As there seems to be a certain amount of commotion amongst Eurovision Song Contest fans concerning the procedure for the purchase of the tickets for the forthcoming events in Helsinki, Viisukuppila newpaper has approached Lippupalvelu Oy (Ticket Service Finland) for clarifications on the whole process. Mr. Seppo Keski-Pukkila stated that the company has handled major events in the past, such as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki in 2005. Back then, the situation was as follows: for the first hour the lines were overcrowded, but after that things went pretty smoothly.

Mr. Seppo Keski-Pukkila stated that the company has handled major events in the past, such as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki in 2005. Back then, the situation was as follows: for the first hour the lines were overcrowded, but after that things went pretty smoothly.

It is clear that the same questions have been in many a fan’s mind, so let us try to make things a bit clearer based on the answers of Mr. Seppo Keski-Pukkila on behalf of Lippupalvelu Oy, the company responsible for both domestic and international sales of the tickets.

What time will the booking start on Sunday, December 10?
"12 noon EET, that is 11 am CET. To see which time zone your home country is click here".

Will there be enough operators available?
"Lippupalvelu will have all of its operators on duty, that is several dozens of them. In addition, the system supports a large number of calls on queue, which will hopefully double the number of customers being served at a time".

What language(s) do the operators speak?
"All of them speak fluently Finnish, Swedish, English and a few French".

How much will the call cost me?
"Lippupalvelu has a special deal with the Finnish telephone company and all calls made from within Finland only will be charged at a premium rate of 2 €/min + connection charge. All international callers will be charged their local provider’s rates. No deals have been made between Lippupalvelu and other international telephony providers".

What is the number to call?
Finland only: 0600-10909
International: + 358 600 10909

What is the internet address for purchases on line?
"It has not been made clear yet. The official Lippupalvelu address is http://www1.ticketservicefinland.fi/Start, but there may be a different address to use at the time, so we caution our readers to wait for further announcements".

Will there be a separate quota of tickets saved to be sold through the internet?
"No. Any and all remaining tickets from the telephone sales will be sold through the internet, starting December 12".

Will there be a separate quota for tickets sold domestically and abroad? How will that be determined?
"Yes. As it has been made clear from the beginning, only one third of the tickets will be sold abroad, one third of this number will go directly to fan clubs. The customers will be put under the respective categories according to the delivery address".

I live outside Finland, how will I receive my tickets?
"All international tickets will be sent by mail".