Abstract: Andy Stevens looks at how the latest developments in ticketing help maximise revenue inside stadia and beyond.
Ticket sales still represent a key indicator of a club's popularity despite the fact that they represent a declining share of total revenue for many clubs in the top European football leagues and major league sports in North America. Sponsors and TV companies buy into teams and sports that can sell-out stadia and arenas, whilst secondary event day income from merchandise and food and beverage relies on a ticket being sold to the fan inside the venue. However, whilst the value of media rights and sponsorship packages appear to have peaked, many teams are suffering from a decline in live audiences.
The market for ticket sales will benefit from the scheduling of two global events in 2006, with the Torino 2006 Organising Committee expecting one million spectators to be watching 63 different competitions during the Olympic Winter Games in February and FIFA managing the distribution of seven million tickets for the 64 matches of the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Both organisations are relying on electronic ticketing systems to automate the process of distributing massive volumes of tickets - of different types and for multiple events - to customers who use different languages and currency.
Reference: Stevens, Andy (2006) Standing out for the crowd. Sport Business International. February. Issue 110. pp38-39.
