The Ticket Factory
A United Kingdom primary ticketing and distribution company serving venues, events, and cultural organisations.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Ticket Factory is a United Kingdom primary ticketing and distribution business based at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. It began trading in 2007 as the successor to the NEC Box Office, whose ticketing operation had originated at the National Exhibition Centre in 1970. The business sells tickets directly to consumers and distributes tickets for music concerts, sporting events, festivals, comedy performances, theatre productions, exhibitions, and other live experiences. The company’s core role has historically been closely connected with venues operated within or associated with the NEC estate. It has served as the official box office for Birmingham’s Utilita Arena Birmingham and Resorts World Arena, as well as for the National Exhibition Centre. The venues have operated under several commercial names over time, including the National Indoor Arena, Barclaycard Arena, LG Arena, Genting Arena, and Resorts World Arena. Through these relationships, The Ticket Factory has handled ticketing for large-scale touring artists, family entertainment, sport, and other arena programming. Beyond its venue box-office function, The Ticket Factory has acted as a national ticketing partner for external organisations. Its documented relationships include the Royal Horticultural Society and British Athletics. It also became a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, reflecting its role within the UK’s regulated and professional ticketing sector. The company’s service model combines online ticket sales, contact-centre support, ticket distribution, admission scanning, and access-related customer services. The business has pursued partnerships intended to improve the customer proposition around ticket purchase. In 2012, Barclaycard became its official payment partner. That relationship later developed into the Barclaycard Unwind proposition and the Fee Free Friday initiative. In 2014, The Ticket Factory became the exclusive ticket agent for the Society of London Theatre’s Get Into London Theatre campaign, which promoted theatre attendance. The same year, its parent company announced a partnership with Virgin Trains West Coast, linking travel and event-related activity. Accessibility has also been part of the company’s operating development. In 2016, The Ticket Factory described itself as the first ticket agent to enable deaf and disabled customers to purchase tickets online through a partnership with the Access Card. It subsequently launched a ticketing apprenticeship in 2017, broadening its role from transaction processing into skills development within the sector. In 2020, it collaborated with Acorns Children’s Hospice in what was described as its first collaboration with a welfare organisation. In 2024, The Ticket Factory was acquired by AXS, a global ticketing company. The transaction was associated with AXS managing ticketing for the two Birmingham arenas. The acquisition represents a change in ownership and operating alignment, while The Ticket Factory remains an identifiable ticketing brand serving UK live entertainment and venue customers.
History
The Ticket Factory traces its operational roots to the NEC Box Office, which opened in 1970 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The early box-office function supported ticket sales for events taking place at the NEC and associated venues. The operation introduced online ticket sales in 1998, reflecting the broader migration of UK event ticketing from physical outlets and telephone transactions toward digital purchasing. In 2006, the box office recorded its first ticket scans for admission at a Whitesnake concert at the National Indoor Arena. This indicates that its responsibilities extended beyond the sale and distribution of tickets into on-site admission technology and event-day operations. In 2007, the NEC Box Office was relaunched under the name The Ticket Factory, establishing the brand used for the company’s subsequent venue and client relationships. The Ticket Factory expanded its commercial and service proposition through partnerships. Barclaycard became the company’s official payment partner in 2012; the relationship later developed into the Barclaycard Unwind brand and the Fee Free Friday initiative. In 2013, the Royal Horticultural Society re-appointed The Ticket Factory as its national box office. In 2014, the business became exclusive ticket agent for the Society of London Theatre’s Get Into London Theatre campaign, while the NEC’s parent company announced a partnership with Virgin Trains West Coast. The company’s venue base has included the Birmingham arena formerly known as the National Indoor Arena, later the Barclaycard Arena and now Utilita Arena Birmingham, and the NEC arena now known as Resorts World Arena. These venues host major concerts, sporting events, comedy, family shows, and other large-scale entertainment. The Ticket Factory has sold tickets for artists and productions including Oasis, Coldplay, Cliff Richard, Kings of Leon, Disney on Ice, and Cirque du Soleil, as well as for a wider range of arena and exhibition events. Accessibility became a stated area of development in 2016, when The Ticket Factory partnered with the Access Card to enable deaf and disabled customers to purchase tickets online. In 2017, it launched what it described as the first ticketing apprenticeship, creating a structured entry route into the industry. In 2019, it signed a new ticketing partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society and became an official ticketing supplier to British Athletics. In 2020, The Ticket Factory worked with Acorns Children’s Hospice on its first collaboration with a welfare organisation. This extended its partnerships beyond venue owners, event promoters, and cultural bodies into charitable activity. In 2024, AXS acquired The Ticket Factory. The acquisition aligned the brand with AXS’s international ticketing platform and was associated with AXS managing ticketing for the two Birmingham arenas. The Ticket Factory therefore developed from a local NEC box-office operation into a broader UK primary ticketing business, while retaining strong ties to Birmingham’s major venues.
