One Direction Dubai show ‘sells faster than Bieber’

One Direction sold twice as many tickets in two hours as Justin Bieber had in a day, says Thomas Ovesen, the chief operating officer of Done Events, the promotion company behind the band's concert.

Petra New, centre, 14, reacts as she is about to receive her ticket to see One Direction in Dubai next year. Silvia Razgova / The National

DUBAI // Thousands of One Direction fans queued for up to 14 hours in advance for tickets for the boy band's concert in Dubai next April.

The British band racked up twice as many ticket sales in two hours as Justin Bieber did in one day, said Thomas Ovesen, chief operating officer of the promotions company Done Events.

“It’s just been incredible,” Mr Ovesen said. “The turnout was bigger than we had thought it would be.”

About 3,000 fans turned up early in the morning at the Virgin Megastore in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, while about 500 to 600 queued in Abu Dhabi Mall, where tickets went on sale at 6am.

Meanwhile, at the Villaggio Mall in Qatar, almost 300 people arrived early to buy tickets after they went on sale at 9am.

The concert had sold about 10,000 of the 30,000 tickets by just before 10am, said Mr Ovesen.

Tickets were supposed to go on sale online at that time but website problems delayed the start until 10.50am.

“It’s by far the fastest-selling and most in-demand show that I’ve put on,” said Mr Ovesen, who has worked in events since 1998 and has organised gigs for acts including Bruno Mars and Katy Perry.

Done Events announced the band's UAE concert at a press conference earlier this week. The concert – part of the band's On the Road Again tour – takes place next year on April 4 at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai.