As live entertainment moves to a ‘new normal,’ ticketing will change too

“I can’t stress how important it is to not get stuck in ‘This is how we’ve always done things.’ Now is a different moment. It’s an opportunity to re-examine why we do the things we do. All those things had reasons when they were started, but those reasons may not exist anymore, or they may be completely different. So, be open to trying things differently. So far, it has served us well.”

This quote from Matt Cooper of Ticket Philadelphia both epitomizes and encapsulates the broad sentiment in the live events industry as well as ticketing as we move through this crisis.

Based on the conversations we’ve had with clients and others in the industry over the past three months, we’re seeing the “new normal” for live events start to take shape with a focus on reopening safely and smartly.

Preferences for outdoor venues over indoor, more plexiglass dividers and face shields for venue staff, tickets sold only in bundles to maximize seating in a safe configuration, health screenings at the door, entering through specific gates to limit a patron’s path around a venue and directing them more quickly to their seats are all changes being considered.

There is one thing that won’t change: People want to attend live events. They have for thousands of years, from the Ancient Greek theaters to the Roman Colosseum to our present day equivalents at the heart of every major city. That won’t change.

The desire to attend live events remains strong. The CEO of Live Nation said on a recent earnings call that “90% of fans are holding on to their tickets for rescheduled shows when refunds are available.” People are itching to get out of the house again. They just want to be sure they’re safe.

Venues like the Wiesbaden State Theater in Germany, the first major European concert hall to reopen, are taking safety seriously. From smaller, spaced-out crowds to fewer performers on stage, the theater was able to produce an opera within the constraints of health guidelines. That’s reason for cautious optimism across the industry, especially as the reopening plans for venues evolve and solidify.

For years the trend toward digital tickets in live events has been growing due to the inherent benefits and convenience they provide to both venues and customers. Now that trend is accelerating. Digital has become synonymous with “contactless,” and these needs are being prioritized as a requirement to reopen, not a nice-to-have feature as previously thought.

Charlotte St. Martin, Broadway League President, agrees, telling the New York Post, “I do think it would be very logical to assume that you’ll see lots of contactless-type service, whether it’s not taking your ticket but scanning your ticket, not serving you drinks in a plastic cup or a glass in the theaters but in a paper cup that the server will serve and have had on gloves and you’ll throw it away when you finish, things like that.”

Secure, contactless digital tickets also enable venues to know exactly who bought a ticket, holds a ticket, and attends an event, which is now even more important for everything from contactless entry to verifying that two people can sit together to notifying attendees about critical information.

With secure digital ticketing, venues can now more effectively do three things once viewed as a luxury, but which are now a necessity:

Notifications

Knowing who has a ticket can open lines of communication between venues and ticket holders as shows come back online.

But it’s also important to public safety in emergencies, such as notifying show attendees that an usher had tested positive for coronavirus, or getting in touch with theatergoers after everyone rushed for the exits during a Hamilton performance when patrons thought they heard real gunfire.

Especially given all the cancellations and postponements of events from March on, theaters that know who the ticket holders are can stay in close contact with them.

Refunds and rescheduling

Cancellations are causing some ticket holders to wonder whether they’ll get their money back.

Refunds in today’s ticketing world are challenging; just ask StubHub. To be able to offer refunds, venues and ticket issuers need to not only know who bought the original ticket, but also the flow of monies and change in ownership as a ticket moves through the secondary market (if allowed).

Once venues have a clear view of both who has a ticket and how they obtained it, processing refunds and unwinding secondary market sales could be made much more efficient and accurate.

Once we return to a new normal, some of the shows and live events that were postponed will come back. By knowing who has each ticket, venues can set a new schedule for shows and keep ticket holders in the loop about their options for attending, changing dates or times, and the potential for refunds.

Operations

When shows open their doors again, going fully digital will streamline operations prior to and on show days, improving the experience for showgoers.

By moving to a “contactless” approach using digital tickets, venues won’t need will call and can issue tickets from remote offices, eliminating the need to print out or mail tickets.

Additionally, a shift to touchless tickets can help to mitigate safety concerns for both venue employees and patrons when it comes to handling physical tickets. Rutgers University is already making that switch for contactless entry to sporting events.

Features that may have been removed for cost reasons in the recent past will now be essential for the health and safety of all those involved in the live events experience.

The ‘new normal’ will be different, but it will be better

Gathering with friends and family is fundamental to human nature, and live experiences are essential to meeting that need. As states, cities, and venues reopen, people will gather for shows, concerts, and sporting events as they always have. It will take time and those experiences may look a little different until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine widely available.

But with this reawakening, venues will have a chance to give their communities an even better experience. Change is afoot. With that change, there’s an opportunity for the live events industry to return stronger and more intelligently with a “new normal.”