of 3 tickets per person in each allocation.

STORE ALLOCATION [ top ]

Tuesday 9 September.

9am Polyester Records - 387 Brunswick Street Fitzroy
9am Missing Link - Basement of 405 Bourke Street Melbourne
10am Greville Records - 152 Greville Street Prahran
9am Polyester City - 288 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
8:30am Capricorn Leading Edge - 154a Moorabool Street Geelong
9am Karova Lounge - Cnr Field and Camp Sts Ballarat
7am Swell Café - CASH ONLY NO CARDS! Stuart Avenue Jan Juc

ONLINE ALLOCATION [ top ]

Thursday 11 September, time tbc, here at www.mmf.com.au, using online ticketing experts GreenTix.

TICKETS ARE WRISTBANDS,
WRISTBANDS ARE TICKETS [ top ]

This year tickets will be in the form of wristbands. The wristband does what the ticket used to do – give you entry to the festival. When you purchase a “ticket” you actually receive a wristband.

Each wristband will have a unique code on it, and each person's wristband will be electronically scanned on entry to ensure it is valid. Once you are in the festival, you need to keep your wristband on for the duration of the event. The wristband is made of a durable yet soft, waterproof material that won't irritate.

When you receive your wristband, do not put it on until the day of the festival. When that day does arrive, our suggestion is to put it on before you depart for the festival, so you know it's on your wrist and you definitely packed it! Don't leave home without it (on your wrist).

No sponsorship or advertising messages will be printed on the wristbands, we are very mindful of the wristband being on your person for a day or three.

The benefits of the wristband include:

  • Speeding up the entry process at the festival gates
  • Canceling stolen or scalped tickets
  • Keeping the number of people at the festival as low as it should be, by visually identifying anyone at the festival who does not have a legitimate ticket (wristband) and politely showing them the door

Types of Tickets [ top ]

There are two types of tickets: A “FriSatSun Wristband” and a “SatSun Wristband”.

FriSatSun – gives you Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the festival
SatSun – gives you Saturday and Sunday at the festival

If you want to attend for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you must select a “FriSatSun” wristband at the time of purchase – “Friday” is not sold separately.

The old “Friday” and “Weekend” ticket has been consolidated into one “FriSatSun Wristband”.

OLD SYSTEMNEW SYSTEM
If you used to get a: You should now get a:
REGULAR WEEKEND TICKETSatSun (one wristband)
REGULAR WEEKEND TICKET & FRIDAY ENTRY TICKETFriSatSun (one wristband)

PRICES [ top ]

SatSun $169 plus booking fee*

FriSatSun $199 plus booking fee*

Free camping and parking is of course included with every pass.

Note that FriSatSuns are even more limited than SatSuns and will certainly sell out first.

BOOKING FEES [ top ]

Booking fees vary from store to store, and online, but are generally around $8 for a FriSatsun and $6 for a SatSun.

*Registered Post is an additional $4.95 if you purchase online.

CAPACITY [ top ]

Meredith is capped at 10,000 patrons. However, there are only 7500 FriSatSuns available.

There is plenty of space for all 10,000 patrons to camp onsite.

KIDS [ top ]

Kids 10 and under are free. Kids 11 and over are full price.

DATES, TIMES [ top ]

SatSun ticket-holders: gates open at 8am on Saturday 13 December.

Live music starts at 11am that day. One night's free camping is included, and the festival finishes at 5pm Sunday 14 December.

FriSatSun ticket-holders: gates open from 1pm to 1am on Friday 12 December.

Live music starts at 6pm that day. Two night's free camping are included, and the festival finishes at 5pm Sunday 14 December.

There is no camping on Sunday night – gates close at 5pm.

MORE ABOUT THE BALLOT [ top ]

The Subscriber Ticket Ballot has been used for the previous three festivals at the Supernatural Amphitheatre to get tickets into the hands of subscribers in an equitable and stress-free manner. The ballot is simple, fair and efficient.

