Market Report: Slovakia

Primary ticketing
As is true across the region, most players in Slovakia operate across all of Central Europe.

The largest is Ticketportal, while snapping at its heels is major regional player Piletilevi Group, which acquired an 80% stake in event discovery platform GoOut in order to gain a foothold in Slovakia. The “biggest player in Central Europe,” says CEO Sven Nuutmann, the company is on track to swell to a gross market valuation of €500m in 2025.

As is true across the region, most players in Slovakia operate across all of Central Europe.

Piletilevi Group has enacted a variety of new features over the past year, including real-time reports for promoters, new multichannel sale functions, and automatic dynamic pricing.

Tootoot also noted a steep increase in business. CEO, Michal Svihra, says the company has “doubled the value of sold tickets annually” by improving its client and customer services.

Other notables include predpredaj.sk and Eventbee.

Distribution of sales
Nuutmann reports their tickets are 30% physical/70% digital. GoOut’s Jozef Mancier says social media/influencers have a big impact on decision-making for ticket purchases.

Value of market
Annual revenue growth here is reported to be 3.37%, resulting in a projected volume of over €67m by 2028, according to Statista.

Secondary ticketing
StubHub and SeatPick primarily deal in sports resale here, with TicketSwap, Ticombo, and Viagogo also contenders in the secondary marketplace.

International/domestic splits & genres
“Local artist performances are dominant throughout the year with festivals attracting significant numbers of international artists,” Mancier says.

Cultural analysis
The post-pandemic market has resulted in a notable shift in consumer behaviour: “There is high demand when events are announced and a second high wave if the event is not sold out immediately, closer to the event date,” says Mancier.

The post-pandemic market has resulted in a notable shift in consumer behaviour.

Tootoot’s Svihra agrees and notes a bit of stagnation in the national market, attributed partly to inflation. “Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, and the resulting inflation have made this business less predictable,” he says.

Taxes & charges
VAT is 20%.

Country Profile: Slovakia

Severe weather meant that the Pohoda Festival in Trenčín in June had to close a day early, but organisers promised it would return in 2025. It has such loyalty that it has now sold 500 Pohoda Forever passes, retailing for €1,000 each, offering lifetime entry to the festival.

Beyond this major festival, the live market in Slovakia is both challenged and challenging. Michal Očovan, MD & CEO of ProMusic, says the sector is still recovering from the pandemic and is now navigating inflation, rising operational costs and, as a result, increasing ticket prices.

“Despite these obstacles, there is a strong appetite for live music, with audiences eager to attend both local and international acts,” he says. “However, we see that fans are attending events less, or they are choosing which ones to attend.”

“Despite these obstacles, there is a strong appetite for live music, with audiences eager to attend both local and international acts”

Alongside ProMusic, other key promoters include Agency Vivien and Silvi Production (who brought AC/DC to Bratislava in July 2024 and also run Lovestream Festival).

Touring is crucial for acts to establish a fanbase in Slovakia, but it is a tough sell to foreign acts for a number of reasons. “International artists often face issues related to the smaller market size, which can affect profitability,” says Očovan. “This is also influenced by the fact that many performers prefer Vienna, which is only a few kilometres away from Bratislava, where the market is larger and the economy more powerful, and they can attract more visitors. Also, logistics can be a hurdle due to limited venue options in Slovakia that cannot accommodate larger events.”

This lack of suitable venues is perhaps the biggest barrier to growing Slovakia as a key stop. “However, this also presents an opportunity for niche markets and underground genres to thrive,” suggests Očovan.

“Considering the size of the country and the limited number of venues, we do not expect an extreme increase in live events in the near future”

Jana Mudrikova, owner of Agency Vivien, calls the current Slovakian market “vibrant and diverse,” but agrees the dearth of suitable venues is shackling its potential.

“Considering the size of the country and the limited number of venues, we do not expect an extreme increase in live events in the near future,” she says.

Even so, she has still managed to bring acts like Depeche Mode, Rammstein, Brian May, Rod Stewart, Sting, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Jean-Michel Jarre to the country.

Arena Market: Slovakia

With national inflation on the decline after peaking at 15.4% in February 2023, Slovakians are ready to get back to seeing live music.

“The desire for live music and events among consumers in Slovakia has grown significantly,” says Jana Mudrikova, owner of promoter Agency Vivien. “However, the purchasing behaviour of customers has changed, the interest in buying tickets has shifted more towards the date of the event.”

This is one of the key challenges for the national market, which is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international artists touring Europe. Nestled in the heart of Eastern Europe, Slovakia is an easy addition for those stopping by Austria, Hungary, Czechia, and Poland.

“Economic uncertainties and the associated purchasing power of the customers are the reason why we must consistently consider every ticket price, regardless of the surrounding countries,” Mudrikova says.

“Economic uncertainties and the associated purchasing power of the customers are the reason why we must consistently consider every ticket price, regardless of the surrounding countries.”

Nonetheless, national arenas are ushering in a new era post-Covid, with the pop, rock, and electronic genres clear frontrunners for audiences. Rod Stewart, Sting, Take That, Hans Zimmer, and André Rieu will all grace the stage at the

10,000-capacity Ondrej Nepela Arena, located in the capital city of Bratislava. Over at Košice’s Steel Aréna (8,343), which is just north of the Hungarian border, a variety of regional and national acts are on the 2024 calendar.

Venue programming is often split between entertainment and ice hockey, the nation’s favourite sport, with icy events taking precedence as the venues have home teams.

Competing with hockey calendars is another challenge for local promoters “and reduces the ability to compete with the other countries in large international tours,” Mudrikova says.