From sold-out West End shows to gigs and festivals, Sheffield’s unique ticket-donation enterprise, Tickets For Good, have already sent thousands of NHS workers to the UK’s best events – for just the price of a coffee. Now their new campaign The Ticket Fund will bring businesses large and small together to fundraise for event tickets, which will be donated to hardworking NHS teams nationwide as thanks for their incredible work. The campaign also seeks to direct much-needed cash into the pockets of theatres, nightclubs and event promoters as they struggle to deal with the prolonged effects of COVID.
Whilst this campaign is initially aimed exclusively at NHS staff, Tickets for Good are looking to expand the offer of free event tickets to many more frontline and key workers in the future.
The ‘return to live’ in July 2021 brought a welcome taste of normality for venues, promoters and performers on the brink of collapse after months of closure and half-capacity operating. However, as the longer-term impacts of the pandemic continue to trouble city centres, a cash injection for live events may be a crucial way to revitalise towns and cities. A 2018 Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee report showed that for every £10 spent on a ticket for a live music event, £17 is spent elsewhere in the local economy, meaning that every ticket taken up positively impacts the whole community.
While it’s common for avid attendees to book multiple events, it’s vital that venues also secure new audiences to survive and thrive into the future. Through the Ticket Fund, they can showcase their events to key workers, whilst rewarding them with a great night out for free – a lifeline for venues that won’t cost them a penny. Via sponsorship, individual donations and business partnerships facilitated by the Ticket Fund, thousands of NHS workers can also become regular attendees at city centre hotspots.
The Ticket Fund has already secured a range of campaign supporters including WeGotTickets, whose generous customers have been raising money as they checkout to provide NHS workers with coveted tickets for major events. The team behind the Ticket Fund hope that in their hotspot locations of London, Yorkshire and Cambridge, local economies will feel a boost that ripples out nationwide. Their plan for success includes partnering with local authorities, BID (Business Improvement District) groups and private companies nationwide, to raise the funds for large-scale ticket donation to events around the UK.
One attendee of a show supported by Tickets For Good commented, “Ordinarily I wouldn’t have been able to afford attending the show. It was amazing…I had a great experience and recommended it to my friends.” The Ticket Fund aims to build on the positivity and buzz surrounding recent major collaborations, including sold-out West End shows and festivals, for the benefit of NHS workers and businesses nationwide.
“In the last year we’ve seen that connecting our fantastic NHS with the UK’s world-leading cultural sector creates a hugely beneficial partnership,” said Steve Rimmer, CEO of Tickets For Good. “The Ticket Fund is our way of bringing the expertise and support of many more businesses and organisations on board to give back to the NHS, whilst ensuring our live events industry thrives in the long term.”
To support the Ticket Fund campaign, businesses and organisations can explore partnership and sponsorship options via theticketfund.org. Meanwhile, individuals keen to contribute will find more updates on Tickets For Good’s website and social media soon.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
