31 replies to this topic

[armadillo]

Matthew Winn, on 31 December 2011 - 06:26 AM, said:

I don't think it's particularly worrying. Very few people book theatre tickets that far ahead anyway, plus many people who have booked tickets for the Olympics don't yet know what dates their tickets will be for and so won't be making other commitments that might conflict.

Really? I have Olympic tickets and I know when they're for. I thought all the first batch of tickets were now allocated (though there will be some scheme for selling returns and unwanted sponsors' tickets).  Are there agencies offering packages including a surprise ticket?

Given that nobody will be able to come to London and spend 14 days doing the Olympics, I'm not sure why everyone is so convinced that people aren't going to combine an afternoon in East London with a show in the evening.

[igb]

Matthew Winn, on 31 December 2011 - 06:26 AM, said:

plus many people who have booked tickets for the Olympics don't yet know what dates their tickets will be for and so won't be making other commitments that might conflict.

Is that right?  I got Olympic tickets in the second round and have hard dates: are there people who have tickets confirmed but not the dates?  How?

I'm not booking much else for August for a much simpler reason: there's more and more stuff being announced, so unless something unmissable and likely to sell out is announced, I'm waiting until I can see everything that's on before committing.

[igb]

Mark_21, on 31 December 2011 - 03:51 AM, said:

I read it as bookings are only 10% of what they would normally be for next summer at this time

e.g if this time last year 500,000 tickets for next summer had been booked in advance; this year only 50,000 tickets have been booked in advance for summer 2012.

When it's put like that, it would be quite worrying!

Equally, had this time last year 10 tickets for the summer been booked and now only 1 has, that isn't worrying at all.  ALW isn't saying which of those scenarios applies.

[igb]

armadillo, on 31 December 2011 - 08:38 AM, said:

Given that nobody will be able to come to London and spend 14 days doing the Olympics, I'm not sure why everyone is so convinced that people aren't going to combine an afternoon in East London with a show in the evening.

I'd be chary of doing that because of transport, which is as yet unclear.  I've got Olympic tickets for a 9am session in the main stadium, and I'm anticipating needing to be there well before nine in order to get into the venue (security, scrummages on platforms, etc).  I suspect that getting out and away will not be quick either.  So if I had an afternoon ticket, I'd be nervous about getting from there to the West End in time for curtain up.  I think only the very, very keen with a detailed knowledge of London transport and a high threshold for risk (ie, not the typical Olympics-and-an-ALW-show crowd) would attempt to combine the two.

I think people who have Olympic tickets and are steeling themselves for paying for a night's accommodation might do show/night/Olympics, but the whole issue of what hotel bookings look like rears its head.  You can have the Ibis Earls Court for £199 a night during the Olympics (!) and the Novotels in Kensington and Paddington are about £350.   So rooms are available, but whether people will be willing to pay that sort of overage (about 100% premium on normal rates) is a very open question.  Those with family and friends in London are laughing, those without rather less so.

[Lynette]

igb is right - the whole process of getting to and into the venues will be exhausting. I have tix for Olympic events, a couple, and am not expecting to have the energy to go to the theatre at all during the fortnight! Tourists might have more energy of course and be located more centrally. Mind you, they promote Luton as being close to the West End don't they ? I think the theatres should offer a promotion during the Olympics, say £10 a ticket for any show, any seat. Make it simple. Might lose a bit of money but would keep the theatres filled.

[sjh11]

Jan Brock, on 30 December 2011 - 06:21 PM, said:

Odd how organisations like the BBC think that because someone is extremely rich their view are somehow more relevant and carry more weight than normal people's and need to be reported (witness also the fawning over the banal utterances of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs).

Because he owns half the West End? I think the BBC should do less interviews with the public - its infantile coverage of the Royal Wedding last year being a case in point: full of inane ramblings from the spectators when what I really wanted was informed observation by someone wearing a tie.

[igb]

sjh11, on 01 January 2012 - 09:57 PM, said:

Because he owns half the West End? I think the BBC should do less interviews with the public - its infantile coverage of the Royal Wedding last year being a case in point: full of inane ramblings from the spectators when what I really wanted was informed observation by someone wearing a tie.

Vox populi.  Vox moron.

[craftymiss]

Best of luck getting accommodation in London during the Olympics; my hubby works in London 3 days a week and his organisation has Olympic responsibilities. Some idiot forgot to block book their team 6 weeks accommodation in London early last year, they tried to make bookings in May and were told by many hotels (including ones they regularly use) that there was no room at the inn.  I know it is probably difficult wanting 15+ rooms but even if they could get it the price would be ridiculous.  I will be venturing out over August as we have some committments with the kids, but I'm not sure I'm gonna enjoy the commuting.

[El Peter]

I think the theatres should offer a promotion during the Olympics, say £10 a ticket for any show, any seat. Make it simple. Might lose a bit of money but would keep the theatres filled.


A good idea, Lynette. Whether £20, £15 or £10, something of that order would encourage attendance by people either of limited means for whom prices are too high, or curious about (musical) theatre but normally put off for whatever reason. If theatres remain open during the Olympic period but business is below par then such seat price reductions will likely be offered. Unless as Andrew Lloyd Webber suggests, theatre producers would rather close for the duration.

[Honoured Guest]

Most of the ALW interview was factual so it's a bit nitpicky to disagree much with him. The evidence is there and theatre owners and producers have already planned their responses. Paradoxically, the main impact will be in the few months before the Olympics and in the few months afterwards. There'll be a dearth of commercial openings through late spring and early summer, so West End theatre choices will look very stale to regular attenders. This shouldn't bother keen theatregoers because there'll be an abundance of alternatives in the London 2012 festival, including the very enticing World Stages London from May and the World Shakespeare Festival. In the autumn, there'll be a glut of commercial openings which will really enliven the West End for theatregoers, although it will make it even riskier than usual for theatre owners and producers because the competition will be much more intense than usual.