19 Mar 2025
The sports and entertainment industry has seen a big shift in the last few years, with advancements in technology providing dramatic benefits in the event ticketing world. And there is no indication of it slowing down. Things like mobile tickets and QR codes have added a range of flexibility for teams and venues. We can expect to see even fewer physical tickets now that unique QR codes are being attached to digital tickets to help to avoid any form of ticket duplication. Also, another technological shift is the use of virtual events. The different means to view or attend events virtually have provided a larger range for attendees regardless of geographic location. And as Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to improve, we can expect more exciting developments.
Unique pricing strategies & ticket types
We are likely to see an increase in various ticket types over the next few years. There will be more options like VIP, standing or seating, reserved seating, and General Admission. This tactic allows teams to diversify their offerings and ticket prices and tailor it to the customer for a more personalized experience. Of course, dynamic pricing has gotten a bad rep thanks to the Taylor Swift/Ticketmaster debacle, but it hasn’t stopped this pricing structure from growing in popularity. Dynamic pricing allows the company to adapt pricing with demand. Similarly to dynamic pricing, there will be more banded pricing which allows event organizers to charge different prices for different personalized options or sections of the venue. Personalization continues to be a viable marketing strategy, allowing the customer to have as much control in their event ticketing experience as possible.
The rise of AI
With Artificial Intelligence improving by the day, we should expect to see a lot more use of AI in the future of ticketing. However, the increase in positive advancements unfortunately comes with the potential for negative developments. Think of ticket-buying bots that quickly snag tickets and immediately send them to reseller sites with huge mark-up prices. Ticketmaster and other primary sellers must work very hard to fight bots and keep up with their quick tactics. We saw this devious tactic happen with the Taylor Swift Eras ticketing fiasco of 2022. The positives of AI that we will see more of are things like facial recognition for frictionless ticket entry and virtual reality (VR) ticketed events. These are just a few ways that allow ticketholders to gain even better and more customizable experiences in the future.
Data Driven Insights
Advances in mobile technology have made it possible to gain even more data about event attendees. Using a ticket management system is the most beneficial way to be able to track and report on the successes and failures of events. With the combination of various digital events and different ticket types, this opens a larger world of data to analyze and report on. A credible ticket management system will continue to be critical as ticketing technology improves.
