The Big 5-0! 50 Insights on the World of Tickets and Live Events!
Hi!
I did my list of numbers I’m thinking about heading into 2025.
You liked that one.
Today, I will publish a list of 50 insights from my work worldwide.
I’ll give you the list.
Then we can discuss them in more detail.
Live events can’t be perfect. That’s why they are magic.
A live event isn’t over when the curtain falls. It’s over when the audience stops talking about it.
Live events aren’t competing with screens. They are competing for attention. You can’t replicate the thrill of ‘I was there.’ That’s your superpower.
If no one is talking about it tomorrow, did it really happen?
A full house starts with a story that’s worth showing up for.
Every empty seat is a missed opportunity.
If the experience isn’t unforgettable, the audience won’t be back.
You’re not selling a seat. You are selling a story.
The standing ovation isn’t the goal. The story after the show is.
Your fans don’t owe you loyalty.
Tradition isn’t a strategy. Vision keeps theatre alive.
Opera’s biggest threat isn’t irrelevance. It’s playing it safe.
The audience doesn’t show up to watch. They show up to feel.
Theatre can’t compete with Netflix unless it offers what Netflix can’t.
Relevance doesn’t kill tradition. It keeps it alive.
New audiences don’t hate opera—they’ve just never been invited properly.
If your audience leaves unmoved, you didn’t hold a live event. You held a meeting.
Your fans aren’t customers. They’re the lifeblood of your brand.
Luxury pricing only works when the experience feels like a luxury.
The audience isn’t just watching. They’re judging if it’s worth coming back.
Fans pay for the connection, not perfection.
Every moment is a brand moment—on and off the field.
Winning doesn’t build loyalty. Showing up for fans does.
If the ticket-buying process feels like a battle, you’ve already lost.
Sponsorships should enhance the game, not distract from it.
If you don’t know your fans, you don’t deserve them.
Merch isn’t just merch. It’s how fans feel like part of the team.
Protecting ticket integrity isn’t about scarcity. It’s about loyalty.
When fans feel ripped off, you lose trust. When they feel valued, you build loyalty.
Connection lasts longer than the final whistle.
Dynamic pricing isn’t the problem. Dynamic gouging is.
If resale prices soar, your ticket strategy failed.
Protect the fans who show up. Punish the bots that don’t.
If your tickets hit StubHub before your website, you’ve already lost control.
You won’t find new audiences with old strategies.
Your real fans can’t afford the resale market. Your fake fans can.
First come, first served isn’t fair when bots run the race.
Every scalped ticket is a missed opportunity to build loyalty.
The resale market doesn’t care about your fans. You should.
Make the resale market work for you, not against you.
Fans don’t buy tickets. They buy moments they’ll never forget.
Live events are irreplaceable because moments are irreplaceable.
The audience doesn’t care how hard you work. They care how they feel.
When tickets become commodities, fans feel like afterthoughts.
A full house means nothing if no one leaves moved.
The event is the excuse. The connection is the reason they show up.
Merchandise is more than merch. It’s an invitation to belong.
The magic isn’t in the ticket. It’s in how the experience makes them feel.
When tickets become investments, not experiences, you’ve lost the point.
Your audience doesn’t owe you loyalty. You earn it by showing up for them first.
I’ll leave the list here for you.
Over the next few weeks, we will revisit these to think about how you can change the way you sell tickets, win fans, and create revenue.
Hit reply and tell me what you think.
Maybe you have a list of your own.
You can also join us in the Slack Channel and tell us which ideas you like.
Some links:
I had Zack Sugarman on the podcast.
Zack is the Chief Strategy Officer at Superplastic. We talked about their new space in Area 15 in Las Vegas and the Dopeameme experience.
Give it a listen.
Reports say the MLS Cup had only 700K viewers.
We don’t get numbers on Apple TV+ and MLS.
My impression is that the deal ain’t working out for either party.
For Apple, I don’t think MLS is driving subscribers.
For MLS, they are losing relevance because they are losing awareness.
What’s your take?
Ohio State is begging fans to not resell tickets:
Scott Friedman does a good job breaking this down.
A great show in a built for purpose spot.
More stuff coming out next week.
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Drop me a line and tell me something good that is happening with you.
Here’s a drink I had at a speakeasy the other evening.
