Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT): PESTLE Analysis [Nov-2025 Updated]

You're looking for a clear, no-nonsense view of the forces shaping Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) right now, especially with the recent volatility and the CEO transition in November 2025. The core takeaway is this: Regulatory pressure and a softening consumer environment are creating significant near-term financial headwinds, evident in the Q2 and Q3 2025 losses, but strategic cost cuts and technology investments are the clear path to a leaner, more resilient model by 2026.

Political Forces: The Regulatory Squeeze

The political environment is decidedly challenging for Vivid Seats Inc. right now. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is aggressively pushing for all-in pricing mandates, which, to be fair, immediately reduced conversion rates in Q2 2025 as sticker shock hit consumers. Also, the March 2025 Executive Order directing the FTC to enforce the BOTS Act (anti-scalping) more rigorously means the platform must invest more in compliance and bot-fighting tech. This increased scrutiny on 'junk fees' forces full price transparency across the entire US market, directly impacting the company's traditional revenue model.

The international risk is even starker: the UK government's planned ban on ticket resale above face value poses a major international revenue risk. That's a significant headwind we can't ignore.

Economic Forces: A Tight Consumer Wallet

Honesty, the numbers show a clear softening. Vivid Seats Inc.'s Q3 2025 revenue declined a sharp 27% year-over-year, coming in at just $136.4 million due to these market challenges. Plus, the Q2 2025 net loss ballooned to a staggering $263.3 million, partly due to an impairment charge, but still a massive loss. Management is realistic, citing consumer spending pressure as the key reason for a flat-to-down industry volume outlook for the full fiscal year 2025. The good news is they are acting fast; they doubled the annualized cost-savings target to $60 million by late 2025 to improve unit economics. Here's the quick math: you need those savings just to tread water.

Sociological Forces: The Experience Economy Shifts

The demand for live events is still there, but it's becoming a more selective splurge. Millennials (ages 28-43) are the fastest-growing demographic for attendance in 2025, but rising ticket prices mean many consumers with lower disposable income are cutting back. The major artist touring schedule shift-for example, no Taylor Swift Eras Tour in 2025-directly impacted concert revenue volumes, showing just how dependent the business is on a few mega-events. Consumers are also demanding transparent pricing and are showing a growing backlash against perceived scalping practices, forcing a change in marketplace behavior.

Technological Forces: The AI Arms Race

Technology is the clear opportunity here. Vivid Seats Inc. is increasing investment in AI and machine learning to combat sophisticated ticket-buying bots-it's an arms race with scalpers. Adoption of digital-first platforms and mobile apps is a key growth driver, simplifying the customer journey. They are also exploring NFT (Non-Fungible Token) ticketing to enhance security and reduce fraud and counterfeits, which could be a game-changer for trust. The core action is simple: you need robust identity verification and real-time fraud detection algorithms to protect the marketplace, period.

Legal Forces: Compliance is Costly

The legal landscape is tightening everywhere. The US FTC's 'Junk Fees Rule' requires the disclosure of a 'Total Price' upfront, which impacts checkout flow and conversion rates, but is non-negotiable. Internationally, new UK legislation could impose financial penalties up to 10% of global turnover for non-compliance with the planned price cap, a massive risk. Compliance with global data privacy laws like GDPR and US state-specific laws is defintely a rising operational cost. Legal mandates now place a duty on resale platforms to actively monitor and enforce price cap compliance, meaning the company is now a de facto regulator on its own platform.

Environmental Forces: Aligning with ESG

While not a direct regulatory threat, indirect pressure from the live events sector's growing focus on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) is a factor. Event organizers are prioritizing carbon-neutral initiatives, which influences who they choose as venue and event partners. To secure exclusive ticketing deals, the Vivid Seats Inc. platform must align with partners' sustainability goals. The good news is that digital ticketing inherently reduces paper waste, supporting the broader industry trend toward zero-waste events. It's a low-cost win.

Next Step: Strategy: Draft a 2026 Technology Investment Roadmap prioritizing AI bot-fighting and NFT ticketing pilots by month-end.

Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) - PESTLE Analysis: Political factors

The political and regulatory environment for Vivid Seats Inc. in 2025 has shifted from a period of relative stability to one of intense scrutiny and new mandates, directly impacting core revenue drivers. The central government focus on consumer protection-specifically all-in pricing and anti-scalping-is fundamentally changing the economics of the secondary ticketing market. This is not a slow burn; it is a near-term headwind that has already hit the financials.

