Neil Diamond at the Mission tickets selling fast

Preparations are under way for the 2018 Mission concert, starring Neil Diamond. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

Just a few hours into the sale of tickets for Neil Diamond's big 2018 Mission Concert and the smiles on the faces of the event organisers were getting wider - and by yesterday just over 20,000 tickets had been snapped up.

"We've pretty well sold all the reserve seats," SEL's concert events manager Garry Craft said.

He said the cap was at 25,000 "so if people want to go and see Neil then they shouldn't hang around" as he could sense the "sold out" signs being prepared.

Initial tickets for Concert Club members went on sale last Friday morning and general public tickets on Saturday.

The American singer/songwriter has built a reputation for filling large venues and that is clearly going to continue when the Mission Estate gates open on March 19, St Patrick's Day.

Mr Craft said he was not surprised at the sales reaction.

"I have been trying to get Neil for a few years now and I was quietly confident he would be the perfect fit for this," Mr Craft said.

"Clearly the market has decided that they want this concert."

Neil Diamond's tour manager was in Napier last weekend to look at the venue and go over accommodation requirements.

"He thought the venue was great and he has given everything the big thumbs-up."

Mr Craft said so far tickets bought by locals was "just shy" of 60 per cent.

"Which is one of the highest percentages of local sales we have seen."

That would help ease any accommodation issues, as would the growing number of properties being placed on the concert website for out-of-towners.

The 2018 event would also see the return of the specialised campervan and mobile homes site, and it was already pretty much sold out.

Mr Craft said he was in discussion with a nearby school to open up new campervan sites.

Of the venue site itself, earthworks had been planned and were set to begin on extending bar sales areas.

"I am determined not to see long queues again," Mr Craft said.

"We have had this in planning for a while."

On the ticket sales front his only concerns were people seeking to buy tickets from sources outside Ticketek and the official website.

International scammers had come to the attention of concert promoters, using false IDs and credit card details to sell fake tickets.

"People are fed up with rogue organisations ripping people off and we [concert organisers] will fight them."

It was something they were monitoring closely and Mr Craft's advice to anyone looking to buy tickets from an outside source was simple.

"Don't, as there is a good chance they will be invalid."