Official "Not Awarded Tix" Thread

[Mr. Possibility]

I don't know if anyone else really thought of this, but with too many new people, big accidents could happen. I've picked up passed out virgins in the road at night, helped people get to medical camps, and assisted anyone who really needed it the last five years. I'd bet that's this year is going to be pretty bad for injuries involving extreme weather, dangerously stupid situations, and all around lack of experience. Only three tickets got sold to my camp of about twenty five so far, so statistically, the amount of helpful people like me will be far less...

I think virgins should have an equal shot at going but the though of the entire city dominated by virgins scares the living shit out of me. And with out all the confident hippy new agey types around, how are we to control the douchebags?

[nncoco]

I feel for all the broken camps and Burners who got passed over in the lottery.

Last year I got caught in the horrible search for tickets after the sellout.

I had weeks of searching Craigslist only to be 1 minute late or dealing with another scam attempt. The snarky comments I got from people in ePlaya were especially grating and uncalled for. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone.

On the bright side, I was able to get a ticket in the second to last week from a referral from someone who had access to a private forum of a large village. With that connection I had a crack at several in a few hours.

There is hope. Plan everything as if you are going and the ticket will materialize.

[EricM]

edited n/t +)

[ZaphodBurner]

Everyone that gives up on Burning Man = more chances I get a ticket.

Hell, I was a virgin last year and I got a ticket WEEKS after the sell-out. It made me appreciate what I was apart of that much more.

I create a theme camp, distill absinthe, we build art cars, brew root beer and haul down and build viewing structures for people to play on. This time of year is always the big kickoff, when everybody has their tickets and is ready to commit to getting our shit together for the theme camp application process, and this whole bullshit about scalpers and lotteries just took a huge shit on our camp planning. If the Mutant Vehicle process is as likely to be as big of a clusterfuck as this, are we -really- going to go out and acquire a chassis and a motor and try to build an art car, when we don't even have tickets yet?

I'm glad getting a ticket weeks after the sell-out makes you feel like you appreciate it more than the 100% of our theme camp that didn't get tickets this time.

[rchapin]

It used to be that if you didn't get tickets, it was probably your own damn fault for procrastinating. No one to blame but yourself. What was wrong with that?

I'm thinking the way to handle this should've been to communicate with the community.

It's obvious that they need to cap the event at 50,000 but there's gonna be at least a couple thousand that get left out in the cold. I would put it to the BM community. Give true burners priority, but ask them if they'd be willing to give up their place at the event so that someone else could experience BM for the first time.

Seems more like the spirit of BM.

[nncoco]

Our core camp had 5 people in the lottery and three got selected. Looks like we beat the odds. I did pre-sale.

[dustybottoms]

Of the three theme camps I'm normally associated with, roughly 10% of us got tickets in this lottery- a common theme. So, with that, few of us are able to do the planning and fundraising normally necessary to pull off our theme camps. It's sad. And with a fair degree of uncertainty that we'll be going "home" at all, it's much more tempting to either A) plan an alternative, regional event at the same time, or B) do something else fun for our annual vacation.
I was intruded on by virgins leaving trash, not handling their drugs, etc. last year (my 11th burn) to the point where I wasn't sure I wanted to continue in this direction. Now with the changes to the system BM has done, it's almost guaranteed this veteran, and most of his veteran burner friends, are turned off permanently. There had to be an end, of course, I just didn't see it happening so soon.

Yet another grand social experiment, but of a different kind I suppose.

-Dusty

[nncoco]

It pains me to hear of all these awesome camps that are now going to be spending so much energy searching for tickets instead of planning and building their camp. The ticket hunt takes many frustrating hours over many weeks. Last year after I got mine I was scrambling to get everything together.

The waste of human energy is going to have a negative effect on the event. There may be less to do and see this year as a result. Something good may happen too.

[solemnraven]

Everyone that gives up on Burning Man = more chances I get a ticket.

Hell, I was a virgin last year and I got a ticket WEEKS after the sell-out. It made me appreciate what I was apart of that much more.

