Auto-Renewal Technology Now Live On Ticketmaster

Club can now auto-renew season tickets and membership for their fans thanks to Ticketmaster technology.

The problem:

Fans will usually want to renew their memberships and season tickets year after year, but most clubs need to wait for the fans to do so proactively. This creates a headache for clubs as they remind their fans to renew, and fans themselves then need to find the time to log in, enter their payment details and hit confirm.

The solution:

Ticketmaster’s Auto-Renewal technology takes some of the friction out for fans and clubs by automating their membership and season ticket renewal process requests. Fans can easily opt-out of this solution by sending a request to the club.

“This is a huge win for any club looking to simplify their renewal process with their fans. It makes it easier for the clubs. It keeps more money and more fans within the club. And most importantly, it makes it easier for the fan who still has the option to opt-out at any time. Ticketmaster’s Auto-Renewal technology provides simplicity and ease to both clubs and fans.”

Chris Gratton, Managing Director of Ticketmaster Sport

Which clubs have been involved:

This has been successfully implemented at Arsenal F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to great success.

Results:

For the 2022/2023 season, Arsenal F.C. renewed members in a single sweep with the revenue coming through in 10 working days. This was all done through direct debits.

It was a similar story for Tottenham Hotspur F.C. where for the 2022/2023 season, Spurs renewed members in one go with the revenue coming through again in 10 working days. The renewal rates on card payers improved by 31% because of the new auto-renewal process.

How the technology works:

  • Clubs can auto-renew memberships and season tickets in bulk onto chosen instalment plans for the new season. 
  • The renewals can be processed via direct debit or card instalment plans. 
  • Fans can update their payment details and opt-out ahead of time for any auto-renew process. 

How it helps clubs:

  • This technology helps clubs continue with their season ticket growth and retention.
  • It also reduces clubs’ workload and overhead costs in managing the renewal process for season ticket holders and memberships. 

How it helps fans:

  • Fans’ renewals are made easier as everything is automatic. They don’t have to think about it as their season tickets and memberships are renewed year on year.

By having our One Hotspur Memberships all signed up to automatic renewal we were able to see a significant improvement in retention rates compared to previous years, where non-Direct Debit renewals required the member to proactively sign up to membership for the next season. Many of those members would re-join the membership during the course of the next campaign, but auto-renewals ensured higher membership numbers from the start of the season, made it simpler for the supporters and allowed us to plan and scale our operation with more certainty.”

Anne-Marie Durgan, Head of Memberships and Subscriptions at Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Auto-renewal is an exciting piece of functionality that will benefit both supporters and the Club. The vast majority of Arsenal Members and Season Ticket Holders renew their membership every single year and auto-renew allows those supporters to roll their membership into the following year without having to take an action. Auto-renewal means only those who wish to cancel their membership need to let us know and the enhanced functionality means they can manage their renewal and their payment details online. The increased efficiency of auto-renewal means our agents are freed up to help supporters who need assistance rather than dealing with supporters who renew their membership every single year and wish to remain Arsenal Members or Season Ticket Holders for life.’.”

Amy TrynkaSenior Ticketing & Strategy Manager at Arsenal F.C.