e-permit and e-ticketing Frequently Asked Questions February 2015

e-permit and e-ticketing Frequently Asked Questions February 2015

e-permit What is the objective of introducing the platform? The e-permit platform has been introduced to facilitate greater efficiency for event organisers and government entities responsible for granting permits. The platform will host a comprehensive database to capture accurate details of all events taking place in Dubai that will in-turn result in greater competencies in resource planning across government entities. Furthermore, the e-permit System will ensure that the event organiser and/or hotels and venues fully understand the event planning process throughout all the necessary stages, not missing any integral elements that could potentially affect the event taking place. When will the platform be in place? Rollout of phase one of the system commenced on November, 2 nd 2014 covering entertainment events taking place in 5 stars hotels only. Phase two started on Dec, 2 nd rollout the platform to organizers and on Feb, 8 th 2015 roll-out to 3 & 4 stars hotels, TECOM free zone and Dubai World Trade Centre areas. Gradually by the end of March 2015, 1 & 2 stars hotels and other restaurants, clubs and venues will be applying on the e-permit platform How will the platform work? Phase one involves replacing the existing security system with the new e-permit platform; initially equipped for hotels that host entertainment events. Will there be any fees for the new e-permit platform? Yes there will be an annual subscription fee of AED 300, in addition to a AED 200 fee per permit. For Permit application less than 5 working days the permit application fees will be AED 500. Who should have access to the new platform? All hotels that host entertainment events will have the majority access, and as we roll-out into phase two, access will be available to all venues and event organisers. In phase two the platform will be available for all other types of events Sports, trade, religious and charity events. Will the platform be in both English and Arabic? Yes the platform is in both English and Arabic. However all official information needs to be inputted in Arabic. If I want to hold a private event in a hotel, at what point is a permit required, is it based on capacity or type of entertainment? There are no changes to the existing permit regulations, private events in hotels do not require a permit, unless there are three or more performers, and then the event will require a permit.

If I want to hold a seminar or a conference event in a hotel, at what point is a permit required? There are no changes to the existing process of non-entertainment events in hotels, the hotel should notify Dubai Police via the current CID system and this do not require a permit, unless there is an entertainment performance, and then the event will require a permit. If I do require a permit, how do I apply, would I or the hotel be responsible for this? You will need to speak to the hotel, who will advise you on what needs to be done in this instance. The hotel is at liberty to organise various private and business related events. However, entertainment events and/or any event that is ticketed will need to be managed by an event s organiser, who will be responsible for acquiring the permit. Do we apply for Sports events and trade events permits via the e-permit? Yes, this will be part of the e-permit process; however, this will come in the next rollout by June-2015. For the time being, there will be no changes in the current process. Does this apply to both a ticketed and non-ticketed event? Yes, if the event is an entertainment event the organiser must apply for the permit whether ticketed or not. If the event is a non-entertainment event, the venue can apply for the permit. Are Government organisations licensed to organise events? All Government organisations who want to arrange any entertainment events will require the services of an event organiser or venue. We are in the category of both a venue and an organiser, therefore who should register on the e- Permit system? In this instance both the venue and the organiser need to be recorded in the system; therefore you will need to register twice - once as a venue and once as an organiser. If I hold a trade license in Dubai Free Zone area or any other emirate, can I hold an event in Dubai? No it is not possible to hold an event in Dubai with a trade license not issued from DED. You will need to either work with an event organiser or venue in Dubai or obtain a trade license from the emirate of Dubai.

