How the 2012 London Olympics succeeded in selling 11 million tickets

For sports events, ticketing is about much more than just the tickets. Without successful ticket sales the atmosphere at the event will be un-engaging for both the athletes, the attendees and everyone who watches on a TV-screen, and the budgeted revenue production will also fail.

A podcast episode with Paul Williamson, Director at Two Circles

So how do you secure successful ticket sales?

“Don’t focus on the tickets, focus on selling a dream,” is Paul Williamson’s sound advice. 

The current Director at Two Circles has been working within ticketing for 30 years. He started his ticketing career at Synchro before taking on the position as Director of Ticketing for the London 2012 Olympic + Paralympic games, where he and his team sold, delivered and operated astonishing 10.99m tickets with a total value of $1bn.

Since then he has been engaged by big sports events and organisers such as The International Olympic Committee, Rugby League World Cup 2019, Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Rugby World Cup France 2023, Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024 and the IAAF as a consultant.

In this episode of TicketingPodcast.com, Paul Williamson explains how London 2012 succeeded in organising and packaging 950 different Olympic and Paralympic sport sessions and how the ticketing side of this enormous event was a vital contributor to London 2012’s massive success.

He also shares his thoughts on why football is unlike any other sport or event when it comes to fan engagement and brand loyalty, and why noise is so important at any event.

The podcast was recorded on 8 March 2023.

TicketingPodcast.com is powered and sponsored by TicketCo and hosted by TicketCo’s CEO, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg.