Event Ticketing Done Right
February saw light at the end of the tunnel for sports and live entertainment fans in England as the UK Government published a roadmap out of a coronavirus-enforced lockdown. It was announced that up to 10,000 fans could return to outdoor events from May 17, with all restrictions to be eventually removed in the summer. …
In March, the long journey towards the approval of the Viagogo and StubHub merger by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) began, with the CMA stating it proposed to accept the deal. The $4.05bn merger between Viagogo and StubHub would be dependent on the selling off of all StubHub’s businesses outside of North America. …
Fyre Festival hit the headlines the world over in 2017 and this year finally reached a settlement with 277 ticket holders. The US Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York approved a class action settlement with each ticket holder to receive $7,220 in pay-outs. The news came almost four years after the $100m …
May witnessed new trends introduced in the footballing world, as clubs began to navigate through the trials and tribulations of bringing back fans safely. German Bundesliga football club FC Bayern Munich announced it was going to move to a fully digital ticketing system for the 2021-22 season. Since March 2020, all home games at Bayern’s …
Companies began to see the light at the end of the tunnel following a difficult time during the pandemic, and June saw some major deals announced. Vivendi agreed to sell 10% of Universal Music Group (UMG) to US-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Pershing Square Tontine Holdings (PSTH). Vivendi is the parent company of UM …
July was a momentous month for those in the UK as all restrictions relating to the pandemic were removed, and Europe also enjoyed relative freedom, although the coronavirus still hung like a cloud over some of the live entertainment industry’s biggest events. More than one in 20 ticket-holders at a Dutch music festival that welcomed …
With the return of live entertainment and sporting events, it appeared to be the beginning of the road to recovery for many in August. Arguably the biggest news of the month emerged at the unlikely time of 5.30pm on a Friday evening, when the UK Government slipped out the news that large events could be …
September gave the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and SecuTix a chance to reflect on one of the success stories of the year – the inaugural edition of The Hundred, a tournament that had been postponed from 2020. In spite of the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 backdrop, half a million tickets were sold, …
Sustainability has been one of the buzz words of the year in live entertainment circles – even with the biggest names in the industry. British band Coldplay announced that its global stadium tour to accompany the new album, Music Of The Spheres, would adopt a series of green initiates. Coldplay hopes that its measures will …
The Astroworld tragedy overshadowed everything else in a dark month for the industry. Ten concert-goers died, with the victims ranging in age from nine to 27 years old, and 300 were injured in a catastrophic crowd crush that will undoubtedly have implications for all of the event’s stakeholders and spectators – and the industry as …