In the summer of 2024, the world turned its eyes to Paris, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games brought together athletes and fans from around the world. Central to this historic event was the Stade de France, the country’s largest stadium and a hub of unforgettable moments. For the ticketing manager overseeing operations at this and other venues, it was a career-defining challenge: managing demand, ensuring smooth access and creating exceptional experiences for passionate spectators.
Virginie Lefebvre
Virginie Lefebvre launched her career with a strong foundation in sports studies, specializing in event management and communication. She started work at a B2B agency specializing in turnkey event organization. After four years, she transitioned to the B2C sector, securing her next opportunity with the Stade de France consortium. There, she explored various roles, including production management, sales and ticketing administration, which sparked her passion for ticketing. Her experience grew as she handled sales for events at the Stade de France and other major stadiums in Nice, Bordeaux and Le Mans.
“After eight years, I joined the French Football Federation to gain 'organizer' experience in the commercialization, configuration and operational implementation of the French national team matches,” Lefebvre explains. “[Then I got] the job offer for Ticketing Project Manager for Paris 2024, so I left my position to embark on this incredible adventure.”
Hired in March 2022, Lefebvre took on a significant and multifaceted role for the 2024 Games. Her responsibilities were wide-ranging — from negotiating with stakeholders to maximize net marketable capacity and minimize accredited personnel and no-shows in the stands to ticketing plans and strategy, staffing levels, ensuring full stadium operation to allow for a great TV broadcast, optimized ticketing revenue, and a positive atmosphere and spectator experience, and so much more.
Sites under her responsibility included the iconic 80,000-capacity Stade de France, which hosted rugby, athletics, Para-athletics and the closing ceremonies. Other venues under her purview included Stade de Nice (35,624 capacity), Bordeaux (42,115 capacity), Saint-Etienne (41,965 capacity), Lyon (59,186 capacity), Nantes (35,322 capacity) and Marseille (67,000 capacity) for soccer (football in Europe). She also oversaw the Aquatic Center (6,000 capacity), as well as temporary sites Marseille Marina for sailing (12,500 capacity) and Le Bourget for climbing (6,000 capacity). Her leadership was crucial in bringing the Games to life across these diverse and dynamic venues.
L-R: Adeline Boiret, Venue Ticketing Manager, Stade de France, and Virginie Lefebvre, Venue Ticketing Manager, Stade de France. Adeline was Virginie’s right-hand woman throughout the Games.
How did it feel for Lefebvre to have overall responsibilities as the Ticketing Project Manager and Ticketing Manager at Stade de France during the Olympic and Paralympic Games?
“I was very grateful for the trust placed in me by the Olympic and Paralympic Games organization, along with a touch of stress,” she says.
Virginie Lefebvre at Site Pulse, the Comité d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques (COJOP) head office, one month before the Paralympic Games.
The Paris 2024 Games shattered ticket sales records, with 12 million sold across the Olympics and Paralympics, surpassing the previous benchmark set by London 2012. Reflecting on this incredible achievement, Lefebvre says it was “a tremendous team effort, with the goal of breaking London’s record through a unique ticketing approach.”
She explains, “On the tools side, we ensured that the online sales platform could handle the load during various sale phases and that the purchase journey was as seamless as possible for audiences. On the product side, we phased ticket sales, implementing a lottery system, scheduled ticketing appointments, package sales and ‘Thursdays Ticket’ when remaining seats could be purchased throughout the Games.
Lefebvre continues, “Operationally, we worked to secure every possible available seat, negotiating with each venue to maximize net capacities and reduce the number of accredited seats in the stands as much as possible. At times, we took risks on the potential returns from various ticketing programs and continuously adjusted supply and demand for each session. From a communications perspective, we made sure that the availability of tickets was regularly communicated to audiences.”
Ultimately, she describes the record ticket sales as “a beautiful challenge won together with the entire team, which motivated us further to find more seats available.”
While Paris 2024 saw record-breaking ticket sales, there were challenges, too. What were some of the biggest? Lefebvre says they included ensuring a seamless on-site customer journey for spectators and preventing fraud at access control points. Staffing requirements and schedules had to be optimized to meet the scale of operations while adhering to labor regulations. Anticipating workload based on current and upcoming events required careful planning, as did continuously managing the net sellable capacity to maximize revenue. For certain venues, the need to quickly clear and reconfigure between events added another layer of complexity, requiring swift coordination and meticulous execution.
The Stade de France alone employed more than 100 ticketing professionals. Approximately 50 volunteers also contributed to the venue ticketing team’s success. What was the energy like in the Paris 2024 ticket office?
“Focused and relaxed!” Lefebvre exclaims. “We were in a flexible office, which allowed us to change places every day. [That meant connecting] with other departments within the organization and building relationships with new colleagues. Since I usually arrived quite early, I had the privilege of choosing my spot before starting a productive day. To keep the teams energized, we regularly had muscle warm-ups, table tennis tournaments, meet-and-greets with athletes, sports initiations and breakfast gatherings.”
Ticketing Team B, who worked evenings at Stade de France during the Games.
Ticketing technologies and innovations played a key role in enhancing the fan experience for the Paris 2024 Games.
