EXCLUSIVE: Digital evolution brings ticketing uplift for Stade Jean Bouin

Some 500,000 tickets are now shifted every year at Stade Jean Bouin in Paris following a digital evolution in the CRM strategy at the venue, according to Olivier Chalhoub, one of our Hot Tickets at the upcoming Ticketing Technology Forum.

Stade Jean Bouin is a multi-purpose stadium, typically associated with rugby union, and is also home to Ligue 2 club Red Star FC.

Olivier, the stadium’s Head of Ticket Sales, is looking forward to sharing the details of how his organisation has streamlined the sales process to boost engagement through online and mobile platforms at the Forum where, as a Hot Ticket, he will join a number of Sports and Live Entertainment executives who are also evaluating their ticketing, CRM, database and marketing platforms.

“In an effort to reduce last-minute sales and maximise the stadium attendance, we can now boast that 90 per cent of ticket sales are through our website, with a quarter of that number buying on a mobile device,” Olivier said.

The stadium, named after French 1912 Olympic Games 5,000-metre silver medal-winner Jean Bouin, has a 20,000 capacity following an expansion project, which was completed in 2013, to add 8,000 seats.

Olivier has worked for Stade Français Paris (Stade Jean Bouin) for seven years. During renovation work, which began in 2010, the games that were due to be held at the stadium were relocated to 10 different French stadia. Throughout that transitional period, Olivier led the ticketing and sales strategy.

The Forum, which will take place in Dublin on April 5-6, will explore, debate and showcase the latest trends, innovations and technologies to enhance and develop the live entertainment ticketing industry.

Cultivating the management of customer relationships is an absolute priority for Olivier and his team as they strive to communicate more effectively with the general public.

According to Olivier, fan engagement through segmenting offers based on individual membership sections has proved to be an effective strategy. The sales results were boosted dramatically every time a member felt as though they were at an advantage through private discounts or other perks, he said.

“We are trying to give experiences outside the stadium to our members and improve their outlook on the club,” he added. “We want to give them rewards and consider them differently from a single-game buyer.”

The Hot Ticket provides Olivier with the opportunity to develop the stadium’s operations through engaging in different ideas and building professional relationships.

“We have been working for four years to improve our database system, and the Forum will help us to see and compare the operators in the sector,” he said. “Speaking with leading ticketing experts about the market’s best practices is always important.

“I’m also interested to see how the English clubs are dealing with data and whether or not people in the industry are concerned with this subject.”

“Connectivity is the most important asset for a successful data system”, Olivier said.

“When a customer buys a shirt, a ticket or a drink, they expect to be considered as an individual fan within a global network,” he added. “That being said, the desired system must recognise the buyer and link him or her to his or her history with the club.”

If achieved, he said, it would facilitate an ability to target people’s needs and speak to fans on a personal level.

“The more details we know about the customer, the better the global communication of the club will be,” he concluded.

Have an innovative database solution that could help? Meet Olivier (and all our Hot Tickets) on site in Dublin to showcase your solutions face-to-face…

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