TICKETING
With far fewer events over the past year , ticketing companies have had time to explore new and innovative ways of driving the sector forward . Access examines the progress made by leading services .
The mass cancellation of events during the past 14 months has caused havoc , but with the return of major events looking ever closer , use of digital ticketing technology such as mobile and contactless is set to be more important than ever .
Ticketmaster UK managing director Andrew Parsons says his company saw an immediate 600 % spike in traffic on its website
Words : Joe Gallop
once prime minister Boris Johnson announced the path to re-opening . Shortly afterwards , the Live Nation Entertainment-owned company ’ s sister operation Festival Republic sold out its main festivals Wilderness ( cap . 10,000 ) Reading ( 90,000 ), Leeds ( 80,000 ) and Creamfields ( 30,000 ).
That is not the only statistic that Parsons proudly cites ; the ticketing giant has seen 83 % of its customers hold onto their tickets for rescheduled shows .
He says , “ It ’ s a clear sign that the power of live entertainment will endure . We will , of course , follow the guidelines as set out but just like the fans hitting our site , we are confident and optimistic for a great summer of live .”
Even before the pandemic , the sector saw a stronger focus on digital ticketing , something Parsons says has “ changed the game ”. But over the past year , ticketing services have had to take this to the next level .
“ We ’ ve facilitated countless festivals , sporting events and gigs going 100 % digital over the past couple of years and it is clear the fans and clients love them – speeding up queues , providing more insights for clients , improving security and delivering on the all-important sustainability factor too ,” he says . “ The advantages of digital will really come into their own in a post-Covid world .”
LOSING CONTACT
Event Genius and Festicket CEO Zack Sabban says just under 90 % of its ticket sales were digital e-tickets before the pandemic , which has since risen to 100 %.
“ Anything we can do as ticketing providers to reduce fan-to-staff contact at events can go a long way to helping events run in a more Covidsecure manner ,” he says . “ We have always championed digital ticketing and since the pandemic have attributed even more resources to make our solutions mobile-friendly .”
Sabban adds that the Londonbased company , which this year expanded into Australia , will soon be releasing a customer
53 47