Designing a Secure, Transparent Ticket Resale Ecosystem for Puerto Rico

Abstract

This project applies the DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) methodology to design a verified and transparent ticket resale workflow in Puerto Rico that addresses fraud, royalty loss, and data traceability issues for promoters, producers, and ticket issuers. Ticket reselling in Puerto Rico is highly fragmented and informal, creating inefficiencies in fraud prevention, data management, and equitable royalty distribution (Microjuris al Día, 2023; iMusician Blog, 2016). The resale process mainly occurs through unregulated channels such as Clasificados Online, Facebook Marketplace, and third-party platforms like SeatGeek, Vivid Seats, and StubHub/Viagogo (Microjuris al Día, 2023). This decentralized system lacks integration with official ticketing databases and fails to ensure compliance or transparency (Pulitzer Center, 2025; Microjuris al Día, 2023). The problem has persisted for over a decade, intensifying with digital ticketing and social media platforms that operate outside regulated market frameworks. Around 30% of high-demand event tickets are resold informally, leading promoters and issuers to lose all potential royalties (LaMusica.com, 2023; Vivus Hub, 2025). Fraud and counterfeit activity remain frequent, as duplicated or invalid tickets circulate without verification mechanisms, increasing reputational and financial risks (Primera Hora, 2025; El Nuevo Día, 2025). The objective of this study, covering the Define and Measure phases of the Capstone process, is to characterize the current resale workflow and define measurable Critical to Quality (CTQ) indicators that guide the design of a verified resale platform. The four CTQs are: (1) Fee Breakdown – Transparency Rating, measuring user clarity on fee distribution; (2) Ticket Issuer Databases Onboarded – Secured Contracts with Ticket Issuers, evaluating integration with official issuers; (3) Transactions Onboarded – Number of Transactions Onboarded on Quimba’s Platform, assessing market adoption; and (4) Unique Users Identified from Sale History – Number of Users 5 Identified from Previous Transactions, measuring traceability and data linkage. Primary data were collected through 118 structured interviews with promoters, event organizers, and attendees, conducted under ethical protocols ensuring informed consent, confidentiality, and data protection. These results established baseline indicators for transparency, user trust, and data integrity. The project aligns with ethical and technical standards including ISO 26000 (social responsibility and transparency), ISO 28000 (supply-chain risk management), and DACO consumer protection guidelines. These frameworks ensure fairness, traceability, and fraud prevention in the proposed design. The outcomes of the Define and Measure phases provide a data driven foundation for the next Capstone stage, where the model will be analyzed, designed, and validated to demonstrate measurable improvements in efficiency, compliance, and consumer trust within Puerto Rico’s live entertainment ecosystem (Grand View Research, 2024; Statista, 2024).