You need to understand that these regulatory changes, while aimed at competitors and resellers, hit platform operators like Vivid Seats Inc. with immediate, quantifiable drops in key performance indicators. The push for price transparency and the crackdown on ticket touting (scalping) are now the primary political risks.

US FTC's all-in pricing mandate reduced Q2 2025 conversion rates.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) mandate requiring all-in pricing-showing the total price, including all mandatory fees, upfront-became a national standard, with the final rule effective on May 12, 2025. This move, intended to eliminate deceptive 'drip pricing,' immediately affected consumer behavior on the platform.

Honestley, the consumer psychology here is simple: people prefer seeing a lower initial price, even if the total is the same later. The national rollout of all-in pricing contributed to a significant decline in key metrics for Vivid Seats Inc. in the second quarter of 2025.

Here's the quick math on the near-term impact:

The company attributed these sharp declines, in part, to the implementation of the FTC's all-in pricing mandate, noting that the shift reduced conversion rates as consumers historically preferred seeing fees later in the checkout process. In response, Vivid Seats Inc. announced a cost reduction program targeting $25 million in annualized savings to be fully actioned by year-end 2025 to offset these revenue pressures.

UK government's planned ban on ticket resale above face value poses a major international revenue risk.

A significant international risk emerged in November 2025 with the UK government's announcement of planned legislation to ban the resale of live event tickets above their original face value. This move, which targets 'ticket touts' (scalpers), fundamentally challenges the secondary market's profit model.

For a global platform like Vivid Seats Inc., which has been strategically expanding internationally, this is a major headwind. The UK government's own analysis estimates the new rules will collectively save UK fans around GBP £112 million (USD $147 million) annually, which is revenue that will no longer flow through the secondary market.

The new law will require resale platforms to actively monitor and enforce the face-value cap and will also limit the service fees they can charge. This legislative action sets a strong precedent that other European countries could follow, threatening the long-term viability of high-margin international resale business.

March 2025 Executive Order directs the FTC to rigorously enforce the BOTS Act (anti-scalping).

On March 31, 2025, an Executive Order titled 'Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market' was signed, signaling a definitive political commitment to cracking down on automated ticket purchasing (scalping). The order specifically directs the FTC to 'rigorously enforce' the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016.

What this means for the marketplace is a much higher compliance bar. The BOTS Act prohibits the use of software bots to bypass security measures to buy large quantities of tickets and also prohibits the resale of tickets knowingly obtained through such circumvention. Violations of the BOTS Act are subject to civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.

The order also encourages enhanced collaboration between the FTC and state Attorneys General, meaning enforcement actions are defintely going to increase in frequency and scope across the US.

Increased political scrutiny on 'junk fees' forces full price transparency across the US market.

The broader political environment is characterized by a bipartisan push against 'junk fees,' which are mandatory fees hidden until late in the purchase process. This scrutiny directly led to the FTC's new rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, which mandates full price transparency.

The requirement is clear and simple:

• Disclose the total price clearly and prominently.
• The total price must include all mandatory fees and charges.
• This disclosure must happen at all stages of the ticket-purchase process.

This political pressure impacts not just the display of prices but also the core business model of secondary market platforms, which historically relied on service fees being added late to make the initial listing price appear more competitive. The new transparency rules, effective May 12, 2025, force a level playing field, but they also remove a key competitive lever for secondary marketplaces.

Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) - PESTLE Analysis: Economic factors

The economic landscape for Vivid Seats Inc. in 2025 is defined by a sharp contraction in consumer demand for live event tickets, forcing management to take aggressive cost-cutting measures. You are seeing a clear case of discretionary spending pulling back, which directly impacts the company's top and bottom lines.

This pressure is evident in the Q3 2025 results. Revenue for the quarter was $136.4 million, a significant decline of 27% year-over-year. Marketplace Gross Order Value (GOV) also fell sharply by 29% to $618.1 million. This isn't just a small dip; it's a major headwind driven by a cautious consumer. The company's financial performance is simply reflecting that people are prioritizing essentials over high-cost entertainment right now.