I create a theme camp, distill absinthe, we build art cars, brew root beer and haul down and build viewing structures for people to play on. This time of year is always the big kickoff, when everybody has their tickets and is ready to commit to getting our shit together for the theme camp application process, and this whole bullshit about scalpers and lotteries just took a huge shit on our camp planning. If the Mutant Vehicle process is as likely to be as big of a clusterfuck as this, are we -really- going to go out and acquire a chassis and a motor and try to build an art car, when we don't even have tickets yet?

I'm glad getting a ticket weeks after the sell-out makes you feel like you appreciate it more than the 100% of our theme camp that didn't get tickets this time.

Sounds like a fun camp Zaphod...

[Bloodfeud]

[quote="dust&music"]I am a 13 time burner. I have always defended Burning from all that have had negative things to say about it becoming commercial, or when all the old school burners say that "it was so much better then." However this ticket thing is absurd.

The fact that you can go on EBAY right now and see 28 Stub Hub listings (a ticket broker) selling tickets starting at $620.00 and up, is insane. Burning really screwed this one up.

In my opinion the only way to ensure that people don't profiteer off Burning Man tickets is:

• Tickets are non transferable, and encoded with the purchasers name.
• Everyone is responsible for buying their own ticket. Show up with your ID and pick up your ticket at will call.
• If you can't go you turn your ticket back in to burning man for face value minus a 10% restocking charge, and they can then resell it at either face value, or whatever the tier cost is now for tickets. You could sell ticket back the BM until 3 weeks before any time after that you are stuck with it.

This would require Burning Man to install real concert style on site interface since all tix effectively become Will call. They can charge an extra fee for this which shouldn’t be a problem since there will be no shipping charges.
SIMPLE.

NO LOTTERY, NO SCALPERS OR BROKERS. [/quote]

I dont see how this kind of system was not introduced, the lottery was clearly a bad idea. None of my friends got tickets and neither did I. I was planning on purchasing flights from europe to get there this year, but how can I do this if im not even sure il get a ticket. When I went before I was lucky to get tickets through the good grace of eplaya and my local burner group but now that it seems to have become a scalpers game or in favour of those who could afford to enter all the pre-sales or highest tiers. I'd love to know what were the ACTUAL odds of getting a ticket at the different tiers?! I'm losing hope fast..

[Lenstar]

Very angry at the way tickets have been awarded in the name of "fairness". Living in Ireland it's a massive commitment to purchase tickets, flights, food, RV, water and all the other goings with a long haul holidays. My girl friend just got her ticket as too did one of her friends. Another Irish couple I know didn't get their ticket nor did I. This system prevents foreign people from purchasing group tickets and thus leaving the possibility of all of us going to nothing more than chance.

There maybe a lack of tickets but first come first serve is the fairest option for some people. Now, we all must wait in limbo to see if I and other friends get a ticket before booking our flights. As a direct result, the cost for everyone is going up. There was nothing wrong with the old system and as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke then don't fix it

Revert back to the old system for next year.

Yours sincerly,

Unhappy burner!!

[Meethark]

OK, so we all know this sucks.

I just spent the night at my local battered chicken strip club, and I've thought this through. I have been to Burning Man 8 times. 6 of those times I have given my true heart and soul into the event. Every time I go from this point forward I am always trying to make up for the two years I did not contribute much. Like many of you, I did not win the lottery this year. I'm used to rejection in the real world from employers, women and parole boards, but to tell me that I can't go to Burning Man this year is like a kick square in the Larry Harvey's.

Perhaps the true issue here is one of entitlement. "I've been to Burning Man 8 years, so I should get a ticket before everyone else!" We have created a culture that we cannot fathom existing without us. If only 50,000 people can participate every year, at what point do we sacrifice our time on the Playa for other people to explore? Should we alternate years like in the Olympics? I do think there is a way out of this mess though. Last time I looked it was a pretty fr-cking huge Playa out there. The only way to keep the veterans happy and allow for new folks to attend this event is going to come down to some pure logistical thinking. I realize that pouring 50,000 people down a two lane highway is difficult, but maybe we could take the surging principle of Exodus and apply it to entry. A Wednesday arrival ticket could cost significantly less than a Monday arrival ticket. If you decide to arrive before your ticket says you can, go enjoy D-lot for a long bit. Many people have stated that printing a specific name on a ticket is a difficult task. I understand that, but printing a "do not arrive before this" date on a ticket is not that hard. Obviously there is a severe shortage of technology powered geniuses who attend Burning Man that could never figure out how to march nomads in and out of a dessert efficiently. I'd reckon that 5 burners could research ant colonies and bee hives for 6 months and come up with an algorithm for controlled entry and exodus of 75,000 people down those very same roads.

