Ticketing company AXS and the AEG-operated O2 Arena won the ‘Live Music Innovation of the Year’ award at last week’s Music Week Awards, for its AXS Mobile ID at The O2 Arena.

Through the collaboration, customers who purchase from other agents such as Ticketmaster, Eventim, Ticketzone, See Tickets and Gigantic can now instantly receive and access their tickets through The O2’s venue app, which was built by Realife Tech.

The innovation launched last August at The O2’s first full capacity live event following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. The venue welcomed 17,000 NHS and key workers to the arena to see Gorillaz exclusively via its venue app, powered by AXS’s mobile embedded ticket Mobile ID.

In rolling the technology out, AXS has partnered with its competitors in the UK, liaising with technology and business operations stakeholders within those organisations. AEG said the partnership is a game-changing technology in a “normally siloed industry”.

AXS UK managing director Chris Lipscomb said, “We are honoured to win this award together with our friends at The O2, but we also share this recognition with our new partners at Ticketmaster, See Tickets, Gigantic, Eventim and Ticketzone. Ticketing is a tough business, and I’m delighted we’ve found a way to work together to build something truly special for fans”.

The O2 commercial director Adam Pearson said, “This technology allows customers visiting The O2 to have a totally seamless digital experience and spend more time enjoying what the venue has to offer, and we’re excited to continue our work with AXS and others to make the digital fan experience even better in the future.”