Johnson has been based in Hong Kong for more than a decade, holding a series of roles across the cultural scene, including Head of Performing Arts at Kids’​ Gallery, and Corporate Hospitality Sales Manager at Art Basel.

Two years ago, she began working for French May Arts Festival, the popular annual event that incorporates Gallic-themed visual arts, operas, dance, music and theatre, circus and cinema.

Here, she discusses the opportunities created by modern ticketing systems and how AI tools can transform the utilisation of ticketing data…

What are the current challenges and opportunities in ticketing?

Claire Johnson: For arts events taking place in traditional cultural venues, I think there is currently the challenge of implementing the advanced technologies being used in more commercial events (such as concerts and festivals), due to constraints in existing ticketing software and platforms, lack of flexibility in onsite operational models, alongside limited financial resources for investment in this area.

While this is a challenge, it does in itself create an opportunity for better ticketing systems for arts and cultural events, particularly in utilising digital ticketing, dynamic pricing and customer data analysis.

What are the most interesting trends you are witnessing in the industry?

Claire: The scope for use of AI tools utilising ticketing data to predict event capacity and seat mapping alongside informing pricing strategies is an extremely interesting development which I would foresee being relevant across all event industries including arts and culture.

What are your ticketing plans over the coming year?

Claire: I am currently busy with French May Arts Festival planning the 2024 festival programme, and working with our fantastic partners on an exciting array of events!

What are you most looking forward to exploring at TheTicketingBusiness Asia?

Claire: I’m looking forward to hearing from industry experts across varying event sectors to understand the synergies and differences in our approaches to ticketing and to see what can be learnt and shared.

Join Claire and hundreds of ticketing and events execs at TheTicketingBusiness ASIA 2023 #TAS23, which takes place at The Wave in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong on 17-18 October.

We’ll explore what’s happening across sales, marketing and engagement tech for arts, culture, sports, live music, theme parks and visitor attractions throughout the APAC entertainment market.

The post #TAS23 Guest Spotlight: French May Arts Festival appeared first on TheTicketingBusiness ASIA.

Rasool – also known as DJ Javed – has been teaching dance, deejaying and organising local and international dance events in Hong Kong since 2005. Dance With Style, founded more than a decade ago, provides salsa, bachata and Cuban salsa dance instruction to individual students as well as at social and corporate events…

What are the key current challenges and opportunities in your market?

Javed Rasool: My company is a dance and events company and it’s a small single ownership company. Most importantly, my business is based on people. If people join our dance classes and attend our events then life is good, but since Covid hit and now, post-Covid, the biggest challenge is to get people to join our events.

Corporates have completely disappeared. There is not much spending, so businesses like mine are bleeding.

Another challenge is getting the venues to pay us what we deserve, and on time.

What are the most interesting trends you are witnessing in the sector?

Javed: Unfortunately, the one trend I see is that everybody seems to be struggling to make ends meet.

What are your organisation’s major initiatives over the coming year?

Javed: My long-term plan is to organise and host an annual international dance competition where people from all over the world descend to Hong Kong for this event.

What are you looking forward to exploring more at the conference?

Javed: I’m looking forward to meeting with corporates, brands, sponsors and more to expand my business in new areas on my bucket list.

Join Javed and hundreds of ticketing and events execs at TheTicketingBusiness ASIA 2023 #TAS23, which takes place at The Wave in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong on 17-18 October.

We’ll explore what’s happening across sales, marketing and engagement tech for arts, culture, sports, live music, theme parks and visitor attractions throughout the APAC entertainment market.

The post #TAS23 Guest Spotlight: Dance With Style appeared first on TheTicketingBusiness ASIA.

Chris B was born and raised in Hong Kong and organises, create and curates live music events under the brand known as The Underground HK. She launched Mellow Yellow Music Festival in 2019 and writes a popular blog about the local music and culture scene…

What are the key current challenges and opportunities in ticketing?

Chris B: I see customer experience is a definite current challenge here in Hong Kong. I’ve heard some nightmare experiences recently from people trying to buy tickets to a show (not mine!) who encountered difficult, unnecessary hurdles as well as website glitches.

I think ticketing platforms have a great opportunity to leverage data analytics to find out their customer preferences and market trends, which in turn could help to optimise pricing for events.

What are the most interesting trends you are witnessing?

Chris B: Customers being comfortable with digital tickets without the need to print them out to bring to the event! Finally!

What are your plans over the coming year, and what are you most looking forward to exploring at TheTicketingBusiness Asia?

Chris B: We plan to host more live music events in the coming year. At TheTicketingBusiness Asia, I will be on the lookout for new and better ticketing systems plus I look forward to hearing about case studies and innovative approaches to event promotion and management throughout Asia.

Join Chris B and hundreds of ticketing and events execs at TheTicketingBusiness ASIA 2023 #TAS23, which takes place at The Wave in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong on 17-18 October.

We’ll explore what’s happening across sales, marketing and engagement tech for arts, culture, sports, live music, theme parks and visitor attractions throughout the APAC entertainment market.

The post #TAS23 Guest Spotlight: The Underground HK appeared first on TheTicketingBusiness ASIA.

Originally from New Jersey, Beale has been based in Hong Kong for more than a decade. She opened the Aftermath Bar on Wyndham Street in 2018, looking to create a venue with a different vibe to what was already out there.

Since then, The Aftermath bar evolved into something much more than an events venue, blossoming instead into a hub and home for the creatives of Hong Kong…

What are the main challenges and opportunities in the sector in your market?

Alicia Beale: Right now, the most pressing challenge in Hong Kong events sector for my business is finding affordable marketing channels that can present my events to the widest array of potential customers. The second challenge is finding a channel that helps to showcase my events unique selling point. A ticket channel that can both help me to acquire new customers on their own platform as an addition to my own marketing would be a significant opportunity.

What are the most interesting trends you are witnessing?

Alicia: One of the most interesting trends that I have seen has been the ticketing platform Zicket who utilises online data research to drive sales to a target market and also offers sponsored ad promotion to get more traction on their platform.

What are Aftermath Bar’s major ticketing plans and initiatives over the coming year?

Alicia: We are planning to present new signature events each month over the autumn/winter seasons for our creative community to continue enjoying our boutique live music experiences as well as to reach new casual cultural consumers.

What are you looking forward to exploring more at the conference?

Alicia: I am looking forward the most to making new connections in the events and ticketing network.

Join Alicia and hundreds of ticketing and events execs at TheTicketingBusiness ASIA 2023 #TAS23, which takes place at The Wave in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong on 17-18 October.

We’ll explore what’s happening across sales, marketing and engagement tech for arts, culture, sports, live music, theme parks and visitor attractions throughout the APAC entertainment market.

The post #TAS23 Guest Spotlight: The Aftermath Bar appeared first on TheTicketingBusiness ASIA.