Tickets for the UK’s largest YouTube convention go on sale at 6pm GMT tonight and organisers have announced a new ballot system for Meet and Greets.
This year Summer in the City will take place on 15 and 16 August at the Excel Centre in London, a move from Alexandra Palace where it has been held in recent years.
Day tickets for either the Saturday or Sunday will cost £20 and a weekend ticket will cost £36. Tickets will be available here from 6pm tonight.
As well as the main weekend event, Friday 14 will see the return of Creator Day, which debuted for the first time last year. Aimed at content creators and industry professional, it seeks to provide “valuable insights into the YouTube platform” and “will be full of useful educational workshops and panels to help you on your journey, and will be a great opportunity to network with other creators”.
A Creator Day ticket will cost £25, and a Creator Day and Weekend ticket will cost £60.
Organisers have also revealed details of a new ballot system for Meet and Greets at this year’s event. Ticket holders will be able to apply for Meet and Greets they wish to attend, with successful applicants being chosen at random. The system aims to give everyone an equal chance of meeting their favourite YouTuber and ensure that no-one will waste time queuing for hours with no success. The system will also allow you to pair with other ticket holders in any applications you make to let you stick with your friends throughout the weekend.
The new system faced criticism from some Twitter users who thought that the existing ‘first come first served’ was the only fair system, ensuring those dedicated to queuing from early on got to meet the YouTubers they wanted.
@SummerInTheCity randomly is not a fair way it should be first come first serve
— ellie (@nxrcissa) January 9, 2015
@SummerInTheCity I queued last year to guarantee I would meet them. Taking the control out of our hands is unfair
— hobi's #1 hypewoman (@1versemp3) January 9, 2015
The change was well received by many though, who believed it to be a fairer way to allocate Meet and Greet places than in previous years. One user also pointed out how the old system could be inaccessible to those with disabilities.
@SummerInTheCity I like the new system thank you pic.twitter.com/mP4JYn5mHO
— a (@KATYAOHARA) January 9, 2015
YouTubers belonging to the Gleam collective, which includes Alfie Deyes, Zoe Sugg and former TenEighty cover star Louise Pentland, have all announced they won’t be attending Summer in the City this year, instead working on their own event Amity Fest. TenEighty headed down to the first Amity Fest in Autumn last year and you can check out our photo recap of the event.
Lovely Sprinklerinos, I won't be attending SITC this year buuuutt @AmityFest have something v.v.v exciting planned for you! YAY! #AmityFest
— Booo!ouise (@LouisePentland) January 3, 2015
Tyler Oakley also announced on Twitter that he’s unable to attend this year’s event.
FYI I'm not able to attend SITC this year, but I will make PLENTY of appearances in the UK in 2015 to meet y'all. Stay tuned & get ready! ✨
— Tyler Oakley (@tyleroakley) January 9, 2015
However organisers were quick to reassure people such announcements would not hold Summer in the City back, and also reminded fans worried about the new ballot system that Meet and Greets were only one part of the event.
SitC will not be hindered by the lack of several specific people, and we want to assure you that we're working hard to include many
— Summer in the City (@SummerInTheCity) January 9, 2015
new and old faces in the programming for this year's event.
— Summer in the City (@SummerInTheCity) January 9, 2015
Remember that SitC is not just about meet & greets, and that most of our attendees also share their talents on stage and through talks
— Summer in the City (@SummerInTheCity) January 9, 2015
There is so much more to this event and we wanted to re-assure you all that it will be just as awesome as it ever has been :) #SitC2015
— Summer in the City (@SummerInTheCity) January 9, 2015
Why not check out our coverage of last year’s Summer in the City, starting with our photo recaps of Creator Day, Saturday and Sunday, and our reviews of the Main Stage from Saturday and Sunday.
For updates follow @TenEightyUK on Twitter or TenEighty UK on Facebook.
