From the 21st to the 24th of March, die-hard Formula 1® fans gathered at Albert Park Circuit where Ferrari reigned supreme, and crowds witnessed the unexpected win of Carlos Sainz.
Both 2022 and 2023 Australian races broke four-day crowd records and hit the highest attendance ever since the race moved to Melbourne – with an estimated attendance of 419,114 in 2022 and 444,631 in 2023.
This year, Ticketmaster along with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) are once again celebrating a record attendance of 452,055 across the four-day event.
With ticket allocations for Sunday Grandstands and Park Passes exhausted after only a couple of hours of going on sale back in August, it was no surprise that all grandstand and general admission tickets were sold out across the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday race days.
No stone was left unturned to ensure the success of this year’s Grand Prix. In order to manage a diverse array of ticket categories, hospitality packages, and accommodation options, we ventured to simplify the customer journey and elevate it to new heights through seamless integration.
While the surge in the event’s popularity streamlined the marketing approach for standard tickets, a holistic multi-channel marketing campaign by Ticketmaster ensured that premium products and packages were easily accessible to fans who wanted to purchase them.
The integration of hotel accommodation and ticket purchases within a single transaction marked a shift in the purchasing experience. This approach eliminated the need for customers to navigate several platforms, ensuring a simplified process, which not only saved time but also enhanced customer satisfaction, making the entire ticketing purchase experience more efficient and enjoyable.
Combining this cutting-edge marketing approach with Ticketmaster’s ability to access a large international audience proved extremely successful in driving ticket sales, particularly when applied to a high-profile international event such as Formula 1®.
With the introduction of NFC technology, which allowed fans to enter the circuit through a simple “tap and go” experience, and the successful integration of turnstiles across multiple external and internal entry gates, including the high-traffic Gate 1 public entrance as well as the esteemed Paddock Club and Lounge, every event day saw frictionless entry for hundreds of thousands of fans.
Over 60 turnstiles were installed, with the help of our turnstile provider Axess for the first time ever at the Australian Grand Prix with the integration allowing for seamless gate entry for fans and improved overall gate operations for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.
Ticketmaster was scanning thousands of tickets per minute, highlighting the reliability of our access control infrastructure to handle an enormous rate of ingress, even as each year brings more attendees.
Digital ticketing and a host of other innovative Ticketmaster technologies including TicketTransfer, and Resale also played an important role. With fans able to easily access, transfer, resell and have their tickets scanned from their mobile device, getting through the gates was a stress-free experience.
Ticketmaster Australia Managing Director, Gavin Taylor, said the consistency and openness in Ticketmaster’s relationship with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) was key to a frictionless ticketing and entry experience throughout the event.
“Every year more fans than ever enter the Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix precinct, and every year Ticketmaster remains a key partner in ensuring the delivery of frictionless entry, no matter the crowd size.”
“We engaged our best-in-class ticketing technology to create an outstanding experience for fans, from onsale to entry. We always enjoy working in partnership with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation team to provide ongoing innovations to fan experiences whilst ensuring quick and easy entry every day, showcasing our reliability as a ticketing partner.”
Both Ticketmaster and the AGPC couldn’t be happier with the stability of operations during the event, through our partnership approach with superb commitment and diligence from the support and operations teams, and all Ticketmaster and AGPC staff.
