Big Four step in to aid Fringe sales crisis

Published on Saturday 26 July 2008 20:02

A GROUP of venues have stepped in to ensure that the show will go on at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The run-up to the world's biggest arts festival has been blighted by technical problems which have left tens of thousands of people without tickets. A series of computer failures left the Fringe Office closed for business this weekend, the third time this has happened in recent weeks.

But the Fringe's "Big Four" venues are looking to ease the ticketing crisis by offering the use of their box office system. The Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly have joined forces to help clear the backlog in printing and sending out briefs.

More than 150,000 "tickets" have been bought, but there have been lengthy delays in physically getting them to customers. It comes after a new computer box-office system was launched early last month, but crashed the following day.

An alternative system was launched a week later, but has continued to be plagued by technical glitches.

The main Fringe office was closed for telephone, counter sales and ticket collections this weekend to allow the latest box office system to be installed.

Festival Fringe director Jon Morgan was grateful to the venues.

He said: "For decades these venues have been an integral part of the Fringe and I am delighted they are pooling their resources and experience to assist us with ticketing."

Pleasance director Anthony Alderson, a spokesman for the four venues, said:

"This is real evidence of how the Fringe and the venues can work together for the benefit of the whole Festival."