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Festival Ticketing in 2022.

Andy Robertson

Developed countries in Europe and North America have largely adopted cashless payments and digital ticketing for events. Almost all festivals taking place in these regions now only accept online digital payments for tickets which are issued to buyers in the form of QR codes which allows them easy access to the event and the issuing of RFID wristbands.


The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted some issues that festival organisers should improve when it comes to managing their ticket buying customers. With events severely hit by lockdowns and related restrictions that seem to be ongoing the ability to communicate with ticket buyers has become essential. The other key developments in ticketing will be the ability to integrate with other software applications and the future proofing of ticketing technology.

Customer Engagement. 
A good ticketing platform will enable the collection of buyer data (in line with any prevailing GDPR requirements) which enables communication via email or SMS for example. Too many organisers still do not utilise this data to communicate with ticket buyers leaving them in the dark about event postponement, cancellation or new restrictions. This lack of communication can cause an influx of enquiries by telephone to ticketing helplines and lead to overall poor customer service. Festival organisers should be engaging with ticket buyers on a regular basis and keep them up to date regarding event dates and entry requirements that may be subject to change at short notice. This will help customers to avoid unnecessary travel and also ensure they are fully prepared for any requirements regarding evidence of vaccinations or mandatory mask wearing.

Ticketing Integration and New Revenue Streams. 
Many ticketing platforms now have the ability to integrate with festival organiser's operational and marketing systems, particularly CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Most CRM systems allow users to slice and dice data for analysis which creates marketing opportunities for organisers. By targeting specified ticket buyers it’s possible to create and deploy up-sell and cross-sell campaigns which can generate additional revenue from the existing ticket buyer audience.

Future Ready Ticketing. 
Many of the ticketing companies are constantly developing their technology to provide solutions that address future developments even if they are yet to be widely adopted. Whether it's better integration with operational or marketing technology the ticketing platform should form an integral part of future festival logistics planning. Some ticketing companies are already exploring and developing integration with blockchain and NFT technology which could impact on the festival and events sector in the next few years.

The ticketing industry is very competitive with a large number of suppliers to choose from and this bodes well for the festival industry. With greater competition comes rapid advances in technology and a reduction in costs giving organisers more options when considering the ticketing platform to go with.

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels

Andy Robertson
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