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ONLINE SALES

Summary

On joining Henley Royal Regatta (HRR), I led the rapid introduction of an integrated online ticketing platform for an organisation that had historically sold tickets exclusively offline. Delivered within eight weeks, the platform transformed ticket sales, operational efficiency and audience insight. The project later expanded to include a digital Guest Access journey, enabling Members’ guests to purchase directly online, significantly increasing revenue and data capture.

Objectives

(1) Digital Enablement: Introduce a robust online ticketing platform integrated with existing systems

(2) Customer Experience: Improve ease of purchase for Members, guests and the general public

(3) Operational Efficiency: Reduce manual processing and reliance on temporary staff

(4) Data & Insight: Enable performance tracking, segmentation and targeted communications

(5) Revenue Growth: Unlock new sales opportunities through digital guest access

Approach & Delivery

  • Led the design, development and launch of HRR’s first online ticketing platform within an eight-week delivery window

  • Worked with external agencies and internal teams to ensure compatibility with the existing systems and processes

  • Rapidly upskilled in new software, overseeing developers while remaining within time and budget constraints

  • Designed ticketing logic to reflect the complexity and nuances of the event - e.g. member-only access

  • Delivered extensive testing and led internal training to support adoption across teams

  • Integrated the platform with email marketing, enabling KPI tracking, segmentation and targeted campaigns

  • Introduced a member login wall to protect exclusive access and privileges

  • Evolved the platform to replace a long-standing paper-based Guest Access process with a fully digital journey

  • Enabled Members to nominate guests via email, automatically creating approved Guest Access accounts

  • Allowed guests to purchase tickets directly online, without requiring Members to transact on their behalf

  • Analysed purchasing behaviour and operational impact to inform ongoing optimisation and future development

Outcomes & Impact

  • Delivered a 7% uplift in overall ticket sales following the introduction of online ticketing

  • Achieved a further 5% increase in ticket sales through continued optimisation and adoption the subsequent year

  • Enabled 74% of customers to transition to online purchasing, significantly reducing reliance on offline channels

  • Digitisation of ticketing led to a marked reduction in temporary staffing requirements, improving efficiencies

  • Introduction of a digital Guest Access and voucher journey drove a 113% increase in guest voucher sales

  • Guest voucher revenue grew by over 6,000%, transforming it into a meaningful revenue stream

  • Integrated checkout and guest access journeys enabled enhanced data capture and marketing opt-ins

    • strengthening audience insight and CRM capability

  • Customer feedback reflected strong improvements in ease, convenience and clarity across ticket purchasing

© 2026 by Madeleine Portwain

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