Powering 1st Music, Creator and Culture Collaboration Festival, &Friends 2025 in the Philippines
The Ask
&Friends, a brand-new music and culture festival held in the Philippines, brought together a genre-blending lineup of international and regional talent—including Zedd, Illenium, Sunset Rollercoaster, The Walters, Mac Ayres, Phum Viphurit, and more—for a full-day celebration of EDM, indie, soul, R&B, and alternative music.
As a debut festival aimed at both local audiences and music tourists, the organizers needed a ticketing partner that could go beyond local currency limitations. With the lack of support for USD sales or international-friendly interfaces — posing a major barrier to reaching regional fans. They turned to Ticketmelon to deliver a flexible solution that could meet international standards, streamline operations, and attract a global crowd.
The Solution
Ticketmelon provided a seamless and flexible ticketing infrastructure tailored to the festival’s goals:
- Multi-Currency Ticketing Support
Enabled ticket sales in USD to attract international audiences, eliminating friction for non-PHP users and expanding market reach. - End-to-End Digital Ticketing
Delivered personalized e-tickets with QR code access, allowing guests to store and present their passes digitally for smooth entry. - Tiered Ticket Options
Set up different ticket types (Early Bird, Regular, VIP) with clear segmentation and access control mapping. - User-Friendly Checkout for Overseas Fans
Optimized payment gateway support for global credit cards and simplified checkout flows to reduce drop-offs and maximize conversion.
- Branded & Operational Wristbands
Even without NFC or cashless functionality, the event utilized branded wristbands to elevate the experience and executed smooth check-ins and access control using QR validation and mobile scanners, supported by our on-ground tech crew.
The Results
Ticketmelon helped &Friends Festival launch its first edition with international appeal and operational precision. Foreign guests from across Asia were able to purchase tickets seamlessly, while local attendees enjoyed quick, secure check-ins and hassle-free access.
Despite no NFC integration, the event ran with high entry throughput and minimal queues—thanks to digital ticketing, operational prep, and our streamlined access setup.
Key Takeaways
Ticketmelon’s ability to support USD ticketing and provide a platform that works beyond borders made it the ideal partner for &Friends Festival. By offering global-friendly sales infrastructure, technical support, and event-day execution, we enabled organizers to reach their target audience, no matter where they were buying from.
As more Philippine events look to engage regional and overseas audiences, Ticketmelon continues to be a preferred partner for seamless, cross-border event access and ticketing execution.
