Your opinion matters. Whether an event was brilliant or disappointing, sharing your experience helps other fans make informed decisions and gives organisers feedback they can act on. But there is a difference between a review that is genuinely useful and one that is just venting. Here is how to leave event reviews that make a difference.
Why event reviews matter
Unlike restaurants and hotels, the live events industry has relatively few established review platforms. This means that individual reviews carry more weight. A thoughtful review on Google, Trustpilot, or social media can influence whether someone buys a ticket, and it gives the organiser direct feedback on what worked and what did not.
Reviews also create accountability. Organisers who consistently receive poor feedback about sound quality, overcrowding, or misleading advertising are more likely to address these issues than those who hear nothing from their audience.
Where to leave event reviews
Google Reviews
If the event was at a permanent venue, Google Reviews is one of the most visible places to leave feedback. Search for the venue on Google, click "Write a review," and share your experience. Google reviews appear prominently in search results and on Google Maps, making them highly visible to potential future attendees.
Trustpilot
Many ticketing platforms and event organisers have Trustpilot profiles. Reviews here are particularly useful for commenting on the ticket-buying experience, customer service, and refund processes.
Social media
Facebook event pages, Instagram posts, and Twitter/X threads are all common places to share event feedback. Tag the organiser and venue so your review reaches them directly. Social media reviews tend to be more conversational and can prompt direct responses from organisers.
Specialist forums and communities
For specific event types, there are dedicated communities where reviews are valued. eFestivals and Skiddle have festival review sections. Music forums, Reddit communities, and Facebook groups for specific genres or venues are all good places to share detailed feedback.
The ticketing platform
Some ticketing platforms allow you to rate and review events you attended. If the platform you bought through offers this, use it. Platform reviews help future buyers assess both the event and the ticket-buying experience.
What to include in a good review
A useful review is specific, balanced, and factual. Here is a framework:
The basics
- The name and date of the event
- The venue
- Your overall rating (if the platform uses a star system)
What worked well
Even if your overall experience was poor, acknowledging positives makes your review more credible. Did the support act surprise you? Was the venue staff helpful? Was the food good? Mentioning positives shows you are being fair.
What did not work
Be specific about the problems. "The sound was bad" is less useful than "The bass was so overpowering from Row K back that you could not hear the vocals clearly." Specific feedback helps organisers identify exactly what to fix.
Context
Help readers understand your perspective. Were you a first-time attendee or a regular? Were you in the standing area or seated? Did you have particular expectations based on the marketing? Context helps others judge whether your experience is likely to be similar to theirs.
Practical information
Other fans find practical details very useful: how easy it was to get to the venue, parking availability, queue lengths, food and drink prices, cloakroom availability, phone signal quality. These details help people plan their visit.
Staying constructive
The most impactful reviews are honest but fair. Some guidelines:
- Be factual. Describe what happened, not what you imagine happened behind the scenes
- Avoid personal attacks. Criticise the event, the facilities, or the organisation, but do not target individual staff members by name
- Distinguish between preference and quality. Not liking the genre of the support act is a preference. The PA system cutting out three times during the headliner's set is a quality issue
- Be proportionate. A minor inconvenience does not warrant a one-star review if the overall experience was good
Your legal rights when leaving reviews
Honest, factual reviews are protected by law in the UK. You have a right to express your genuine opinion about a service you have used. However, there are boundaries:
- Defamation: A statement of fact that is false and damages someone's reputation could be defamatory. Opinions are generally protected, but presenting false statements as facts is not
- Malicious falsehood: Deliberately posting false information to damage a business can lead to legal action
- Honest opinion defence: The Defamation Act 2013 provides a defence of honest opinion. If your review is based on your genuine experience and you can point to the facts that support your opinion, you are on solid ground
The practical advice is simple: be honest, be specific, and stick to what you experienced. If you do that, your review is legally protected and genuinely useful.
When a review is not enough
If your complaint is serious, such as the event being significantly not as described, safety concerns, or financial loss, a review should supplement a formal complaint rather than replace one. See our guide to complaining about a bad event experience for the formal process, and our guide to compensation for event problems if you have suffered financial losses.
A well-written review combined with a formal complaint is a powerful combination. The review creates public accountability, and the complaint creates a formal record that may lead to a resolution.
Remember, every review you leave helps build a better picture for fans looking for their next event. Take the time to write something thoughtful, and you are contributing to a community that values honest feedback.
Curious how tickts compares? See our side-by-side comparison of tickts vs Skiddle: fees, payouts, and features for UK organisers.
