As reported by Event,
Crowdsurge provided online ticketing software, e-tickets, box office management and ticket scanners at the festival. It told Event that staff from Baselogic and London Pleasure Gardens told it to "shut down" ticket scanners at 9.27pm on the evening of 6 July.
Visitors then continued to enter the festival without having their tickets scanned or being searched, Crowdsurge claims. The festival was closed down at 12.45am the next morning due to safety fears.
In a statement released last night, Crowdsurge said: "Crowdsurge was advised to shut down scanners at 21.27 on Friday 6 July, whilst the queuing barriers were reorganised. At this point 8,000 people had been given access to the site. The entry gates were reopened and scanning and personal searches ceased as per the request of Baselogic and London Pleasure Gardens staff. Crowdsurge staff at the venue were given no reason by the security team as to why scanning processes should cease."
Crowdsurge said 15,796 tickets were sold for the first evening, below the maximum capactity of 18,000 calculated by Baselogic.
London Pleasure Gardens told Event that investigations are continuing and it does not recognise Crowdsurge's claims as the full picture. It said Crowdsurge was commissioned by Baselogic, and that London Pleasure Gardens would take more control over its ticketing partners in future.
Baselogic did not respond to a request for comment on Crowdsurge's statement. It is also investigating what happened and asks anyone with comments to email bloc2012@baselogic.net.
Responding to online rumours about ticket scanners breaking, Crowdsurge stated: "At no point throughout the scanning process did the scanners cease to operate."
Crowdsurge said it decided to release the statement to give clarity to fans amid a lack of information from companies involved in the festival. Martyn Noble, chairman and chief executive of Crowdsurge said: "We sympathise with the frustration caused in lack of detailed statement coming forward from a variety of parties which is creating angst among fans waiting for refunds and an understanding of what went wrong."
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