It's done online and via email.

  1. Enter the Ballot before it closes.
  2. You will be notified via email by Aunty Meredith as to whether or not you have been successful in the ballot. Two rounds of offers will be made – on August 20 and August 29.
  3. If successful, you will be emailed a unique alpha-numeric code (a “Meredith Key”) which you can use to log in to our secure Online Box Office within a 6 day period, purchase up to 3 tickets, and have them sent to you.

If you don't have a credit card, that's ok - we offer PayPal.

If you are not drawn in the ballot, do not despair….there are two further allocations of tickets to go on sale.

The Ballot Application Process [ top ]

Please note that the speed of your internet connection doesn't matter – dialup or broadband are both fine. When applications close, all the applications go into a ballot pool, and successful applicants are selected from the pool of subscribers until the allocation is exhausted.

The successful applicants are then emailed a unique alpha-numeric code (called a “Meredith Key”) which acts like a password. They then have 6 days to go online to our secure site, log in using the Meredith Key and make the purchase. No rush, no fuss. No stress. No competing with the rest of Australia for tickets. Each Meredith Key can only be used once.

Many long-running festivals internationally now use this system, it is popular because it is quick and easy, and in this case you would only be competing for tickets with other Subscribers.

You don't even need a credit card – we also offer PayPal. But you must set up a PayPal account in advance – it takes about 5 days. All you need is a bank account in your name, and of course enough money in it for the tickets when the time comes to pay.

Subscribers who enter the ballot will know whether or not they have been successful in getting tickets in the Ballot before the later allocations go on sale.

LOST, STOLEN OR DAMAGED TICKETS [ top ]

Lost, stolen or damaged tickets enquires should be directed here.

Every wristband carries a unique code on it and will be scanned on arrival at Reception to ensure it is valid.

WHEN WILL TICKETS BE SENT OUT? [ top ]

Please note that all tickets purchased online will be sent out from the start of November, even if they were purchased in the Ballot or Online in August or September. Delaying their delivery to you decreases the chance of tickets being lost or stolen. It is also an anti-scalping measure.

PHOTO ID [ top ]

You will need Photo ID to prove you are over 18 if you wish to enter a licensed area on site, or purchase alcohol from any of the bars. Even if you are 55 and look 70, if you haven't got ID, you won't be served.

LAST CHANCE TICKETS [ top ]

After the Subscriber, Store and Online allocations are exhausted, there will still be some disappointed people out there. So…in an effort to mend some potential broken hearts… Aunty considers it a privilege to be able to issue a small quantity of tickets at her complete personal discretion. These will be allocated to those that she considers to be, for example, most passionate, or deserving, or unlucky, or having traveled the farthest, or been there the most times, etcetera. These cannot be applied for until all the other tickets have sold out. When that time comes, just email her. No need to beg.

ANTI-SCALPING POLICY [ top ]

Please be aware that a ticket (wristband) to an event at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre cannot be re-sold or transferred for profit or commercial advantage. If this occurs, the Festival wristband is voidable and the Festival wristband holder may be refused entry to or be ejected from the festival site. Note that each wristband ticket has a unique code on it and each and every wristband will be scanned at Reception when each and every patron enters the event to determine that the ticket is valid.

However, patrons are welcome to pass on their ticket if they wish to, as long as they do not do so for profit or gain. In other words, if you bought a ticket and can no longer attend, you are very welcome to pass that ticket onto someone else, as long as you do not sell it for more than face value. If you bought it for say $199 plus $8 booking fee, you can on-sell it for $207.

Practically, how this works is that for any and every event there are a certain amount of people whose circumstances change after purchasing a ticket and can no longer attend. We encourage those people to pass on their ticket to others or sell it for face value or less. You are welcome to use ebay or any other legal method to on-sell your ticket, as long as it is at face value. For every scalper that tries to sell at an inflated price, there is at least one or more legitimate person who just wants to sell their ticket at face value. Market forces dictate that the scumbag scalpers or opportunists can't sell for inflated prices as there are other tickets for sale at normal price. Good triumphs over evil. The free market reigns. That's how it's been working, and it works fine, power to the people etc etc.

