Hi everyone, Welcome to the first instalment of the Fair Ticketing Alliance blog. We have decided to start a blog for the FTA because we feel it is a great way of sharing with everyone the progress we are making through the highs and lows and everything in between. What the FTA is taking on in the secondary market is a massive task, one that hasn’t been achieved before in the UK. For it to be successful it is going to need the cooperation from everyone involved in the ticketing eco system and ultimately the government too. We are very realistic and know this isn’t something that will have a conclusion overnight, it will be a process. The ticket industry has lots of different elements to it so in order for our campaign to be successful we have to work with everyone involved. The secondary market has gained a reputation over the years, one that will take some time to shake off. We believe in order to do this people need to be educated in the role of the secondary market and in particular what traders can provide. We believe that there is a place for everyone in the ticketing world and its quite damaging to the industry as a whole to try and exclude the different areas of business for whatever reason. As long as everyone is acting responsibly and in the interest of the industry and the consumer then there shouldn’t be an issue. In this blog our aim is to tackle the many different areas of the ticketing eco system and share with you our progress. Within the FTA our board members will each share their own views on the blog individually in the areas they will be working on, including regulatory developments, future technology, new ventures, partnerships and relationships as well as general progress and how changes in ticketing are impacting consumers. There are some big developments coming up in the ticketing world. In particular the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee will be holding an enquiry into the music industry titled ‘Live Music’. The first session will start on Wednesday the 5th of September. The FTA has submitted a paper as evidence stating our thoughts on the industry, we are also going to be called up to one of the sessions so our president Stephen Lee and our board advisor Pete Bowyer can share their views and hopefully help answer any questions on any misunderstandings about the secondary market and how ticketing is currently delivered to the consumer. It will be a great opportunity for the committee to hear first hand from a trader about how the secondary market works, and also the great things the FTA are doing and looking to do to make the secondary market better for everyone. We will be keeping you up to date with everything from the enquiry, and sharing our views about it all. As I have said before there is a big task ahead of us, nonetheless we feel that if we go about it in a way that shows our integrity to the industry, we can achieve something that is workable for everyone involved. I think its fair to say that as a whole the ticket eco system isn’t very workable at the moment and unfortunately the only people that lose out are the people that matter the most, and that is the fans.