Tixel expands its UK footprint as summer season gets underway
Tixel, the honest resale marketplace has today announced the expansion of its remit to Cross The Tracks, Wide Awake and Project 6 and City Splash, part of Brockwell Live series in London. This comes as an addition to its partnership with a range of Superstruct UK festivals including Boardmasters, Kendal Calling, Tramlines Festival, Truck Festival, and Y Not Festival, for which Tixel is already the exclusive resale platform,
The news comes as Tixel scales at pace since launching operations in the UK in 2021, seeing 97% growth year-on-year in events trading on the platform between ‘22 and ’23.
Matt Kaplan, Tixel’s Head of UK/EU said, “We’re honoured to work with Brockwell Live and Superstruct UK, companies with a phenomenal portfolio of some of the most loved and unique festivals in the world. Boardmasters festival was one of our foundational entries into the UK festival market back in 2021, and seeing our collaboration with festivals expand is something we are incredibly proud of. Our model thrives thanks to a shared passion with our partners for unrivalled experiences for fans, every step of the way. We understand fans demands, buying behaviours, and more, and applying our expertise to festival campaigns means the festival teams get real added value and a secure and trusted place for fans to resell tickets. This in turn encourages earlier purchases. Helping this awesome portfolio of festivals to push boundaries, elevate their campaigns, and maximise value year-on-year, is something we remain super excited about.”
A recent survey, conducted to discover the most valuable aspects of Tixel for organisers of festivals and day events, found that organisers want to give fans a safe, secure, and fair resale option, save time by not having to process transfers, refunds, and name changes and amongst other factors, see the demand of events beyond sold out. Tixel is a safe, secure, and fair ticket resale marketplace for fans that saves organisers from spending time on refund, transfer, and name change requests. Its integrations with primary ticketing companies automate time-consuming tasks and create a seamless and safe experience for fans. Tixel gives organisers complete control and visibility of their resale market, while helping unlock new revenue and fan data. With direct integrations with major ticketing platforms across the globe, Tixel is able to eliminate fraud and double-scanning by reissuing new tickets for events when they are on-sold.
Through this, festivals are enabled to offer a consistent experience to fans regardless of which event they attended or where they purchased primary tickets. The partnership includes direct technology integrations that facilitate essential functions like real-time, accurate ticket validation on all tickets listed, (eliminating fakes and/or speculative listings) and the ability for a buyer to list and sell a ticket before ticket barcodes have even been distributed.
Andrew Topham, CEO and Founder of Boardmasters Festival said, “Partnering with Tixel helps us to offer flexibility to fans when their plans change and ensure those that missed out on buying tickets the first time around can purchase resale tickets safely and securely. We have a great relationship with the Tixel team and work closely together to maximise our fan experience and marketing campaigns.”
Andy Smith, Kendal Calling Co-Founder added, "Tixel has allowed festival goers to purchase with the ease of mind that selling their ticket can be just as easy as buying it in the first place, while allowing us to accurately monitor the secondary ticketing market, maximising our on-site footfall and increasing revenue as a result."
Jack Robinson from Brockwell Live / Pack London said, “With social media being full of fake accounts continuously trying to scam festival goers in the comments, Tixel provides a great service where it's very easy for people to resell their tickets with confidence. It also provides the promoters with accurate information on how many tickets are being sold and what kind of pricing people are looking to pay. Customers will always be looking to resell tickets or find a bargain and without embracing products like Tixel it's impossible for people to know the difference between genuine ticket sellers and well-crafted scam accounts.”
Last year through Tixel, participating Superstruct UK festivals including Boardmasters, Kendal Calling, Tramlines Festival, Truck Festival, and Y Not Festival were able to offer a secure platform for audiences to resell tickets, while also creating a commercially successful partnership for the festivals on a large scale. The season saw Tixel move over 15,000 tickets seamlessly with a consistent fan experience across 8 events and 4 different ticketing platforms. The platform provided direct access to fans with intent to buy tickets, reducing refund requests and opening new sales channels for festival promoters to drive revenue, as well as offering bespoke solutions for complex operational setups. This year, Tixel’s offering broadens further to Brockwell Live Superstruct UK as more world-leading festivals join their roster.
As a representation of the new preferences and behaviours of live music and entertainment consumers, Tixel released research last month, discovering that the desire for purchase flexibility has shifted from trend to ingrained habit as busy ticket buyers call for greater flexibility when spending. Over ⅔ of us are more likely to make a purchase if there is the option to re-sell later and 81% suggest they find it annoying or off-putting when there is a lack of resale options. And while there are tons of factors that influence the decision to sell a ticket, calendar clashes top the lot for ¼ of those surveyed. Interestingly, even amidst the cost of living crisis, the lure of liquidating cash spent on tickets rarely drives event-goers to give up tickets.