But if you want to go, don't wait till then, cos there just aren't that many tickets available.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS [ top ]

MMF PTY LTD ABN 15157031720 Terms and Conditions of Sale

Please be aware that a ticket (referred to as a Festival wristband) to an event at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre cannot be re-sold or transferred for profit or commercial advantage. If this occurs the Festival wristband is voidable and the Festival wristband holder may be refused entry to or be ejected from the festival site.

This Festival wristband is sold by MMF PTY LTD  ABN 15157031720. Purchase of this Festival wristband constitutes a contract between MMF Pty Ltd and the purchaser. Wristbands are sold subject to the following terms and conditions, as well as terms and conditions available for view at www.mmf.com.au.

The Terms and Conditions of Sale include the following:

  1. A change in personal circumstances of the Festival wristband Holder does not entitle the return or exchange of the Festival wristband.
  2. Festival wristbands will not be refunded under any circumstances, including but not limited to, the possible non-appearance of any particular person or group expected by the Festival wristband-holder, whether advertised or not, or any adverse weather conditions beyond the reasonable control of the event organiser.
  3. Festival wristbands will not be replaced: lost, stolen or damaged Festival wristbands will not be replaced.
  4. Festival wristbands only provide access to the areas as indicated by signage at the event.
  5. Audio visual equipment (including but not limited to cameras, video recorders, mobile phones and pagers) are permitted subject to the discretion of the venue. The Presenter reserves the right to remove a Festival wristband holder if they are in breach of the requirements regarding audio visual equipment.
  6. Children under 10 are free. Everyone else needs a Festival wristband to gain entry. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a ticket-holding parent or legal guardian at all times. There are no concessions or discounts.
  7. Festival wristbands must be worn at all times around the wrist of the Festival-wristband-holder when at the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre.

THE SYSTEM [ top ]

The system has been carefully designed and refined specifically for Meredith with (often passionate) input from thousands of festival-goers. It takes into account many factors: the needs and wants of Subscribers, the importance of welcoming newcomers, the different methods by which various people wish to purchase and a fair and efficient system for all.

Overwhelmingly, feedback has been that people like the Subscriber Ballot. Alternately, some prefer the instantaneous nature of Online Sales, or the first-in-best-dressed nature of Store Sales. Some people have credit cards, some don't. Some can be at a computer at a certain time on a certain day, some can't. Some have broadband, some don't. Some are in cities, some aren't. Some want to know that if they have to, they can talk directly to Aunty Meredith about her very limited quantity of Last Chance tickets.

The 2008 Meredith Music Festival Ticketing System allows for all of the above.

 

MAIN AIMS [ top ]

There are three main aims, formulated after reviewing the feedback received over the past year, and the previous seventeen too.

To support those who have supported the festival.
Many Meredith-goers believe there should be some kind of priority access to tickets for those who have supported Meredith in the past. We agree.

To use a ticketing system that is quick and fair.
Tickets should be sold by more than one method. Many people are in favour of a ballot, but others want first-in-best-dressed. Some prefer to purchase online, others prefer stores.

To continue to welcome newcomers to the festival.
New people will always be welcome at Meredith.

The system for this year takes into account all those factors.

POSSIBLY ASKED QUESTIONS [ top ]

Why not sell tickets for the following year to everyone at the festival? Can't everyone just keep their ticket stub to prove they were there? Maybe sell tickets to the following year's Meredith at Meredith?

The reason we don't like this idea is that it means people that missed out one year don't get a chance to go the next year.

How many tickets are for sale in stores?

The amount of tickets sold at stores this year will be the same amount as in previous years, about 20% of the total tickets available.

