Tickets to see Michelle Obama speak in Vancouver sell out before going on sale to general public

If you were hoping to see former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speak in Vancouver, you’re probably out of luck.

The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBOT) says tickets for the event are sold out, with the group’s members snapping up all available seats.

That means there will be no tickets available to the general public.

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“We have never experienced this level of interest in an event,” said GVBOT president and CEO Iain Black in a news release.

Ticket sales for GVBOT members opened Wednesday morning, and Black said the organization’s website struggled to handle a 150-fold surge in traffic.

READ MORE: Michelle Obama to speak about equality for girls, women at Toronto event

Obama will speak at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Feb. 15, the same venue where the GVBOT hosted former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2014.

The former first lady is a lawyer by trade and has advocated for causes such as higher education, girls’ education and healthy families.

-With files from Jesse Ferreras