- Direct issuance model to be utilised through new partnership
- Viagogo branding to be visible in Alpine garage, hospitality areas and on digital platforms
The Alpine Formula One team have announced a multi-year partnership with ticketing platform Viagogo.
The deal will see Alpine distribute their primary ticket inventory through the Viagogo platform, providing fans with easier access to tickets through a distribution model called ‘direct issuance’, which offers customers a wider selection of primary tickets and more choices for live events.
“[Direct issuance] involves a rights holder, a league, a team in this instance,” Matt Drew, international business development lead for Viagogo, told BlackBook Motorsport.
“Instead of doing the traditional model that everyone’s done for decades of putting all your tickets on a primary [platform] and having them go on sale at a particular time, this is a multi-faceted approach whereby rights holders are placing their tickets onto a ticket marketplace like ours as an additional point of retail.”
Oliver Oakes, team principal of Alpine, said in an official release that the pact with Viagogo would bring the team “closer to fans worldwide”.
“By making tickets more accessible through a safe and trusted platform, we’re ensuring more supporters can experience the thrill of race day firsthand,” continued Oakes. “We’re committed to enhancing the fan experience and strengthening global presence – this collaboration is a testament to that.”
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The union will see Viagogo branding displayed in the Alpine garage, hospitality areas and on digital platforms. Data will also be an important part of the agreement.
“They get access to our consultancy services and access to our massive extent of data that we have on fans around the world,” Drew explained. “How many potential Alpine ticket buyers are also fans of Chappell Roan or Taylor Swift? What’s the crossover there?
“It’s meeting the fans where they are. Our platform has 300 million tickets for sale on it at any given time. We get 12 billion impressions annually on the website. We’re accessible in 195 countries around the world, 160 of which are ones where F1 buyers actually come from.
“We think this direct issuance model is going to be one that’s going to grow and grow and really help revolutionise the ticketing industry.”
For Viagogo, Drew said partnering with Alpine was an easy decision, despite a testing few years for the team, and he also cited their high-profile investors.
“[Alpine] had a great finish in Brazil last year [where the team achieved a double podium], I think it’s going to be an exciting season for them,” Drew said. “They’ve got a phenomenal investor base [and] they’ve got some very interesting sportspeople and celebrities that are attached to that team as well.”
RedBird Capital Partners, Otro Capital and Maximum Effort Investments purchased a 24 per cent minority stake in the team in June 2023, which involved Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. More investors joined later that year, including the likes of National Football League (NFL) players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, golfer Rory McIlroy, and heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua.
“This arrangement … of leveraging a marketplace like ours to broaden fan bases, sell more tickets and develop fan relationships is something that is going to accelerate, not slow down,” added Drew. “Those individuals … are part of a much bigger plan that we have to grow and develop this model.”
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