About 8.8 million tickets will be available for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and an additional 2 million for the Paralympic Games.
Tickets are distributed via a random selection process, so it’s important for event planners or individuals interested in attending these events to register for consideration. Those who are interested in tickets for the 2012 Olympic Games must register between March 16 and April 26, 2011. If your interest is the Paralympic Games, you must register on September 9, 2011.
The Olympics are popular tickets, so to avoid any potential confusion or unauthorized third party vendors, the best idea is to simply register for a ticketing account with London 2012 to receive information and updates. U.S. citizens should register with Jet Set Sports and CoSport.
The Olympics ticketing process could be a bit confusing. By signing up directly for a ticketing account, you will receive approved information for this process. For example, if you are not a resident of the UK or one of the designated European countries, regardless of citizenship, you are required to apply for tickets via your local National Olympic Committee (NOC) or National Paralympic Committee (NPC) from 2011. Some NOCs and NPCs may appoint an Authorized Ticket Reseller (ATR) in order to help the general public obtain tickets and services relating to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
“Don’t buy hospitality from anyone that isn’t the official distributor,” advises Tracy Halliwell, director of business tourism for Visit London. “U.S. tickets will only be available through Jet Set Sports and CoSport. If you want to come to London to just experience the atmosphere, then also remember that official live sites will show live action from the Olympics from some of London’s Royal parks and iconic London spaces.”
Ticket Prices for the Public
It is certainly worth the cost of tickets to simply submit your name for the random selection. Tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games are available at a wide range of prices starting at £20. (See, Olympic Game Ticket Prices for ticket costs to all Games.)
There are also special prices available for young people and seniors across all Olympic sports. Young people who are aged 16 and under (at 27 July 2012) will pay their age for a ticket. Seniors aged 60 and over (at 27 July 2012) will pay £16. These 'pay your age' ticket prices and senior ticket prices will be available in more than 200 sessions. The price of a ticket for a wheelchair space includes a companion seat located next to it.
Click here for the Draft Olympics London 2012 Schedule.
Olympics Hospitality Packages for Events
Like most major sport events, an Olympics hospitality package would include accommodations, dining, event tickets to selected games, and gifts. Frequently, individuals purchasing hospitality should expect to cover costs for items such as airline transportation, ground transfers, personal incidentals and gratuities.
But the benefits of official hospitality include access to those highly desirable 3 and 4 star hotel rooms that are in the host city. About 53,000 hotel rooms are being held by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), not the visiting public. That’s about 60% of London’s hotel inventory, Halliwell explains, so the remaining hotel rooms get quickly taken by the public and organizers of hospitality.
“We’re urging all our hotel partners to pay attention to market trends and not over-hike rates – this is why we created the Fair Pricing and Practice Charter back in 2008 (FPPC),” Halliwell adds.
UK Official Olympics Hospitality and Travel Packages
Three organizations have been given approval to offer official hospitality and travel packages within the UK – available only until March 15, 2011 – as official London 2012 hospitality service providers. Packages They are:
- Thomas Cook
- Prestige Ticketing Ltd.
- Jet Set Sports
Thomas Cook is an official partner of London 2012, Thomas Cook will be selling a range of UK 'Games Breaks' that will range from one night packages including official tickets in two-star accommodation, to luxury five-star breaks including tickets, meals and transport.
Prestige Ticketing Ltd provides exclusive access to official London 2012 on-site hospitality packages including tickets, fine dining and entertainment inside Games venues. Hospitality boxes at venues will also be sold exclusively by Prestige Ticketing Ltd. On-site hospitality is not available from any other company or provider.
Jet Set Sports is the official seller of fully inclusive packages including tickets, accommodation, food and beverages, and transportation. For UK purchasers, these packages will include a minimum of two nights' accommodation
Travel packages will also be available for residents outside the UK and EEA from 2011 through local NOCs, NPCs and ATRs.