Mr Pickering said they had managed to do that as there was a spot on the Thursday morning available to stage a second one, and to cater for those who had missed out on one of the 120 tickets which went for the Saturday one.
"And we are trying to finds places to add some seats to other events."
He said people needed to check in quickly as time was definitely running out.
Mr Pickering said as well as the increase in ticket demand there had been a notable increase in membership of the Art Deco Trust as they had preferential booking status from when tickets went on sale.
"When we see these increases in sales we also see the membership go up."
It will be Mr Pickering's first festival as director and he was excited to be part of an "incredible" event which had grown to the point where it now carried global status.
"I've been here for seven months now and it has been great working in with people who are so prepared and so experienced with this."
He was focusing on making sure the "experience" was second-to-none for everyone who arrived to be part of it, and that included ensuring smooth-running events, good accessibility, parking, maps for events and people visitors could approach to seek information and advice.
The Art Deco "ambassadors" would again be out and about in the central city for the five-day festival which kicks off on February 15.
"We rely on the spirit of the community to make this all work - without that it just would not happen," Mr Pickering said.
As well as 150 volunteers there would be voluntary assistants from Maori Wardens, Rotary clubs and youth groups like the Sea Scouts and Army Cadets.
"We have had people calling up and asking to help as part of the event - it's great."
The Navy will also be a major part of the event with the offshore patrol ship HMNZS Wellington and its inshore equivalent HMNZS Hawea both due to arrive on February 16 for a four-day visit.