Q2 2025 Net Loss and Impairment Charge

The second quarter of 2025 highlighted the severity of the economic challenges, with the company reporting a GAAP net loss of $263.3 million. This massive loss was primarily driven by a non-cash goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge of approximately $320.4 million. Here's the quick math: an impairment charge of that size is an accounting signal that the long-term value of assets, like past acquisitions, is permanently reduced because the business outlook has weakened substantially.

The impairment charge, while non-cash, reflects a permanent reset of expectations based on the current economic reality. It's a painful but necessary step to right-size the balance sheet.

Consumer Spending Pressure and Industry Outlook

Management has been very clear that 'pressure on consumer spending' is a key driver of the flat-to-down industry volume outlook for the full fiscal year 2025. This is a direct translation of macroeconomic uncertainty into reduced ticket sales. The company initially expected mid-to-high single-digit industry growth for the year, but the revised outlook anticipates industry volumes to be flat-to-down.

This shift means the market isn't growing as expected, so Vivid Seats is fighting for a slice of a stagnant or shrinking pie. Plus, the competition in performance marketing (like paid search) remains intense, which keeps customer acquisition costs high even as revenue falls.

Doubled Cost-Savings Target

To combat the challenging environment and improve unit economics, the company has significantly escalated its efficiency program. Management doubled the annualized cost-savings target from an initial $25 million to $60 million. This is a clear, decisive action to right-size the organization for the current sales environment.

The goal is to maximize operating efficiency and allow for strategic reinvestment into the value proposition, like the Vivid Seats Rewards program. This cost discipline is defintely the right move when top-line growth is under pressure, aiming to build a more resilient and profitable business for the long term.

• Original annualized cost-savings target: $25 million.
• New annualized cost-savings target: $60 million.
• Target completion: Late 2025.

You need to watch how quickly they execute these cuts and if the savings actually drop to the bottom line without hurting core technology investments.

Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) - PESTLE Analysis: Social factors

Sociological

The social landscape for live events in 2025 presents a dual challenge for Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT), combining a highly engaged, experience-driven core audience with a broader consumer base increasingly sensitive to price and transparency. The industry is seeing a clear contraction in overall gross revenue despite a persistent cultural appetite for live experiences, a trend directly impacting the secondary market.

For the first three quarters of 2025, Vivid Seats reported a significant financial downturn, reflecting the market's volatility. Specifically, the Marketplace Gross Order Value (GOV) fell to $618.1 million in Q3 2025, a drop of 29% from the same period in 2024, and revenues decreased by 27% to $136.4 million. This financial pressure is a direct result of the social and economic shifts outlined below.

Millennials (ages 28-43) are the fastest-growing demographic for live event attendance in 2025

Millennials remain the most critical growth demographic for the live events sector, prioritizing experiences over material possessions. This cohort, aged 28-43 in 2025, was identified as the biggest growth group for event attendance in 2024 by 55% of event promoters, a trend projected to continue. More than 61% of Millennials and Gen Z attendees plan to attend more global events this year and beyond. However, this attendance is increasingly dominated by high-income segments of the demographic, signaling that while the desire is strong, the ability to pay is becoming a significant barrier for others.

This group's high engagement is a key opportunity for Vivid Seats, as 81% of Millennials and younger notice brands during live events, making them highly receptive to platform-specific loyalty programs like Vivid Seats Rewards.

Rising ticket prices make live events an 'occasional splurge,' especially for those with lower disposable income

The cost of live entertainment has become a major social constraint, turning what was once a common outing into an 'occasional luxury.' Ticket prices for concerts and theater have collectively risen by 20% since 2021. This inflation, coupled with broader economic strain, has led to nearly half of Americans reporting they are attending fewer live events than they did three years ago.

The primary deterrent is cost, cited by 36% of Americans. This price sensitivity is driving a behavioral shift; 69% of consumers stated that cost would make them choose to attend an event virtually instead of in-person. While the average ticket price for the top 100 tours in Q1 2025 saw a decrease to $98.40 (down 20.2% from Q1 2024's average of $123.25), the overall sentiment remains that events are too expensive, particularly for women and those earning under $150,000.