5 old school burners that is. But what does that mean exactly? Am I, (are we) the crotchety old burner(s) who cuss the youngins for smashin' the mailbox? This ticket mess can't be the fault of the virgins, right? It appears that we are going to have to ask ourselves some serious questions soon.

Do old school burners deserve preferential treatment from the ticket staff?

Who's theme camp is more important?

Will my ticket money pay for intriguing art this year?

Can I participate in Burning Man without a key team member who did not get a ticket this year?

Will I resent a virgin on the Playa if an old brother of mine did not get a ticket?

These are tough questions. I'm not exactly comfortable with my answers to them. I will say this, I am not paying $800.00 USD for a Burning Man ticket. Nope. That will not happen. Even if I do not make it to the Playa this year, I still have a mad amount of respect for any of the artists who plow through the bullshit and manage to create some amazing art. Despite the ticket hassles it really comes down to that for me. I consider myself lucky for having seen the artwork everyone put their heart and soul into for the last 8 years. I hope we all get to see it again this year.

Thanks for letting me rant a bit.

[Lenstar]

I met a guy in 2005 or 2006 who goes every year with his family. He had 17 BM tattoos around his neck/head, one for each year he went.

Now that guy deserves a ticket! I hope he got one....Actually I hope he got 4 so he can continue to bring his wife and kids. Chances though? Unlikely.

This thread needs more rants!

[Killbuck]

Quote: "I just spent the night at my local battered chicken strip club,..."

Perhaps these chickens became strippers as a direct result of the battering they were subjected too.

(Sorry, could not resist that opening)

Your questions are good ones- hard, but important ones- to me these are the ones that caught my thoughts:

Do old school burners deserve preferential treatment from the ticket staff?

Who's theme camp is more important?

I ran a theme camp for seven of the 9 years so far I've been going, and I can't say I'd have a good answer to the above.

[pigloo]

I have just seen that i am echoing dust&music's post above but here was my rant anyway.

Dear Burning Man,

Can I suggest that next year if you decide to do a ticket lottery you require that entrants give names when applying for tickets.

Think about it... people have to buy tickets with their particulars, including a passport No. , Driving licence No. , or National ID No. forcing only one submission per person.

This would mean one person can buy more than 2 tickets (some people are buying for their family and only have 1 credit card) and you know they are not trying to cheat the system.

This would also mean that tickets can only be re-sold through the STEP programme as only you have the ability to change the ticket details.

I know that this means extra work on the gate checking ID's but from this debacle it seems worth it to me.

Yours sincerely,

Pigloo X

P.S. Didn't any of you hear about the fiasco that was the London 2012 Olympics ticket lottery?

[fenwick]

Just my two cents worth, and agree with many opinions and facts stated above. I originally had this ready for another thread but ranted more then discussed our theme camps position.

Feel free to skip this rant.....

ten thousand tickets on "first come first serve" will be purchased by net bots programmed by the thousands - to buy these tickets in just under an hour (depending on the inevitable server crash(es) - and that is a conservative estimate. Sorry and so much for the final open sale being "fair".

These net bots will slam and crash the servers - you all do remember the great crash of last year? just seconds after the magic hour I was 2600 in line, feeling good yet shocked at how barely a minute after tickets went on sale - I was that far back in line, considering proximity of ticket selling server to my location and other factors, and ready to purchase my then 1 single ticket for top tier price - then the crash, cue reset (pure bull crap), as I went from just under 2600 in line to something like 24,000 in line when the cue started moving again around noon. So much for any desire to give back and purchase an upper level ticket so someone else can get a cheap ticket - 12 hours after tickets went on sale - I grabbed one of the few remaining T2 tickets I could get - self preservation kicked in

