6 Event Lessons Learned From Billionaire Taylor Swift’s Record-Breaking Tour

With 146 shows around the world, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is expected to generate a whopping $1.4 billion in revenue. And this is also a ‘case study’ for event professionals to learn from the success of the Eras Tour. Last week, Taylor Swift was announced by Forbes magazine as a billionaire at the age of 34, with the majority of her revenue coming from music. Her Eras Tour, which began in 2023 and is expected to run until 2024 worldwide, is on track to become the first tour in history to gross more than $1 billion. In addition to ticket sales, the Eras Tour also has a huge economic impact, about $5 billion in the US alone.

And here are the lessons that event organizers can learn from Taylor Swift’s successful tour.

The Spectacular Stage Is Worth the Investment

Each Taylor Swift performance will consist of 44 songs distributed across 10 separate stage sets. Each stage set will have its own lighting and reflect a separate album from the singer’s 10 albums. The audience will experience from the dreamy peach-colored stage set, ending with brilliant lights, from the fairytale forest to the skyscrapers, all creating an overwhelming feeling.

“The precision and attention to detail of this show was impressive,” said Kate Patay, vice president of Terramar, a DMC Network company, who attended all three Taylor Swift shows in Los Angeles. “Every performer was in their place without any cues. Not only was there a full production team backstage, but there were two teams on stage managing the show and a team offstage helping with positioning and costume changes. There was also a team running around the stage. There were two people with walkie-talkies who were in charge of tracking the singers on and off stage.” Patay chose different seating positions for all three shows to experience and observe from multiple angles. “On the final night, I was in the upper deck so I had a great view of the stage and the production. I saw inside the stage when Taylor Swift did her famous jump and swim. And I could see the signs with different colored lights, a crew waiting downstairs with costumes ready. Everything was so well done and coordinated and everyone was focused on what was happening on the different screens. The production team did a great job of creating excitement and excitement for the crowd so you didn’t see the magic that was happening behind the scenes.”

The event was all about connecting and creating the power of experience

It was hard not to be captivated by the 70,000 people singing along, something Taylor Swift encouraged throughout the show. Many fans came to the show dressed in outfits inspired by Taylor’s songs. Plus, everyone was given a bracelet that lit up to the music.

Martin Moggre, CEO of Freeman, said the connection was what stood out when he attended Taylor’s concert with his daughter. “It’s no secret that Taylor Swift is a talented artist and songwriter. She creates an incredible experience for her fans. She’s also a talented businesswoman, connecting with her audience in a meaningful way through her songs – something we strive for in the events industry. Like many of us, she’s overcome many obstacles in her life and career, and she’s not letting them stop her and continues to deliver the message that you can never fail if you don’t give up.”

Kate Patay also praised the connection Taylor made with her audience. “The way she made eye contact with her thousands of audience members showed a special level of affection and connection between artist and audience.”

Prioritizing the Attendee Experience from Every Angle

One of the most impressive parts of the show is that no matter where you sit, there are elements that are just for you and make you feel completely immersed in the show. The wristband lights that are distributed to each person and the elements on stage will always keep the audience’s attention, even if you are not close, you will feel like you are a part of this spectacular show.

The big resonance from social media

Over the past few months, on popular social networks such as TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, the indispensable trend is Eras Tour-related videos. Fans have been passionately sharing their moments, outfits and speculations about the upcoming performances. The hashtag #ErasTour on TikTok has garnered billions of views. Brands and tour venues have also joined in the fun by reshaping their communication strategies to coincide with Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift has also been clever in developing her performances based on social media trends. For example, Taylor integrated the viral “Bejeweled” choreography into her performance, or left some moments dedicated to slogans that fans care about on social media.

Surprise and fun are always good ideas

Taylor Swift has become a master of surprising and entertaining her audience, whether it’s through hints about her new album, ‘easter eggs’ in her music videos, or fan speculation about her hit singles. The Eras Tour was no exception. Swift performed two surprise songs each night and even revealed two new album versions during the tour. On her final show in August, she wore a completely new outfit from her previous shows, leading to speculation that she was about to release a new album (and she was!).

Ryanne Rask, director of events and marketing at ProducePay, was impressed by the way Swift kept the 70,000-strong crowd constantly surprised and excited for three and a half hours. Everything revolved around costume changes and different stage spaces. “It was like five concerts in one,” Rask said.

Appreciating the crew

Taylor Swift gave a whopping $55 million in bonuses to everyone who helped make the Eras Tour happen, including $100,000 for each driver on the fleet of 50 production trucks. (By comparison, drivers typically receive around $5,000-$10,000 in bonuses on a regular tour.) During each performance, Swift mentioned and thanked her crew. “I think everyone was so welcoming and happy to work on the tour. That really made for a positive night,” added Ryanne Rask.

Nate Nicholson, event expert and founder of Millstone Event Services, wrote a LinkedIn post about how all event professionals should appreciate their team. “You better believe that the Eras Tour crew left the tour with a huge amount of goodwill for the artist. I’m sure they were eager to get called up for the next tour. You can create the same feeling with your team without spending millions of dollars, just by showing them some love and appreciation.”

(Source: Bizbash, Photo: Internet)