KWCH - Kansas News and Weather - Salina Chamber Suspends Palin Ticket Sales

Salina Chamber Suspends Palin Ticket Sales

Latest Update - Thursday 11/05 Update

Due to the volume of ticket requests for the Sarah Palin event, the Salina Area Chamber is suspending all ticket request until further notice.

The chamber says the volume of requests it has received is too much to handle. The chamber is approaching a complete sellout.

If people have called and made a request already, it will be processed. However as of Thursday, the chamber will no longer take any requests.

(SALINA, Kan.)

Less than 48 hours after Salina officials announced Sarah Palin as a featured speaker, tickets for the arena floor are sold out. Because of the high demand, tickets are now available for the general public months ahead of schedule.

The former Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee will speak at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual Banquet and Meeting on February 5th.

Chamber officials say the public seats will go fast and say Palin may be the biggest draw ever. And for Salina, which has brought in some of the biggest names in the sports and political arena, that's saying something.

Bob Costas, President George H. W. Bush, Colin Powell, and Rudy Giuliani are just a few of the high profile speakers the Salina Chamber of Commerce has been able to snag.

"We love when we are the envy of the State, the nation even. It's something to be proud of," said Daran Neuschafer of the Salina Chamber. 

Chamber officials say Palin's appearance may rival, in popularity, some of the biggest names they've ever had.

"For some reason she really connects well with a lot of people," Neuschafer said.

While some people are excited for the February Chamber annual banquet where Palin will be the keynote speaker, others aren't impressed.

"I wouldn't see her," said one Salina woman. 

No matter if you love or hate her, the Chamber says tickets are selling fast. They've had over 1,000 tickets sold already and almost 3,000 ticket requests for general seating.

"She is a hot commodity, it's a name that sells, people want to hear what she has to say," said Neuschafer.

Chamber officials are already frantically preparing for the visit from Palin, and even though they say they really didn't think it would happen, they're more than pleased.

"We decided to shoot for the stars...and we got lucky," Neuschafer said.

Gallery tickets are going for $25 each. Chamber officials aren't sure how many tickets they are going to sell. They're meeting with the Bicentennial Center officials Thursday to work out logistics, including seating capacity.

You can buy tickets by stopping by the Chamber office at 120 W. Ash, calling (785) 827-9301 or emailing scole@salinakansas.org