As for STEP - even tho the process has not been announced - net bots are being developed right now, and smart phone and hand held device AP utilities are being designed to refresh the STEP process multiple times per second (net bots do not require browsers with pretty pictures that organic carbon based ticket buyers are forced wait for download and then look at), as well as hit on a target, and complete the sale process, usually within seconds of the fresh offering being submitted - it's gone. Net bots do not require waiting for a browser to refresh - they all function on the text only level, pictures waste too much time and do not impress net bots. Surveys - ha - yeah that worked real well in slowing bots down, just have the net bot choose no options in a survey question or skip the survey without ever noticing. If the same survey is to be used again as is - no changes - net bots will never notice, and they might not notice any changes as the final option at the bottom of the page is "continue" - but a human had to scroll down and read all or most of this - net bots just look for a hyperlink to the next page, so while your reading and choosing to help related agencies of BM community - thousands of net bots are whizzing by you in line.

Selling tickets via the Internet places every human at risk of not being allowed a fair playing field when technology is in the hands of a select few - and they do not require air to survive, just a few electrons.

Forget about the nonsense of scalpers having armies to buy on demand at the primary market. Unknowing Windows users are infected with viruses that net bot programmers can call upon with a simple PING to update that undesired file's purpose (example - acquire BM tickets) Ever notice why and how top rated touring performers offering 20 - 100 thousand tickets per show are sold out in minutes? Apple users are also vulnerable to viruses but this is much more rare, and Linux users even more rare.

For the Scott Walker recall - they have web cams in the secret locations where Walker supporters are verifying each and every one of the million plus signatures regarding this recall election process. My suggestion - post cards. Those desiring a chance at purchasing ticket send a post card - then web cam the freakin drawing. Notify the winner by E-mail that they have 12 hours to complete the process. If the drawing takes a week - what else does the ticket handling folks have to do? At 12 dollars per order plus additional fees - they should do some actual work. They can pull drawings half the day - then there done until all tickets have been awarded. People unable to respond to the notice within 12 hours - hey what more do you want - concierge service? You want something - you have to do your part and make it happen. The dates for the drawing are announced, make plans

However as many have eluded to time and again - BMorg has no desire to be transparent - they are in the process of raising money to throw a party - their money concerns ends at the IPO (Initial Public Offering) - we now all own derivatives - the same thing that caused the housing market to crash - pieces of paper claiming we have possession of something when we do not possess something - and able to resell the confirmation letter to someone else - at a profit. Capitalism at work.

Some suggest a ticketing agency with a known and proven track record to handle selling a hundred thousand tickets in a few hours. One of these ticket agencies is corrupted big time. Scalpers have no problem getting a foot in the door before the main sale even goes on. Next year I bet those holding an American Express Card will be allowed a separate drawing, much like American Express card holders can purchase tickets to popular events long before the general public can. No scalper relies on masses of people to do the bidding - they use middle school - aged computer geeks to design net bots to do the same work of ten, twenty thirty people and net bots are free (people cost money) - in fact you can find net bots on just about any hacker forum for a small price, and a bigger price gets you a list of confirmed infected PCs at your disposal. 10,000 tickets - piece of cake.

Yeah the survey from the main lottery was a screening process designed to slow down/screen out net bots - but looking back at reports from individuals, net bots got a huge block of tickets. The survey also was used to screen users from directly headed to the final process skipping the survey. If your HTTP requests was not referred to by the IP assigned the survey - you were denied access to the final page. This is done by a very small "arguement" in the main server's httpd config file that simply says (translated into humanese) "If your browser does not indicate by HTTP referrer that you first stoped by the survey - denied access to the final goal, instead served a page sending you back to the survey to start the process over"

in computer lingo....

<
deny all, allow (survey IP here)
/>

This simple line of code is the gate for screening, checking user info, and determining if entry permitted or access denied

Server could also identify your IP by reverse DNS lookup (this would be completed and noted while you scrolled thru the survey page - and you never knew you were being scoped) and flag your IP number - but there is a flaw in this. If you use Cumfast and people in your local neighborhood also use Cumfast - they could have been blocked by the server as they would be assigned the same IP number from Cumfast. To avoid this net bots are usually connected into a utility that rotates from a predefined list of proxies (example - they could switch proxies every nano second you know - roughly the time it takes you to blink - which you have done a few dozen times since starting to read my contribution here).

Experienced scalpers know there are two more processes for dedicated fans to get tickets, and they will be among them. I cannot count how many times after the third song I managed to be gifted third row or better tickets for free due to parking lot hawkers dumping their tickets in mass. I offered a guy once face value and he refused as I had a chance to sit just right of center front row. It be interesting to stop at Wadsworth at the first of many scalpers at that gas station and see how much they are selling their untold number of tickets for. Could be a steal, could be face value - to them it is a business, and losses can get written off on taxes. Once the final sale is announced complete - the flood of resellers will begin. In the meantime BMorg will not care - they got the influx of cash needed to pay the event - whomever shows up - congrats.

Beginning to get the idea that a majority of the mods here will be serving as greeters and gate keepers as volunteers will decline drastically along with their other respective camp duties - maybe then they will understand just how bad this whole snafu really is / was. Many whom never think twice of volunteering - will not go because they were denied.

Not sure but getting "in" could take a day or two as Larry (maybe trilobyte can help out) has to personally greet each and every vehicle. (seeing how a majority of the happy campers announcing confirmation letters are burgins - perhaps we can skip the burgin ceremony to get us in faster?) or at least plenty of signage stating "burgins keep right"

Lines for Ice and refreshments in center camp will be delayed as only two cashiers will volunteer

Info booths will be unattended, some lamps might never get lit, trash fence could actually break under the stress of all that windblown trash...

Rangers will be outnumbered by LEA at a ratio of 1 to 7

Exodus will take days just to reach pavement as no one will volunteer to direct traffic. EVen worse - impatient burgins will drive across the laya creating their own exit, followed by others further destroying not only the playa, but future burning man events from occurring due to BLM violations

Post burn report, MOOP report and other aspects of returning the playa to it's natural state - instead of weeks, might finish around New Year's Day.


No offense trilobyte or any volunteer staff member or volunteer on playa, as I am leading a theme camp this year and unable to help as I have before. (A change of pace for my burn experience).

Our little theme camp might have 800 plus on FB - but maybe less then 50 are active (active defined as they make at least 1 post per week) and ticket confirmation count is at a dozen at most. But we will still have our fun, and still contribute back to the community.

I agree - this could be an overall very different experience on playa, considering many have never been there before - take notice volunteer medical staff, bring extra EmergenC.

However - different can be good as well as scary.

Interesting how STEP starts a month before final open sale. Guess the BMorg knows that STEP can start and finish on the same day (damn net bots strike again).

but true - a theme camp of 12, usually has 20 plus in camp and untold numbers of visitors asking for the same sized real estate as last year - be a gamble I desire not to take. Hate for someone walk by our camp representing BMorg, checking the original request, and seeing as one suggested elsewhere a large basketball court and a few tents in a place where 60 plus should be participating in pumping up the community or at least the local neighborhood. Beginning to get the idea that numerous football fields and basketball courts be available for those willing to express themself doing some slam dunks. Maybe that is what BMorg desires?

Not thrilled, but roll with the changes. We make it what we make it. Ya never burn twice the same way - each burn is different, and perhaps after this year's burn the powers that be will sit around a blazing camp fire, finish a few bottles of the good stuff and summarize the numerous failures of the past year, and try new ways, better ways, old and faithful ways to handle the ticketing process.

If your going to rely on technology - ask experts in the field of that technology to provide some input with regards to the technology you rely on. Not saying you have to take their advice, or even anything I stated above - but consider the possibilities that there is always a way to build a better mouse trap - and in the process of doing so - someone will beat you to the final product.

As for those so far denied - not gonna sugar coat it, not gonna rub salt in the wound, been there, done that. But know this, I feel for you and if I had deep pockets - just because to me money means nothing, I been homeless before, not knowing where my next meal would come from - expert at making a whopper from BK last all day etc etc, I would buy and somehow try and figure out a "fair" way to distribute those tickets - the real challenge would be to find a way to do it fairly, and at this point the current way is what we have to choose from, either play, or not play.

