Live Nation is targeting further growth of its European festival business with the U.K. launch of its white-label ticketing solution company Front Gate Tickets.
Acquired by Ticketmaster in June 2015—alongside the acquisition of DIY ticketing and marketing platform Universe—Front Gate is one of the leading end-to-end festival ticketing providers in the U.S., with Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Electric Daisy Carnival and Austin City Limits Music Festival among its clients.
Since its formation in 2003, the Austin, Texas-based company has powered almost 20 million ticket sales, activated over 6 million RFID wristbands and in 2014 processed over $300 million in sales, according to figures released by Live Nation at the time of its acquisition. Prior to that, it was jointly owned by AEG and Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents, which was itself brought under the wing of Live Nation in 2014.
The first U.K. event to utilize Front Gate’s suite of products and services—which include VIP upsells, group bookings, RFID-powered access control, and cashless POS systems that streamline festival entry, sponsorship activations and concession sales—will be the 12th edition of Latitude Festival, held in Henham Park, Suffolk, July 13-16, before rolling out to other U.K. and European festivals.
“The U.K. is known for its rich and diverse music scene, and we are thrilled to be announcing the launch of Front Gate Tickets in such an important market for our business,” said Ticketmaster’s Director of Business for Music Sarah Slater in a statement. “With the success it’s had in North America we are confident our customers will enjoy the Front Gate experience, and our clients will view this as an opportunity to reach a wider audience.”
Maura Gibson, president of Front Gate Tickets, was no less effusive, saying, “We couldn’t be happier to bring our services to some of the most established festivals in the world and to offer technology which allows the reduction of friction and enhancement of the fan experience.”
Universe, which Live Nation acquired at the same time as Front Gate and also offers a bespoke suite of specialised promotion and ticketing solutions, opened its first European office last year, located within Ticketmaster’s London headquarters.
