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Table of Contents

• Are stadium event ticket sales in trouble?
• Customer preference for premiumisation will continue
• Increased use of technology for efficient service
• New legislative requirements
• A greater move towards sustainable products and systems
• Focus on community

If there's one example of the power of stadium events in 2024, it's Taylor Swift's Era's tour.

With one concert making as much seismic activity as a 2.3 magnitude earthquake, the "Taylor Swift effect" made a similar impact on the UK economy, adding an estimated £1 billion. It’s even rumoured that this might be enough to delay an interest rate cut by the Bank of England.

Similarly, Travis Scott's 11th July concert at Tottenham Hotspur stadium broke stadium records for merchandise sales.

Elsewhere in the world of Sports and Stadia there are ripples of unease with several high-profile events seemingly struggling to shift tickets.

As we’ll explore, there is nuance to these figures, with plenty to be hopeful for in 2025, but operators should take note and learn the lessons from 2024.

Here are some stadia event trends predictions for 2025 based on our conversations with industry colleagues, clients and candidates working in stadia.

Taylor Swift emanates power during the opening number, Cruel Summer, at the Eras Tour in Santa Clara, CA. Photo by Kendall Vowels, submitted to the 2024 Event Photography Awards.

Are stadium event ticket sales in trouble?

Let’s start with those attendance figures.

This year Wimbledon attendance was down 11% on pre-pandemic levels, there were drops in attendance for Cheltenham Festival, and there were reports of 270,000 unwanted tickets for the Paris Olympics.

Off to Work’s Culinary Recruitment and Operations Assistant Leslie Lachiche was on-site supporting clients in Paris and noted how certain areas were quieter than expected:

“In terms of attendance, I went to the Stade de France last Saturday and it definitely wasn't nearly as busy as I expected to be.”

Photo by Bo Zhang on Unsplash

You’d be forgiven for seeing this as clear-cut evidence that large sporting events may struggle to shift tickets in 2025.

We think the situation is a little more nuanced and the lively debate sparked by a recent LinkedIn post from Strive Sponsorship's Managing Director Malph Minns is a testament to the range of views in this conversation.

“Commercial teams are under pressure to increase sports business revenues and increasing ticket prices is the easiest lever to pull,” Minns notes in the post.

“However, the market seems to be telling us that the ceiling has been reached when it comes to cost.”

In the comments section, which is well worth checking out, some point out that unwanted Olympics tickets earlier in the process are the norm. Schedules often change throughout the event and fans must shuffle things around to see athletes from their nation.

Despite lower attendance overall, Cheltenham Festival still sold out premium hospitality packages. Photo by Julia Joppien on Unsplash

Others say cost of travel and accommodation are bigger factors on guest attendance than the cost of tickets themselves.

Another point discussed is whether selling out is the best metric of success here. Perhaps optimal yield and overall customer satisfaction (and therefore the likelihood of rebooking) is a better metric to track.

So, overall guest numbers don't always give the full picture. Despite the reported drop in attendance at Cheltenham, hospitality packages still sold out. Club ticket sales also remained the same.

Whether it’s general access or hospitality packages, one thing is clear. When guests have decided an event is worth attending, they have increasingly higher expectations around quality of service, product and experience.

Consumers move towards premiumisation continues

"From our side; the trends we see in sporting venues marries that with the wider hospitality industry – people are going out less often but looking to premiumise when they do," says Tom Duffy, freelance event manager and account manager at drinks distributor Glass Half Full.

"This is of course creating a real challenge for operators who are having to look at what changes they can make to their offering to deliver a more premium product/offer whilst working to tighter GPs that less footfall creates."

Hospitality consultant Elliot Moore, who previously worked as general manager at the London Stadium agrees:

"Guests want an elevated food and beverage experience now and expect high quality and variety that represents good value for money."

Moore, who how heads up Hello Consulting, notes that this trend means that local choices are becoming more popular. Customers are looking for local cuisines and suppliers as part of their food and beverage experience.

As guests are also looking for a far more efficient and seamless service, Moore states that venues need to offer a wide variety of options to ensure all guest needs are met.

"Premium general access seats and areas are becoming increasingly popular along with more efficient queuing systems in general access areas."

Increased use of technology

New technology is making it easier to provide that seamless and efficient service, so expect to see more venues adding to their tech stack in 2025.

As Elliot Moore explains, "guests are increasingly looking for personalised and customisable experiences."

With the increase in use of apps and social media, venues are finding it easier to offer promotions and deals based on guests’ experiences across the board whether this is food and beverage, ticketing, merchandise or in-event entertainment."

