Edgbaston Finals Day posts new ticketing and experience records

The 2018 Vitality Blast Finals Day, won last Saturday at Edgbaston by the Worcestershire Rapids, was the most successful on record according to analysis released today – with a third of available tickets already sold for next year’s event.
Edgbaston, home of Warwickshire CCC and the Birmingham Bears, was hosting Finals Day for the 10th time this year. The venue has been a Two Circles client since 2013, during which time it has built a deep understanding of its fanbase to drive growth across all commercial revenue streams.

Two Circles’ data management and visualisation technology was used to help Edgbaston identify which fans to target, and when – driving highly-relevant marketing messages.

Audience insight was also used by the Edgbaston events team to direct what in-stadium experiences were offered around the stadium to take the Finals Day fan experience to a new level.

“Knowing how our audience breaks down and what our fans want out of a cricketing experience at Edgbaston is critical in ensuring we host events that are both commercially successful, and provide a memorable day out for every cricket fan”

Edgbaston Commercial Director, Gareth Roberts

THE RESULTS

• Tickets for Finals Day sold-out before the tournament began – the earliest the event has sold out in the tournament’s 15-year history
• Around 10% of tickets were kids tickets, while a record number of ticket-purchasers were female – contributing to a diverse Finals Day crowd
• Fans rated the Finals Day matchday experience better than 2017 across seven factors, including viewing, seating and speed of queues
• Finals Day registered a Net Promoter Score (NPS)* of +74, up on +66 in 2017
• 97% of Finals Day fans said they are likely to come back to Edgbaston, compared to 93% in 2017.

Edgbaston is home of the T20 Blast Finals Day until at least 2024. Preparations for next year’s event are already in full-swing – with strategic decisions having already been made to reach new landmarks in both the marketing of the event and the fan experience.

This included making tickets available on Sunday September 16th – one day after the 2018 climax, the earliest tickets for the event have ever gone on sale. A week into the sales window, a third of available tickets have been snapped up.

“Though we’re delighted with the successes of last weekend’s Finals Day, we’re already using our audience insight and learnings to make sure we continue to deliver better results for the 2019 campaign,” added Roberts.

*Net Promoter Score measures the willingness of customers or fans to recommend an organisation’s products, services or events to others