Dynamic pricing could come to BEAM

Hertford's BEAM theatre and cinema is exploring the potential of dynamic pricing for the town centre venue.

Addressing the district council's Audit and Governance Committee on Wednesday (29th July), venue director Steve Sargeant revealed that BEAM is investigating the possibility of dynamic pricing and "expects to implement a form of flexible ticket pricing in the future", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Sargeant said: "This is a system that sits on top of the ticketing system that we use…it works out where the ceiling for ticket prices might be, and it responds - in some cases on an hourly basis – in order to increase the yield wherever possible.

"We do expect to implement a form of flexible ticket pricing in the future so that we can, when we know that we have a week-long show that is in high demand … maximise income where we can.

"But, at the same time, the systems that we’re prioritising investigating are systems that will also help us to reduce that ticket price to increase attendance."

Some councillors expressed concern that the implementation of such a controversial policy could cause problems.

Dynamic pricing is used by airlines and high-demand concerts, where seat prices fluctuate dynamically based on consumer demand. Theatregoers may pay different prices for the exact same seat depending on how early they book and how popular the show is.

BEAM reported significant losses in the 2025-26 financial year, with a deficit just shy of £1m, againts a forecost loss of £275,000.