Moore has noticed that more venues are leaning into enhanced digital engagement. There is greater use of ticketing apps, with guests preferring these for ease of access, updates and personalised experiences.

"The expectations for improved in venue experience has also increased and guests assume and expect that venues will have high quality, fast, reliable Wi-Fi along with interactive experiences such as in app experiences."

We've noted this trend as well, having worked with several large stadiums to supply ticket-scanning teams to ensure that this crucial first touchpoint is a smooth, effortless and positive experience.

A self-serve bar at the O2 Arena. Source: LinkedIn

With a greater focus on health and safety post-pandemic, Moore notes that "guests have a higher expectation for cleanliness and contactless services, contributing big uplift in self-service bars and just walk out technology."

Citing the use of robotic servers at the World Series in Texas as an example of new technology changing how guests are served, Moore adds that "I think we'll see a shift towards augmented reality and virtual reality experiences soon."

We're still in the early stages of this new type of service model, and it's going to be fascinating to see how this new technology becomes more widespread.

However, with guests increasingly looking for premium experiences, especially in corporate hospitality, at Off to Work we expect that the use of such technology will mainly be deployed in general access areas only.

New legislative changes

With a new government in only recently coming into power, it's still too early to tell exactly what changes are coming. However, the recent King's Speech gives us an idea of Labour's legislative agenda.

Ones to watch for stadium event professionals will be the Employment Right's Bill which would ban the use of zero-hours contracts and introduce new workers’ rights.

The Race Equalities Bill would also introduce new pay reporting requirements for bigger companies.

The Skills England Bill will set up a new body to boost and regionalise training. As we noted in our State of Hospitality Recruitment report, only 52% of 18-25s consider hospitality a long-term career option. Apprenticeships and training schemes may be a method of encouraging more into the industry.

Finally, there was reference in the King's Speech to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, otherwise known as Martyn's Law. This would require those responsible for venues to take steps to mitigate against the impact of terrorist attacks.

We'll update this article as more news about these topics comes out.

A greater move towards sustainable products and systems

“There is growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly practices such as reduced plastic usage, recycling programs and eco-friendly merchandise,” notes Moore.

Stadiums across the country are working towards ambitious sustainability targets, with examples including Wembley Stadium’s pledge to achieve net zero status by 2040.

Sustainability has been a buzzword in the industry for several years now and yet leading figures suggest that the perfect large-scale carbon-free event is a while off yet.

Whilst the design of new venues like Co-Op Live in Manchester included locally sourced construction materials, heat pump, solar panels, and rainwater recycling, for existing stadium venues it’s much more complex and expensive to retrofit.

However, many that we’re speaking with agree that there seems to have been a shift, with more operators taking actions that align with their aims of creating sustainable events.

Co-Op Live, for example, has partnered with Event Cup Solutions which provide unbranded, reusable cups.

At Off to Work we've seen how schemes like this are impacting traditional staffing models, seeing more demand for brand ambassadors who can confidently communicate the benefits of the model to guests.

As well as energy and recycling, operators are looking at what they serve, with Levy UK recently announcing a move to a net zero food menus.

Sapling Vodka served at The Open Championships. Source: Glass Half Full

On the drinks side, Tom Duffy points to Sapling Vodka (a sustainable brand which plants a tree for every bottle sold) replacing Absolut as house pour at The Open Championships as a key example of how this can happen.

“It’s a great case study of how large-scale operators can drive real positive change.”

Moore highlights several innovations brought to market during his time with Delaware North including LED lighting, water conservation measures, and waste reduction strategies, which are all good starting points for any venue looking to reduce their impact.

Event suppliers can help as well by moving towards modular designs.

These are easily broken down for storage, ready to be updated and re-used in future. A great example is the Pepsi Max Tower used a Reading Festivals which has been reused for a number of years, growing and updating naturally based on the needs of each event.

There is more to do, and in 2025 operators will continue to grapple with keeping costs down, whilst also reacting to increasing consumer demand for sustainable and ethical products.

A focus on building community

Lastly, Moore notes that there is "a growing emphasis on making sporting events accessible and enjoyable for all".

"Guests appreciate teams and venues that actively engage with and support their local communities."

With some signs that the ceiling may have been reached in terms of ticket prices, operators will be doubling down on building up their community base, focusing on the optimal yield mentioned earlier in this piece.

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We were lucky to speak to a range of experts in the world of events for this piece. However, we'd love to know what you think. Do get in touch with your top stadium event trend prediction for 2025 or connect on LinkedIn.