We don't print tickets on demand at each outlet – we send hard (real, actual) tickets to each outlet. We send each outlet a quantity of tickets proportionate to the demand in that area – the same amount that each outlet has been getting to sell for years.  So the right amount of tickets goes to each location.

Why aren't ALL the tickets sold in stores like they used to be?

Essentially those days are, for better or worse, gone. Most people now prefer to buy online. Not everyone can get to a record store, due to work or school or family commitments, or being interstate, overseas or in a remote area. It's better to balance the tickets according to people's preferred method of purchase.

Tickets to Meredith don't sell out over a number of weeks like they used to, currently they sell out in a matter of days or possibly even hours. If we put all 10,000 tickets in stores, the queues would be massive leading up to the on-sale date and time. Without sounding presumptuous, there would be people camping out for days in advance, and that just isn't practical for most people. Camping for tickets on the streets would also mean there would be safety and sanitary issues. Councils wouldn't permit it.

All that being said, we totally understand the notion that if you want tickets more than everyone else, you will get there earlier than everyone else, therefore your ticket destiny is in your hands. Hence, there is a good portion of the tickets for this year's Meredith sold at the usual record stores. Enough to solve a problem, not enough to create a bigger problem.

Why not sell tickets from more stores, including more in regional areas and interstate?

Again, for better or worse, those days are gone. Most people do prefer to purchase online these days – including people who don't live in cities. Only about 20% of people who responded to the survey want to purchase from stores, so 20% of the total tickets are available from stores this year, same as in previous years. 

This means we have a finite number of tickets that can be sold in stores.

The stores that are selling tickets are located in the areas that sell the overwhelming majority of Meredith tickets. There is no obvious next location that should be added to the list. If you don't live near ones of the store locations then unfortunately you don't live in an area where enough Meredith tickets are sold to warrant a store selling them there.

Adding stores to the list doesn't simplify the system, it complicates it. Putting 10 tickets here and 20 tickets there would just lead to a mad scramble around the stores, around the state, on the day of sale.

We know from having sold tickets in stores for fifteen years, where Meredith tickets sell, and in what quantities. We have put tickets in those locations, in the right quantities.

For those interstate or in regional or remote areas, having the Subscriber ballot means you have the opportunity to purchase tickets online without being disadvantaged by potential slow internet connection.

How is the Online Tickets Allocation sold?

We are using expert online ticketing company GreenTix. GreenTix can do everything we require and a whole lot more. Their system can handle the volume of traffic it needs to.  They are experts in ticketing and handle many large events.

Why have online sales?

It is clear that many people prefer to have the online sales method, as long as the process is orderly. This means we pick a date and time and put some tickets on sale then. Whoever gets through online before others do gets the tickets. This is how the majority of tickets to events are now sold. GreenTix will be able to comfortably handle the volume here; the system will work effectively.

How many can we buy?

Up to 3 tickets per person.

Is there a queuing system for Online sales?

Yes. Here's how GreenTix describe it.
“It is a fair system that can handle the volume and demand, and importantly it does so in an orderly fashion. It is first in best dressed: if you are in the right place at the right time before the next person, you will be ahead of them in line. Once the queue has formed, we will tick through it as efficiently as possible. There will be no advantage to opening up multiple windows, clicking refresh or trying to 'beat' the system”.

How long do we have to complete our transaction in the Online Allocation?

You will have 8 minutes to complete your transaction. If you plan on using PayPal instead of a credit card you MUST have an account set up before this. (note – this 8 minute window does not apply to sales in the Ballot. Ballot winners have around 6 days to make their transaction)

If I buy a SatSun ticket but then want to go on Friday as well, what do I do?

Friday tickets are not sold separately, and there are no refunds, so you have to find someone who has a FriSatSun wristband ticket and is happy to swap with you or make an exchange of some kind.

There's a big group of us that go, what is the best way for us all to get tickets?