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Andy O’Sullivan appointed CEO of Olympia London
ASM Global has appointed Andy O’Sullivan as the new chief executive officer of Olympia London. O’Sullivan is a vastly experienced and widely respected leader in the live industry, including events, venues, sports and entertainment.
Previously vice president for IMG’s European stadium and arena business, O’Sullivan has worked on many global events and world-class venues including the opening of Wembley National Stadium, delivering $1 billion in sales through Club Wembley; a global first. His most recent role has been as venue director of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from Oct 2012 until Dec 2023. Here, he successfully oversaw the delivery of the venue’s guest experience and led transformational business change from White Hart Lane to Tottenham’s new home.
Chris Bray, president of ASM Global Europe, said: “We are delighted to have Andy join our team, particularly at this pivotal moment for Olympia London as it takes great strides towards an incredibly exciting future. Andy comes armed with exceptional experience, knowledge of the industry and proven track record for commercial success. He also shares in our ambition for the future and growth of Olympia London so I have no doubt that he will bring tremendous value and vision to the venue.”
O’Sullivan said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining such a transformational project at such a critical time, one that’s taking shape right here in London! It will be an incredible new landmark destination for the city, that will help to reshape the way we see and interact with conferencing, exhibitions, and the creative arts industry. I’m pleased to be joining the Olympia London and ASM Global family to develop what will be a showcase for the world."
He added: “I have a real passion for creative disciplines, and it’s not often one gets to be involved with art, dance, theatre, and music at the same destination. It will be groundbreaking, something I know I’m really going to enjoy. Not to forget the amazing heritage Expo Halls that the wider estate will be built around – imagine a day or weekend in London where you get to create, learn, work, dine, stay and play – a real chance to celebrate heritage, whilst embracing big change, it will be truly breathtaking!”
Olympia London has been a cultural and architectural landmark since opening its doors in 1886. Today, it is one of London’s busiest venues, and in recent years has attracted more than 1.6 million visitors and hosted more than 200 events each year. As operator of the venue, the ASM Global team oversee management responsibility for the exhibition and events business as ASM continues to expand its footprint in Europe, bringing its global knowledge sharing to enable Olympia London to compete harder in international markets.
O’Sullivan begins his new role as chief executive officer at Olympia London on January 11, 2024.
Boardmasters offers consent workshops to teenagers going to the festival for the first time
Boardmasters festival has revealed its latest initiative to provide education and insight to young people and parents before attending their first music festival. In a festival-industry-first, Boardmasters has teamed up with The Schools Consent Project and It Happens Education. They will provide a series of workshops and webinars to tackle tricky topics such as consent, to equip young people with the information they need before arriving on site.
Boardmasters welcomes 50,000 attendees annually. The festival’s aim is to change social behaviour, by tackling these issues at the root. Boardmasters is proudly part of the AIF’s Safer Spaces charter, which brings together more than 60 UK festivals to raise awareness of sexual harassment, promote "zero tolerance", and educate festivalgoers.
Andrew Topham, CEO and founder of Boardmasters Festival, said: “We’re incredibly pleased to be teaming up with The Schools Consent Project and It Happens Education - two expert organisations doing excellent work in sharing information and having important, honest conversations with young people, as well as their parents. These topics are tricky, whether related to festivals or everyday life. Enabling these initiatives to come to Cornwall and directly to students - and parents of our attendees - is something we are really proud of. As a festival, the safety and welfare of our attendees is paramount. And while we will have many measures, protocols, expert teams and third party providers on site, this year we have taken another proactive step to extend this support even further, into schools and to parents directly.”
This year, The Boardmasters Foundation has donated funds to the The Schools Consent Project. The funds will be used to provide volunteer-led workshops in schools in Cornwall and the South West region, educating secondary school students about the topic of consent. The first of these workshops will take place next month at Truro High School and Treviglas Academy. Led by legally trained volunteers, the workshops are designed to offer education to young people. It arms them with the knowledge and understanding of consent (and what that means in the eyes of the law) before they’ve even set foot on site.
Normalising conversations about consent, the lawyer-led workshops coming to Cornwall will include information on the legal definition of consent, how to identify consent, the ages of consent, bystander intervention, ways to obtain help and more. They will equip young people with tools to understand these complex topics not only at festivals, but in day-to-day society too.
Monica Bhogal, director of The Schools Consent Project, said: “The Schools Consent Project is delighted to be supported by Boardmasters, enabling us to further extend our reach and bring our consent workshops to schools in Cornwall and the Southwest. The Schools Consent Project firmly believes that education is prevention. Learning about sexual consent laws and having accurate and comprehensive knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, will enable the next generation to make safe, respectful, healthy choices around sexual consent and to enjoy fulfilling relationships. We believe we can and should change the narrative. We can flip what we normalise - let’s normalise consent and respect; communication and meaningful conversations. Our fundamental premise is that education is the best way of challenging sexually harmful attitudes in society and there are real benefits in early and ongoing conversations. If we give young people a solid framework we empower them to stay safe whilst developing healthy intimate relationships that allow them to flourish.”
