A music fan says she had one of the "most heartbreaking times" after she was refused re-entry into the AO Arena to see one of her favourite musicians after experiencing a panic attack.
Chloe Kent, 33, made the journey from her home in Norfolk with her husband to see Post Malone perform on Tuesday, May 16. After initially passing through security and having her tickets checked, she says she suffered a panic attack prior to the show and needed to leave the arena for around 45 minutes.
Chloe claims she was assured by a member of staff on the door that she would be able to re-enter the building, but after passing through security once again, she says she was stopped by staff near the foyer and was denied entry. The content creator from Kent, who spent over £400 on VIP tickets, and travelled four hours from Norfolk to see Post Malone, says she missed the entire show as a result.
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Chloe shared her experience on Instagram account after her followers asked her about seeing Post Malone and she also emailed the arena following the gig. In the video she discusses her experience at the AO Arena and how she hopes more can be done in these settings to help people with mental health issues.
“I booked Post Malone and we came up to Manchester as that’s one of the places that's worth getting VIP for," she told the Manchester Evening News. "I know it sounds ridiculous to some people but it meant such a big deal to me because I discovered Post Malone around the time my mum passed away and there was a period of time I didn’t leave my room because I was grieving and listening to his music so I was so excited to go and had the tickets, travel and hotel all sorted.
“I do suffer from anxiety disorder and I can be triggered, so when I first didn't feel right I kept it quiet and said to my partner I was going to go to the toilet and take some time out for myself. But I was getting really hot in there and couldn’t calm down no matter what I did. I could feel myself getting dizzy and I knew if I didn’t get some fresh air I was going to pass out. Unfortunately, this is all quite normal for me, I just get anxious.
“There was a guy on the security doors and I went straight past him for some fresh air and he asked my husband what was wrong and he explained I have an anxiety disorder and said we would need to say that when we went back round security as I wouldn’t be able to come back in the same door, I would need to go round the front. And I could understand that because I think security should always be top priority.
“I took some time out, was outside for around 40-45 minutes, and then surprisingly I started to feel better, which is rare because when you’ve been triggered in that situation it’s hard to go back into it. But I was so happy that I could feel myself cooling down, so we went back round, through security with no issues, and it was all quite pleasant at this part, but got to the foyer and I showed the tickets that you scan from Ticketmaster and they said ‘sorry this is flagging up as a readmission’.
"I quickly explained thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal, and straightaway they were said 'no, you can’t come back in when you leave because people share tickets' and I said I can definitely prove it with emails and I have a photo of me in the venue before, plus my passport as ID.
"The supervisor said no and said 'tell me again why you had to go outside', so I said because of a panic attack and she got on her walkie talkie and was like ‘does anyone know about this girl who had to go outside because of mental health problems’ and rolled her eyes.
"Then she came back five minutes later and said ‘no, no one knows who you are’ and I started crying and couldn’t believe this was happening and I’d come four hours from Norfolk. I was crying and she literally shut the door on my face.”
“My issue was that it didn’t seem right when I’ve got friends who are disabled and in wheelchairs, they went to the 02 and they were able to come and go, so I don’t understand why it would be different for someone with a mental health issue.”
Following a conversation with the AO Arena, they have informed us about the following provisions for customers with mental health issues:
- The AO Arena is Access Gold Standard for accessibility – as well as visible disabilities this also includes mental health conditions.
- For this, AO Arena has various provisions in place including a medical suite, respite area and pass-out opportunities for customers (or staff) who are suffering with mental health conditions and need additional support.
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