First-of-its-kind online forum will empower fans to share their stories, expanding the tech company's innovative research designed to improve live event experiences
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- FanDragon Technologies, the leading innovator in blockchain-powered SaaS ticket delivery solutions, announced today that it is following up its successful Fan Experience Index survey with the first-of-its-kind online Fan Forum, empowering fans to share their stories in an ongoing initiative to improve live event experiences.
"This was a no-brainer after the incredible feedback we got from the first Fan Experience Index. The Index gave us an eye-opening look at the current state of live events," said Robert Weiss, founding CEO of FanDragon Technologies. "Both fans and the live events industry really responded. Fans are eager to share their stories, and the industry wants to hear from them, but there currently is no significant outlet where this happens. By diving deeper into their stories, the Fan Forum will give fans an even greater voice to help shape their future experiences."
FanDragon's Fan Experience Index Fan Forum will launch in January 2020 and be accessible from FanExperienceIndex.com. Leading up to the Fan Forum's launch, FanDragon has debuted a new series of open-ended questions for fans globally to share their live event experiences. With fan's approval, FanDragon will use responses to better inform and expand insights for The Fan Experience Index, the industry's leading report analyzing live event behavior. Feedback will first appear on the Fan Experience Index website and then later in future editions of the Fan Experience Index.
In addition to the new Fan Forum, FanDragon Technologies will expand its Fan Experience Index research in 2020 with follow-up studies that analyze fan sentiment and behavior specific to sporting events, concerts, music festivals, theme parks, fandom events, e-sports, family entertainment, attractions, and other event types.
The Fan Experience Index, launched in October 2019, was the first of its kind for the ticketing industry, and showed that Americans really are obsessed with live events and will shell out enormous sums of cash for their favorite experience. Three in four Americans (72 percent) are willing to spend between $51 to $500 on a single live event ticket, and nearly one in six (12 percent) spend up to $1,000. But while fans are more than willing to pay bucks to attend live events, they hate being price gouged on venue-related costs. Fans say their biggest live event spend frustrations include the cost of food and beverage at the venue (31 percent), hidden ticketing fees (24 percent) and cost of parking (24 percent). Nearly all Americans (99 percent) plan to attend at least one event this year.
The report also exposed the true extent of risky fan behavior. Fans admit that if they can't afford to buy a ticket, they've tried sneaking into the event (23 percent), re-using another ticket (21 percent), screenshotting another ticket (19 percent) or bribing event staff to let them in (18 percent). This type of behavior not only underscores fans' devotion to live events, but also shows that venues are losing out on revenue due to lax ticketing and crowd control procedures. Fan enthusiasm can get out of hand with one in four (24 percent) admitting to outright stalking of talent. Nearly half use social media to hook up at festivals, concerts, or sporting events.
Additionally, the Fan Experience Index brought into sharp relief the extent of the fraud issue, with nearly one in five (18 percent) of Millennials saying they've purchased a fake ticket to a live event, and nearly one in six (14 percent) overall. Of those, over half (58 percent) say they missed the event because their ticket was fake. In fact, fans favor government regulation to address the issue (61 percent), saying they wish the government would do more to regulate event ticketing and protect them from scalping or ticketing fraud. The idea of falling victim to ticketing fraud is also influencing fans' purchasing behaviors with two in three (68 percent) willing to pay extra to guarantee their ticket isn't fake and three in five (59 percent) saying they prefer to purchase tickets directly from a primary ticket site to ensure they're buying an authentic ticket.
"It's pretty simple: a happy fan buys more tickets and spends more money. It's a win-win for everyone," said Weiss, FanDragon's founding CEO. "The first Index just scratched the surface. We are excited to further expand our consumer research in 2020. We're committed to developing an even deeper understanding on how to engage, involve and protect fans - helping venues and live event organizers create the best fan experiences possible."
For more information about the Fan Experience Index and the Fan Forum, visit: FanExperienceIndex.com.
About FanDragon Technologies
Your Tickets, Your Rules, Our Tools. FanDragon Technologies is reimagining the global ticket distribution business with a revolutionary SaaS platform that brings control and transparency back to ticket rights holders. Leveraging open blockchain technology, FanDragon Technologies' unique ticket mobile delivery system relieves the most frustrating and costly burdens faced by venues, promoters, musicians, sports teams, and most importantly - the fans. With offices in Los Angeles, New York and London, FanDragon Technologies is led by industry experts with decades of first-hand experience in global-scale ticketing. For more information, visit FanDragon.com.
Press Contact
Lori Niquette, FanDragon Technologies, Inc.
press@fandragon.com
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