Swiss population craves live events
87.5 percent of the Swiss population prefer live events to digital ones, even after the long, Corona-related event abstinence. However, the average would be willing to pay up to half the normal ticket price for online versions.
57.8 percent of respondents believe that digital events - for example via streaming or virtual reality - cannot replace on-site events. These are the findings of the "Events Switzerland 2021" study conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW.
The older, the better live
Those aged 45 to 59 would least like to do without live experiences: 90.9 percent of them consider the on-site event experience important or very important. That is 3.4 percentage points above the average for all age groups.
The receptiveness to digital event formats increases as age decreases: of those aged 30 to 44, 88.8 percent find being there important or very important, of those aged 16 to 29, only 85 percent.
Concerts and sports rather not online
The fact that the value of digital events is nevertheless rated relatively highly can be seen from the willingness to pay for them: Respondents would dig deepest into their pockets for online versions of theater performances: 53.2 percent of the normal price would be worth it to the average consumer.
At the other end of the scale are concerts, the digital version of which is worth only 37.7 percent of the live price to respondents on average. Online sporting events are likely to cost just over 37.9 percent of the normal ticket price. A reduction to 38.8 percent would be appropriate for musicals.
Clear age preference only for opera
In terms of the affinity of the different age groups for certain types of events, the survey showed a surprising balance. A clear swing presented itself only in the category of opera: on a scale of 1 (weak affinity) to 5 (strong affinity), the over-60s gave opera an average of 4.33, with an overall average of 3.53. Those aged 30 to 44 enjoyed opera least, with an affinity of 3.42.
Concerts are the most popular, with an average affinity of 3.85, followed by music festivals (3.76), sporting events (3.64), opera (3.53), musicals (3.51), theater (3.4) and, bringing up the rear, trade shows (3.16). (SDA)
The Study is based on a representative nationwide online survey in which around 1,000 people took part in January 2021. It was conducted by the Institute for Marketing Management and the Center for Cultural Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law.
