After two postponed editions, the time had finally come. Invictus Games The Hague 2020 took place for the first time on Dutch soil. CM.com helped the organisation with ticketing, marketing software, and their event app, making this one-off memorable event with almost 100,000 visitors a huge success.
TIG Sports already used CM.com's ticketing solution for other events, such as the Olympic Festival and Dutch Open. Because of the excellent past cooperation, CM.com got the chance to handle the ticketing for the Invictus Games The Hague 2020. However, there were extra challenges this time. What about the people who had bought a ticket for 2020? How do you approach people from eleven different countries? And how do you communicate with different types of visitors, such as friends and family, sponsors, and regular visitors? CM.com offered three solutions; ticketing, marketing software, and the event app.
Invictus Games The Hague 2020 entry tickets were very diverse; special tickets for friends & family, veterans, sponsors, guest list attendees and more. In addition, some visitors already had a ticket for the 2020 edition which had to be rescheduled. This was easily solved by informing them by email that they could convert their ticket. A separate communication flow was set up for this. At the same time, new visitors could, of course, buy new tickets in the shop.
When buying or converting the tickets, the fun started because the shop was completely customisable. Visitors could choose in which language they wanted to buy, and the shop was completely in the style of Invictus Games.
"The advantage of having the ticket shop in the look and feel of the event's corporate identity is that people get into the vibe of the event at that first touchpoint," says Quinty ter Haar, Ticketing Manager at TIG Sports.
It didn't stop after the ticket purchase. Roy van Damme, Marketing & Communication Specialist at TIG Sports: "Thanks to Mobile Marketing Cloud, we were able to improve the whole visitor experience using relevant and personal communication by email and SMS before and after the event. These were, for example, win activations and useful information such as a reminder on the day itself that they should not forget their ID. Because of this preparation, there was a very relaxed atmosphere since everyone was prepared for the strict control."
Besides a relaxed atmosphere, the organisation had previously received many compliments on their mobile communication. Florence, Social Media Manager at TIG Sports: "The whole visitor experience has improved. Normally visitors receive an email before they go to an event, but we saw positive reactions when they suddenly receive a text message. It starts at home now, not just when you get there." These results became evident in a survey that was sent by SMS just after the event. As a result, the organisation saw a much higher response rate than would normally be seen when sent by email two days later.
Without sponsors, the event would not take place, so extra attention was paid to this group. Each sponsor was, of course, entitled to several tickets that they wanted to distribute flexibly throughout the year without being dependent on the organisation to allocate them. To facilitate this efficiently, they made use of the Guest Manager. In this system, each sponsor has an environment where they can easily assign, reassign and cancel tickets. Separate communication flows were also established during the event.
Florence explains: "All partners and sponsors received special updates via SMS. The SMS is linked to a landing page with the day's highlights, media figures, photos, videos, and information. It was an easy way to send quick updates and we received very positive responses to this."
At the event itself, Invictus Games The Hague 2020 stayed in touch with their visitors through Appmiral's event app, which visitors were asked to download beforehand to receive fun updates. It was also incredibly convenient because, with the app, they had everything centralised and at their fingertips: "The ticket wallet, for example, ensures that you don't have to open your email to have your ticket scanned. And visitors don't have to look for signs with a map, but can easily check in Appmiral where they are, or where they need to go."
During the event, TIG extensively used push notifications to stay connected with visitors. Roy explains: "We sent out push notifications based on certain preferences, for example, when someone's favourite athlete would start." Geo-fencing was also used to send out targeted messages based on location: "When someone walked past merchandise, they received a discount code. This also made it easy for us to regulate the flow of visitors. Or when a particular artist was about to perform, we sent everyone at the bar a reminder. You then actually saw shifts on the grounds." says Roy.
Supplying software is one thing, but thinking along and helping is another. Florence: "The collaboration was very nice. CM.com was a real sparring partner and was ready to help whenever I called. If I wanted something that wasn't possible, I didn't get a 'no,' but they thought along with us to find a solution."
There was also help at the event. Quinty: "At the event itself, colleagues from CM.com were there every day to help with the scanning software - so everything was installed properly. I thought there would be problems, but because of the help, it all went very smoothly."
Invictus Games The Hague 2020 will, unfortunately, not come to the Netherlands again any time soon. But that doesn't mean it has ended here. TIG Sports is now focusing on the following event: Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix. They are already working hard on that - again with CM.com!
Want to know how you can use the CM.com tooling for your event? Our dedicated team is ready to get in touch with you and discuss the possibilities.
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