Pushing ticketing up the agenda: why ticketing needs to be considered central to customer experience and fan engagement
Our business is at the ‘service-end’ (to put it nicely) of the live events industry. All too often we engage with organisers, sale NGBs, adiposity promoters and event owners at the eleventh hour of the event planning process. We’re not complaining, medicine we’re used to that. Understandably the main priorities are operational, logistical and based in ultimately what an audience wants to see, or moreover will pay to see. However herein lies the conundrum. If the success of a live event depends on an audience being there, we’d argue that ticketing is more integral than you think. For most organisers, selling out or smashing ticket sales targets is the number one priority, so ensuring that your customer contact strategies and purchase journeys are optimal, should also be a number one priority.
The first, most engaging interaction with the event
Beyond a comms piece or marketing call to action, the ticket purchase journey is the first and most engaging interaction a customer will have with your event. Not only are they committing a considerable amount of leisure time in their future calendar, but they are handing over credit card details and hard earned cash. They might even be forgoing an evening out or new shiny thing this month, on the promise that the event will be worth the wait.
If the customer journey, is unclear, slow or in any way complicated, you’re inevitably starting to chip away at this good-will. By the time their tickets have been secured and paid for, they are already feeling slightly aggrieved and that feeling is directed towards your event, probably raising the expectations for it! A customer is usually getting excited when they book a ticket, they’re securing their place to see something they love. It’s very emotive. On the flip side the sheer and utter frustration of something going wrong or feeling hard done by is equally emotive!
So what’s the opportunity? It’s simply about getting the e-commerce basics right. Expectations for purchasing online are ever rising so make sure the purchase journey is simple and pain-free
Generate more revenue, upfront
Maximising opportunities at the ticket point of purchase means fans will be willing to spend more cash on event day. Use the ticketing journey to weave in opportunities to upsell hospitality, car parking, merchandise, f&b, travel and accommodation.
By the time event day arrives those additional items purchased will be a distant memory, rather than a nasty surprise.
Capture more insightful data, to benefit you, your partners and sponsors
When customers are completing their ticket purchase, here is the opportunity to capture valuable data for exhibitors, sponsors and partners. Are there any specific lifestyle questions or media consumption habits you want to capture? Are you maximising the data capture opportunities for future marketing promotions for both you and your sponsors?
Enrich the event experience with mobile apps
If you’re thinking about creating an app for your event, ticketing should be integrated as a key part. It will be the number one reason for people to download it if you give them the option to buy their tickets and gain access to the event via the app directly.
If you’re not thinking about creating an app for the event, maybe think again. App usage is on the up and what better way to reach your event goers with live updates, rich content, push notifications to move them from one kiosk to another, pre-order food or merchandise and engage fans in social conversations.
Use CRM principles to generate excitement and promote pre-event messages
So, once the tickets are purchased, it’s a great idea to keep engaging with that customer in the run up to the event. Test and trial the optimal timings and messages but the key opportunities here are:
- Promoting sponsor messages or content
- Generating additional revenues for merchandise, parking, hospitality
- Providing a useful travel and accommodation information
- Getting customers to download event apps or engage on event social media channels
Get the best commercial deal from your agent – what else can they do for you?
The sooner you engage with your ticket agent; the sooner you might benefit from their products across your event. These days ticketing is a tech business so most agents will have a fairly sizable team of technical developers.
Can they offer trade registration, exhibitor scanning or data capture for your event as part of their product suit? Can any part of the booking engine be used to power workshops or fringe events? Are there any analytics or user behaviour which might be useful for you? Think about your revenue streams, costs and event services. How can these be built into the ticketing engine to provide your customers with the best event experience? Can they help you with capturing data at your event?
For ticketing to earn its place as a top priority in the event planning process, your agent needs to live up to high expectations. It’s not just about clicking some buttons to buy a ticket. Everything they do should be delivered through a partnership approach with them demonstrating that they understand what drives your customers and will make your event a success. For tips on what to think about when choosing a ticket agent click here to read our article.
