APRIL | NOEA COLUMN
Understanding
your audience with
NOEA
Susan Tanner, CEO, NOEA, reveals the association’s new
partner and talks economics
A
n economist once said that understanding
economics is really the understanding of people,
and I think the same can be said for events. Let’s
be honest, when it comes to converting creativity, effort,
diligence and commitment into money, we’ve never been
that great as an industry.
It’s one of the reasons why See Tickets’ offering has
impressed us - they look to help the organiser both make
money and get that money in early. Let’s face it, cash flow
remains a major cause of anxiety for many. They call on
decades of experience of talking to the right audience
at the right time – in the language that attracts them.
Their aim is to maximise revenue and conversion by
simplifying the customer journey, making add-ons and
recommendations easy to purchase.
Since See Tickets became Future Partners with NOEA,
they have shared with us their insights into the event
industry. As we thought, it’s fair to say that there is a lot
more to it than putting tickets ‘on sale’ and endlessly
refreshing your sales reports ,hoping for the best. Over
the next few months, we’re working with them so they
can share their experience with any organiser having
sleepless nights around ticket sales, early bird pricing,
and just knowing if, when and who will turn up on the
day.
Although they’re a ticketing business, they also act and
function as a people-watching, research and marketing
company. They’ve built up an intricate understanding of
consumer behaviours: who they are, why they buy, where
they go, and what they like. Whether it be launching new
events, or finding new customers for existing events.
See Tickets do this by studying their database, but
40
also working with event organisers to understand more
about the events they organise, who they are aimed
at, and most importantly how to find them. It’s for this
reason that they joined NOEA and are delighted to
become part of their Futures Programme.
To become a Futures Supporter, our partners need
to bring something to the table that will help our
association grow and improve. It’s not just a logo on a
website, it’s offering advice to our organisers, showing
tangible change to better the events they work on.
Aside from this, we are also interested in the security
and safety elements of studying people. Event organisers
need to know who is coming on the day and in which
quantities, and this is where a good relationship with
the ticketing company can be invaluable. It’s no secret to
any event organiser: the secret to great cash flow is early
ticket sales, and practically nothing ‘on the door’; this
means that entertainment and services can be created
to cater for the right numbers. But it also means that
organisers can work with security ahead of the event, to
keep the right people in and the wrong people out.
When festivals work, and groups of like-minded
communities get together, the impact can be
inspirational. But it only happens when the event
organiser has an understanding of people, and is
surrounded with people who share this understanding.
So we’ll be working with See Tickets to help support
and educate both our organisers and attendees - the
very essence of what a great event is all about – on how
a better understanding of who you are marketing to and
those who come through your doors will increase that
bottom line.
“There is a lot
more to it than
just putting
tickets on sale”