Festival Spotlight: Haslemere Fringe Festival
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Background & Context
The Haslemere Fringe Festival is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run community event that takes place every two years on Lion Green in Haslemere, Surrey. With three stages and many food, drink, and artisan stallholders, it brings together a vibrant mix of live music, comedy, family entertainment, and local culture.
Rooted in a long artistic tradition dating back to 1925, when Arnold Dolmetsch founded the original Haslemere Festival of Early Music, the festival has evolved into a modern celebration of creativity and connection. Past headliners have included Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Blue, Daniel Bedingfield, The Feeling, Rebecca Ferguson, and The Lottery Winners, alongside a strong line-up of emerging and local acts.
The Challenge
Before moving to Little Box Office, the team managed ticketing with systems that didn’t fully meet their needs as a volunteer-run festival. They needed a platform that could streamline operations and handle their growing complexity without adding more admin.
Their goals were to find a platform that offered:
Simplicity – straightforward tools that volunteers could quickly learn and manage
Efficiency – a reliable scanning process to ensure quick, queue-free entry
Flexibility – the ability to sell day and weekend passes across tiered pricing phases (Very Early Bird, Early Bird, Standard)
Multiplicity – support for multiple ticket categories including Adult, Child, Family, and Concession
Partnership – responsive support from a team willing to adapt and advise year after year
The Decision to Choose Little Box Office
After reviewing several options, Haslemere Fringe Festival selected Little Box Office for its flexibility, intuitive setup, and collaborative approach. They wanted a partner who could adapt to their evolving ticketing structure and help them deliver a smooth experience for audiences and volunteers alike.
“We liked that LBO understood the scale we work at and were genuinely interested in helping us build something that works for our audience.”
Key reasons for choosing Little Box Office:
Customisable setup for multi-day passes and tiered releases
Easy configuration for varied ticket types and categories
Real-time scanning with stable on-site performance
Clear, insightful reporting tools for better decision-making
Hands-on, collaborative support from the LBO team
Implementation & Experience
Onboarding was described as smooth and collaborative, with the Little Box Office team working closely alongside organisers to create a ticketing journey that was both customer-friendly and operationally efficient.
Haslemere Fringe now benefits from:
Tailored ticket structures combining day, weekend, and family passes
Tiered release management for ticket phases
A range of ticket categories to suit different audience needs
Fast, reliable scanning to keep entry flowing smoothly
Live reporting and dashboards for accurate sales and attendance tracking
Results & Impact
Since switching to Little Box Office, the Haslemere Fringe team has seen noticeable improvements in both operations and audience experience:
Seamless entry flow – scanning worked flawlessly across multiple gates
Reduced admin workload – ticket setup and reporting became significantly easier
Greater adaptability – simple to reconfigure ticketing each festival cycle
Reliable insights – confidence in the accuracy of real-time data and reporting
“What stands out most for me is flexibility. Every festival we tweak something (ticket structures, scanning setups, reporting) and Little Box Office just adapts.” – Box Office, Haslemere Fringe Festival
“Our volunteers picked up how to use the scanners in minutes. We didn’t have queues backing up, tickets scanned instantly, and everything just worked. The entry process was stress-free which made a huge difference.” – Volunteer organiser, Haslemere Fringe Festival
Looking Ahead
The Haslemere Fringe Festival plans to continue enhancing its audience experience with Little Box Office, using its reporting tools and flexible setup to streamline future planning and volunteer coordination.
Their success shows how Little Box Office empowers festivals of all sizes to operate efficiently and deliver great experiences for audiences and organisers alike.