Yes - if BMorg really wanted to ease the pain - they could have posted at noon every day total requests for tickets, and when the request for tickets equaled tickets available - close the lottery. You sold the lottery made the money you set out to make to pay the bills, and no one is left standing in the cold. That would be fair - right?

A few brought up other concerns regarding burgins (no offense first timers - you think reading everything you can about Burning Man makes you an experienced burner - try again.) When experienced burners say over and over that the portion of the drive to BRC that is not Interstate, is the most dangerous 120 miles - we mean it. Like observing the colors of the strata visible in the hill sides, nothing like seeing the wreckage of dreams lost all along the highway. I have seen entire sound camps prematurely set up near Nixon, not where they were intended - and a Uhaul with a broken axel. And this goes for both directions, entering and exiting. I personally was behind a school bus loaded with gear inside and on top of the bus. Crosswinds flipped the bus on its side. A looser behind me was in a rush to get wherever he needed to get to - instead that driver found himself in a morgue. He passed right by me when I stopped, seeing what was happening in front of me, and the bus rolled on his car, killing him and seriously injuring the passengers. If he waited, a few more miles, he come across a place where the bus driver would pull over allowing traffic to pass him. You take this route enough times, you learn where safe places are to pass, or pull over. Least the driver could feel good about making it to burning man - only to die on the way home. Exodus from Green Man was the worst for carnage and chaos on the side of the road.

Good luck and not to sound so cliche' - but hope many of you get what you desire.

[newyorknora]

I've been three times, have my RV reserved and paid for, and live in NY so I need to buy a flight. I was denied. The fact that stubhub already has scalpers pages long is so upsetting and ridiculous.

I wish they would just cancel all charges/current tickets and do this over. Even if everyone eventually gets a ticket like the above posts say.....how do people w/out tickets start fundraising/funding the theme camps, art and art cars? What is playa going to look like/not look like?

This is not Disneyland or a concert where the infrastructure and entertainment is already established. Certain things have to be in place before you can tackle what you need to tackle to make the exerience. Why do we have a forum about all of the preparation/planning/shopping/building it takes if we can't even guarantee that the people prepping/planning/shopping/building can go?

I can't just say "the playa will fix this". That's just hocus pocus silliness.

Cancel the tickets and do this over. Even if I EVENTUALLY get a ticket I'm so sickened by the way this has gone down I don't want any part of it. I'm not chasing a ticket.

From STUBHUB lol

Ticket details
Burning Man Tickets
Monday, August 27, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. PDT | Black Rock Desert in Gerlach, NV
Driving directions, parking & more
View more listings for this event


Section: FESTIVAL PASS
Seat info: Row GA | Seats Guaranteed together
Quantity: 12345678 (UP TO 8 TICKETS AVAIL!!!!!!!!!!)

How you'll get
your tickets: FedEx 2Day ($11.95 USD)FedEx U.S. - Puerto Rico ($19.95 USD)FedEx U.S.- Canada ($19.95 USD)FedEx Standard - Alaska or Hawaii ($25.00 USD)
Shipping charges vary outside the continental U.S.
Ground shipping is not available for your address [Why?]
When you'll get
your tickets: Monday, August 06, 2012
(estimate based on delivery method and when the seller expects to receive the tickets)

Price per ticket: $1,500.00
Prices are set by sellers and may be higher than face value

[fenwick]

your not going to make too many friends by suggesting a "do over" after they took, and spent my money, and the money of tens of thousands of others.

Next do-over is 2013.

But as others have said - keep an eye out, never know what might fall in your lap.

[notthelarryharvey]

great job eliminating scalpers

EX.http://reno.craigslist.org/tix/2830751167.html
We won 4 extra Burning Man tickets at the $240 tier.
We are selling them at face value of $240.
Included w/ all the amenities in a luxurious camp.
hot water
shade
booze
shelter
etc...
Camp cost $2400
Total Due: $2640

Location: Gay Area
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

[pdmd71]

Fuck me I'm dumb !
We live in France and going to BM is kind of expensive if you count the plane tickets+the rental car+all the gear you need to camp(can't bring it back by plane)+bikes ...
So we decided to buy ticket from 240 to 320 ! for what? to save 140$ !
Now we'll try the open sale...
Fuck me I'm dumb !

