The warning comes after it was revealed the World Athletics Championships 2017, which is part of the golden decade of sport in the UK, has recently spawned a flurry of activity of "unscrupulous" suppliers seeking to cash in on the event.
Keith Prowse managing director Andrew Hodgkins said: "As yet the official suppliers have not been appointed. Any purported ‘corporate hospitality packages’ are therefore speculative and should not be purchased under any circumstances. The rights holders of every event will have key official suppliers and authorized suppliers."
To help ensure corporates do not get duped Keith Prowse has created a checklist that include:
- Always buy from a supplier who is accredited as an ‘official’ supplier. Do not be fooled by the telesales call that suggests ‘a table has just become free, as a client has just cancelled’.
- Ask the source of the tickets which make up the corporate hospitality packages.
- Check the cancellation policies that have been put in place by the hospitality provider.
- The hospitality industry is unregulated. If you have any doubt whatsoever, contact the host venue or event organisers directly to verify the supplier.
- Collateral damage - do not be taken in by spectacular photography and costly looking brochures.
- Be price conscious.
- Ask for the locations of the facilities that make up the package. They should all be close by. Be very wary of having to leave the grounds for lunch.
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