Company parties are the number one type of holiday event people plan to attend this season, followed by New Year’s Eve events. That was one of the findings of a new holiday celebration study conducted by Eventbrite. According to a Google consumer survey conducted by the event ticketing company, one in five responders plans to attend more than three holiday parties this season, with more than 60 percent of people aiming to attend as many or more events than they did last year. Other popular ways to make merry include cocktail parties, bar crawls, holiday concerts, lighting events, and theatrical shows.
The report also highlighted the importance of driving ticket sales and maximizing attendance by encouraging guests to share event details on social media. Eventbrite discovered that sharing a holiday event on Facebook drives a notable uptick in ticket sales and click-to-conversion rates for event organizers: Every time a seasonal event was shared on the social network, it drove an average of $18 in additional ticket sales and 18 additional page visits back to the organizers. According to Eventbrite researchers, typically each time someone shares an event they will attend on Facebook, it only drives an additional $4.15 in revenue—which underscores the impact of friends, family, and co-workers on holiday event decisions.
"During all the hustle and bustle of the season, event organizers should remember to tap into social media to help them spread the word—and cheer—about their upcoming events,” says Julia Hartz, Eventbrite’s co-founder and president. “When it comes to picking holiday and New Year's Eve parties, it's very much a social decision, and friends are more influential than ever."
Eventbrite also presented insight from its lead data scientist, reporting that the five U.S. cities with the largest number of holiday events are New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, and Atlanta. The study also found that the average cost of a 2014 New Year’s Eve party ticket is currently $68, and the most popular New Year’s Eve events from 2013 launched their event pages around Halloween.
