LOCOG execs said that their ticketing system “stood up to a huge influx of potential buyers as remaining Olympic tickets went on sale on Wednesday morning, although some customers complained of long waits and an unwieldy booking system,” according to Owen Gibson of the GUARDIAN. LOCOG execs said that the Ticketmaster website “had withstood an initial rush” as about 500,000 tickets yesterday were made available “on a first come, first served basis.” While those who had “succeeded in purchasing tickets took to Twitter and other social networking sites to say they were happy with the system, others complained about the erratic countdown clock that was supposed to tell them how long to wait and the frustration of a system that took up to half an hour to check whether particular tickets were still available.” An additional “150,000-200,000 tickets are to be released back on to the market, including some for previously sold-out sessions, as seating configurations are finalised, and will be added to the system as they become available” (GUARDIAN, 5/24). The London TELEGRAH reported the tickets, designed by FutureBrand -- part of McCann Worldgroup -- each feature “a sporting pictogram with a specific colour scheme, reflecting that of each venue to help spectators locate their destination.” Each ticket “will be printed with a hologram, a barcode and name of the booker as well as several other security features -- ensuring every ticket can be traced to the person who purchased it -- in a bid to reduce counterfeiting” (London TELEGRAPH, 5/23).