A shift in major artist touring schedules (e.g., no Taylor Swift Eras Tour in 2025) directly impacted concert revenue

The live event market in 2025 experienced a cooling effect due to a decline in the number of mega-tours compared to the record-breaking 2024 season. The absence of the full-scale, record-shattering presence of a tour like the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, which generated over $2 billion in ticket sales in its initial run, is clearly reflected in industry-wide figures. The total cumulative worldwide gross for the top 100 touring artists in mid-2025 was $2.81 billion, an 8.4% decrease from the $3.07 billion recorded in 2024.

This dip in overall revenue is directly tied to a significant reduction in supply: the number of reported live performances among the Top 100 Worldwide Touring Artists decreased by 26.7% compared to 2024. The secondary market thrives on high-demand, limited-supply events, so a drop in the number of these major tours creates a challenging environment for platforms like Vivid Seats.

Growing consumer demand for transparent pricing and a backlash against perceived scalping practices

Consumer trust in the ticketing process reached a low point, fueling a strong social and regulatory push for transparency. The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) new rule banning hidden "junk fees" took effect on May 12, 2025, a landmark move that mandates all mandatory fees be disclosed upfront in the live-event ticketing sector. This means the advertised price must be the final price, a significant change for the secondary market, which has historically been criticized for 'drip pricing' (adding fees at checkout).

The social backlash against perceived scalping and non-transparent practices is now codified into law, with civil penalties of up to $51,744 per violation enforceable from May 12, 2025. This regulatory environment forces all platforms, including Vivid Seats, to adapt their pricing displays immediately to maintain consumer confidence and avoid substantial fines. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also secured undertakings from a major competitor on September 25, 2025, requiring:

• Advance disclosure of tiered pricing at least 24 hours prior to sale.
• Providing the range of prices and updating when cheaper tickets sell out every 15 minutes in online queues.
• Accurate and non-misleading ticket labeling (e.g., no 'platinum' label without a material benefit).

This global trend toward price clarity is defintely a permanent shift, forcing secondary marketplaces to compete on value and service rather than relying on opaque pricing structures.

Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) - PESTLE Analysis: Technological factors

The technological landscape for Vivid Seats Inc. in 2025 is a dual-edged sword: it's the core of the business model, but also the front line in an escalating war against fraud and sophisticated competitors. The company is actively focused on leveraging its proprietary technology-like the seller-facing Skybox platform-to drive efficiency and maintain its competitive edge, even as it navigates a challenging market with declining Marketplace Gross Order Value (GOV) in the first half of the year.

For example, while the company's Q2 2025 Marketplace GOV was $685.5 million, down 31% year-over-year, management has explicitly stated a strategic priority to operate the most efficient platform powered by the best technology and data. This focus is part of a broader plan to realize $25 million in annualized cost savings by the end of 2025, partially through technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled efficiencies.

Increased investment in AI and machine learning to combat sophisticated ticket-buying bots (scalping).

The fight against ticket scalping (the bulk purchasing of tickets for resale at inflated prices) is a continuous technology arms race. Scalpers use sophisticated bots and algorithms to buy tickets in seconds, which erodes fan trust and creates a public relations headache for the entire secondary market.

Vivid Seats employs a vast anti-fraud team and sophisticated technology to screen every transaction and verify ticket accuracy. The broader ticketing industry is increasingly deploying AI-driven scalping detection algorithms and machine learning models that continuously learn from new data to identify and block suspicious buying behavior in real-time. This is a necessary, non-negotiable investment, as fraud schemes are becoming defintely more complex.

The application of AI extends beyond simple bot-blocking; it's also used for dynamic pricing models, analyzing factors like event popularity, seat location, and real-time market trends to adjust prices. This data-driven pricing helps to optimize revenue while simultaneously reducing the profit margin for scalpers by eliminating the gap between initial and resale prices.

Adoption of digital-first platforms and mobile apps is a key growth driver for the secondary market.

The shift to digital-first platforms and mobile apps is a foundational trend driving the entire secondary ticket market, which was valued at $9.0 billion in 2023 and is poised to grow to $18.75 billion by 2032. For Vivid Seats, the mobile app is a crucial touchpoint for the customer experience, enabling seamless listing, purchase, and transfer of digital tickets via QR code technology.

The company encourages fans to start by downloading the Vivid Seats mobile app, leveraging it as a primary channel for their rewards program and customer service. While specific 2025 mobile transaction percentages for Vivid Seats are not public, the overall market trend shows that high demand for digital and mobile ticketing is a core growth factor, reducing fraud and logistical friction for consumers.

Exploring NFT (Non-Fungible Token) ticketing to enhance security and reduce fraud/counterfeits.

NFT ticketing, which uses blockchain technology to create unique, verifiable digital certificates of ownership, is a major trend the secondary market must watch.

While Vivid Seats has not publicly announced a major NFT ticketing initiative in 2025, the global NFT ticketing market is expanding rapidly, estimated to reach $500 million in 2025 and projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.9% through 2034. Secondary market platforms are considered better equipped to implement these systems due to their existing technical expertise.

The potential for NFT ticketing to solve the industry's perennial problems is significant:

• Eliminates counterfeit tickets, boosting consumer confidence.
• Enables secure and transparent ticket resales.
• Allows event organizers to earn royalties on resold tickets.
• Facilitates deeper fan engagement through exclusive content.

Need for robust identity verification and real-time fraud detection algorithms to protect the marketplace.

The increasing sophistication of fraud schemes requires continuous investment in real-time detection. The company's proprietary Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool for sellers, Skybox, is central to managing inventory and fulfilling orders across multiple marketplaces, making its security and analytical capabilities critical.

Here's the quick math: The Marketplace GOV for Q3 2025 was $618.1 million, down 29% year-over-year, highlighting a period of market pressure. In this environment, every dollar lost to fraud directly impacts the bottom line, making the technology that secures transactions an operational priority. Losing customer trust due to fraud is a major risk, especially when search queries for the company's trustworthiness jumped over 300% between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025.

The core technological risk remains the liability for fraudulent activity on credit and debit card transactions, as stated in their filings, and the constant need to upgrade systems against increasingly common and sophisticated financial crime.

Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) - PESTLE Analysis: Legal factors

The US FTC's 'Junk Fees Rule' requires the disclosure of a 'Total Price' upfront, impacting checkout flow and conversion.

You need to understand that the days of 'drip pricing' are over in the US ticketing market. The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) 'Junk Fees Rule' is a massive legal shift for platforms like Vivid Seats Inc. It went into effect on May 12, 2025, and it mandates that the first price a consumer sees must be the total, all-in price, including all mandatory fees.

This is not just a compliance issue; it's a conversion risk. When a ticket's price jumps by 25% to 50% at checkout-a practice alleged in a recent October 2025 class action lawsuit against the company-that shock causes cart abandonment. The new rule forces platforms to show the true, higher price upfront. The core challenge is re-engineering the checkout flow to be compliant without tanking conversion rates, especially since non-compliance can lead to civil penalties of up to $51,744 per violation, a cap adjusted annually for inflation.

Here's the quick math: if a ticket is listed at $100 before fees, but the final price is $140, that $40 fee must be in the initial display. This transparency will defintely reduce the perceived value proposition at the start of the shopping journey.

New UK legislation could impose financial penalties up to 10% of global turnover for non-compliance with the price cap.

The UK market presents a far more existential legal threat due to its new stance on ticket touting. The UK government officially announced plans in November 2025 to make ticket resale above face value illegal, plus a cap on service fees.

The critical part is the enforcement mechanism: the new rules are enforceable through the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024. This means the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can impose financial penalties of up to 10% of global turnover for breaches.

For a global platform, a fine based on global turnover is a nuclear option, not a slap on the wrist. You need to view the UK as a non-profit market for resale tickets, or exit it. The legal mandate places a direct, active duty on platforms to monitor and enforce the price cap, which is a significant operational burden.

Legal mandates place a duty on resale platforms to actively monitor and enforce price cap compliance.

The UK's new rules explicitly state that resale platforms have a legal duty to monitor and enforce compliance with the price cap. This shifts the legal liability from the individual seller to the platform itself, requiring a massive investment in new compliance technology and personnel.

The compliance burden involves:

• Developing automated systems to verify the original face value of every ticket.
• Implementing real-time price-capping logic on all UK listings.
• Building enforcement teams to manage seller disputes and delist non-compliant tickets.

This is a huge, costly technical undertaking that directly impacts the operating expense structure for the 2025 fiscal year and beyond. The new rules also cap the service fees that resale platforms can charge, which directly attacks the revenue model that relies on high-margin transaction fees.

Compliance with global data privacy laws (like GDPR and US state-specific laws) is defintely a rising operational cost.

The legal landscape for data privacy-General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and various US state laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA)-is a relentless, rising operational cost.

For a large e-commerce platform that processes millions of transactions, compliance is a multi-million dollar annual expense. Industry data shows that 88% of global firms spend over $1 million annually on GDPR compliance, and 40% spend over $10 million annually. This is a fixed cost of doing business globally.

Vivid Seats Inc. is proactively addressing this, expecting to realize approximately $1 million in annual savings from reduced compliance and financial reporting costs after simplifying its corporate structure in late 2025. Still, the underlying cost remains substantial. The table below illustrates the financial exposure from non-compliance, which makes the cost of proactive compliance look like a bargain.

Vivid Seats Inc. (SEAT) - PESTLE Analysis: Environmental factors

Indirect pressure from the live events sector's growing focus on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)

You might think a digital ticket marketplace like Vivid Seats Inc. has a minimal environmental footprint, but that's a dangerous assumption in 2025. The core pressure is indirect, coming from the live events ecosystem's intense focus on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) commitments. Your major partners-the venues, promoters, and sports teams-are facing massive public and investor scrutiny to go green, and that pressure rolls downhill to you.

For instance, Live Nation Entertainment, a dominant industry player, has publicly committed to a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, plus a goal for zero waste to landfill by the same year. That's a clear benchmark for the entire supply chain. Vivid Seats, which in 2023 began measuring its own Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions, must now translate that measurement into a clear, competitive reduction strategy, or risk being seen as the less sustainable partner in a deal.

Event organizers prioritize carbon-neutral initiatives, which influences venue and event partner selection

The days of event organizers choosing partners purely on price or inventory are defintely over. Today, a venue's 'green certification' or a promoter's carbon-neutral tour pledge is a critical factor in partner selection. This isn't just about optics; it's a measurable business requirement.

Major US venues are investing heavily in renewable energy and waste diversion. For a ticketing platform, this means your technology and operational alignment must support their goals, not complicate them. If your system requires a venue to print anything, or if your data center operations are opaque, that's a strike against you. The market is shifting from carbon-neutral goals to carbon-positive ones, and the ticketing platform is a visible part of that commitment.

Here's a snapshot of the environmental expectations set by industry leaders:

Platform must align with partners' sustainability goals to secure exclusive ticketing deals

The financial incentive to align with sustainability goals is now direct: it secures the most profitable, exclusive partnership deals. When a major sports franchise or concert promoter is deciding on a ticketing partner, your environmental commitment is a due diligence item.

The consumer demand backs this up. A 2025 industry report shows that two-thirds of fans (66%) say sustainability influences their ticket choices, and almost 80% (77%) want to see less waste at events. So, when Vivid Seats pitches a new partnership, they aren't just selling a platform; they're selling a cleaner fan journey. This alignment must be more than a footnote in an ESG report; it needs to be a core feature of the product, like a carbon-offsetting option at checkout or a clear, paperless-only policy for primary sales.

You need to make it easy for your partners to hit their targets.

Digital ticketing inherently reduces paper waste, supporting the broader industry trend toward zero-waste events

Vivid Seats' core product-digital ticketing-is its most significant inherent environmental advantage. The move from physical tickets to mobile-first entry eliminates a massive, visible waste stream, which is a clear win for the zero-waste movement.

For context, one major international ticketing platform, before fully transitioning to mobile, reported ordering up to 500,000 paper ticket blanks annually. After implementing a mobile-first strategy, their paper ticket usage dropped to only 10% of their total volume. While the digital side introduces its own carbon footprint from data centers and device usage, the immediate, tangible elimination of paper, ink, and associated shipping logistics is a powerful selling point that supports the industry's zero-waste push.

The environmental benefits of digital-first operations include:

• Eliminating paper ticket stock, ink, and print waste.
• Removing the carbon emissions from physically shipping ticket inventory.
• Reducing event-day litter from discarded stubs, supporting venue zero-waste goals.
• Allowing for faster, more efficient entry, which can indirectly reduce energy consumption for venue climate control.

This is your low-hanging fruit; it's the easiest environmental win to sell to a potential partner.