What UK audiences want from live venues in 2026.
What UK Audiences Want from Live Venues in 2026 is a new report from JBC Projects. We commissioned a survey of over 2,000 UK live audience members to understand what audiences truly value when visiting arenas, theatres, and stadiums.
Download the full reports to understand what drives attendance, loyalty, and long-term performance.
Audiences don't want more features.
They want the basics to work.
Comfort matters
View matters
Ease matters
Friction defines the experience, and costs venues revenue
Queues, toilets and navigation shape how audiences remember the visit.
They are not operational side issues, they are core drivers of how audiences remember a venue.
When audiences struggle to move, queue, or navigate, they spend less, enjoy less, and are less likely to return. Reducing friction improves both customer experience and commercial performance.
value ease of arrival and exit
The fundamentals haven’t changed, but they matter more than ever
Across generations, event types, and venue formats, audience priorities remain remarkably stable. The core experience, value, visibility, comfort, and ease, continues to drive satisfaction and repeat behaviour.
While the industry often focuses on what’s new, the strongest long-term value comes from what endures. Confidence in these fundamentals allows better-informed, lower-risk capital decisions.
prioritise overall ticket cost
Get the full picture.
Detailed insights, audience priorities, and revenue drivers — by venue type.