REGIONAL PROFILES
CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE POPULATION: 4.3m (HR); 1.96m (LV); 2.8m (LT); 1.2 (EE); 10.6m (CZ); 9.9m (HU); 38.5m (PL); 7.1m (RS) INTERNET USERS: 3.1m (HR); 1.6m (LV); 2m (LT); 1.1m (EE); 8.6m (CZ); 7.2m (HU); 26.2m (PL); 4.7m (RS) GDP/CAPITA: €20,047 (HR); €23,000 (LV); €26,759 (LT); €26,401 (EE); €29,711 (CZ); €24,341 (HU); €24,794 (PL); €12,710 (RS) ACTIVE SMARTPHONES: 4.4m (HR); 2.6m (LV); 4.1m (LT); 1.9m (EE); 13.9m (CZ); 11.8m (HU); 56.8m (PL); 9.1m (RS)
T
he global financial crisis hit central and eastern European countries particularly hard, and many subsequently took longer to recover than western European economies. The crash meant that disposable income shrank and confidence fell, leading to a tougher market for ticket sales and prices. It looks like those dark days are now well behind them, with almost all arenas we surveyed reporting strong growth in 2016, and some even recording their most successful year to date. GDP is still not as high as western European countries, but demand is strong, average audience
REGIONAL MAP n = Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland & Serbia
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figures are higher than some of the more affluent nations, and confidence has returned to the market. We surveyed arenas in Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Serbia. The arenas we surveyed sold 4,368,253 tickets to 882 events in 2016. The total spend was €130.5million.
Attendance
Sport dominates the calendars at arenas across this region, accounting for 56% of programmes. Music makes up 26%, while family shows and miscellaneous events make-up 9% and 6%, respectively. Only 11 comedy shows took place in these arenas last year, an average of one per arena. The largest attraction for people is clearly music events, which draw the highest average attendance: 7,761 (survey average attendance: 4,953). ‘Miscellaneous events’ are the next biggest draw, pulling an average crowd of 6,946 to corporate events and exhibitions. Family and sports events attract average audiences of 4,300 (survey average: 5,157) and 3,610 (4,662) each. Promoter Nick Hobbs, who books acts at all levels across central and eastern Europe, the Balkans and Turkey, says there’s starting to be a trend of people moving away from festivals and towards arena shows. “The festival market doesn’t seem to be doing as well as it was, but arenas are doing better,” he says. “That’s because sponsorship – which is essential for festivals, but not usually part of the P&L of an arena show – is struggling, as companies shift their focus away from music. “In some countries, such as Poland, municipalities are shifting their marketing spend away from cultural events due to the political climate. They used to regard it as very important to be seen as having significant and cool cultural festivals, but that’s changing due to a much more culturally conservative government.”