Transforming event ticketing at the HK7s with Tixserve

Context

The flagship Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament - globally recognised as the premier tournament of HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series - took place on 4th - 6th November 2022.

It was a historic moment for the Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) as it welcomed the return of local and international fans to the HK7s following a two-year Covid-19 disruption of the prestigious world-famous event.

Challenge

Paper ticketing was originally used at all HKRU-managed events. However, this brought challenges for the rugby union as they had a limited database of their ticket holders and event attendees. In order for the HK7s to safely return with fans in 2022 - and comply with Hong Kong’s Covid-19 regulations - the rugby union needed a robust solution that would enable them to know every spectator at the tournament.

Ticket touting and fraud was also a common issue for the rugby union. Touts attempting to sell duplicate tickets to fans outside the stadium was a regular occurrence which would lead to disappointed fans and a build-up of queues upon entry.

Approach

Given Tixserve’s proven record of eliminating these ticketing challenges and developing transformational opportunities for other rugby unions and event organisers, the Tixserve digital ticketing solution was a no-brainer for HKRU.

With Tixserve’s patented security features and robust track-and-trace capabilities, HKRU were confident in adopting the digital event ticketing system in line with welcoming the return of fans to the tournament.

Tixserve built out the white label ‘HKRU Ticketing’ app and integrated with HKRU’s ticket-retail partner, TicketFlap, ahead of the tournament. The organisers were confidently trained up on using the system, and sponsors, stakeholders and ticket holders were guided through the new digital ticketing system efficiently.

Outcomes

The Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Tournament Director, Aaron Stockdale, welcomed the upgrade from traditional paper tickets:

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Tixserve to help us deliver a much more seamless and sustainable digital ticketing solution for our fans, partners, and sponsors. The increased agility a digital platform offers us is very important to the HKRU, as we are always looking to improve customer experience at our signature sporting events”.

Streamlined ticket delivery

Fans bought their 3-day ticket passes as normal through HKRU’s e-ticketing site. However, instead of fans waiting for their tickets to arrive in the post, the digital tickets were instantly delivered to their registered HKRU Ticketing app. This streamlined the ticket fulfilment process for HKRU, eliminating their traditional heavy workloads and costs associated with paper ticketing - whilst bringing convenience for the fans.

Safe and efficient stadium entry

75,000 spectators attended the 100% digital ticketed 3-day tournament. The digital tickets were scanned at the gates using Hong Kong Stadium’s existing ticket scanning infrastructure and the contactless scanning created safe and efficient entry for fans.

Each morning, push notifications were sent out to ticket holders to remind them to provide proof of negative RAT and Leave Home Safe blue codes - Hong Kong’s localised Covid-19 health & safety protocols - in order to allow entry into the stadium.

Dynamic digital ticketing for richer experiences and incremental revenues

The digital rugby tickets included unique and supplemental information that informed and engaged fans across the weekend. 

As standard from Tixserve’s digital tickets, precise event information was included along with a detailed seating plan and location map to guide spectators to the stadium, their gates and seats at ease.

To inform spectators about what to expect across the weekend, match schedules, entry checklists, and guides were also included on the digital tickets. 

HKRU also leveraged their digital tickets by upselling and cross-selling exclusive match day discounts, special offers, and click-and-collect services.

Fans could buy digital collectibles and merchandise from the HK7s official store and marketplace, while promotional discount codes were also supplied to fans who purchased through the HK7s e-shop.

At the end of each day, the stadium announced to its spectators that an exclusive Uber discount code was available in the digital ticketing app to get fans home safely and efficiently.

Fair and transparent ticket allocations

The Tixserve-powered Distribution Portal was used extensively by each of the international competing rugby teams, along with HK7’s sponsors, such as HSBC - to distribute their allocated tickets to fans. This ensured fair ticket allocations and allowed HKRU to know who every ticket holder was across the weekend. 

Secure tickets and fraud prevention

Tixserve’s unique ticket-transfer functionality enabled some high-value tickets to be locked to devices and prevent them from being passed on or duplicated.

As a result of Tixserve’s patented security and accurate tracking features, ticket touting outside the stadium was eliminated across the entire weekend.

Know every customer

The customer data collected by the digital ticketing software’s verified app registration process, meant that HKRU had complete knowledge and insights of their spectators across the weekend. From this, HKRU will now be able to make better business decisions going forward, and develop new marketing opportunities.

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The Tixserve-powered digital ticketing fulfilment solution will be used for all HKRU-managed events going forward, including Hong Kong’s upcoming HSBC World Rugby Series in March 2023.