BOC s Press Conference on Beijing 2008 Olympic Tickets Sale through BOC Outlets

Bank of China held a press conference on April 16th and disclosed the comprehensive launch of the Beijing 2008 tickets sale program through its branches following BOCOG announcing the start of Beijing 2008 tickets sale from 15th Apr 2007.

Tickets available in 1000 Branches

According to the ticketing program of BOCOG, from now, more than seven million tickets are on sale for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and available for applications to the public. About 75% of the tickets will be sold domestically. People can get the application forms from more than 11000 domestic branches of the Bank of China and 1000 branches will be available for the submission of the orders.

The number and the qualification of the branches are determined by BOCOG and all the qualified branches are authorized. These branches cover all of the provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China and the qualification criterion is based on the principle of the maximum convenience of the public ticket purchase.

All the branches for ticketing are qualified in the aspects of facilities, guaranteeing the quick, safe and stable process of ticket sale to satisfy the needs of domestic people.

Three Phases of ticketing process

The domestic ticketing sale will be divided into three phases according to BOCOG and BOC will strictly follow the request of BOCOG.

Phase One of the ticketing process will run from now through the end of September 2007. The core sale principle of this phase is Orders available to the public, Selection at random . From April 15 to June 30, individuals can place orders through the official BOCOG ticketing website, by submitting completed order forms to 1000 designated Bank of China outlets or by mailing a form directly to Beijing Gehua Ticketmaster Ticketing Co, Ltd.

All the orders during the period will be regarded as simultaneous orders. From July to August 2007, tickets will be assigned to completed orders. For oversubscribed events, tickets will be allocated using a random computerized selection process.

A similar ordering process will be conducted in Phase Two, which will take place from October to December 2007. This phase still focuses on preorder while the core sale principle becomes first-come, first-served , that is, allocating the tickets according to the application order. Tickets can still be ordered through the official website, at designated Bank of China outlets or the ticketing call center.

A real-time sales process will be conducted in Phase Three from April 2008 until the end of the Olympic Games where tickets will be issued directly upon payment. Besides the ordering ways in Phase two, people can also buy ticket outside the venues.

According to the rules of IOC and BOCOG, payment will be required once the order is confirmed in Phase One by using a VISA card or by deducting the required amount from a current Bank of China account. In phase two and three, cash is also a way of payment.

The guarantee of successful ticketing process by BOC

Before choosing BOC as one of the main channels in ticketing process, BOCOG has collected advice from a wide range of people in different fields. Considering the advantage in both business and technology support of BOC, BOCOG believes that BOC can guarantee the success of the ticketing process. First of all, BOC is the official banking partner of Beijing Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The large number and wide coverage of BOC branches meet the needs of BOCOG to sell the tickets nationwide. Secondly, BOC has the advantages and rich experience in Payment and Clearing system and Account management. Thirdly, BOC has the modernized office hardware and software. Fourthly, the strict internal control system and the professional management of cash and other precious goods of BOC can ensure the safety of the ticketing process.

In order to ensure the 100% safety of the ticketing process, BOC is well prepared before the formal process. Senior Managements in the Head Office deployed the preparation in person. The Olympic Affairs Dept. Personal Banking Dept. and Security Dept cooperate closely for the arrangement of the ticketing related issues.

In each provincial branch, Olympic ticketing team is established and under the direct control of the general manager of the branch. The teams are in the charge of communication, information collection, logistics of the ticketing process. BOC held the Olympic ticketing training courses together with BOCOG and ticketing system providers and issues the Regulations on re-training in the provincial branches , which requires that all the employees in the branches, especially in the 1000 outlets, should take the re-training courses.

The detailed ticketing process of BOC is the guarantee of the smooth and standard operation. In case of the possible emergencies, BOC also sets up the emergency plan with the support of MPS and BOCOG, to warrant the prompt handling of all kinds of emergencies.