Eventbrite: Disrupting from below

Eventbrite: Disrupting from below

 

Establishing a solid grounding in the market was a key step for ticketing and event company, Eventbrite, in order for them to “disrupt from below”.

Kevin Hartz, CEO, outlines how the ticketing company, founded in 2006, is expanding to include a wide variety of different events and categories before moving its way upwards to take on some of the larger ticketing companies.

“Instead of going right against the main player and try to take them on head to head right out the gates we’re growing the business," he told B&T. 

"All these different categories and all these different geographies and all these different smaller events, we’re moving our way upwards."

Founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs Julia Hartz, Kevin Hartz and Renaud Visage, chief technology officer, Eventbrite has already surpassed $2 billion in ticket sales to millions of events in 187 countries.

The notion of consumer control within the ticketing business has Julia Hartz, president of Eventbrite, believing control is a “basic right”.

“For us, it’s about building an open, accessible and self-service platform that anyone can use and with that comes freedom," she said.

Eventbrite operates in a number of different countries, however in terms of the differing of marketing technologies and practices, Hartz suggests the technologies Eventbrite provides and uses are generally “universal”.

"One of the universal technologies we’re developing at Eventbrite is algorithmic recommendations based on what we know of consumers,” she said.

“Consumers can choose to connect through Facebook and they can choose to have an Eventbrite consumer account which gives us more data to be able to help them find more live experiences to attend.

“We’re focusing on how we can help organisers sell more tickets through means that are very organic and provide value for the consumer. We’re not looking to jam content down consumers’ throats, we want to help them find relevant events to attend.”

Hartz notes how Australia is a huge market for the company, bringing in 4% of the total number of ticket sales globally for last year, equating to around $40 million.

The opening of its Melbourne office allows the company to get some solid roots in the Aussie soil and further expand into the Australian market.

“We now have the resources to be able to properly execute an on-the-ground strategy,” Hartz said.

Furthering their local expansion in Australia, Eventbrite has hired a number of “britelings” (Eventbrite employees) and acquired the customer base of a local ticketing company, GreenTix.

New statistics from Eventbrite show some of the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne as the place for events as Sydney had more Eventbrite events in total last year, whereas Melbourne saw more free events.

Nearly 6,000 Sydney events have been shared on Eventbrite, versus over 5,000 Melbourne events and of all the events last year in Sydney, 54% were free, compared to 59% in Melbourne.

Looking towards some of the events from last year, the slightly stranger ones include Zombie Laser Tag which was part of the annual Sydney Zombie Walk and the sustainability of poo at the Sustainable Living Festival 2013.

Some of the largest events in Australia include, Tough Mudder, the YOW! Conference and Milkwoord Permaculture.

Hartz’s all-time favourite event she has seen on the site is the Krispy Kreme Challenge which sees the contestants eat a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts and then run a mile as a fundraiser.

Needless to say the Krispy Kremes don't tend to stay down. Hartz also noted how Krispy Kreme did not organise the event.

Image from left to right: Founders Renaud Visage, Julia Hartz and Kevin Hartz




Please login with linkedin to comment

Latest News

Pinterest Pins Down Laura Gaffney For Director Of Business Marketing APAC & EMEA Role
  • Technology

Pinterest Pins Down Laura Gaffney For Director Of Business Marketing APAC & EMEA Role

Pinterest has appointed Laura Gaffney (pictured) as its new director of business marketing for EMEA and APAC. Based in Dublin, Gaffney will report to Stacy Malone, Pinterest’s VP of global business marketing. Gaffney will lead Pinterest’s business marketing initiatives in these regions with the goal of raising the visibility and comprehension of Pinterest to support […]

Vision Australia’s Carols By Candlelight Sparkles With QMS
  • Advertising

Vision Australia’s Carols By Candlelight Sparkles With QMS

Leading digital outdoor company QMS is proud to announce its support for the 86th Vision Australia Carols by Candlelight presented by AAMI, which will be held at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Christmas Eve. This year marks the second consecutive year QMS has supported the beloved Australian tradition, which has a longstanding history of […]

Melbourne Holocaust Museum Unveils New Brand Identity Via CHEP Network
  • Campaigns

Melbourne Holocaust Museum Unveils New Brand Identity Via CHEP Network

The Melbourne Holocaust Museum has unveiled its new brand identity, designed in partnership with CHEP Network. The museum, formerly the Jewish Holocaust Centre, was renamed and redeveloped in April and is now open to the public, with a vision to ignite visitors’ sense of humanity, kindness and bravery through the voices of survivors. Inspired by […]

Outback Steakhouse Launches Bone-Chilling Christmas Ad
  • Campaigns

Outback Steakhouse Launches Bone-Chilling Christmas Ad

Outback Steakhouse — the Aussie-themed American eatery with a handful of Antipodean outposts — has launched a truly terrifying Christmas ad. Starring “Koala on the Walla” riffing on the “Elf on the shelf” meme, the near 90-second spot features a slightly overly shrill children’s choir and a voiceover from the Koala in an almost passable […]

TikTok Launches “Year On TikTok 2023” End Of Year Wrap
  • Media

TikTok Launches “Year On TikTok 2023” End Of Year Wrap

2023 was the year we learned a new life hack (or two!), laughed out loud, and couldn’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire. Our global community of over 1 billion people, including 8.5 million Australians and 350,000 Australian businesses, continues to come together to connect on TikTok, positively influencing culture and impacting lives. From foolproof […]

Innocean & Australian Marine Conservation Society Partner With Australian Artists To Launch “Fantastical Sharks & Rays” Exhibition
  • Campaigns

Innocean & Australian Marine Conservation Society Partner With Australian Artists To Launch “Fantastical Sharks & Rays” Exhibition

Hot off the heels of winning an ARIA for its “Voice of the Sea” campaign, Innocean Australia has again teamed up with the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) to create an exhibition highlighting the silent extinction facing lesser-known Australian sharks and rays. These endangered species are so unique and live so deep beneath the ocean […]

AI, Curated Fandom & Contextual Commerce: The Key Issues For Consumers In 2024
  • Marketing

AI, Curated Fandom & Contextual Commerce: The Key Issues For Consumers In 2024

Trends and issues, including AI, the inexorable rise of Baby Boomers, curated fandom, contextual commerce and cost of living concerns, are set to dominate the hearts and minds of consumers next year, according to The Media Store’s Consumer Trends 2024. The report, released today, outlines the top trends set to interest, impact and inspire consumers […]

Emergency Management Victoria & Think HQ Partner To Increase Emergency Preparedness
  • Campaigns

Emergency Management Victoria & Think HQ Partner To Increase Emergency Preparedness

Playschool’s Justine Clarke and Bluey’s Melanie Zanetti have fronted a new integrated campaign for Emergency Management Victoria ahead of the high-risk weather season. Summer in Australia is synonymous with festivals, BBQs, road trips and camping. However, it is also a time of increasingly extreme weather and natural disasters. With experts predicting an increased risk of […]

New Business Wins For We Scout
  • Marketing

New Business Wins For We Scout

Indie comms agency We Scout announces new business wins. Well, you'd hardly announce new business losses, would you?

Oceania map with connection networks.
  • Media

Zenith Wins Superloop’s Media

The Zenith Christmas party set to be a wholly more bawdy, jolly soirée after agency nabs end-of-year win.

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC
  • Media

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC

Independent brand and digital agency, Archibald Williams (AW) has been appointed to lead the NBA account across the APAC region. The NBA is one of the most prestigious sporting leagues in the world and basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia. Effective immediately, AW said it was “excited” to work across all digital, […]