e-ticketing What is the objective of introducing the platform? The objective to develop and implement the e-ticketing system is to expand ticket distribution channels, guarantee full collection of DTCM fees, analysis of the events industry, and to ensure customer protection and satisfaction. When will the system be in place? The e-ticketing system has been live since 9 th September 2014. Who will the system benefit? The e-ticketing system benefits first and foremost the event organiser. How? Once implemented hotels, airlines, tour operators, travel agents and other ticket aggregators can subscribe to the new system that will consequently increase marketing and distribution channels available to event organisers; resulting in the development of Dubai s event sector. How will the system work? Currently, there is a manual ticketing process that is time consuming; the introduction of an automated ticketing platform will provide the industry with an efficient, transparent and auditable electronic ticket sales process. The system can be operated as a consumer facing ticketing solution via a white label or as a backend or API interface with existing ticketing systems in place. What is the difference between the white label and the back-end API? White label transactions will be managed directly through the DTCM e-ticketing platform using the full functionality of the application that will not affect the organisation branding or digital assets. API integration was created to allow established ticket sellers with their own platform to communicate directly with the e-ticketing system. Organisers and/or ticket sellers using the Application Programming Interface (API) Integration will be operating their current ticketing application and at the time of booking each ticket, back-end integration will occur to check the availability of this ticket in the central inventory of the e-ticketing platform. Full documentation has been provided to the established ticket sellers, who regardless of the application or software in use, can integrate to DTCM s system seamlessly. Who should use the API integration? At this stage the API integration will be provided to operational ticket sales agencies who have an existing ticketing system to run their operations. Who should use the White Label System? During the initial phase, only selected venues will be on the White Label platform. Will there be any fees for the new e-permit platform? Yes there will be an annual subscription fee of AED 5000 for white label partners; and one time AED 10,000 for API partners per integration.

What is the objective of the payment gateway and how does it work? DTCM went through a tender process to procure a payment gateway to primarily provide the market with low commercial rates for e-commerce transaction. The White Label sites use the payment gateway configured by DTCM with sub merchant facilities to allow direct transfer of funds to the seller s account. API sellers do not connect to the DTCM payment gateway. What is the process for Event organisers who currently sell online using their own platform? All ticket sales in Dubai from 9 th September 2014 must be linked to the e-ticketing system either by an API or using the White Label. For event organisers who currently sell their own tickets they will need to engage with a seller who is connected to the e-ticketing system or use the DTCM Hard Ticket Process to print ticket batches to provide to the customer. What about venues that do not use either an API or White Label Platform? For anyone that does not use either of these systems, they are advised to complete an event notification form, after which DTCM will print the event tickets. How can I sell from an outlet? You can contact any seller who is connected to the e-ticketing system, either through an API or White Label, or via DTCM directly. Hard Tickets can then be processed in batches and distributed to outlets to sell. Please refer to the Hard Ticket Process for DTCM conditions and configuration instructions. What about an event organiser who would also like to be a ticket seller? DTCM is currently working on a process to enable event organisers to sell tickets in an integrated way through either an API partner or through a White Label venue. DTCM will roll out the platform in phases, the current phase is for identified venues and existing ticket sales agencies. How will you substitute the stamping process? If the organiser is not subscribed to e-ticketing via the White label integration, all barcoded tickets will be printed at the DTCM offices, Al Fattan Plaza, Airport Road, Dubai and can be collected for a nominal fee per ticket. Can generic tickets be used for daily or weekly events? Non specific tickets will no longer be available. All tickets must be defined, detailing the day, date, time, and session and must be transacted in an auditable way. Is there a new standard design or format for tickets? Tickets transacted through the White Label solution are formatted to a consistent style of data. However, the pre-printed background of the ticket can be branded at the seller s discretion. API sellers can format and brand tickets as per their current process or create templates for consistency as well. The only mandatory item that must be placed on the ticket is the barcode that is passed through the API integration.

In the scenario where a number of outlets are selling tickets for a particular event, how do you suggest tickets are distributed? If hard tickets are being sold at different locations, it is at the event organiser s discretion as to how these are divided and distributed. If a particular outlet is selling more, a simple collection from one outlet and delivery to the other of additional tickets will suffice. However, is it recommended that the event organiser has a process in place to manage this and is aware at any given time of how many tickets have been allocated to each outlet. What about the scenario where there are multiple ticket allocations? Events can either be exclusively sold by one seller or have multiple sellers and outlets, this is completely at the event organisers discretion. In the case where multiple sellers are to receive ticket allocations, DTCM simply needs to be made aware of this, so that access to the centralised inventory of the e-ticketing platform can be made. Allocations to different Sellers can be done in two ways: 1. Fee Access this means that all sellers have access to the ticket inventory, and no minimum or maximum allocations are set. This will stop event organisers having to manage ticket allocations. 2. Set Allocations this means that the event organisers would advise the exact number of tickets that can be sold by multiple sellers. Each seller would then only be able to transact the tickets the event organiser has allocated to them and if they sell out or have not sold to expectation, the event organiser would need to reset the allocations. Where hard tickets are involved, as per the above point, the hard tickets would need to be returned prior to releasing back to the centralised inventory. If I only sell a percentage of tickets for an event, what do I do with the remaining unsold tickets? All unsold tickets can be returned to DTCM, as long as they remain attached as supplied by DTCM. When an event organiser receives the initial batch of pre-printed tickets they will all be fan-folded together in batches of 1,000. During the sales process, it is recommended that the first ticket at the top of the pile is allocated. However, in the case where it is a reserved seat event and a customer specifically asks for a certain seating allocation this may mean the batch needs to be separated. In this scenario discretion will play a major part. If there are 4 tickets still attached this will be accepted and in the case where one ticket out of the batch of 1,000 is not sold and DTCM is comfortable that the ticket does not look like it has been used then it will be refunded. Please note this is only the case of tickets printed by DTCM. If an event organiser procures pre-printed tickets from a seller directly then the process may differ at the seller s discretion.

