Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash
The R&A has renewed its focus on ticketing and premium experiences growth after record attendances at this year’s Open golf at Royal Troon.
The R&A and global sports marketing agency Two Circles have agreed a new, expanded, long-term relationship, working together to drive growth across ticketing, premium experiences and fan experience propositions at The Open. The announcement follows a record-breaking number of spectators for The Open in July with almost 260,000 fans in attendance.
The 152nd Open saw a 50% increase on tickets sold in 2016, the last time The Open was held at Royal Troon, with fans purchasing premium experiences more than doubling.
Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said: “The partnership with Two Circles will enable us to unlock new growth and enhance The R&A’s ability to invest in developing golf around the world. This innovative long-term collaboration will help to ensure that The Open remains at the forefront of global sporting events and enable us to harness this success to ensure golf is thriving for many years to come.”
The new agreement extends a partnership which has seen the last seven Championships (excluding the pandemic restrictions in 2021) set new attendance records for the respective host venues. It will put a focus on product innovation, ticket and premium experience (PE) marketing and sales and operational execution.
Gareth Balch, chief executive at Two Circles, said: “We are incredibly excited to continue delivering growth with The R&A, driven by more fan-first insight than ever. Over the past seven years working together, we have seen significant increases in attendance and – just as importantly – brilliant fan engagement and experiences. This expanded partnership will allow us to build on that success even further.”
Earlier this year, The R&A brought in Live Nation to enhance its entertainment offering at the Women’s Open.
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