Bots Are Gone. Here’s How to Sell Out Your Venue Organically

The UK government just dropped the hammer on ticket scalping. The bots are banned. The unauthorised resale market is taking a massive hit.

For music fans, this is a victory. But for promoters? It’s a wake-up call.

Touts were a headache for your PR, but let's be honest: they were also a guaranteed bulk-buy. They snapped up 20-30% of your inventory the second you went live. They created artificial scarcity and "Sold Out" hype.

Now, that safety net is gone.

If you want to move tickets, you can’t rely on artificial demand anymore. You need a new strategy. Here is how to sell out events without ticket touts—by turning your audience into your sales force.

The "Tout Gap": Why Day One Looks Different

In the old days, scalpers bought your stock instantly to flip it later. It looked like success, even if the venue wasn't actually full yet.

Now, that inventory remains on your shelf.

If you stick to the old playbook, your Day One sales figures are going to look scary. The demand is still there, but the "panic buy" pressure is lower. You can't just open the doors and wait for the bots to clear the shelves. You have to actually sell.

Stop "Pushing" Ads. Start Building a Sales Force.

Passive advertising is getting expensive. Facebook and Instagram CPAs (Cost Per Acquisition) are climbing, and reach is dropping. Throwing money at an algorithm is a gamble.

You don't need more impressions. You need conversions.

The most effective way to close that gap is a "Push" strategy. Not push notifications—people. You need a motivated network of reps, sub-promoters, and super-fans who have a financial incentive to bring their friends.

• Ads: You pay even if nobody buys. ❌
• Reps: You only pay when a ticket is sold. ✅

Shift the Budget: From "Fighting Fires" to "Fueling Fans" 🔥

Think about how much time and money you used to spend dealing with scalping complaints. Dealing with fans ripped off by bots. issuing statements about "authorized sellers."

Take that energy and pivot.

Move your budget from fighting fires to fueling fans. Instead of letting a scalper make £20 profit on a ticket, give a £2 commission to a loyal fan who brings 5 friends.

Why this wins:

• Real heads on bodies: Touts sold tickets to desperate people. Reps sell tickets to their social circles—people who actually buy drinks and merch.
• Compound growth: One rep brings 5 friends. Those 5 friends see the vibe and become reps for the next show.
• Zero risk: This is pure performance marketing. No upfront ad spend.

How TicketPlug Bridges the Gap 🚀

You know you need a rep team, but managing 50 sellers via WhatsApp and spreadsheets is a nightmare.

That’s where we come in. TicketPlug is the infrastructure for the post-bot era.

We are a fully authorised, first-party platform that automates the "street team" concept for the digital age. We let you build a network-powered sales force instantly.

• Automated commission: Your reps sell, they get paid, you get the revenue.
• Social verification: Tickets go to real people, not scripts.
• Control: You decide the incentives.

The Verdict

The era of the lazy sell-out is over. You can't rely on the grey market to prop up your sales figures.

You have two choices:

1. Keep burning cash on ads and pray for clicks.
2. Build an army of incentivised sellers who fill the floor for you.

The bots are gone. It’s time to let the real fans take over.

Ready to reclaim your box office? Stop hoping for sales. Start driving them.