Case Study: South Milford Bonfire & Fireworks Display

Photo: South Milford Bonfire & Fireworks Display

Launched over 24 years ago at the South Milford Cricket Clubs and Football Field just outside of Leeds, the annual November 5th celebration is one of the most renowned in the North of England. It’s also one of the most decorated, being named the Best Bonfire and Firework Display in the North of England five times, enticing around 5000 spectators of all ages each year.

Proceeds from the display raise much needed funds to aid the communities of South Milford and Monk Fryston through the participating groups which this year included football and cricket clubs, Brownies and Guides, both village schools, South Milford Church, Monk Fryston Community Group, South Milford Preschool and the South Milford playing fields association.

The Problem

The organisers were keen to reduce cash movement on the evening of the event. Having never done an online sale before, the event organisers and volunteers found it a big hassle handling so much cash on the night, keeping it secure and transporting it around the site. They needed an easy to use system that volunteers could be trained to use in minutes, would keep accurate figures and protect against duplicates or fraud.

The Solution

Last year, using Skiddle, South Milford Bonfire & Fireworks Display were able to offer online sales for the first time. This included providing ticket integration for their website as well as installing a Facebook Ticket Shop so customers could buy directly from their social media page.

Analysing the data from that first event, it became apparent that when it comes to Bonfire nights, many people don’t make a decision until quite late on, with 50% of tickets sales came in the last two days. Initially the Rapidscan app was used alongside their old system to reduce the cash flow, and by moving a lot of their sales online they were able to significantly reduce the amount of cash handled on the night, increasing security and reducing their workload considerably.

The Outcome

After a successful trial last year, Skiddle were given a higher ticket allocation for 2016 and went on to increase online sales by over 47%. This further helped with cash flow, security and workload, as well as allowed for a smooth, quick entry for many customers.

Using the Rapidscan app, volunteers scanned tickets themselves using four staff with smartphones. Wanting to keep the online tickets available right up to and during the event, the phones were all tethered to an iPad loaded with the Rapidscan app so that all phones kept up to date with the latest customer lists. For the second year running 100% of the online sales attended and were successfully scanned into the event.

James Watson of the South Milford Bonfire Committee succinctly said:

“It was great! Gate entry worked a dream. It’s a very simple system that did exactly what we needed.”

Find out more about how you can use the Rapidscan app for quick, easy to use, cash free entry to your event here.