Ticket Tailor, a leading white-labelled, self-serve ticketing platform, has provided its take on the six key trends that will affect attractions and event planning professionals in 2023.
The company helped more than 24,000 event creators sell over 13m tickets around the world in 2022, and has used insights from its international operations to shape six key predictions for the next year:
1) Ticket buyers are booking later
Ticket Tailor says it has seen an increase in people booking tickets later than usual, which may be a result of tightening budgets and decreased financial security. Event planners can partially offset this by offering incentives to purchase tickets earlier or help spread the cost.
Ticket Tailor’s head of product Tom Clarke, explains how Ticket Tailor will be supporting this trend of later booking:
“We’ll be offering more simple ways for your ticket buyers to pay in 2023. This includes integrations with Stripe Link, Venmo, and PayPal Pay Later, all of which are already live, and could help increase conversion at checkout.
“In 2023 we are also hoping to introduce more ways to make taking payments on the door even easier. So, while ticket sales might be a little slower than usual, you’ll be able to make the most of the last-minute demand.”
2) Growth in demand for special events
This year attractions saw a big boom in seasonal events, including Halloween, Fireworks Night, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with Ticket Tailor reporting its most successful October and November to date with ticket sales at an all-time high.
Therese Kozicki, a customer success specialist at Ticket Tailor adds: “It’s no surprise that seasonal events continue to grow in popularity as we return back to in-person events. One of the most successful event organisers using Ticket Tailor this year was Hawaii-based Show Aloha Land. My recent interview with them gives a flavour of how the pandemic led to one of the biggest, sparkliest, most festive Christmas events we have possibly ever seen!”
3) Increased importance of visitor loyalty
With the cost of living crisis predicted to continue well into 2023 and inflation predicted to stay elevated until 2024, families are expected to make more considered purchases with less disposable cash to hand.
Operators can incorporate a number of cost-effective measures to help keep loyal customers engaged throughout the year including social media competitions, exceptional customer service, and new additions to the attractions events programme.
Head of marketing at Ticket Tailor, Olivia Parker, says: “The cost of living crisis makes it even more important to communicate the value of your event to your audience – and that’s where marketing comes in.
“Whether it’s using our Broadcast tool to engage with your ticket-buyers, fostering a community on social media, or selling products in advance of events to build hype, it will all be worth doing. Early in the new year, we will be launching the new Ticket Tailor store, to help make selling your merch all year round possible.”
4) An endeavour to keep expenditures low
As consumers’ belts tighten, so will those of businesses, forcing event planners to seek ways to cut costs without compromising on experience. Decreasing expenses associated with suppliers, ticketing platforms, venues and marketing can help stave off any unwarranted drains on profit.
“At Ticket Tailor, we only charge a simple flat fee per ticket, rather than a percentage of ticket sales. That means whatever the price of your ticket, our fees remain the same. Why? Well, we think it’s fair – our costs don’t change, so why should our fees?” adds commercial director George Follett.
“If you are looking to sell over 100 tickets, then purchasing credits upfront will save even more, with up to 60% off our pay-as-you-go fees for our largest attractions. So as we head into 2023, with ticketing platforms like Eventbrite putting their fees up even higher, we will be continually looking at how we can keep our prices low with our inflation-busting pricing.”
5) Sustainability becomes a higher priority
Climate change will remain important on the global agenda, something that will continue to be reflected in mainstream event implementation – something we’re seeing continually reflected in the events scene. As pressure builds from younger audiences and more aware consumers, making steps towards running events sustainably is migrating from being a “nice-to-have” to a must-have.
Small changes which have become well received include introducing plant-based food options to menus, encouraging attendees to recycle litter, and switching from single-use plastic to reusable or compostable cutlery.
Ticket Tailor CEO and founder Jonny White concludes: “Sustainability is close to our own hearts here at Ticket Tailor – we’re proud to say we’re now B Corp certified, balancing profit with purpose. And if the growth of the B Corp community is anything to go by, we think sustainability, rather than fizzling out like other ‘trends’, will continue to grow and, quite rightly, get louder across all industries.”
6) Increased emphasis on social connection and wellbeing
A study following the COVID-19 outbreak revealed that 56% of people felt more isolated than before the pandemic, and 59% of people have found it harder to form relationships. Because of this, Ticket Tailor predicts that there will be an increase in events focusing on mental health and social connection, such as community and charity events.
“Fostering a community is more important than ever, as it helps to build a loyal fanbase that’ll come back to your events again and again,” says Parker. “But connecting your audience in advance can also help your attendees get the most out of your events, especially if you’re running a conference, expo or workshop. That’s why we’re super pleased to have been chosen by LinkedIn to pilot their community builder integration.”
Ticket Tailor specialises in removing barriers to entry for attractions, with a ticketing platform that makes the process simple for operators with no hidden fees and 24/7 support.
