Eventbrite acquires Ticketea

In its first acquisition of 2018, US self-service ticketing giant Eventbrite has bought Spain’s Ticketea for an undisclosed sum.

Similar to Netherlands-based Ticketscript, which Eventbrite acquired last January, Madrid-based Ticketea operates a self-service platform that has a roster of clients which includes major concerts, festivals and performing-arts shows. Partners include festivals such as Arenal Sound, Viña Rock, Low Festival and Dreambeach, as well as Billy Elliot the Musical, Cirque du Soleil and the Prado museum in Madrid.

The company experienced 50% year-on-year growth in 2016, selling 5.2m tickets.

The union of Eventbrite and Ticketea – which is now trading as ‘Ticketea by Eventbrite’ – will “further the momentum Eventbrite has seen since acquiring Ticketscript in January 2017 and solidify its position as a leading mid-market and self-service ticketing solution in Europe”, according to Eventbrite.

Outside of Europe, Eventbrite bolstered its presence in the North America club market with the acquisition of Ticketfly from Pandora last September.

“There is incredible synergy between our two companies”

“Ticketea’s innovative approach to solving challenges for both event creators and seekers, including a robust discovery platform, has helped them achieve impressive brand equity and a strong leadership position in not only Spain, but the broader southern European market,” says Julia Hartz, CEO and co-founder of Eventbrite, commenting on the Ticketea acquisition. “There is incredible synergy between our two companies from a business, platform and brand perspective.

“We’re thrilled to welcome their talented team, who shares our core mission of bringing people together through live experiences, to the Eventbrite family.”

Javier Andres, co-founder and CEO of Ticketea, joins Eventbrite as country director of Spain and Portugal. He says: “We have been building a significant market presence in Spain for nearly a decade and it’s exciting to be recognised by the global leader in event technology as they invest more heavily in our growing market. Joining forces brings tremendous value to our customers, who will now benefit from Eventbrite’s proven track record of innovation, global team and deep resources.

“We look forward to extending the impact of both our team and technology far beyond country borders to the more than 180 countries and territories where their powerful platform gives rise to millions of events today.”

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