We believe that every fan should have equal access to the events they love, and since first making the commitment in 2019, Ticketmaster has launched a host of initiatives to make live events accessible for every fan.
Ticketmaster has been committed to delivering a great online buying experience for fans purchasing accessible tickets, and have been working with disability diversity and inclusion organisation Get Skilled Access to ensure the simplest online purchasing process for all fans.
In April, Ticketmaster New Zealand launched its first online accessible seating event – The Lion King at Spark Arena. This is the first time that accessible tickets have been made available to purchase online without barriers in New Zealand.
For the Auckland season, fans were able to navigate to the event they wanted to buy tickets for online, select the accessible tickets from the seating map, and purchase those seats in the same way as any other standard ticket.
A 2018 State of Access report compiled by disability-led charity Attitude is Everything (an international authority on access at live events) found that 73% of respondents had felt discriminated against when trying to book accessible tickets, 82% had experienced problems booking tickets online, and 79% had been put off buying tickets due to these problems.
The launch of online accessibility ticketing in New Zealand adds a number of benefits for live entertainment fans, promoters, and venue operator including:
Ease of Access: Being able to purchase accessible tickets online provides fair access to, and reduces friction for, fans with accessible requirements, allowing them to select and purchase the tickets they want immediately – without barriers.
Following the successful rollout of online accessible seating for The Lion King’s Auckland season, Spark Arena will now have online accessible seating available for all future events at the venue.
Three additional Auckland venues also began selling their accessible tickets online in May; Auckland Town Hall, Bruce Mason Centre, and Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre.
Customers have been quick to adopt this new functionality, with more than 95% of accessible tickets purchased online via Ticketmaster New Zealand event pages.
Justin Pule, Managing Director at Ticketmaster New Zealand said: “Every fan deserves to have equal access to live entertainment, that’s why, at Ticketmaster, we’ve been working hard on this ground-breaking technology to make the ticket buying process simple for everyone. Ensuring all fans have the same access to the events they love is a process that we continue to prioritise.”
Brendan Hines, Spark Arena General Manager said: “We are thrilled with the success of the new Ticketmaster accessibility ticket portal launched during the highly successful Lion King season at Spark Arena. A recent accessibility audit highlighted areas for improvement, and although much of that focused on the in-event experience for those with accessibility needs, one first major hurdle was improving access to suitable ticket inventory at the point of purchase. The uptake and feedback from fans have been overwhelmingly positive and we will continue to build on this initiative to make world class live entertainment accessible to all New Zealand fans.”
The technology is scheduled to roll out across more events and venues in the near future across New Zealand.