You can buy up to 3 tickets in the Subscriber Ballot, you can buy up to 3 tickets at Stores, and 3 tickets in the Online Allocation. We recommend that everyone in the group tries as many methods as possible.

If you have a group of say ten or more, and all of you except one person gets tickets this year, its worth applying to Aunty for a Last Chance ticket. We cant say that this will be a surefire way to secure a Last Chance ticket, but a reason like that would be a serious consideration for Aunty.

We have been urging people for many years to become Subscribers. And to not just have one person join, but have all the people in your group join.  Please ensure that your whole group are Subscribers. We even recommend that couples should have both partners subscribe.

The reason the amount of tickets per person is limited to 3 is that this acts as a measure against scalping.

Why GreenTix?

GreenTix' system is designed specifically for events like Meredith. GreenTix can do everything we require and a whole lot more. Their system can handle the volume of traffic it needs to.  They are experts in ticketing and can understand and solve many of the idiosyncratic issues that arise from an event such as Meredith. They are small enough to be flexible and big enough to be effective.

Going with GreenTix also means there are lower fees and charges – these savings get passed onto you. Plus they only use recycled paper and soy-based inks.

We don't print tickets on demand at each outlet – we send hard (real, actual) tickets (in fact wristbands) to each outlet. We send each outlet a quantity of tickets proportionate to the demand in that area – the same amount that each outlet has been getting to sell for years.  So the right amount of tickets goes to each location.

Most of all we chose GreenTix because we believe they will do the job for Meredith better than anyone.

We have been coming to Meredith for years. Why can't you make sure we get tickets?

The Subscriber system will certainly greatly assist this happening - this year and in the future. We have thought of many different ways to support the people that have supported the festival. We believe the current system goes a long way towards doing this. Mind you, it never was possible to guarantee anyone tickets – the festival has been selling out for over ten years so this is not a new phenomenon.

Surely only newcomers should miss out and regulars should get the tickets? 
We want to be very clear that a percentage of Meredith tickets will always be available to newcomers. Meredith is not a closed shop. New people keep the festival vital in many different ways. We were all first-timers once. Plus, this allows regulars to bring friends along to experience Meredith for the first time, and we know that's something many people enjoy doing.

We also believe that the majority of tickets should – and will – go to regulars.

Of course, after seventeen years of annual Merediths, it's not easy to work out exactly what a ‘regular' is or should be.  Most people feel like regulars after going just once. It's a very slippery slope.

Plus, beyond the Subscriber list, how does one prove who has been there in the past, and for how many times? Some long-time Meredith-goers will have photos and videos of themselves at Meredith from over the years….but many more won't.

We think the model we are adopting will look after the great majority of Meredith goers. And it will create an ongoing, chronological record of Subscribers for the future.

I don't have a credit card and can't get to a store, what do I do?

If you don't have a credit card then there is a direct debit option called PayPal, which direct-debits money from your nominated bank account to pay for the tickets. If you wish to use your bank account instead of a credit card, you do need to set up a PayPal account before making the transaction, and this takes around 5 days, so we advise doing this at least a week in advance of the on-sale date. Visit https://www.paypal.com/au/mrb/pal=AJE33WTMB9PWQ and then follow the instructions. You need to have a bank account to do this, and have money in the account too! It does take a few days, so you will have to complete this and your transaction within the allotted time if buying during the ballot.

Dry Cleaning

When you drop off clothes to be dry cleaned, the staff member at the dry cleaners will usually give you a ticket or receipt. These tickets cannot be used for entry to the Meredith Music Festival. 
There is no “two-for-one” offer this year with The Boat Show either.

No phone sales?

No, the technology for coping with high demand hasn't developed as fast for phones as it has for internet sales. When a ‘hot ticket' event goes on sale at even the largest ticketing companies, if you don't get through straight away to an actual human, you are not placed in a queue, you just get the engaged signal. Not ideal.