What about selling tickets for a table scenario, reserved seating of general admission? Tickets transacted through the White Label solution can facilitate the representation of numerous venue configurations including tables, reserved seating or general admission. All tickets must be approved by the seller/event organiser prior to printing to ensure all details are accurate and avoid a reprint scenario. For sales that are transacted through the API, discussions with the relevant seller must be had to determine their capabilities. Will the 10% fees be applicable on all event tickets? No, the 10% is only applicable on sold tickets. Are event organisers required to deposit the 10% ticket fee in advance? Yes, the event organiser will be required to submit a manager cheque equating to the value of 10% of the ticket inventory. After the event is over, DTCM will return the manager cheque to the organiser and request payment of the 10% of all tickets sold. Please note some hotels are exempt from the 10% advance payment depending on the classification of the hotel and who applies for the e-permit. If the Event Organiser is arranging the e-permit, the 10% manager cheque in advance is still applicable. What if a consumer wishes to return a ticket/s prior to an event, are refunds accepted? The system allows for refunds, it is therefore at the discretion of the organiser if they wish to honour this or not. DTCM s 10% ticket fees will not be applied on refunded tickets. Is it possible to return ticket/s prior to an event via API integration? Yes, if the ticket sales agency is integrated with the e-ticketing platform via API, they are able to return tickets What about complimentary tickets, does the 10% per ticket apply? As per the decree the maximum amount of complimentary tickets is 5% of the total amount of tickets available to sell for any event. Should the Event organiser require additional complimentary tickets, a fee of 10% will be incurred by DTCM. The 10% is calculated per ticket of the allocated ticket price. What if the event is an invitation only event, no paid tickets, will a fee still be paid to DTCM? Yes, if the event is ticketed, but free of charge to each client, DTCM will charge the organiser up AED 2 per ticket. Who should settle the 10% ticket fees? If the event s tickets are sold via an API partner, the API partner is responsible to settler the 10% tickets fees directly to DTCM. What if there is multiple API partners selling the same event? In this scenario, each API partner will settle his tickets fees respectively.

What if an event is cancelled? In this case the event organiser must refund all tickets in full within 10 days from the date of event cancellation. What is the time frame for ticket distribution fee settlement? The balance must be settled 30 days after the end of an event to avoid any fines. For each week that the event surpasses the 20 day limit, a AED 2000 fine will be imposed for every week delay on the event orgnaizer. How will e-ticketing impact Patron Access Control? Patron Access Control is available for the White Label sellers as part of the e-ticketing offering. DTCM s Patron Access Control system is in direct communication with the e-ticketing system at all times enabling secure scanning of every event. API Sellers are still able to use their current Patron Access Control hardware and software by uploading the barcodes for sales per event. If an event was to have numerous sellers and the event required Patron Access Control scanning there are two options to service this: 1. All sellers manage their own scanning 2. The event organiser engages one seller to provide this service and the barcode/customer data is collected by the event organiser from the other sellers or directly from DTCM that will be provided to the servicing seller to load into their system. Is patron access controls mandatory? Yes, access control is mandatory; however, DTCM will leave it to the organiser to decide whether it will be automated or manual. Will DTCM own the customer databases? No, the promoters will maintain ownership of their customer databases; DTCM will have access to this data for solely market research purposes.