Features
UK Survey Shows ‘Huge Demand For Tickets’
– The majority of music lovers can’t wait to return to live as we know it.
At least those are the findings of the latest Festicket survey conducted among 140,000 of its active users.
Festicket conducted a survey among 140,000 festival-goers in the UK, which shows that the majority of music lovers is longing to go out to live events again, at home or abroad.
79% of respondents said they’d feel comfortable attending a live event this summer – between June and August. The number rises to 90% when the last four months of the year are also taken into consideration.
– Festicket survey findings:
90% of respondents feel confident about attending a live event this year. It’s less if only taking the summer period into consideration.
More than 82% said they were planning to attend two or more live events this year. No wonder that some of the UK festivals, which announced they would go ahead this summer, sold out in no time.
“Interestingly,” a summary of the survey’s results reads, “on the subject of vaccinations just 7.9% said they would only feel comfortable attending an event if they had been vaccinated.”
The reason promoters and ticket buyers are so confident is the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown, announced by prime minister Boris Johnson in February. The UK remains the only country that has given professionals working in live events a target date: subject to change that could occur at any moment, the current plan aims to remove all restrictions on social gatherings by June 21.
Festicket’s findings also show an appetite for international travel and music tourism, with more than 50% of respondents saying, they would happily book tickets for both international and domestic events.
What dampens the overall positive mood is the current travel situation in Europe and the UK, where non-essential travel is either discouraged or banned. It has led to the cancellation of several festivals on the continent as well as in the UK that rely on international headliners, particularly from the U.S.
– Festicket survey findings:
more than half of respondents wants to attend an international event this year.
Fans surveyed by Festicket attribute primary importance to “clear communication and reassurance from festivals” in the run up to events. They expect transparency about refunds in case of cancellation, and want health and safety measures to be clearly communicated in advance.
The survey also asked about on-site expectations. “The most prevalent,” according to the summary, “was extra cleaning and hygiene measures – 58.5% deeming this essential – followed closely by a desire for contactless and cashless systems to be in place.”
70% of respondents said they would be more encouraged to attend an event if it implemented a COVID-secure cashless system for all payments on site.
Festicket CEO Zack Sabban commented: “It’s clear there has been a shift in perspective in the UK over the past month. Following the prime minister’s announcement in February, stories of 2021 events selling out have become common but we wanted to dig a little deeper.”
– Festicket survey findings:
Cashless payment options make people feel safer.
Sabban believes his company, which deals in music tourism, ticketing and cashless alike, is in a “strong position to help the industry bounce back successfully. It’s important that the industry works within all government guidance available but more specifically, listening to your fans is essential and delivering events in the way they now demand is critical for success.”
The 140,000 people surveyed are UK customers from Festicket’s own database, who engaged with the company’s offers during the past 18 months. It includes customers, who bought tickets through Festicket websites, which also includes Ticket Arena and other whitelabel festival websites powered by the company’s technology.