Getting your hands on a Crisis or Ocean ticket in Nottingham can often be harder than getting a first in your degree. It’s a regular mission we all face; attempting to go on a night out but being forced to turn up at a ridiculously early time to queue.
Night life in Nottingham is pretty good, with club nights on every day of the week, but the ticketing system that the most popular clubs use forces students to plan in advance, and purchase tickets for nights they may not even go to. Ocean best personifies this anomaly.
If you don’t buy tickets for the ‘Big 6’ the moment the tickets go online, getting in to the club that night becomes harder and more daunting than paying off your student loan debt.
It’s in the very nature of students to be impulsive and only decide to go on a night out at the last minute. Why shouldn’t we? This is part of the spontaneous lifestyle at university, free from the chains of adult, routine-dictated working life.
“You have to be fast, you have to be patient, and you have to be methodical”
Students who want to trade tickets predominantly use the ‘Buy/Sell’ Facebook page, which we all know is convoluted and often disappointing. Sitting scrolling through the page is not ideal during pre-drinks, whilst watching the clock, because if you don’t manage to be the first one to message a seller, you’ll need to finish your drink early and rush to queue, with no guarantee of getting in with your friends.
The ‘Buy/Sell’ page is not easy to use, and in my four years at Nottingham I think I’ve managed to sell a grand total of 2 tickets using it, and purchase 1. You have to be fast, you have to be patient, and you have to be methodical (ignoring all the spam and false posts that appear). This is all whilst being glued to your phone at the expense of not socialising with your friends at pre-drinks (the best part of the night).
“It’s like Tinder, but for tickets”
There may be a solution to this. A new app named TX is in the process of being designed, which could revolutionise the way in which students trade second-hand tickets for events. The app’s algorithm will match people with the tickets they need at their chosen price, at a convenient location, and allow sellers to sell their unwanted tickets quickly and securely.
Students desperately seeking a Caramello ticket at the last minute would be able to bang in ‘Caramello ticket,’ set their desired price and location filter, and await for their phone to buzz with a match. It’s like Tinder, but for tickets. Its simplistic, efficient nature will solve the hassle of scrolling through Facebook to no avail. TX will cater for all events, from clubbing, to festivals, to cinema tickets. The idea itself is so simple but it could just be genius.
After being convinced by the TX team, I did some market research around the uni myself, and the overwhelming consensus was that this is a great idea that will make all of our lives easier. Everyone has felt the pain of not having a ticket, and failing to obtain one. A platform empowering students to buy and sell tickets without the hassle of scrolling is a godsend.
The App’s creator has secured investment but needs to prove demand to get TX onto the App Store. You can help get the app online by entering your email to show your support for the idea at ‘gettx.co.uk.’ With enough support, trading tickets at the last minute would become as easy as studying at Trent.
Fraser Collingham
