Sporting fixtures lure 150 million attendees each year, with a total annual spend of £8.5 billion, while music concerts and the theatre take second and third sport as UK public spends over £48 billion attending events each year, according to new research.
People’s lives are made up of a steady stream of ticketed events – from theatre shows and festivals through to sports fixtures and museum exhibitions. But which are the most popular?
Event marketing platform Evvnt has commissioned an independent, nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 UK adults to reveal how many people go to different events each year, and as highlighted, which types of events lure in the biggest crowds and how much is spent by the UK public attending events. It found:
Evvnt’s independent research uncovered that while theatre, opera and comedy shows are the nation’s favourite type of event, with two thirds (64%) of UK adults buying tickets for such an occasion at least once a year, sporting fixtures still reign supreme.
Though fewer people will attend such types of events (50%), those who do return more often and spend more money. In total, UK adults will attend 2.9 sporting fixtures each year, spending £57 per visit – it adds up to a total national spend of £8.56 billion per annum.
Live music also featured prominently on the list – three fifths (59%) of the country goes to one or more gigs a year, while 19% go to five or more. On average, Britons go to two music events each year, spending £67 on the ticket, transport and other costs (such as food and drinks). It means that music concerts and gigs bring in a combined £8.32 billion every year.
Elsewhere, Evvnt’s research showed that a third of UK adults (32%) take up an extra curricular class each year, with the total spend on classes – such as cookery, language and art – coming in at £3.73 billion. Meanwhile, Britons make over 67 million trips to business conferences and networking events every 12 months, with these events accruing £2.56 billion worth of expenditure from professionals.
Richard Green, CEO and founder of Evvnt, commented on the research: “From a casual comedy gig through to glitzy black-tie dinners, every year the UK public collectively buy millions of tickets for a diverse range of events. And this new research offers some really interesting insight into which events are most frequently attended, which receive the most repeat customers and just how much people spend going to different types of events.”
“The research demonstrates just how many events people go to – and across these ten event categories alone the total amount spent by Britons came in at almost £49 billion each year. The challenge for businesses is to make their event stand out and attract people to part with their money to attend it. Creating a buzz on social media, delivering unique experiences and using hyper-effective online marketing are all integral ways of achieving this.”
