Despite the fiasco of the Detroit Bridgerton-themed ball and last year’s infamous Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow, the demand for real-life experiences based on TV programmes is seemingly unabated, with The Traitors launching an immersive live event and the Teletubbies an art gallery show.
After the Wonka and Bridgerton debacles, consumers have been being advised to check if events are authorised by brands’ owners before they book to ensure the occasion meets expectations.
“Competitive socialising” is said to be fuelling a rise in entertainment companies opening attractions, so much so it is one of the biggest areas of growth in the lucrative licensing and merchandising industry. According to a recent study by Licensing International, revenues from brand-based attractions were up 13.5% in 2023 and entertainment/characters licensing grew by almost 7% globally to $147.6bn (£110bn) – earning almost four times as much as sport.
So it is no surprise companies are trying to cash in, even if they do not own the rights to a show. On Sunday Bridgerton fans attended the unofficial themed ball at Detroit’s Harmonie Club, paying up to $1,000 for a ticket.
The organisers promised “an amazing regency-era experience” but attenders were underwhelmed by disappointing food and music, staff wearing sportswear and an incongruous pole dancer. The photos of bored-looking attenders sitting on the floor eating KitKats brought back memories of Glasgow’s sparsely decorated Willy Wonka Experience.
Protecting fans from being ripped off is one of the reasons companies that own rights to shows are launching their own events. A hit on the BBC, The Traitors is now launching a live, playable roundtable-experience in a UK city next year. Nick Smith, the executive vice-president of formats and licensing at All3Media International – the parent company of Studio Lambert, which produces The Traitors – said: “There is a clamour from fans for doing it and other people are trying to do it … it’s not just about stopping [other] people from making money, it’s about us not getting our brand negatively portrayed.”
Smith told the Guardian that The Traitors: Live Experience will stay faithful to the cloaked, atmospheric series and be in a “characterful building”, adding the “aesthetics are quite important to the show” so the producers will ensure it “doesn’t just feel like a warehouse somewhere”.
All3Media has teamed up with Immersive Experiences, which already produces Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who events, to make sure “we deliver an experience that not only satisfies but delights fans of the show; it’s just not worth our while to do something that’s below par”.
The company already runs a live version of ITV’s The Cube in Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre, which Smith said was reviving the high street as it had “got young people going into a shopping centre”.
With 30 TV versions of The Traitors playing around the world, there are plans for the live version to roll out internationally.
The company behind Teletubbies is doing the same with The House of Teletubbies London: Art Takeover, which opened on Thursday at the 15 Bateman Street gallery in central London, before it moves to galleries in the US and beyond.
It merges nostalgia with art, with pieces inspired by Dipsy, Tinky Winky, Laa-Laa and Po from artists such as Christian Cowan, Jon Burgerman and ONCH. The exhibition’s producers, Wildbrain, say it helps “celebrate these beloved characters in fresh and exciting ways”.
Also cashing in on the trend is a dedicated Tamagotchi store, which has opened in Camden in London, promising fans a “unique opportunity to immerse themselves” in the world of the computer pets.
Smith said the demand for live, entertainment brand-based events stemmed from people wanting “more from their leisure time now … it’s a fun way to meet up with friends”. “Competitive socialising” also played a part: “You can meet your friends for a drink in the pub, and that’s great, but you can’t really brag about that on social media.”
The Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb said fans should always book events “through the official ticket seller – don’t be tempted to buy through social media as you’ll have fewer rights if things go wrong and run the risk of being scammed”.
Webb said using a credit card to make purchases over £100 helped as “your credit card company is jointly liable for any breach of contract” and if organisers promised something that did not materialise “then you may have an argument for breach of contract”.
“If the event organiser is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers then you can also escalate your complaint to them as they offer dispute resolution to help get your issue resolved,” she said.
