Ticket sales for next month's Mission Estate Concert have been "ticking over just fine" although the February 23 event is unlikely to see the "sold out" signs going up, according to SEL operations manager Garry Craft.
"It won't sell out but that's a reflection of the current times - the concert market is tough out there at the moment," he said.
"It's not just Hawkes Bay - it's tough across the rest of New Zealand and Australia."
Mr Craft said there were a string of summer concerts being staged across Australasia during the opening months of 2013.
"There is a lot of stuff coming through."
He said SEL was comfortable with ticket sales so far, and said they were still being picked up.
"We are happy to be in the position we are in," he said, adding that the one advantage concertgoers would appreciate was they would have a little more room to stretch out.
This year's concert, the 21st to be staged, sees two major international performers take to the stage - Carole King and Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb.
General admission tickets are $118, while reserved seats go for $230.
Platinum tickets, which include reserved seating, a car pass and access to a private bar and picnic area, are on sale for $368.
Mr Craft said everything was effectively in place and on target for the staging of the concert, and while the issue of licensing was still ongoing he was confident everything would be fine.
"It'll be good."
He said the future of the event also looked bright as the advantage the Mission Estate Concert had was its longevity, and that it had become well- known and respected within music management and agencies around the world.
"We have had them come to us."
Negotiations and planning for the 2014 concert were already under way.
By Roger Moroney
