Dear Charlie P.,

Another year goes by, and another GABF clusterpoop, courtesy of Ticketmaster, goes by. Sure, GABF is great. 616-ish breweries bringing their goods amidst a week of extravagance in the lovely town of Denver – what’s not to like?

Still, the process by which people acquire tickets leaves much to be desired, and it raises several questions, but the most curious one may be:

Why does it sell out so quickly, if the tickets themselves almost instantly appear on StubHub? Is it that scalpers are that quick? Tech savvy as I am, I would probably have to have two windows open at the same time, and still hope that I click fast enough to purchase my ticket and then click on the StubHub submission. It is a little…odd. Moving to another e-vendor will likely create a similar set of issues, whether it is Eventbrite or something else. Anyway, I write this letter to you in the hopes that maybe you can see some sanity in what I say, as opposed to the hundreds thousands who just emote emptily. Who knows – maybe some of the ideas will make sense.

Conspiracy theories aside, it seems that the AHA is wed to Ticketmaster through at least 2014. After I relaxed, and had a homebrew (a barleywine, if you must know) I came up with some ideas I’ve come up with to make the initial process a little smoother, and somewhat more equitable for the masses. Granted, people may not like all of them, but at least it’s a conversation starter.

• Tier BA/AHA Membership

Many people have AHA membership simply to buy GABF tickets, and then complain that it was their god-given right to access tickets. Meanwhile, those who have supported the mission of AHA get shut out, and have to find other means to acquire tickets. Why not guarantee the option to buy tickets to those who have entered an AHA sanctioned event throughout the year? It would get those on the homebrewing fence into the action, and would reward those who really enjoy the craft. (Did I mention that my wife and I recently brewed a Mosaic/Zythos IPA? It really is tasty, and you should try it sometime.) Open up purchases to the participants a day earlier, by some alternate ID method (if you really want details on this, I’m sure we can figure something out.) and let the homebrewers have first crack. Ultimately, wouldn’t more people participate in events if they knew it would guarantee the option for tickets? And, if you follow my logic, wouldn’t that result in the improvement of homebrewers worldwide?

Those who buy AHA membership simply for GABF tickets could then purchase on the next day, again, before the general public, but after the actual homebrewers – or at least those of us who try. Also, feel free to allow us to grab tickets after BA members. After all, many of us aspire to be like them one day. I know many of the me-first generation may not approve of this idea, but, hey, it’s a step towards fairness, and fairness doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone gets the same thing.

• Tie ticket purchases to an ID

It’s not that hard to do. Print the name on the ticket, and match the name to the ID the day of the event. Maybe add a +1 for a guest, if you want to bring a friend. This would significantly limit the number of scalpers (StubHub conspiracy non-withstanding) looking to sell off their tickets at an extreme price. Can’t make the event? Allow for sell-backs to occur for reselling by the AHA at a later date. It doesn’t have to be that complicated. I’ve seen this done with quite a bit of success, and it’s limited the scalping of tickets…somewhat. Granted, nothing will work perfectly, but I’m sure this move will cull the excess scalping considerably, and get tickets in the hands of those who truly enjoy the profession.

• Leave a small block of tickets for Denver locals

This one is also pretty simple. Have a handful of tickets for those of us who really helped the craft beer revolution explode. I don’t mind standing elbow to elbow with my fellow enthusiast outside of Argonaut or River North for the opportunity to snag a ticket to GABF. Hell, I’m sure we’d probably camp out if some tickets were at stake. The local community is the lifeblood of the event – how about a little “Thank You” for the people?

• Send me a pair of tickets

It was worth a shot, right? Come on, people, you know you chortled.

In all seriousness, the process is broken, but entirely fixable. I hope these ideas are taken into consideration, or at the very least, I hope they stimulate some sort of conversation as to how to improve the process in the future.

Thanks,
A homebrewer