The figures say it all. With nine months until the event start, the Normandy 2014 Organising Committee has already recorded 102,000 pages viewed on the ticketing site and sold 150,000 places for the various competitions. This symbolic target was exceeded yesterday, Monday 18 November 2013, the day that tickets for the general public passes went on sale. It was a day that sent the counting device into turmoil on the official website for the organising committee (www.normandy2014.com), with over 15,000 visits. Evidence then that the appeal of this international equestrian event, the largest sports event organised in France next year, extends far beyond just its members. The big question was, would the second phase of ticketing, that was opened yesterday to the general public on the Games’ website, experience the same success as that recorded during the first phase*? The answer wasn’t long in coming. In less than 24 hours, half the proposed passes (15,000 passes) had been reserved by internet users, from Normandy, the whole of France, as well as overseas. In total, over 15,000 places were purchased in this way in a matter of hours, enabling the organisers to exceed the target of 150,000 tickets sold. At 1400 GMT on Monday, the official website recorded 2,000 simultaneous connections, over double the normal visitors. Ahead of such a success, the organisers are already considering extending their offer, so as to be able to meet demand. 200,000 places will remain allocated for the third and final stage of the ticketing operation, where the tickets will be sold individually at the start of March 2014. There should be enough for everyone. One thing is sure: the Alltech FEI World Equestrian GamesTM 2014 in Normandy certainly has a sizeable public following. *It’s worth pointing out that the first phase of ticketing, launched on 6 June 2013, was reserved for the ‘equestrian family’ (national members and federations). The organisers expected great things, but the results have exceeded their objectives, with 33,500 passes reserved, which equates to 130,000 places. Source: Press release
