#TBF23 Guest Q&A: Burnley’s Chris Parkinson

Ahead of TheTicketingBusiness Forum 2023 held at Manchester’s Emirates Old Trafford, April 19-20, we caught up with Burnley Football Club’s head of ticketing, Chris Parkinson.   

Parkinson has been with the English Championship club for almost a year, after spending just under seven years with Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

We spoke to Parkinson about the current trends within the ticketing sector, plans for the coming year and what he is most looking forward to about April’s Forum…

TheTicketingBusiness: What are the key current challenges and opportunities in the sector?

Chris Parkinson: The challenge within ticketing at the minute is moving towards a more digital era. There are lots of positives from going digital but there are still a few things to iron out. One example/opportunity which some clubs have already started to trial is being able to offer away supporters the opportunity to purchase e-tickets. It’s great to see clubs working together with different ticketing systems and access control systems to allow supporters a better experience.

TTB: What are the most interesting trends you are witnessing in the sector?

CP: I think the bridge between General Admission and Hospitality is the most exciting trend current and the use of premium seats/experiences. We’ve trialled a product along these lines this year and has proved very popular, but I believe some of the offerings within this remit are really exciting and have moved on quite a lot recently as opposed to the previous idea of either tickets or hospitality.

TTB: What are your company’s plans over the coming year, and what are you looking forward to exploring more at the Forum?

CP: We’ve plenty of plans but a lot of them focus on just constantly improving on what we have. One of the main ones we’re keen to launch is NFC ticketing and we’re excited to launch this for our supporter’s. I’m looking forward to catching up with counters within the industry and also looking to see what new ideas others have within the ticketing landscape.

Explore the future of ticketing with Chris Parkinson and hundreds of industry leaders at #TBF23 at Emirates Old Trafford. BOOK TODAY.