My complaint:
I am tennis and Rafa Nadal fan. I bought $1200 worth of tickets to see all of Spain matches. Yesterday, at the night session of 4120 we were seated at Block 215 Row J. At the end of the doubles match my daughter and I went down a few rows to seek autographs from Team Spain. We were not allowed for the following reasons: 1) we did not have tickets 2) the people at Row AA paid lots of money 3) crowd control was required and instructions were not to let anyone through without a ticket
I responded with the following: 1) I had a ticket at Block 215 2) I don’t have to be told people paid good money to watch the matches as I did 3) there were only a few of us avid fans wanting autographs such that crowd control was required; that if not for paying fans like myself, the event would not be a success
Suggested solution:
Fans should be appreciated for making an effort to participate in these events; needless to say, fans choose to pay to be at the venue rather than watch the matches from the comfort of their homes. The least the events organizers can do is to treat fans respectfully and cordially and use their common sense when incidents like these occur. The matches were over. Instructions pertaining to no entry without a ticket do not need to be implemented. People who were seated at these front rows were leaving and clearly had no intentions to seek autographs. Allowing entry to more avid fans would not have presented any problems at all
The response, as articulated by the two staff concerned, is not added security but common sense and increase ability to address a situation with common decency, cordiality and common sense.
Organizers should also request the players to spend a few minutes to address their adoring fans rather than make their way to the exits.
I must add that a knight in shining armor gave me his ticket as he made his way out of Row AA. In contrast to this genuinely kind gesture, a female ravenously told off children to distance themselves from Rows AA, etc. as though she owned RAC Arena. She literally shooed away people who like her, had tickets to the venue. It is very sad to witness appalling attitude such as what this woman shamelessly demonstrated. Whoever you are shame on you!