StubHub is expanding its FanProtect Guarantee with the launch of the new FestProtect platform, which gives fans the ability to request benefits to counteract disruptions — including everything from weather cancellations to crowd complaints.
The FestProtect tiered rewards and protection system is built around common pain points fans experience at festivals. Tier 1 includes major disruptions including severe weather cancellations and last-minute artist dropouts. If fans who purchased their tickets via StubHub face these disruptions, they can receive access to future tickets at the festival in question or tickets to a future performance from the artist they missed.
The second tier includes scheduling conflicts such as overlapping set times that force fans to miss artists they planned to see, and can include remediation of tickets tied to artists whose sets they were unable to attend during the festival weekend.
Tier 3 is meant to address everyday festival frustrations such as long lines, blocked views, crowd congestion and other “Instagram vs. reality” festival moments. Fans who submit concerns about these frustrations to the FestProtect platform could receive surprise upgrades, rewards or future festival perks. FestProtect is not a guarantee of compensation, and not all claims will see rewards.
Jill Gonzalez, StubHub’s head of consumer, product and tech communications, says the secondary ticketing site decided to create the FestProtect platform as demand for festival experiences continues to grow and fans increasingly share their event frustrations online. “You should never feel bad about crossing this [festival] off your bucket list or seeing the artists you’ve been waiting to see for years,” Gonzalez says. “You should be happy with that experience through and through. It’s about showing up for fans.”
Fans can submit a claim with proof of purchase from StubHub via the FestProtect platform, along with additional proof of the frustration — such as a lineup with conflicting artist sets or even a photo of another festivalgoer blocking their view. StubHub will then provide select fans with various rewards.
StubHub is not a promoter or primary ticketer (primary tickets are sold directly by event promoters or venues) for festivals — but, Gonzalez says, the platform still wants to ensure fans have a good experience. “Fans might not necessarily realize that StubHub is a secondary marketplace. They have their ticket and, if anything goes wrong, they know how they got their ticket and that’s StubHub,” she says.
New survey data from StubHub found that nearly 60% of festival-goers spend more than $300 per weekend outside the cost of tickets, and more than half have experienced major disruptions. The ticketing platform says the data also revealed that more than 70% of those surveyed said a protection guarantee would make them more likely to buy tickets.
“It’s been a big year for the [live music] industry. We’ve seen court cases. We’ve seen legislation, and that backs up what the fan experience has been and how fans have been feeling, which is ‘we want options’ and ‘we want to make sure we’re secure in those options,’” says Gonzalez. “It’s good for the industry. We hope to see as many buyer protections as possible.”
FestProtect launches one day after StubHub announced its largest festival partnership to date with promoter Danny Wimmer Presents (Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, Lounder Than Life). As Danny Wimmer Presents’ official open distribution partner, StubHub gives fans a trusted marketplace to buy tickets, resell tickets if plans change and receive support through StubHub’s customer service and onsite presence at select festivals.
Beginning Tuesday, fans can submit festival-related claims and experiences through the FestProtect landing page.
