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A new study commissioned by Eventfinda TixSuite which dives into the consumer experience of purchasing tickets in 2024, shows that while demand for live events remains high, Australians have had enough of ‘junk’ ticketing fees charged by legacy ticketing platforms with the trust in ticketing providers running low.

Auckland-based ticketing company Eventfinda launched TixSuite, a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ticketing software model, in Australia in March 2024. Eventfinda TixSuite has today published the findings of its first Ticketing Sentiment Report. The research was conducted by Pureprofile with a nationally representative sample of 1,010 18 to 64-year-olds.

The report found that 81% of Australians have attended at least one live event in the past year. 44% attend 1-3 live events a year, while one quarter (25%) attend between 4 and 11 per year. Legacy ticketing platforms continue to dominate the market, with 67% of Australians typically buying tickets to live events through the major ticketing companies, compared to just 20% who buy through event websites and 11% who purchase via venue websites.

The cost of living crisis has been felt keenly in the live events sector and those who attend live events. The majority of Australians (79%) agree that tickets to live events are too expensive, with just 3% disagreeing with this sentiment. Despite that strain, many are spending eye-watering sums on their favourite concerts and sporting events. TixSuite’s report found that 35% of Australians are spending over $100 per ticket on average.

Eventfinda TixSuite asked “what gripes do Australians have with ticketing for live events?” ‘Junk’ fees – fees that are mandatory during the purchase of tickets, but whose purpose isn’t disclosed – are a primary source of annoyance and confusion. Only 40% of Australians say they understand the various fees and charges around tickets, and what they are for. More transparency around these fees would significantly help the problem though. 72% of Aussies ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they’d be more accepting of ticketing fees if there was more transparency around why they were charged.

Other common complaints Australians have when purchasing tickets online for live events include high waiting times, hidden costs, ticketing websites crashing, ‘delivery’ fees being charged for e-tickets, and scalpers listing tickets that are fake or charging exorbitant prices on resale websites.

All of this has led Australians to have low levels of trust in ticketing providers. Just 21% agreed that providers had the best interest of consumers at heart. Ticketing providers that give their profits to charity aren’t faring much better despite their noble causes. If given the option, 53% of Australians said they’d rather pay lower fees and choose which charity to give to themselves. Meanwhile, 23% say they just want the cheapest tickets available.

A growing trend in purchasing behaviour has seen Australians shirk buying tickets when they go on sale, and rather, waiting until close to the event to buy tickets. This has played its part in several festivals pulling the plug in 2024 after they haven’t been able to sell enough tickets quickly. Australian ticket-buyers say they are less concerned with factors like big international headliners and more with the cost of tickets. 78% said the biggest factor that would make them more likely to buy tickets early would be lower ticketing fees and cheaper tickets.

Eventfinda TixSuite Chief Executive, James McGlinn noted “It is clear that Aussies continue to value experiences very highly, with many continuing to spend money on attending live events even as the cost of living continues to rise. They also continue to attend events despite many having a range of grievances with the way ticketing is done in Australia, and unsurprisingly we’ve found that the majority would like more transparency from ticketing providers when it comes to the fees attached to most live event tickets.

“This research confirms our thoughts that ticketing in Australia is broken and ripe for disruption, with trust in ticketing providers running low. Not only does the current model frustrate ticket purchasers, but also presents issues for promoters and venues running events. Not only are they forced to pass on per-ticket fees to ticket purchasers, but they also endure cashflow issues with ticketing providers holding cash from sales until after their event, which increases the risk events will be cancelled, so ticket buyers miss out.”

Eventfinda TixSuite’s disruptive software model aims to fix the broken and outdated methods of legacy ticketing services by giving venues, promoters, and event organisers control over their ticketing like never before for an affordable fixed monthly rate.

Click here to contact Eventfinda through the entry in Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

Images. Credit: Eventfinda

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