“The choice of a 100% digital ticketing system using mobile tickets only and a single ticketing platform, unlike previous Olympics [and Paralympics], was highly innovative. The dedicated app significantly enhanced the fan experience. Tickets were secured through a QR code for access rights, which appeared 24 hours before each [event] and disappeared at the end of the [event] or upon transferring the ticket to another recipient,” Lefebvre explains.
One of Lefebvre’s most memorable ticketing moments from Paris 2024 was the record-breaking number of tickets sold for a Para-athletics session on the morning of Sept. 7. The event was completely sold out, which remains a personal point of pride. How was accessible seating handled for the Olympics and Paralympics to ensure a welcoming experience for all attendees?
“We initially reviewed the various regulations with the accessibility lead,” Lefebvre says. “We applied these standards across all venues to ensure the best possible seating for individuals with disabilities. Accessible seats were then sold on the same ticketing platform with a specific pricing policy, offering the best available categories, for example, distinguishing seating for wheelchair users and their companions. We manually repositioned these seats per order to ensure that additional companions could be as close as possible to the primary ticket holder, according to pricing and availability constraints.”
She continues, “During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we worked closely with the spectator services and security teams to set up a dedicated access control lane. For each session, spectator services arranged the necessary staff according to entry-specific sales, allowing us to tailor the setup to each session and accommodate as many attendees as possible.”
Virginie Lefebvre on the Champs-Elysées for the Parade des Champions on Sep. 14, 2024, when Olympic and Paralympic athletes and everyone involved in Paris 2024 marched together for a final moment of sharing and celebration.
In addition to the record-breaking ticket sales for a Para-athletics session, Lefebvre had other deeply meaningful experiences during the Games. One included sharing the power of sport with Léa, her seven-year-old daughter.
“On a personal level, one of my best memories was being able to purchase tickets for myself and my family and attending the swimming finals with my daughter, where Léon Marchand became Olympic champion in the 200-meter breaststroke and 200-meter butterfly,” she recalls. “Experiencing the magic of the Games as a simple spectator, even just for an evening, was truly special.”
Virginie and daughter Léa at the Olympic swimming finals.
Lefebvre adds, “On a professional level, the first French Olympic medal in rugby at the Stade de France stands out as a memorable overall moment. The fervor of a crowd embodying strong values and the thrill of the medal brought the entire on-site operations team together, united in the spirit of sport.”
She also fondly remembers “the smiles, enthusiasm and kindness of children who came to the Stade de France [for the Paralympics], often for the first time, to cheer on athletes from all around the world.”
L-R : Clément Dindault, Ticketing Project Manager and Venue Ticketing Manager Roland-Garros; Florent Piebourg, Ticketing Project Manager and Venue Ticketing Manager Trocadero and Opening Ceremony; Erwan Bourdeaud, Ticketing Operations Manager; Virginie Lefebvre, Ticketing Project Manager and Venue Ticketing Manager Stade de France; Sébastien Dilon, Ticketing Project Manager and Venue Ticketing Manager Paris La Défense Arena.
In addition to beautiful memories, the experience of managing ticketing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games provided valuable insights that will benefit future large-scale events. What key lessons did Lefebvre learn?
“Assuming that we are starting from a blank page with partners who may have never worked together before, it is crucial not to neglect the testing phases and communication,” she says. “With the frequent arrival of human resources throughout the project, it is important to communicate effectively and provide reports to conserve the historical context and not [lose] anything.”
She adds, “The time and quality of training for teams arriving a few days in advance are essential.”
Lefebvre also noted how strategies from the Games related to fan arrival times and otherwise will influence future events at Stade de France and other venues.
“Organizers often face a late arrival of their spectators,” she says. “The ticket security measures have allowed for a smooth access control process with very few disputes to manage.”
She continues, “The single ticketing platform has centralized data collection and provided a very good understanding of buyers, which has facilitated communication and thus enhanced the spectator experience,” Lefebvre says. “The increase in revenue has been made possible through the installation of temporary stands at existing venues.”
Building on everything learned from her experience, Lefebvre offers valuable advice for other ticketing professionals, including those working in high-pressure, large-scale events.
“Regardless of hierarchical level, everyone has a key role to play in the success of the event. To succeed, we must work collectively,” she says. “For every problem, there is a solution.”
Lefebvre also recommends taking the time to write down procedures so that each team member fully understands their mission.
“Ticketing is a conductor because it is a service that collaborates with many stakeholders; it is important to communicate effectively and coordinate the entire chain of actors well,” she emphasizes.
Lefebvre also underscores that “time is an enemy that must be tamed in order not to be overwhelmed in this marathon of a sprint.”
To close, we asked Lefebvre what the future holds and if she had any final thoughts to share. She commented on the road ahead and offered a simple message to her ticketing colleagues who will manage the next Summer Games.
“Since the end of my contract, I've been enjoying my children and looking for a new professional challenge. France will host the next European Swimming Championships in 2026 in the Olympic aquatic center (for the swimming, artistic swimming and diving events) and in the waters of the Seine (for the open water and diving events). As a swimmer, member of a swimming club and volunteer, it would be an honor to contribute to the success of this event. After that, I'm open to any professional proposal,” she says with a smile.
Lefebvre adds, “I wish great success to the Los Angeles 2028 team, quoting one of my favorite sayings from Ronald Reagan, ‘By working together, pooling our resources and building on our strengths, we can accomplish great things.’”
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