Recognising that there are plenty of parents out there with natural concerns as their young people head to music festivals for the very first time, Boardmasters has teamed up with education consultant Zoe Shuttleworth, director of It Happens Education. Shuttleworth will host parent webinars, discussing the realities of festival life and delving into the conversations parents could be having with their children before they head to site. As well as exploring the adolescent brain, alcohol, consent and sexual activity, there will also be discussions around Boardmasters-specific topics including safety on the beach and coast.
These webinars will take place via Zoom on July 10 and 13 , and will be available to parents and guardians with young people attending this year’s Boardmasters. Parents and guardians will be able to book online soon, and will be asked to submit questions in advance so that the sessions can be tailored around what they really want to know and understand.
Shuttleworth said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Boardmasters to explore the specific questions and concerns parents, carers and guardians have in the run up to the event. There is so much information and support available, designed to keep young people safe at the festival, but they have to know it’s ok to ask for help. It’s fantastic that Boardmasters are engaging and empowering parents, to decide what topics and conversations they would like to explore with the young people in their lives. Being prepared and well-informed is key to assessing risk, thinking about the consequences, making good choices, asking for help and having a great time at Boardmasters.”
Image: Boardmasters/James North
Olympia London CEO Julie Driscoll appointed to AEV board
The Association of Event Venues has announced that Julie Driscoll, CEO of Olympia London, has been appointed to the AEV board. Driscoll, who has previously served on the boards of the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) and the Event Industry Alliance (EIA) was appointed as CEO of ASM Global-operated London Olympia in 2022.
Prior to Olympia London Driscoll was divisional managing director for retail, manufacturing and engineering at Hyve Group plc where she was also the AEO chair and board member of the Events Industry Alliance (EIA). Driscoll has worked on brands such as Spring and Autumn Fair, Pure London, and CWIEME.
Driscoll said: "I am delighted to join the Association of Event Venues Board. As the new chief executive officer of Olympia London, it is an honour to represent our award-winning venue which is now part of ASM Global. A key pillar of our ESG programme The Grand Plan is to deepen our community engagement. I look forward to learning from my fellow AEV board members whilst concurrently sharing the best practice I have learned from my previous experiences. The Association of Event Venues is a vibrant, innovative and dynamic community which I am thrilled to be part of."
Rachel Parker, AEV director, welcomed Driscoll's appointment to the board. She said: "The combined skills and experience of our board members is instrumental in setting strategic direction for our association. Julie is acknowledged as a leader in change management, spurring growth and driving expansion. Her appointment will make the AEV board an even stronger force for good in the venue sector and the wider event industry community."
ASM Global appoints Caroline Ginnane as GM of Utilita Arena Newcastle
ASM Global, a producer of entertainment experiences, venue management and event strategy, has appointed Caroline Ginnane as general manager of the Utilita Arena Newcastle.
Ginnane has been working as the venue’s interim GM, head of sales and marketing, and now takes a step-up to the leadership role of GM. Originally from London, Ginnane emigrated to New Zealand following her gap year working in hospitality. In New Zealand, Ginnane headed up ownership and operations of a 250-cover restaurant, running a business with a staff of 100+ people, delivering weddings, parties and other occasions alongside the restaurant’s fine dining offering. Since then, she has continued to broaden her experience in hospitality, working across venues including theatre, arenas, stadia and large community venues in the UK, New Zealand, and Doha. In these varied venues, Ginnane developed her expertise in event management and operations, sales and marketing, hospitality, business development and catering, while delving into a whole host of event experiences including sport, music, live shows, TV and C&E. With a career that has taken her around the world, she moved to Newcastle from Doha in 2018 and joined the Utilita Arena Newcastle.
Marie Lindqvist, SVP Operations Europe of ASM Global, said: “I’m delighted that Caroline remains an integral part of the Utilita Arena team, taking up her new role as the venue looks ahead to an exciting 2023. Caroline has demonstrated exceptional business acumen and leadership skills, and always works with such positive energy – skills which undoubtedly make her a fantastic fit for this role. The North East is an important market for ASM Global – with a busy Utilita Arena and the development of The Sage, and alongside our senior team members like Caroline, we have great confidence for the future here. Congratulations to Caroline from all at ASM Global!”
Ginnane said of her appointment: “I am thrilled to be taking on the role of permanent General Manager at the Utilita Arena Newcastle as part of the ASM Global family. I am fortunate to work alongside an incredibly passionate and talented team and we will continue to work together to deliver incredible events for the North East region.”
She will commence her new role from January 2023, as the venue gets set for a busy 2023, with major live music events taking place including Lewis Capaldi, Peter Kay, Kiss, 1975, Chris and Rosie Ramsey and much more.