Live events ‘on the cusp of returning’

Eventbrite’s chief executive says the future of events will be distinctly smaller, intimate and local, though big questions remain.

Julia Hartz, CEO Eventbrite, Berlin, 21st June 16, at Fabrik 23, Wedding Berlin, Photo: Stefan Wieland 2016

The future of events will be distinctly smaller, intimate, and local, according to the chief executive of global events giant Eventbrite, who said she’s confident that live events are on the cusp of returning in Australia.

Global tech executive Julia Hartz, speaking to The Australian ahead of an appearance at the Vogue Codes summit on Wednesday, said that live events will inevitably prevail, given humans share a fundamental need to connect with each other.

New Zealand provides a good benchmark for what music fans can expect in Australia, she said, in which paid tickets recovered quickly and grew from last year following the widespread easing of restrictions, and the same happened after New Zealand‘s second lockdown lifted. She said Australia’s coronavirus numbers have been very positive.

“We believe smaller, local events will first be favoured by people over larger ones,” Ms Hartz said. ”We’re seeing this demonstrated as in-person events start to happen again. One example is Happy Horsemen, which is a group of music venues in Australia that have changed the way they host gigs. All events are now seated and crowd sizes are limited.

“They’re selling fewer tickets – due to the smaller event sizes – but they’re selling out faster because attendees are so excited to get out and safely enjoy night-life again.”

Ms Hartz, who served as a TV executive with MTV before becoming a tech CEO, said Eventbrite’s purpose and priority through the pandemic had been serving and supporting its event creators and employees.

Her company has been hit hard, with Q3 revenue dropping 75 per cent compared to a year earlier. Nearly 1.5 million events were hosted on the platform for the quarter, however, up 112 per cent from Q3 2019, showing a strong appetite from fans to return to live events.

Large question marks still remain over large concerts and festivals, with some Australian festivals delaying their events until late 2021. Some may never return, amid concerns they will be uninsurable.

20/04/2019. Ben Harper performing at Bluesfest, Byron Bay. Jane Dempster/The Australian.

“We acted swiftly to support our creators by providing refund flexibility and quickly launching new features, such as deeper integrations with streaming partners like Zoom for online events, and resources like our COVID-19 Safety Playbook for Events,” Ms Hartz said.

“We’ve remained focused on delivering the intuitive self-service experience that Eventbrite is known for and believe our nimble, efficient and cost-effective platform uniquely positions us to serve the needs of event creators as the industry continues to undergo shifts through COVID-19 and stages recovery.”

She said some events could now be held safely, including drive-in cinema events for example and innovative, intimate experiences.

“We’re seeing creators demonstrate great ingenuity in shifting their approach to hosting in-person events when restrictions are lifted, and reaching consumers virtually when experiencing lockdowns,” she said.

“There’s been an interesting trend with creators of all types creating hybrid experiences that combine online and in-person elements. On Eventbrite, there have been virtual cheese tasting events, where cheese is shipped to attendees’ doorsteps for their online class. We’ve also seen something similar with creators shipping cocktail kits and arts and crafts items to attendees before they tune into virtual how-to events.”

Earlier this year Eventbrite surveyed Australian music fans and found that close to two-thirds of the respondents preferred smaller club and pub gigs over big stadium shows, even before the pandemic.

As venues prepare to reopen safely and with social distancing at top of mind, Ms Hartz said she anticipates that trend will continue to grow.

“The same survey found that one in two music fans have bought a ticket to discover a new artist or experience a new musical genre in-person, which is exciting news for up-and-coming local artists who’ll likely find new, highly-engaged audiences right here this summer, as the pandemic continues to prevent international artists from touring in Australia.”

The annual Vogue Codes Summit has gone virtual for 2020 and will take place over two half-days - November 10 and 11.

Visit vogue.com.au/codes to register