Widnes Vikings would like to update supporters regarding our Ticketing System following issues at yesterday’s fixture with London Broncos.
We are aware of the frustrations that supporters experienced attempting to gain entry to the North Stand yesterday, which led to the 10-minute delay of kick-off.
The implementation of our ticketing system on a match day requires the club, Council and Crowdr (our ticketing system provider) to work together to ensure there are limited issues for supporters when gaining entry to the stadium.
All three organisations will be working hard to eradicate the issues that led to Sunday’s disruption, and following every home game there is an extensive review into the performance of the system and how improvements can be made.
As announced to supporters prior to the start of the 2020 season, the club have implemented a new system which will see Season Tickets and paper tickets include a QR code which will be scanned upon entry.
The reasons behind implementing this system is to gain a better understanding of the habits of our supporters, both Season Ticket holders and those purchasing individual tickets, so that we can make better informed decisions moving forward.
For example, historical data suggests that the average Season Ticket holder attends 80% of home fixtures, which could lead to the introduction of new packages. This has also seen the introduction of a number of new initiatives aimed at increasing that percentage, and rewarding those who attend all home fixtures.
By analysing trends and patterns in supporters and their attendance at home fixtures, the club can make decisions based on improving their match day experience, which in turn will help increase attendance figures.
We can also utilise data more effectively by highlighting supporters who purchase on the day and would benefit from owning a Season Ticket, while also rewarding those who regularly attend, all of which is driven by our new ticketing system.
With the increased importance of mobile phones in modern society and the introduction of new purchasing methods, the club introduced E-Tickets in 2020 which are aimed at making our tickets more accessible than ever.
As a club, we were always aware of potential teething problems as we looked to introduce a new ticketing system ahead of the 2020 season.
It was a bold decision by the club, but one that was made in order to become more innovative as we embark on a new era. Rather than continue to be set in our ways, as a club we are always looking at how we can improve and move forward with the times.
Once the initial issues are eradicated, we are confident that the ticketing system will help the club improve in a number of areas, including match day experience, data analysis and the marketing of our ticketing products.
We would like to apologise to supporters for the issues they faced yesterday, we fully understand your frustrations and would like to reiterate that together with the Council and Crowdr we will be working hard to find the solutions to our initial problems.
