Sports on subscription

When the ice hockey players of the Metal League stepped onto the ice on Friday for the four opening matches of the season, it was also the start of a new way of buying tickets for matches.

This makes it cheaper to support your team and much easier to attend when the team plays away, and at the same time offers an advantage in managing the coronavirus restrictions.

In the Metal League, this concept is called “UNLIMITED” and means that the classic season ticket is replaced with a monthly subscription which the spectators buy with their favourite club. In addition to not having to invest in tickets for the entire season at once, “UNLIMITED” allows access to following your favourite team away or watching other teams’ matches as well as those of the national ice hockey team with a monthly subscription.

The Metal League’s commercial manager, Thomas Bjuring, describes it as a sensational innovation in Danish professional sport. He has had great interest from other sporting associations and clubs.

“They’re amazed that we’ve managed to bring together all the clubs and unify the system,” he says.

For Thomas Bjuring, it is a great advantage that through the ticket system all digital entrances for the customers have been brought together, putting a ring around each individual spectator and making it easier and simpler for them. At the same time, it gives clubs greater commercial opportunities.

Jakob Mortensen, CEO of Venue Manager, which delivered the system, is happy with this approach.

“This opens up completely new ways for people who love sport to follow their sports and their teams. We’re already in dialogue with other associations and clubs that also see the value in it,” says Mortensen.

Well-known system

Venue Manager is already busy helping clubs to cope with the coronavirus restrictions, where the rules have just been changed from a maximum of 500 spectators in one area to a maximum of 500 spectators in total over the next two weeks. It is challenging for clubs and systems that things have to be moved around and that the rules are constantly changing, but this is made less difficult by the ticket system knowing the customers in advance.

This is much needed. Thomas Bjuring says that all ice hockey clubs have sold significantly more subscriptions in the run-up to the season compared to the number of season tickets sold last year. Several clubs have aquired over twice as many guests on subscription than usual with the season tickets. One club has aquired almost three times as many.

The coronavirus restrictions are currently preventing people from attending away matches, but Thomas Bjuring is sure that the Metal League will be the first to be able to allow this because they have a complete overview of all customers through the digital ticket solution.