- 2024
Acquired by AXS
[1]AXS acquires The Ticket Factory and takes on ticketing management for the two Birmingham arenas.
- 2019
Royal Horticultural Society and British Athletics partnerships
[1]The Ticket Factory signs a new ticketing partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society and becomes an official ticketing supplier to British Athletics.
- 2017
Ticketing apprenticeship launched
[1]The company launches a ticketing apprenticeship programme.
- 2016
Online access initiative launches
[1]The Ticket Factory partners with the Access Card to support online ticket purchasing by deaf and disabled customers.
- 2012
Barclaycard becomes official payment partner
[1]Barclaycard partners with The Ticket Factory as its official payment partner.
- 2007
The Ticket Factory launches
[1]The NEC Box Office is relaunched under the The Ticket Factory brand.
- 2006
First recorded ticket scans at the National Indoor Arena
[1]The operation scans its first admission tickets for a Whitesnake concert at the National Indoor Arena.
- 1998
Online ticket sales begin
[1]The NEC ticketing operation launches its first online ticket sales service.
- 1970
NEC Box Office opens
[1]The original box-office operation opens at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
Products and positioning
A venue-connected UK primary ticketing provider combining online sales, box-office operations, distribution, customer support, and event access services.
Digital ticket sales · 1998
Online ticketing
The Ticket Factory’s online service enables customers to find and purchase tickets for concerts, sport, theatre, festivals, comedy, exhibitions, and family entertainment. The service has developed from the NEC’s first online ticket sales in 1998 and has included accessibility-oriented purchasing support.
Primary ticketing · 1970
Venue box-office services
The company provides official box-office and distribution services for major Birmingham venues, notably Utilita Arena Birmingham, Resorts World Arena, and the National Exhibition Centre. Its responsibilities include ticket sales, customer support, distribution, and event admission operations.
Client ticketing services
National and organisation ticketing
The Ticket Factory also operates as a ticketing partner for organisations outside its core NEC venue estate. Documented clients and partners include the Royal Horticultural Society and British Athletics, for which the company has provided national or official ticketing services.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020Acorns Children’s Hospice collaboration
United Kingdom
The Ticket Factory worked with Acorns Children’s Hospice in its first documented collaboration with a welfare organisation.
Outcome. The collaboration extended the company’s partnership activity into charitable and welfare-related work.
- 2014Get Into London Theatre
United Kingdom
The Ticket Factory became the exclusive ticket agent for the Society of London Theatre’s Get Into London Theatre campaign, a theatre-promotion initiative.
Outcome. The company served as the campaign’s exclusive ticketing channel.
- 2012Barclaycard Unwind and Fee Free Friday
United Kingdom
Following Barclaycard’s appointment as official payment partner, the relationship developed into the Barclaycard Unwind brand and Fee Free Friday initiative, focused on the payment and fee experience associated with ticket purchases.
Outcome. The partnership created a branded customer proposition associated with The Ticket Factory’s ticketing activity.
Brand decisions
2024
Sale to AXSM&ABackground
The Ticket Factory operated as a trading division of The National Exhibition Centre Ltd. before the ownership change.
Action taken
AXS acquired The Ticket Factory and was associated with managing ticketing for the two Birmingham arenas.
Aftermath
The brand became aligned with AXS while continuing to serve the Birmingham arena ticketing operation.
2016
Introduce online accessible ticket purchasingStrategyBackground
Customers with access requirements can face barriers when purchasing tickets through standard online processes.
Action taken
The Ticket Factory partnered with the Access Card to support online ticket purchasing for deaf and disabled customers.
Aftermath
The company positioned accessible digital purchasing as part of its ticketing service development.
2007
Rebrand from NEC Box OfficeStrategyBackground
The NEC’s established box-office operation had developed beyond a single venue function and required a distinct commercial identity.
Action taken
The operation was relaunched as The Ticket Factory.
Aftermath
The new brand became the public-facing identity for the NEC-related ticketing business and its external partnerships.
Sources2 sources
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