Concert tickets that once cost £10 now run into the hundreds - and still sell out. VIP tiers and add-on packages are becoming the norm. So is the experience economy pricing in a golden era of demand, or pricing out the very consumers who built it? And with ‘blue dot syndrome’ already emptying seats at some of the biggest tours, are we close to a tipping point?
This is Alternatively Speaking, the Grant Thornton podcast where we explore the healthy tensions that shape modern business.
In this episode, Samantha Simmonds is joined by Kate Hardcastle MBE, global consumer engagement expert and broadcaster known as 'The Customer Whisperer'; Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics; and Phillip Woolley, Partner and Head of Public Sector Consulting at Grant Thornton UK.
Between them, they unpack what it takes to get a major attraction from planning application to opening day and then to turn it into a lasting success, and then where the line sits between smart commercial pricing and eroding the trust that keeps consumers coming back.
Watch for insight on:
- what separates investments that deliver for 20-plus years from those that fail within 12 months, and why alignment with a place's identity matters
- how dynamic pricing, VIP tiers and "blue dot syndrome" are testing the limits of consumer goodwill
- why public and private sector partners need a shared playbook - and a shared language - before a major attraction's doors open
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Phillip leads Grant Thornton UK's Public Services Consulting team, with over 25 years of experience advising public sector organisations and government departments on service transformation, major programme delivery, economic development, and major regeneration transactions.
Kate Hardcastle MBE is an authority on consumer behaviour, trust, and retail futures, relied on by world-leading brands to understand what customers value next. She has worked everywhere from factory floors in Asia to boardrooms in New York advising organisations including Disney, Marks & Spencer, Mastercard, Klarna and American Express on growth, technology, and customer strategy.
Richard previously headed up the ‘Retail Insight and Analytics’ team at the British Retail Consortium. Before that, he worked in mergers and acquisitions for Citi Group. He has a wealth of experience in data analytics, consumer research and macroeconomics.