The BIG Ticket: Martin Haigh Explains Ballots
Hey!
I randomly asked you about ballots over the last week or two.
People know the idea behind ballots.
Knowing that, I was curious about how you use them or what is holding you back.
The biggest reply was that you didn’t feel like ballots were relevant to you.
Or, it was paired with the idea that you didn’t know how to make the ballot relevant to you.
So, I asked my buddy, Martin Haigh, to put together a primer on the topic.
You’ll find his guest post below.
I’m going to drop a question at the end in the poll!
So let me know what you think.
You can always hit reply and tell me what is on your mind.
DW
PS. I’d also point you to Martin’s post on LinkedIn about search engine results in ticketing.
PSS. SPURS WON A TROPHY!
Why Every Event Needs a Ballot System - Even Yours
What is a Ticket Ballot?
A ticket ballot is a system where fans register their interest in purchasing tickets and a random draw determines who gets access. It’s not first-come, first-served, it’s fair, calm, and structured.
Fans apply during a set window, and those randomly selected are given the opportunity to buy tickets. Those not selected can be added to a waitlist in case any become available later.
Where Are Ballots Used?
Ballots are widely used across the live entertainment landscape:
Music & Festivals
Glastonbury Festival uses a photo-verified ballot due to massive demand.
Sam Fender used a postcode-restricted ballot to prioritise fans from his hometown region.
Japanese artists routinely run fan club ballots, followed by public ones, standard practice across pop, rock, and theatre.
Sports
Wimbledon, Lord’s Cricket, FA Cup, and major clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool, and Newcastle United use ballots for matches with high demand or limited allocations.
Mass Participation Events
London Marathon runs a public ballot with hundreds of thousands of applicants.
Triathlons, cycling races, and charity runs use ballots to allocate entries fairly and manage over-subscription.
Cultural & Public Events
Chelsea Flower Show, Trooping the Colour, BBC Proms, and Royal Ascot use ballots to offer access fairly and reduce public backlash.
BAFTA Awards, The Open, and the Commonwealth Games also run ballots to ensure fan and public engagement.
Why Ballots Work - Even If You're Not Sold Out
Most people assume ballots are only useful for oversubscribed events. Not true.
Ballots are powerful tools even for modestly attended events, because they:
Capture early interest and intent
Segment your audience (e.g., fans vs. newcomers)
Build marketing databases before tickets go on sale
Create buzz and urgency
Offer targeted presales without having to discount
Think of ballots as a demand-generation engine, not just a queue management tool.
Ballots Are a Smart Way to Gain Market Insights
Because ballots ask fans to register before tickets are issued, they create a rare moment of high engagement— and that’s the perfect time to gather insights.
By adding a few optional survey questions during the ballot application process, you can uncover valuable data about your audience, such as:
What You Can Learn:
Where people are travelling from
How they hear about the event
What pricing tier were they hoping for
Their preferred artists, support acts, or days
How often they attend similar events
What merch or extras they’d consider pre-ordering
Why It Works:
Fans are highly motivated — they’re hoping to get tickets
There’s no risk (they’re not yet paying), so they’re more relaxed
You can offer small incentives (like early access or prize draws) for completing surveys
What You Can Do with This Data:
Tailor your marketing strategy for future sales
Optimise pricing and upsells
Inform sponsors with audience insights
Benchmark regional interest before touring decisions
Prove demand to funders or partners
You don’t need a separate research campaign — just ask the right questions at the right moment. Ballots give you clean, current, first-party data, straight from your most interested customers.
Precision Targeting: Segmenting Ballots for Better Outcomes
Ballots can be tailored to reward specific audience segments:
Local Prioritisation
Artists like Sam Fender used postcode-restricted ballots to ensure hometown fans had a better shot at tickets.
Fan Club First
Japanese concerts typically run ballots exclusively for fan club members, rewarding loyalty with better odds.
Domestic vs. International
Marathons and major global events split ballots geographically to manage local and overseas audiences fairly.
Inclusive Access
Ballots can prioritise:
First-time attendees
Under-25s or family groups
Low-income supporters or community tickets
VIP, Member, Sponsor Rewards
Tiered or invite-only ballots can be used to engage donors, sponsors, long-term fans, or top spenders.
This gives promoters morecontrol over who attends— and why.
Ballots Don't Replace Your Ticketing System
Running your own ballot doesn't require replacing your ticketing provider.
Here’s how it works:
You run the ballot on your website or an independent platform
You collect applications, verify identities, and segment audiences
Once winners are selected, you pass them to your ticketing provider for fulfillment
Your existing provider still:
Issues tickets
Handles payments
Manages seat allocation
But you get toown the fan journey and the data— and manage demand before general sale.
Fighting Scalping with Biometrics
Adding biometric verification (e.g., facial recognition, ID matching) makes ballots even more secure.
Benefits:
Stops bots and scalpers from mass-registering
Ensures only real, verified fans can enter or win
Supports non-transferable ticketing and identity-linked access
Creates a foundation for biometric entry systems in venues
Biometric checks (e.g., viaTruCrowd) cost around £1 per person. You can recover this with a small (£2) refundable deposit at ballot entry — paid only by serious applicants.
Sponsorship & CRM Integration
Ballots offer more than operational benefits — they unlocknew commercial and data opportunities:
Own the data — not your ticketing provider
Build email lists and fan profiles
Offer ballot sponsorships — "Presented by..." brand integrations
Segment winners and non-winners for different marketing flows
With opt-ins and waitlists, ballots start thefan journey earlier, increase engagement, and make on-sales smoother and more intelligent.
TL;DR — Ballots Build Better Ticketing
They’re fair
They’re secure
They’re data-rich
They’re flexible
They complement, not compete with, your ticketing provider
Whether you’re running a sold-out stadium or a new club night, a ballot helps you:
Understand your audience
Reward the right fans
Prevent scalping
Build anticipation
Convert interest into ticket sales — securely
Price correctly
Join the webinar! I will help one business refocus their strategy.
Want to be my guest? Hit reply.