Younger Australians are more likely to miss out on buying tickets to an event because they forgot or didn’t know the date they went on sale, according to new research from Intuit Mailchimp.
The national survey of more than 1,000 Australians explored how Australians like to communicate and hear from event organisers, and what gets in the way of buying tickets.
A clear communications breakdown linked to poor marketing highlights that Aussies frequently miss out on tickets because event organisers fail to reach them through the channels and timing they prefer.
The findings show that more than half (56 per cent) of 18–34-year-olds say they’ve missed out on a ticket due to timing slip-ups, compared with one in four (26 per cent) of people aged 55 and older.
These missed moments don’t just frustrate fans, they also impact the bottom line for organisers, especially as competition for attention grows.
“Missed reminders are costing event organisers real revenue,” Intuit Mailchimp’s regional director APAC Anthony Capano said.
“Younger fans aren’t missing out because they’re not interested; they’re missing out because messages aren’t reaching them at the right moment. This is why behavioural data and segmentation make all the difference. When organisers reach fans clearly, thoughtfully and at the right time, they can lift engagement, strengthen demand, and turn interest into ticket sales,” Capano added.
Email leads channel preferences
Email remains the top way Australians want to hear from event organisers and ticketing companies, with 85 per cent choosing it as their preferred channel. It has also become the primary place people store their tickets, with 60 per cent of people keeping their tickets in their inbox.
Even with this strong preference for email, there are clear generational differences. Over half (52 per cent) of people between 18-34 say they prefer text messages from event organisers and ticketing companies. That compares with 40 per cent of those aged 35-54 and 34 per cent of people 55 and older.
Meanwhile, social media is preferred by 17 per cent of consumers overall, but is significantly more popular among 18-34 year olds (30 per cent). At the other end of the spectrum, direct mail grows more appealing with age, with 13 per cent of people 55 and older preferring this channel.
These differences point to an opportunity for event organisers to use a broader, omnichannel approach that meets fans where they are based on how they like to engage.
Event essentials are important, but super fans crave more
Most Australians want clear, simple communications from event organisers, with 80 per cent preferring only essential details like dates, times, descriptions and on-sale information. But the desire for richer stories rises among committed event-goers.
In fact, interest in artist background and educational information about artists more than doubles to 24 per cent among those who attend 5 or more events a year, compared to 11 per cent among non-attendees.
Appetite for event recommendations also rises with attendance. Among people who attend more than five events annually, two-thirds (36 per cent) want suggestions for other events they may like. That compares with 31 per cent of people who attend only 1-2 events per year and 27 per cent of non-attendees.
Together, these patterns remind brands and organisers that event audiences are far from uniform; people’s preferences can vary depending on factors like age and how often they attend events. When organisers shape their communications around these nuances, they can build meaningful brand experiences that keep fans coming back for more.
