Blackpool’s biggest venue teams up to launch new ticketing operation

Winter Gardens Blackpool has sealed a partnership with one of the world's top ticketing services providers, EVENTIM and its white-label ticketing solution, EVENTIM.Inhouse.

Hosting over 500 events annually, the Winter Gardens welcomes more than 1.2 million visitors to events, including the biggest in touring theatre, festivals, concerts and world-renowned dance festivals.

For the first time in more than 15 years, the venue has launched a new ticketing operation and box office system.

Operating in 24 countries, EVENTIM is Europe's largest ticketing and live entertainment company, selling over 250 million tickets in 2019 alone and operating in some of the largest venues and festivals across Europe.

Michael Williams, managing director, at the Winter Gardens said: "We are thrilled to announce the brand-new partnership with EVENTIM as it heralds an exciting new era for the venue, one which is set to vastly improve the customer experience with a huge number of exciting developments in the pipeline giving our guests more choice, control and benefits than ever before.

"As a venue, we handle millions of tickets and welcome guests from across the world. As our event programme has developed, becoming as strong as it is this forthcoming year, a new integrated ticketing system with an ambitious partner was essential to deliver a first-class experience to every individual interacting with Winter Gardens Blackpool. EVENTIM is exactly that, an ambitious global leader that understands our venue and our customers, and we are delighted to be working alongside them."

Winter Gardens Blackpool is set to host one of its busiest years with a packed calendar of events including hit shows, Chicago, SIX The Musical, Jersey Boys and many more while annual events including Rebellion are set to expand becoming bigger than ever before with an outside arena on the Tower Festival Headland.

John Gibson and Martin Fitzgerald, managing directors at EVENTIM said: “We're extremely honoured that our people and technology were seen as such a winning combination to deliver on the Winter Gardens' vision.

"Through the use of EVENTIM's advanced technology, EVENTIM.Inhouse, and award-winning services, we share their ambition, and excitement, to create new partnerships with their customers and promoters alike. We have no doubt that we'll deliver, and exceed, on both."

Following Blackpool council's acquisition of the venue in 2010, Winter Gardens Blackpool, has gone from strength to strength, now boasting one of the most exciting live event programmes in the UK., alongside significant investment which has seen the restoration of the public halls, Spanish Hall, Empress Ballroom and completion of the brand-new £30m Conference and Exhibition Centre officially opened by Prime Minster Boris Johnson in March.

Peter Evans, operations director, Winter Gardens Blackpool, said: "The new system and partnership with EVENTIM offers an exciting new future for Winter Gardens Blackpool, which includes a much improved relationship with our guests, from exciting new membership and reward programmes, a greater range of experiences and an integrated journey from enquiry to standing ovation and beyond.

"Our teams have worked tirelessly with EVENTIM hand in hand to seamlessly launch the new system which has been a monumental undertaking but one which will revolutionise the relationship between venue and guests.”

Tickets are now on-sale to over 150 events at wintergardensblackpool.co.uk with a raft of exciting announcements set to be made in the coming weeks for 2022 and beyond.