San Francisco-headquartered online ticketing and event management player Eventbrite is the latest born-on-the-internet company to establish an operation at the Digital Hub in Dublin.
The company, which was established in 2006 by Kevin Hartz, Julia Hartz and Renaud Visage, has processed more than US$2bn in ticket sales.
Last year the company raised US$60m in venture capital to fuel its international expansion, including Latin American event platform Eventioz and UK-based event data company Lanyrd.
VP of marketing at Eventbrite Tamara Mendelsohn told Siliconrepublic.com that the intention is to start with a small core team with an office at Dublin’s Digital Hub and grow from there.
She said Eventbrite was inspired by the significant presence of many of the top born-on-the-internet companies present in Dublin including Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many others.
Another reason for choosing Dublin, she said, was the growing community of Eventbrite users in Ireland and she revealed that more than 350,000 tickets have been processed in Ireland for various events.
“Dublin is becoming an international hub and there are lots of events happening every night of the week, so we’re keen to see what our added presence in the city will do for the community.”
Eventbrite generates its revenue by charging organisers a fee of 2.5pc of the ticket price plus 75 cents per ticket sold. It does not charge any fee for free events.
As part of Eventbrite’s arrival into Ireland the company said it will be waiving fees for all new customers who register up to 15 April and who register their 2014 events before that date.
Eventbrite’s growth driven by mobile and social
“In terms of our international growth we always follow the market in terms fo where it is being used,” Mendelsohn said, pointing out that Eventbrite is being used across a variety of event types, from conferences to sporting events and music festivals.
She said the technology – which can be used over the web and on smartphone by both organizers and attendees – is being used in 160 countries worldwide and that 20pc of revenue comes from outside the US.
Mendelsohn explained that social media is one of the major drivers for enabling organizers to reach targeted and relevant audiences and that many event organizers leverage Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to attract attendees.
“Facebook is actually the number one driver of traffic to Eventbrite,” she revealed.
The company has also been a pioneer of mobile commerce, creating its own credit card scanner for iPhone and Android smartphones as well as apps that allow iPhone users to buy tickets on the go via their phone as well as an app for organizers that turns their smartphone into a ticket scanner.
“We often see the types of events that are happening as being a reflection of the zeitgeist – where communities are growing and gathering – so we intend to invest in that opportunity and grow a team here in Dublin.
“We will plant some roots and see where the opportunities take us.”
