Market Report: Greece

Having enjoyed an extended period of growth and success pre-Covid, the Greek market has recovered well, buoyed by prominent international artists continuing to tour and the country’s standing as a top festival destination during the summer, especially on the islands.

“With Greece’s rich history and vibrant arts scene, there is immense potential for growth in promoting and organising cultural events,” says Stefanos Kakarantzas, chief operating officer, Ticketmaster Greece. “There are so many exciting new opportunities emerging.”

Primary ticketing

More.com (formerly Viva.gr) is the leading ticketing company, particularly with regard to music, theater shows, festivals. “More.com is one of Europe’s largest ticketing platforms, with more than 3,500 partners, 220,000+ productions, 34m tickets”, says head of marketing Christina Cleridou.

“ComeTogether’s core solution focuses on NFT ticketing, protection from fraudulent tickets, and the management of secondary market pricing.”

ComeTogether has been in the region since 2019 and uses blockchain technology. “ComeTogether’s core solution focuses on NFT ticketing, protection from fraudulent tickets, and the management of secondary market pricing,” says Stathis Mitskas, co-founder and CPO. “During the last year, NFT ticketing has progressively gained market share in the region and is now expanding to include NFT collectable utility.”

Distribution of sales

Kakarantzas says digital tickets are now the preferred choice, whose uptake “has soared thanks to their convenience and accessibility – they account for nearly 90% of all ticket delivery options,” he says.

Secondary ticketing

Scalping and the resale of tickets continue to be a problem, particularly with regard to Viagogo, who do “a great deal of business and allow secondary market resale without any checks and balances to ensure that tickets are valid,” according to Mitskas. TicketSwap also operates in Greece and controls ticket resale pricing with a limit of 20% above face value, while Ticketmaster Hellas has recently introduced the option for fans to resell their tickets in what Kakarantzas describes as “a controlled and secure manner.”

Ticketmaster Hellas has recently introduced the option for fans to resell their tickets in what Kakarantzas describes as “a controlled and secure manner.”

International/domestic splits & genres

Domestic acts still dominate (approximately two-thirds domestic to one third international, says Cleridou), especially outside of Athens and the festival circuit, but that is slowly starting to change. “The summer festival market in the Greek islands has grown at a rapid pace and has become somewhat of a destination for summer travel,” says Mitskas. “In addition, the number of large international names touring Greece is growing. According to Spotify downloads, the most popular music genres are hip-hop, mainstream, and rap.”