Ellingham Show

Ellingham Show doubles online ticket sales and speeds up entry with Beyonk

Discover how a volunteer-led Hampshire country show streamlined entry, boosted pre-sales, and improved visitor communications with Beyonk.

Content

Background

The Ellingham Show is a much-loved one-day rural community agricultural show, held each August on the Somerley Estate near Ringwood, Hampshire. Established in 1947 and organised by the Ellingham & Ringwood Agricultural Society, it has become a fixture in the local calendar, drawing thousands of visitors for its mix of livestock displays, horse competitions, vintage machinery, crafts, and family entertainment.

The event is entirely volunteer-led, relying on the dedication of local people to plan, manage, and deliver the show.

The challenge

Before moving to a modern ticketing system, most sales took place at the gate, leading to long queues and slower entry for visitors eager to get on site. The committee wanted to encourage more people to buy tickets in advance to smooth the arrival process.

They also lacked an easy way to communicate with ticket-holders on the morning of the show to manage arrival times and prevent bottlenecks. Insight into buyer behaviour was limited, making it difficult to plan staffing, marketing, and resources effectively.

For a volunteer-run event, any solution would need to be simple enough for staff and helpers to use with confidence, while offering robust tools to handle customer queries and last-minute changes.

This is our fourth year offering online tickets, which really helps visitors get into the show more quickly. But we’re seeing an uptake in the number of people booking online because they just get in faster.”

Paula Hunt, Operations Manager, Ellingham Show

How we helped

In 2022, Ellingham Show adopted Beyonk’s online ticketing platform, offering early bird tickets and advance sales alongside on-the-day gate purchases. The easy-to-use booking process quickly proved popular, with visitors discovering that pre-booking meant faster entry at the gate.

On the evening before the show, the team used Beyonk’s broadcast messaging to remind visitors that the gates would open at 9:00 am. Volunteers felt reassured knowing they could instantly send a targeted message to all ticket-holders to help manage expectations. Knowing they could send a quick, targeted message to all ticket-holders gave everyone confidence and on the day, arrivals flowed smoothly without long waits.

Beyonk’s reporting tools gave Paula the ability to compare sales year-on-year, identifying when and how people bought their tickets and spotting opportunities for future growth.

Check-in was simple enough for a mix of staff and volunteers to manage with ease. And when an after-hours query came in about a partial refund, Beyonk’s support team responded instantly, resolving the issue within an hour - delighting the customer.

The reporting is absolutely amazing. I can just click a button and see who’s been buying, when they’ve been buying. This year we’ve almost doubled our number of tickets sold online.

Paula Hunt, Operations Manager, Ellingham Show

The results

I had a query at about 7:00 at night… I got an instant response and within the hour, the Beyonk team had sorted the booking out, the customer was so delighted.

Since adopting Beyonk, Ellingham Show has seen a remarkable shift in visitor behaviour, with almost double the number of tickets sold online compared to the previous year. This increase has helped reduce queue times at the gate, as more guests arrive with pre-purchased tickets ready to scan. The faster entry process has been particularly valuable for volunteers, who can manage check-in with minimal training or technical knowledge.

Broadcast messaging has proved equally impactful, helping the team keep visitors informed and easing peak-time pressure. Paula credits these timely updates with improving arrival flow and contributing to a smoother, more enjoyable start to the day for everyone.

The detailed reporting available through Beyonk has given the organisers new visibility into customer behaviour. Insights such as a 31% cart abandonment rate and the most popular booking periods have provided a clearer picture of where marketing efforts can be targeted. Importantly, visitor feedback on the online ticket buying experience has been great with a score of 9.14 out of 10.

For Paula and her team, these changes have made a tangible difference. The combination of increased online sales, improved communication, and consistently excellent support has freed up time and energy to focus on delivering a show that celebrates the best of the local community.

Why choose Beyonk for your agriculture show

Running an agricultural show means juggling ticketing, crowd management, and volunteer coordination - all while delivering a memorable experience for visitors. Beyonk’s platform is designed to make this easier, giving you complete control over sales, reporting, and on-the-day operations.

From advance online bookings to flexible on-site ticketing, you can manage everything in one place. Features like broadcast messaging help you keep visitors informed and smooth out peak arrivals, while detailed reporting gives you the insights you need to plan future events.

The embedded checkout makes it simple for guests to book on any device, with payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay ensuring a quick and seamless process. Volunteers and staff can check in visitors effortlessly using QR codes, keeping queues moving and spirits high.

Beyonk also helps you grow your event through data-led marketing and community engagement tools, so you can build on your success year after year.

With Beyonk, you gain the tools and support to run a smooth, efficient show - so you can focus on showcasing the best of your community and countryside.

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