City venue issues warning over ‘scam’ freshers party
THE Empire has issued a warning about a “scam” event that is using the venue’s address in an advert for “Coventry’s biggest fresher party”.
The entertainment mecca responded after its address was given in an online listing for the rave under the title ‘Demon Time Midlands’.
And e-flyers billed the event as “the party you have been waiting for after lockdown!” with students set to attend from all over the region.
Nightclubs are currently shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with no reopening date given by the Government, and the ‘rule of six’ applies to parks, pubs and restaurants as infection rates creep back upwards. The event was also listed on Eventbrite, where the description said the exact time and date were to be announced. However, in a side panel on the page an address was given for 151 Far Gosford Street, which is the home of the Empire.
On Facebook, the Empire said: “Scam Warning!
“This event has been listed as an event at Empire Far Gosford St – we have no knowledge of this event and our Far Gosford Street venue is closed - do not buy tickets for this event!
“We are well known throughout the country for holding safe and enjoyable urban events and those will continue but only when safe to do so.
“Stay safe XX”
The listing on the ticketing website had claimed “this event will 100% sell out” and students would be attending from more than 20 universities across the Midlands and around the country.
Giveaways were said to include free shots on entry, complimentary unlim
ited sweets and a prize for the bestdressed fresher.
Tickets were listed as sold out and it was not possible to make purchases while the page was online.
A similar listing on another Eventbrite page advertised an event called ‘Go Crazy Midlands’, which was billed as “Northampton’s Wildest Freshers Party”.
On Twitter, one user responded to the Coventry flyer by writing: “This will be the event that has me standing outside praying and handing out free bibles.”
Another referred to the £10,000 fine handed to a 19-year-old student for throwing a large house party in Nottingham, which drew more than 50 people.
The user wrote: “Maybe a 10k fine will slap some sense.”
It’s not clear if the adverts are intended to be real events, but they are not affiliated to Coventry University, which has taken steps to protect students, including through a virtual freshers’ fair. An Eventbrite spokesman said: “We have not been able to get in touch with the creators of this event to hear their side of the story. Having said that, and in light of what we know about this event to date, our Trust and Safety team has temporarily unpublished it from our platform.
“If we do not hear back from the organisers and if we can confirm that this event is indeed fraudulent, it will be taken offline permanently and all tickets - including fees - will be refunded.
“We are currently also investigating the second event in question, ‘Go Crazy Midlands’.”
The creator of the listing has not responded to a request for comment via the Eventbrite page.
We have not been able to get in touch with the creators of this event to hear their side of the story Eventbrite