The UK’s favourite events revealed:
Over 33 million people go to theatre, opera or comedy shows each year, while 13 million attend five or more sporting fixtures
People’s lives are made up of a steady stream of ticketed events – from theatre shows and festivals through to sports fixtures and museum exhibitions. But which are the most popular?
Event marketing platform Evvnt has commissioned an independent, nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 UK adults to reveal how many people go to different events each year, and which types lure in the biggest crowds. It found:
Evvnt’s independent research uncovered that theatre, opera and comedy shows are the nation’s favourite type of event, with two thirds (64%) of UK adults buying tickets for such an occasion at least once a year. By contrast, a massive 70% of the public – including 44% of millennials – said they never buy tickets to go to a nightclub, making it the least well-attended event.
Live music did feature prominently on the list, though – three fifths (59%) of the country go to one or more gigs a year, while 19% go to five or more. Similarly, music, food and drink festivals were very popular, with more over half (56%) of respondents saying they will attend one or more festivals each year.
But when it came to loyalty, no type of event could compete with sporting fixtures. Exactly 50% of the UK public will go to at least one sporting fixture per year, but a quarter (25%) of the population go to five or more sports matches every 12 months.
So what will sway the UK public to buy a ticket for an event?
- 60% said it comes down to the price of a ticket
- 56% of respondents will buy tickets for an event based on how easy it is for them to get to and from the venue
- 33% will typically go to events if their friends already have tickets for it
- 13% of UK adults want to learn something from an event
- The same number (13%) will decide to attend an event based on the food that is available, while 9% said they usually only buy tickets for events if they know that alcohol will be available
- Those figures rise to 19% and 14% respectively among 18-34 year olds
Richard Green, CEO and founder of Evvnt, commented on the research: “From a casual comedy gig through to glitzy black-tie dinners, every year the UK public collectively buy millions of tickets for a diverse range of events. And this new research offers some really interesting insight into which events are most frequently attended, which receive the most repeat customers and what people want from an event.”
“While there is evidently a strong appetite for sporting, cultural and professional occasions, the research shows there is also significant competition among businesses to draw people towards their events. Creating a buzz on social media, delivering unique experiences and nailing the online marketing activity are all integral ways of getting people to buy tickets for events and come back again; but the basics of location and price clearly still remain vital factors for luring in potential attendees.”
About Evvnt
Evvnt is the best place to promote events online – the London-based tech startup that has developed unique event marketing automation software, which enables it to generate marketing activity that ensures individual events appear on over 3,500 listing sites. Since its launch in 2012, Evvnt has had more than 30,000 customers across 139 countries. The company is also preparing to launch in the US, having recently entered into an agreement for a $450,000 investment from three US newspaper groups.