[AntiM]

great job eliminating scalpers

EX.http://reno.craigslist.org/tix/2830751167.html
We won 4 extra Burning Man tickets at the $240 tier.
We are selling them at face value of $240.
Included w/ all the amenities in a luxurious camp.
hot water
shade
booze
shelter
etc...
Camp cost $2400
Total Due: $2640

Location: Gay Area
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

I sent the listing to the ticket folks.

[scottslc]

I look at all the blogs and facebook pages and see no official response from the good folks at burning man. Nothing. At least let us know your hearing us!!!

You know the next jack rabbit news letter will say how successful the ticket sales were....

[Donna Matrix]

No one in my theme camp got a ticket. This seems against all rules of probability. 0 for 20. Either the pool of extra/fake tickets is ENORMOUS or something is up here. Like a preference for people in SF or something? How could tickets be available into the summer last year and this year 40,000 tickets are sold by January and NO ONE in my camp has a ticket. Lame. Lame. Lame. Lame. This is a disaster. =(

I agree that something is up. UFO? I do wish we could find out what it is. Without knowledge there is little to do to fix it. ;(

[deutlich]

I was so, so, so bummed out yesterday I can't even properly describe it. Still feeling a bit raw about it all now.. but I'm pretty sure that one way or another I will be in the BRC this year.

I couldn't even think about venturing into eplaya during all of this because my own emotions were already so all over the place.

So stoked for those that got tickets. Even more stoked that I've got a camp working together to get all of us there.

Still so very sad I got the rejection letter. It really *did* feel like getting punched in the tit. TWICE. Because yay for double emails?!

[spacecat]

I'd like to mention something about STEP that don't seem to be getting a lot of attention-

There is nothing to prevent scalpers from buying tickets through STEP then reselling them for more.

Best case scenario- STEP tickets are non-transferable Will Call and thousands of burners did register for and get multiple tickets and they are all planning to do the right thing by selling them on STEP. If all those tickets are Will Call, that is going to be mean thousands more Will Call tickets than in the past which is going to mean lining up for hours. You could lose your whole first day waiting in that lineup.

This system is completely fucked.

[wandergirl]

our rejection emails (*sob*) mentioned lottery losers get first-come, first-serve priority on STEP. any one have any guess how that'll work?
of course, it means rejected scalpers will get priority access, too.

it's hard to have faith in it, anyway. I don't know anyone with extra tickets -- and if I did, they'd be selling them to the other 70% of our camp that didn't get tickets.
if it wouldn't be such a blow to ticket winners, I'd be on Team Redo: scratch the whole thing and open up a first-come, first-served sale, as ever before. and I know BMORG's against making tickets non-transferable because of the ID-checking headache, etc. but I would volunteer SO HARD for that, if it helped maintain the event's integrity. wouldn't you??

[kuru]

No tix for me. Exactly how is this better than last year? I was able to get a ticket after only a 2 hour wait after they went on sale and tickets were available for months before they ran out.

This system is a snowball of stupid, and it's getting bigger.

[mdmf007]

NO ticket for me either, but they are out there. I will just have to pony up the dough if I want to go...

[Arnoldo]

I was pretty down and out yesterday after not getting a ticket. But today is a new day. Gonna go have some fun and keep the faith! BM 2012 you will be mine, oh yes you will be mine!!

BLESS

[jpx]

I also did not get tickets. I put in for two at $320, but got none.

I did not speak up about the lottery because I chose to see how it worked before assuming that it would fail.

SIGH! Of course demand far exceeded the supply of lottery tickets. I don't think this is because people are bad. I think it's more like "Trust in Allah, but tether your camel." If you have a choice between one ticket or two, and you have the means to get two, get two. Why not? And that's for starters. Some people would register for four, or more.

The worst feeling, reading the party line about how the new system was going to work, was the sinking feeling of "Oh God, they actually believe what they are saying."

It's hard for me to believe that the STEP system will sweep in and save the day, and, coming from abroad, it would help a lot to know that I have a ticket or don't have one.

I may take a haircut on Burning Man this year.

This is why I don't climb up on every structure I find on the playa: because sometimes SHIT BUILT BY BURNERS JUST FALLS DOWN! This lottery is one of those things.