Ticketing

Ipswich Borough Council has announced plans for a £3.45m renovation of the city’s Regent Theatre to be completed by December 2025.

If approved, the project would be financed by a 20p restoration levy added to tickets, to be introduced from 5 August.

The renovation will include the installation of a lift, improvements to accessibility, larger bars and foyer areas, and updates to the canopy over the front doors.

It is the second phase of improvement works, the first part of which was completed last year with changes made to car parks, dressing rooms, backstage areas, and catering facilities.

A report set to be presented to the council's executive committee on 16 July said the project "will ensure that the Regent Theatre remains at the forefront of Ipswich’s visitor economy for many years to come."

Music Venue Trust (MVT) has launched a new campaign calling on musicians to support grassroots music venues.

'The Artist Pledge' is asking for artists to make a commitment to give back to small venues at a point in their careers when they are headlining arenas.

Toni Coe-Brooker at MVT said the campaign is “asking artists today to stand with all of us in the grassroots sector as a show of solidarity".

He added it was important for everyone working with artists – managers, agents, promoters and venues – "to find a way to send financial support back down the pipeline”.

More than 45 artists have so far pledged support, including Frank Turner, snake eyes, The Luka State, Sister, Red Rum Club and Vigilantes.

MVT said that in 2023, 16% of the UK’s grassroots music venues closed or ceased to programme new music due to financial issues such as energy costs, rent and rates.

The charity wants every concert ticket sold at arena and stadium level to contain a levy to provide financial support to the grassroots sector.

Artists can sign the pledge at www.musicvenuetrust.com/the-artist-pledge.

Bolton Octagon has announced that it will offer £4 tickets to local residents on Universal Credit, Pension Credit or living in low-income households who want to attend the theatre.

Launching this month, the scheme will see 1,000 tickets each year made available at £4, in addition to the venue's existing offer of £15 tickets on 10% of seats for Octagon shows.

“Our audiences tell us what fantastic value for money the Octagon is, but we know that for some people, the price can still be a barrier and especially during the cost-of-living crisis,” said Octagon Chief Executive Roddy Gauld.

“With this new scheme, fantastic seats will be available for just £4. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the magic of live theatre, and this is just one of the many ways we’re working to enrich our communities with fun, creativity and excitement.”

A  private box at the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) has been listed for purchase at £3m.

Marketed by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, box 14 in the hall’s grand tier has been in the same family for several generations and has 843 years remaining on its lease.

When the hall opened in 1871, it was part-funded by people who were allocated seats in return for their initial investment. Today, 319 people own 1,268 of the hall's seats on 999-year leases. 

A new bill, debated by the House of Lords in October, would give the hall’s governing body the authority to sell an additional 52 seats to investors.

Seat holders must also support the hall financially by paying an annual levy called the “seat rate”, which for box 14 will cost £13,795, including VAT. They must also forgo their tickets for some 100 days each year, known as exclusions, so the hall can sell more commercially to non-seat holders.  

Seat holders who do not wish to use their seats for a concert or event can return them to the hall’s box office for the face value of the ticket less 10%. But it’s widely understood that some resell their tickets through third-party websites for profit.

The practice was recently condemned by Ed Sheeran after tickets for his November show at RAH were listed at up to £6,000 on the resale website Viagogo, prompting him to write a letter of complaint to the board of trustees.

During a debate on the second hearing of the Royal Albert Hall Bill, former Charity Commission Chair Baroness Stowell reiterated the Commission's long-held objection that more than 75% of the organisation's board of trustees are seat holders who can lawfully profit from ticket resales, should they wish.

Quaytickets, a venue operator and ticketing services supplier based at The Lowry has renewed its partnership with the technology platform SeatGeek.

In addition, Quaytickets has announced four new clients, including the University of Birmingham, South Lanarkshire Council and The Brindley Theatre, joining the organisation's existing roster, which counts NIMAX Theatres, Nederlander Group and Somerset House, among others.

First partnering in 2019, SeatGeek’s platform allowed Quaytickets clients to directly list and sell tickets through distribution partners such as London Theatre Direct and Ingresso.

“Four years ago, we launched our partnership with SeatGeek in the hopes of bringing best-in-class technology to our venue, The Lowry,” said Rachel Miller, Director of Audiences, Sales and Marketing at The Lowry.

 “We also wanted to share that technology with our Quaytickets clients to maximise ticket sales and audience insights and deliver an industry-leading customer journey. 

“We’ve delivered exceptional results and look forward to launching our new service packages into the arts and cultural sector event ticketing market."

Peter Joyce, Managing Director of EMEA at SeatGeek, added: “From day one, our partners at Quaytickets and The Lowry have remained passionate, driven and curious – working in lockstep with us to solve the question of how ticketing can be better for fans and those working behind the curtain.

“We could not be more excited to continue working with Quaytickets and its clients to elevate the ticketing experience through our innovative back-end technology for the UK's most culturally significant institutions.”