The live entertainment industry has seen rapid improvements throughout the twenty-first century; however, one issue that remains to be addressed is the age-old dilemma of no-shows. The widespread adoption of mobile ticketing and the ability to text tickets are now allowing venues to explore new approaches to deal with this unrelenting problem. These solutions create opportunities that provide increased value to venues, performers, fans, and patrons alike. In the following series of blog posts, SeatCycle intends to: explore the no-show issue, why it exists, and the problems it creates in order to provide an innovative solution.
Defining a No-Show
What is a no-show? A no-show is when a patron who has purchased a ticket to an event does not attend the event and the seat is left empty. In today’s event industry, a sold out event does not translate to 100% attendance. Across sports, concerts, and theatre, venues see up to 10% or more of sold seats go unused. Inexpensive seats aren’t the only ones left empty either, premium sections are also vulnerable to underutilization.
Why No-Shows Occur
Contrary to the original intent of attending an event, customers’ plans are often derailed when life gets in the way.
Excitement drops:
fans purchase tickets during the initial on-sale, but the event is months down the road. Personal interests change and enthusiasm for the event can drop.
Plans change:
relative to how far in advance a ticket is purchased, there is a gap between purchase and event time. This allows for other priorities to take precedence. Typical examples include health issues, weather, unplanned events for children, flat tires, unexpected business travel, etc.
Corporate tickets:
companies acquire a significant number of tickets to distribute amongst their employees or clients. If tickets are not properly managed or if there is no interest in the event, tickets may go unallocated.
No financial commitment:
if a ticket is donated, won, gifted, etc. the customer will have no financial commitment to the event. That incremental level of commitment can be the difference between attending the event and deprioritizing it for something else.
No-shows are increasingly common in today’s market; they pose number of problems and opportunities alike. SeatCycle is on a mission to provide solutions to teams and venues to maximize ticket utilization and continually improve the fan/patron experience. Be on the lookout for future blog posts to learn more!
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