Study recommends changes to ticketing practices

Changes to the ticketing industry should be pursued in light of lessons learned during the pandemic, a report has concluded.

The study by the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) found that ticketing businesses reported an average drop in turnover of up to 85% in 2020 and 58% in 2021, and adopted new ways of working to deal with the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Based on interviews with 39 stakeholders from across the ticketing and events industry, it found that the majority of respondents said that the common pre-pandemic policy of not allowing ticket buyers to cancel or exchange their tickets should not return after the pandemic.

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And many respondents said that box office revenues should be held in a way that enables refunds to be made quickly in the event of mass cancellations.

They also emphasised the need for clear, concise and rapid communication to customers about cancellations and rescheduling, status of refund
processing and ticket issue and said ticket sellers should embrace new communications technology and use it better.

The report makes a series of recommendations including greater consistency of ticketing policies, including the refunding of booking and transaction fees for cancelled events, as well as common technical standards for e-tickets.

It suggests that firms should review practices regarding advance ticket sales income to help ensure that all sales channels can refund customers promptly and efficiently if required.

Improved customer service

And it calls for the development of improved customer service for ticket buyers through the introduction of technologies such as online self-service and chatbots to deal with common questions.

Jonathan Brown, Chief Executive of STAR, said: “As the pandemic hit, overnight the ticketing industry went into crisis mode as it sought to support venues, event organisers and millions of ticket buyers. It was a truly remarkable effort that the whole industry should be proud of.

However, there are always lessons to be learned as to how we can do things better and we hope that this report has been helpful in revealing the starting points for cross-industry discussions about improvements that can be made in the future”.

Report author, Will Quekett said: “It was heartening to hear the praise for hard-working ticketing staff across the country, however, it is clear that there is room for improvement and clarity about how the ticketing and events industry operates to ensure that the public can continue to buy tickets with confidence”.

Andrew Sharp, chair if STAR Chair, said the report highlights how the customer-first approach adopted byits members helped them avoid many of the consumer issues and controversies that other sectors faced during the pandemic.

"STAR will use this report to lead the conversation within the live events industry to ensure that this work continues,” he added.