Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Estimated market value for events tourism, NI and RoI, 2014-19
- Forecast
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- Figure 2: Indexed estimated market value for events tourism, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- Market factors
- Ticket prices facing higher cost pressures
- Increased VAT rate impacting cost of attending events in RoI
- Event organisers seeing high insurance costs
- The environmental impact of events is a growing concern
- Companies, innovations and brands
- The consumer
- Irish consumers favour pop, dance and rave concerts when attending music events
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- Figure 3: Types of music events attended in the last two years, NI and RoI, September 2019
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- Figure 4: Types of non-music events attended in the last two years, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Event apps popular among Irish consumers
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- Figure 5: Technology used by consumers when visiting events in the last two years, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Environmental concerns driving appeal of plastic- and waste-free events
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- Figure 6: Agreement with statements relating to events and festivals, NI and RoI, September 2019
- What we think
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- 2019 to see value of events market grow
- Plastic waste an issue for the events sector
- High smartphone ownership positive for event organisers
- Irish consumers’ personal finances remain fragile
Market Size and Forecast
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- Irish events market to grow in 2019
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- Figure 7: Estimated market value for events tourism, IoI, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- Events market to continue growing through to 2024
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- Figure 8: Indexed estimated market value for events tourism, NI and RoI, 2014-24
- Spending on event ticketing continues to grow
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- Figure 9: Breakdown of spending on event attendance, IoI, 2014-19
Market Drivers
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- Concert and festival ticket prices rising
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- Figure 10: CPI vs cultural services (including concerts and festivals), UK (including NI), January 2018-July 2019
- Figure 11: CPI vs cultural services (including concerts and festivals), RoI, January 2018- July 2019
- Rising insurance costs an issue for the Irish events sector
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- Figure 12: Public liability insurance premium for Ballina Salmon Festival, RoI, 2017 and 2019
- Tax changes driving up event ticket prices
- Events sector taking steps to tackle plastic waste
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- Figure 13: Top five environmental and ethical issues most important to consumers, NI and RoI, November 2018
- Squeeze on NI consumers’ finances continues
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- Figure 14: Financial health of Irish consumers, NI, September 2018 and September 2019
- Figure 15: Financial health of Irish consumers, RoI, September 2018 and September 2019
- High device ownership provides opportunities for event promoters
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- Figure 16: Ownership of or access to mobile technology devices, NI and RoI, September 2018 and September 2019
- Growth in visitors to Ireland to continue in 2019
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- Figure 17: Estimated total visitor numbers, IoI, NI, and RoI, 2014-24
Companies and Innovations – What You Need to Know
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- Kaleidoscope 2019 claims a first with contactless wristbands
- Delivery services at music festivals for food and essential supplies
- Facebook introduces events to Stories feature
- Fáilte Ireland’s new festival Púca aims to bring Halloween home
- Incentivised approaches to plastic waste reduction
Who’s Innovating?
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- AIB introduces wristbands for contactless payments at Kaleidoscope
- Design POP festival launches in Cork
- Festival organisers using a mixed method approach to promote eco-consciousness
- Food delivery apps at festivals
- Forever Young festival taps into nostalgia trend
- Púca festival aims to make Ireland the ‘home of Halloween’
- Social media companies bring events to user stories
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Music events popular among Irish consumers
- Irish consumers using ticket-buying apps
- Plastic- and waste-free events have strong appeal
Types of Events and Festivals Attended
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- Pop concerts the main type of music events attended
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- Figure 18: Types of music events attended in the last two years, NI and RoI, September 2019
- ABC1 consumers more likely to attend music events
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- Figure 19: Attendance at music events in the last two years, by social class, NI, September 2019
- Figure 20: Attendance at music events in the last two years, by social class, RoI, September 2019
- Sports the most popular type of non-music event
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- Figure 21: Types of non-music events attended in the last two years, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Men the main audience for sports events
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- Figure 22: Attendance at sports event/tournament (eg The Open), by gender, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Food festivals appeal to younger consumers
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- Figure 23: Attendance at food festival (eg Galway Oyster Festival) in the last two years, by age, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Child-oriented events appeal to parents
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- Figure 24: Attendance at family/kids’ show/event (eg Disney on Ice) in the last two years, by presence of children in the household, NI and RoI, September 2019
Technology Usage at Events and Festivals
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- Ticket-buying apps popular among Irish consumers
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- Figure 25: Technology used by consumers when visiting events in the last two years, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Young consumers using services to request bands come to their area
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- Figure 26: Consumers who have used a service where you can request that a band or artist comes to your area when they tour (eg Eventful, WeDemand etc) in the last two years and would use again, by age, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Ticket app usage driven by young consumers
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- Figure 27: Consumers who have used ticket-buying app on smartphone/tablet (eg Ticketmaster, O2 Academy) in the last two years and would use again, by generation, NI, September 2019
- Figure 28: Consumers who have used ticket-buying app on smartphone/tablet (eg Ticketmaster, O2 Academy) in the last two years and would use again, by generation, RoI, September 2019
- Contactless wristbands appeal to Irish women at future events
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- Figure 29: Consumers who have not used a contactless wristband (pre-loaded with a set amount of credit) to pay for things at a concert or festival but are interested in using in future, by gender, NI and RoI, September 2019
Attitudes towards Events and Festivals
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- Plastic- and waste-free festivals appeal to Irish consumers
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- Figure 30: Agreement with statements relating to events and festivals, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Young consumers would like to see more free-from/vegan food at events
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- Figure 31: Agreement with the statement ‘There should be more vendors offering free-from/vegan foods at festivals', by age, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Parents interested in family areas at events
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- Figure 32: Agreement with the statement ‘A family-friendly zone would be appealing’, by presence of children in the household, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Plastic-free events appeal to higher-income consumers
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- Figure 33: Agreement with the statement ‘Plastic/waste-free festival would be appealing’, by household income, NI, September 2019
- Figure 34: Agreement with the statement ‘Plastic/waste-free festival would be appealing’, by household income, RoI, September 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Market size rationale
- Generational cohort definitions
- Abbreviations
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