Despite the return of live entertainment and cultural productions, early 2022 allowed the industry to really understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A UNESCO report revealed that 10 million jobs in the creative industries were lost in 2020 alone.
February also presented a unique buying opportunity – a £3m ‘magnificent 12-seat Grand Tier box’ at the Royal Albert Hall. However, despite its fancy positioning close to the Royal Family’s box, it had been on the market since 2017. It seems to have sold since then however!
A more positive February story came in the form of the Savannah Bananas, a rather entertaining baseball team in the US. Accustomed to sell-out crowds and waiting lists for seats, the club needed a platform that could handle the demand. So, splitting from the norm, Savannah Bananas acquired its own ticketing platform.
The end of February brought the troubling news that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. Companies in the sport and live entertainment industries were quick to condemn the attack.