Eventbrite partners with Festicket, Verve and more
Self-service ticketing giant Eventbrite has announced a series of new partnerships, rolling out integrations with events guide The List, festival package provider Festicket, word-of-mouth ticket sales platform Verve (formerly StreetTeam) and brand ambassador software Ticketrunner.
The new services join Eventbrite’s existing network of partners, which includes Facebook, Spotify, Twickets, Bandsintown, Google, Songkick and Ents24, made possible by what the company calls its “open-platform approach” towards integration and distribution.
“Eventbrite is committed to providing an open platform that seamlessly connects with leading third-party services that help our organisers sell more tickets,” says Katie McPhee, head of music, arts and entertainment marketing for Eventbrite’s UK operation.
“Eventbrite is committed to providing an open platform that seamlessly connects with leading third-party services”
“Distribution and integration partners like The List, Festicket, Verve and Ticketrunner augment our world-class platform with innovative technology solutions, helping us solve the unique challenges of the 600,000+ event creators that use Eventbrite around the world each year.”
Festicket founder and CEO Zack Sabban (pictured) adds: “One of Festicket’s core missions has always been to take the hassle out of organising a music festival trip, including the purchasing of tickets, and booking of accommodation and travel. This new integration with Eventbrite gives festival promoters an easy way to build travel and accommodation packages that they can offer to their fans alongside an Eventbrite festival ticket, for a hassle-free trip.”
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Verve raises $18.5m to take P2P platform global
Word-of-mouth live entertainment marketing platform Verve has raised US$18.5 million in a new funding round, bringing its total investment up to $28.5m.
The platform, formerly known as StreetTeam, closed a $10m funding round last October, with label giant Universal Music Group among the investors. The latest round of investment was led by venture-capital firm Draper Esprit, and also includes existing investors Kindred, Frontline Ventures, and Backed.
Verve’s VP of client success, James Beaumont, spoke at the International Festival Forum (IFF) last month, explaining to festival delegates how its software works. Verve’s model is based on the premise that ‘the best way to be sold an experience is to hear about someone else’s’, and allows festival fans to become ‘ambassadors’, earning free tickets and other prizes by earning points from selling tickets to their friends. This, said Beamount, is about “really targeting the 10% of people who are already your customers, empowering them to go out and spread the word”.
The peer-to-peer model also drives incremental sales, he continued, as someone coming to a festival with a large entourage – in one case, up to 56 extra people – will collectively spend more at the event.
Using Tinderbox festival as a case study, Beamount revealed 285 ambassadors sold 2,500 tickets – or 5% of the event’s capacity – in its first year. The Verve platform is especially effectively for selling to millennials, he added, as “gen Z has become accustomed to ignoring” traditional advertising, especially online.
“Today’s audience is becoming immune to traditional advertising and increasingly prefer to discover through friends and people they trust”
Verve, whose customers include Live Nation, AEG, C3, Bonnaroo, React Presents, Bestival, Digital Dreams and Electric Zoo, has grown from 170 to 450 clients over the past 12 months, selling more than half a million tickets. It will, it says, use the new funding to “continue its global expansion within the live entertainment sector, as well as enter new markets” (it is currently active in the UK and US).
Simon Cook, CEO of Draper Esprit, comments: “Callum and Liam [Negus-Fancey, co-founders] have built a world-class team who we back with full confidence, and we very much believe in where Verve is heading. Today’s audience is becoming immune to traditional advertising and increasingly prefer to discover through friends and people they trust.
“Verve has already proven word-of-mouth is a scalable and powerful tool for live entertainment, and we will support them in taking this channel to other markets and sectors.”
“Kindred is delighted to have increased their commitment to Verve as a part of this financing round, joining a strong global venture-capital brand in Draper Esprit,” adds Leila Zegna, a founding partner of Kindred. “Since our first investment in the company in 2016, we have been continually impressed by the build-out and strength of the management team and consistent execution against ambitious product and commercial targets.
“Going forward, we are excited about Verve’s ability to not only dominate the festival market but also penetrate the enormous opportunities within music and sport on a global basis.”
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Ex-Ticketfly exec to lead US StreetTeam operation
StreetTeam has poached Ticketfly’s Jeff Kreinik to head up an expansion into North America.
Kreinek, formerly head of festivals at the Pandora-owned primary ticket agency, will focus on growing the company’s presence in the US and Canada as its new vice-president of live entertainment for North America.
StreetTeam, a peer-to-peer (P2P) live event marketing platform which earlier this month secured US$10 million in funding from Universal Music Group and other investors, has sold more than 200,000 tickets since its formation in March this year. Its business model is based on rewarding ‘advocates’ – people who sell its clients’ tickets and products to their friends – with prizes including free tickets, VIP access and the opportunity to meet performers.
“Peer-to-peer is a great sales channel but many events still struggle to sell enough tickets, so there’s a real need for software that can drive peer-to-peer sales at scale. StreetTeam makes that quick and easy”
It has more than 60 festival clients, including Bonnaroo, Voodoo, Bestival, Reading Festival, Life Is Beautiful and Electric Zoo, through agreements with promoters such as ID&T/SFX Entertainment and Live Nation.
“I’m delighted to join StreetTeam and return to my roots in marketing,” said Kreinik, who prior to joining Ticketfly served spells at Front Gate Tickets and New Orleans-based promoter Huka Entertainment. “Peer-to-peer is a great sales channel but many events still struggle to sell enough tickets, so there’s a real need for software that can drive peer-to-peer sales at scale. StreetTeam makes that quick and easy, so I’m proud to help hasten its adoption across the US and Canada.”
StreetTeam co-founder Liam Negus-Fancey adds: “We’re excited to welcome Jeff on board and to strengthen our commitment to the live entertainment sector in North America. Jeff has an exceptional track record and his experience growing successful companies such as TicketFly makes him a powerful addition to our team.”
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UMG buys into P2P ticket platform StreetTeam
Word-of-mouth marketing company StreetTeam, whose clients include festivals such as Bonnaroo, Reading Festival and Electric Daisy Carnival, has raised US$10 million funding from a group of investors that includes recorded industry giant Universal Music Group (UMG).
UMG, which also has a concert-promotion operation, U-Live, is, along with Saatchi Invest, one of several “strategic investors” in the funding round, which was led by investment firms Spring Partners and Frontline Ventures.
London- and LA-headquartered StreetTeam, formed in March from the merger of peer-to-peer (P2P) ticketing software companies The Physical Network and We Represent, says it has sold more than 200,000 tickets using its platform, which rewards its “advocates” – people who sell its clients’ tickets and products to their friends – with prizes including free tickets, VIP access and the opportunity to meet performers.
“It’s increasingly difficult for brands to acquire a young audience, as this age group increasingly relies on friends… StreetTeam helps brands turns these trusted friends into ambassadors”
It has more than 60 festival clients, including Bonnaroo, Voodoo, Bestival, Reading Festival, Life Is Beautiful and Electric Zoo, through agreements with promoters such as ID&T/SFX Entertainment and Live Nation. SFX’s Michael Julien says the platform “ended up being the largest sales contributor outside of our own marketing campaigns” for this year’s Electric Zoo.
“It’s increasingly difficult for brands to acquire a young audience, as this age group increasingly relies on friends who are passionate and knowledgeable about a given area when making purchase decisions,” comments company co-founder Callum Negus-Fancey (pictured). “StreetTeam helps brands turns these trusted friends into ambassadors, turning word of mouth into a reliable and scalable sales channel.”
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