How to overcome 2023’s ticketing trends

People are buying tickets later: how do you overcome this in 2023?

It’s turbulent times for festival promoters and organisers. Not because ticket sales are down – but because people are buying tickets later than ever.

It’s a far cry from the initial post-Covid excitement where people were snapping up tickets to everything they could get their hands on. Today, concert and festival goers are more likely to buy in the week or day of the event – or even as walkups.

So where’s this indecision coming from, what does it mean for the industry and how can you get people to commit earlier in 2023?

What’s causing purchase procrastination?

There are plenty of tours and festivals on – but everything from limited venues, cautious audiences and crippling costs means people are delaying buying tickets.

The Covid hangover

As much as we’d all love to move on, the effects of Covid are still very much around.

While many shows were rescheduled for 2022, a lack of venue space has pushed others into 2023. And, after countless Covid cancellations these past few years, consumers are understandably wary about spending up on live events which might not go ahead, anyway.

Costs keep rising

Everyone’s feeling the pinch as costs of just about everything continue to soar. For consumers already feeling the pinch, higher ticket prices are difficult to swallow. For festival organisers, these cost pressures often mean doing more with less – and a reduced lineup in a highly competitive and saturated market is a tough sell.

The good news

Interestingly, live music tends to get away relatively unscathed during frugal times. Whether ticket prices are more palatable or audiences are particularly loyal, it’s a glimmer of hope for many promoters and organisers. We also know that artists who’ve engaged with their fans during Covid have emerged stronger than those who haven’t.

It’s not an easy environment right now – but there are plenty of ways you can stand out from the crowd

How to encourage earlier ticket purchases in 2023

It’s not an easy environment right now – but there are plenty of ways you can stand out from the crowd.

Presale and onsale campaigns

Well-planned presale and onsale campaigns will help you sell more tickets, faster.

Get the most impact by:

Ensuring your presale registration starts as soon as the lineup is announced and runs between 4 and 7 days

Choosing the best on-sale date and time based on when your audience is most active online (and making sure this campaign starts early!)

Using social media platforms so fans can easily spread the word. Not only is this a highly effective way to expand your reach, it also reduces marketing spend

Offering prizes and incentives that build buzz and encourage ticket sales.

Build an audience you own

When you regularly (and thoughtfully) engage with your audience, you create a loyal fan base – and that leads to more ticket sales. You’ll also save money on paid ads which, like everything else, are becoming increasingly expensive.

Building those quality connections with fans is the new age marketing – and what’s going to bring in those timely ticket sales.

Start by:

Reconnecting with your dormant subscribers by analysing your database, nurturing those on there and enticing them back to fan status

Tapping into the post-event high to secure ticket sales for your next event. In other words, don’t wait for your presale campaign to roll around months from now – capitalise on the excitement while it’s still happening.

Do it once. Do it properly

While it might be tempting to drip feed lineup announcements, this approach actually dilutes the impact.

Don’t be afraid to create noise, a feeling of scarcity (‘these tickets are selling fast!’) and something a little different. After all, no one ever got far in this business by staying quiet.

Tackling ticket sales in 2023

Want the right support to sell more tickets, earlier? Book a demo here.

Audience Republic is the all-in-one CRM and marketing platform for festivals, venues and artists. By utilising presale campaigns, waitlists and gamified competition features, we can help you increase your ticket sales.

Check out our FREE Presale Calculator to see how you can sell more tickets, faster.

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