The printers are rolling and now SEA Games ticket producers are waiting for the Marketing and Benefit Committee to allow the distribution of tickets, Vongkhanty Construction Company confirmed yesterday.
Company President Phankham Vongkhanty told the press the company had already printed opening and closing ceremonies tickets.
However, there had been a need to change some sponsors positions on the tickets, then reprint them again.
They are now waiting for the committee's agreement to begin distribution of the reprinted tickets.
The company had promised to produce the tickets by the middle of October and distribute them from October 20.
However, issuance of tickets has been postponed due to incorrect sponsor positioning in the design of the ticket.
Distribution of the replacements now awaits the decision of the Marketing and Benefit Committee.
“Another reason for the delay is that the committee wants to make sure the tickets can't be copied by unscrupulous groups of people. I can confirm this is not possible,” Mr Phankham said.
Since early October the company has been printing the opening and closing ceremony tickets and sent them to the committee for inspection.
The committee called on the company to change the positions of sponsors listed on the tickets.
“We had already printed some tickets before they were viewed and edited by the committee.”
“Now we've made a new design and have got them printed, so we're just waiting for permission from the committee to allow us to begin distribution,” Mr Phankham said.
As they wait, the company has ordered 3D hologram stickers to attach to the tickets to prevent them being copied.
However, the company isn't sure if the stickers will be finished in time for distribution.
Mr Phankham said the committee advised that the tickets must also have a stamp from Ministry of Public Security with the sticker.
“If the stickers aren't complete, we will use only the stamp,” he said.
“Don't worry, because we have many identifiers which help us to tell the difference between a genuine and a fake ticket.”
The company reported that more than 13,000 tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies will be printed: 5,470 tickets costing 500,000 kip; 4,102 tickets costing 400,000 kip; 3,418 tickets costing 300,000 kip and 684 tickets costing 200,000 kip.
“I can guarantee that there are 3,000 tickets costing 500,000 and 400,000 kip still left - the rest have already been reserved.”
“We have prepared a VIP area of about 4,500 seats, but the committee will prepare some more seats for senior government officials,” he said.
Mr Phankham also gave some hope to potential spectators without tickets.
He said if a person who reserved a ticket didn't pay on time, the reserved tickets would be sold to others.
Recently, a neighbouring country's media outlets reported that tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies were very expensive.
However, 25th SEA Games Organising Committee Deputy Chairman Dr Phouthong Seng Akhom said prices were lower than those charged by countries hosting the SEA Games in previous years.
By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes
