We've hit a major milestone! Zicket has officially sold 15 million tickets since our launch in 2018. From our first ticket for the Hong Kong Observation Wheel to becoming a key player in the region's entertainment scene, our journey has been defined by innovation, resilience, and strategic growth.
To reflect on this achievement, our Managing Director Aidan Pawson sat down with Michael Denmark, Founder and Executive Chairman of Great Entertainment Group, to discuss our evolution, challenges we've overcome, and our vision for the future.
The Journey So Far
Looking back at Zicket's journey over these past 7 years, what were the defining moments that shaped the company's growth?
Aidan: All companies have moments they look back on as defining and pivotal, and we are no different. Our first winter season, we delivered The Hong Kong Observation Wheel, AIA Carnival Hong Kong, and Prudential Marina Bay Carnival Singapore simultaneously with a tiny team. Looking back, we were likely understaffed but full of young naivety and keen to impress. That winter taught me and the team a lot. We knew we could do this on the biggest stage, which set the foundations for us to go on and grow quickly.
What were some of the biggest challenges Zicket faced in its early days, and how did overcoming those obstacles contribute to where the company is today?
Aidan: It's an obvious one, but COVID was a big challenge for us, not so much in that we had reduced revenues coming in. Personally, it was a test of my management skills, maintaining the team we had built in the early years and managing the supply chain up and down. COVID brought upon challenges for all businesses, we are very lucky, being part of the GEG group and having HKOW and AIA Vitality Park as a client we were able to maintain operation through most of COVID but after such a solid start to our journey to hit the brakes that early on was a test of our resolve and flexibility. I am glad to say we rode it out and came out stronger on the other side and launched a number of projects that are still running today.
The Zicket Approach
Zicket has expanded beyond just ticketing to include RFID technology, digital marketing, and event management solutions. What drove this expansion of services, and how has it benefited your clients?
Aidan: We have a saying internally that many systems and teams can 'sell a ticket', but can they actually 'sell tickets'? We spotted pretty early that systems were becoming ubiquitous and that the real value we could offer was being an extension of your team, thinking like the event organiser and having integrated marketing services that were transparent and really helped to sell more tickets. As the team matured and gained more experience, we found that we had a lot of knowledge to share and demonstrated that by being integral parts of our internal group projects, external client projects and even our own managed events.
Having worked with some of Hong Kong's most iconic attractions and events, what aspects of Zicket's approach do you believe set it apart from other ticketing providers?
Aidan: While technically we are service providers and have a service mindset, we act like an event partner and part of any team we work with. From comedy shows and club nights to attractions, carnivals and circuses, we have worked with teams of all sizes on events of all sizes and durations across Asia and beyond. Being part of the GEG Group and spending most of our days in planning and operation meetings for events, we really know the challenges and pain points of organisers. We always take an event-first approach with the guest experience being paramount.
The Founding Vision
What was your vision for Zicket when it was first established?
Michael: We were three years into producing the AIA carnival, we had sold 3 million tickets, but it hadn't been easy and it had been very expensive, so it was time to do it ourselves.
When I say "ourselves" I mean it was time for me to persuade Aidan, who I had worked with for a year or so as his client, to make a bold move to join us in Hong Kong, and build a ticketing and RFID solution that was scalable, as we had big plans.
Aidan is smart, has vision and big balls, so he took on the challenge of co-founding The Ticket Company with me, and he brought the name Zicket to the table as well, coz he's cool, understands his market and isn't afraid of sharing his ideas… so perfect as a business partner.
From your perspective, how has Zicket complemented the broader mission of Great Entertainment Group in Hong Kong's event landscape?
Michael: With the success of the carnival, its many partnerships and many new opportunities that were being born out of its early success, having Zicket as an all-round ticketing and tech solution made it all so much easier to plug and play.
The market noticed our growth quickly, and Aidan, along with Jav, Elvis, and the rest of the team, were ready to expand beyond the group into their party producers, so the game was on.
Leadership and Growth
In your Tatler interview, you mentioned 'creating opportunities, nurturing talent, and sharing success' as key leadership principles. How have you applied these specifically to Zicket's development within the GEG family?
Michael: The opportunity was clear, the talent was obvious, but needed the resources and initial contracts to grow. Sharing the success with co-founders through sharing the wins is very much what we strive for with each business, and Zicket has been one that has very much been able to do that, especially post-COVID.
Start-ups are never an immediate honeymoon, and the challenges that come your way are always unpredictable, but it's how you tackle each one as a team and how you grow from the experience that leads to the opportunity of sharing the financial success.
What achievements or milestones from Zicket's journey have made you particularly proud?
Michael: Doubling the size of the annual business through winning the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, seeing the milestones of 5 million, then 10 million and now 15 million tickets sold through Zicket.
Delivering all those tickets and the many millions of RFID transactions without any issues at all.
Seeing the team be recognised globally through the awards they have won.
Seeing the team grow and expand into different entertainment markets.
The 15 Million Milestone and Beyond
Zicket recently hit the impressive milestone of 15 million tickets sold. What does this achievement mean for the company and for the Great Entertainment Group?
Michael: It's a pinch me moment, we're a "grown up" business now with these numbers… it means we can take a moment and look at where we've come from and now enjoy planning the next 15 million.
Aidan: This milestone came at a great time, we surpassed 15M tickets, we were shortlisted for the Best Ticketing Business at the Ticketing Business Awards and signed arguably the biggest event brand, Cirque du Soleil as a client. As Michael said, it really feels like we are at the next phase of this journey, and we are way beyond the start-up days.
With the recent signing of major events like Cirque du Soleil and being shortlisted for "Best Ticketing Company of the Year", how do you see Zicket's role evolving in Hong Kong's entertainment landscape?
Michael: CDS is a dream come true for me as a producer and also as a ticketing company… Zicket has become a market leader in the Greater Bay Area, partnering with all the key OTAs and leading the ticketing strategy for the target of 125,000 tickets sold for the show.
This show, combined with the recent success of the EDM shows, suggests that expansion into other markets of significance is not far away for Zicket.
As Zicket continues to evolve alongside the Great Entertainment Group, what emerging technologies or market opportunities do you both see as game-changers for the next phase of growth?
Aidan: We are huge believers in technology and digital for events. From digital and mobile ticketing to RFID systems and AI-powered marketing campaigns, we see technological differentiators over the next few years in shared inventories and APIs, secure mobile ticketing, and using AI to improve marketing campaigns even further.
As events become more and more digital, we can track and report on more elements that really do tell us more about our guests. We use and analyse this data often to look for trends and opportunities for both revenue generation and operational efficiency.
Looking Ahead
From our inception as a solution to streamline GEG's own ticketing needs to becoming a comprehensive event technology provider with 15 million tickets sold, our growth story shows how vision, resilience, and innovation drive success in the competitive events industry.
As Hong Kong's entertainment landscape continues to evolve, we're excited to leverage our technological expertise, industry knowledge, and strategic partnerships to shape the future of event experiences across the region and beyond.
Here's to the next 15 million tickets and the countless memories we'll help create!