Social Media Portal (SMP) interview with Katie McPhee from Eventbrite

Eventbrite?s Katie McPhee shares top tips for conference organisers making events more visible and selling more tickets

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there at Eventbrite UK?

Katie McPhee (KMcP): Katie McPhee and I?m the senior city marketing manager.

I joined Eventbrite from the BBC in 2011 and was the company's first employee in Europe. I run the UK's social media, co-ordinate all Eventbrite events, source partnerships and manage a growing community of event organisers in the UK. I also work closely with event organisers advising on social media strategy and represent Eventbrite as a speaker at industry events.

SMP: Briefly, tell us about Eventbrite (for those that don?t know), what is it and what does the company do?

KMcP: Eventbrite is an online self-service ticketing platform available for anyone around the world to manage, sell and promote tickets to their events.

SMP: How long has Eventbrite had a UK office and operations (and why all the recent hires ? are there any more on the way)?

KMcP: We?ve had a UK office since October 2011, which is the year that we localised the site for UK event organisers and attendees and launched Eventbrite.co.uk.

In April this year, we received funding of $60 million. This has really helped us to expand the team, especially in London to focus on EMEA growth.

SMP: How is the company funded and how many people work there (for the UK office ? and can you tell us how many work for Eventbrite globally)?

KMcP: Our investors include Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global and T. Rowe and we have secured $140 million worth of funding since we were founded in 2006.
We have over 300 people at our HQ in San Francisco as well as around 30 people in the London office and a small team in Latin America following the acquisition of Eventioz earlier this year.

SMP: Who are your target audience and why (and what sort of events do you list)?

KMcP: Eventbrite provides the tools for anyone looking to sell tickets or manage registrations online. Organisers have used Eventbrite to sell tickets to all kinds of events ? from festivals to conferences, marathons, shows and classes. Because people use us for every type of event, we?ve processed more than 150 million tickets in 179 countries.

In the UK the biggest category is conferences and workshops, so small businesses are a key target audience for us.

SMP: How did you initially attract users to the Eventbrite UK section of the website and how do you do it now?

KMcP: UK-based visitors to Eventbrite.com are offered the chance to switch to Eventbrite.co.uk. We?ve recently redesigned the light box, which has increased conversion.

SMP: How are you helping businesses and event organisers use social media to make their events more visible (and why is there a focus upon small businesses)?

KMcP: Eventbrite first integrated with Facebook in 2008 when we realised it was driving a significant amount of traffic to the site. Today we have social integrations at every stage of the process, as we?ve learned that this helps organisers sell more tickets, by turning attendees into promoters.

The feedback we?ve had from small businesses is that the tools we offer enable them to run their business better. For example, it gives them the ability to take payments quickly and simply as well as build a database of contacts.

SMP: What are the low moments of what you have been doing so far (in regards to Eventbrite UK)?

KMcP: In retrospect it was a challenge trying to do all that we wanted to do with such a small team (we were less than 10 people for the first 18 months). Now that the team has grown we all appreciate how much more successful we can be with a bigger team.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far (in regards to Eventbrite UK)?


KMcP: It?s always great to see the team come together! There have been some great cross-team efforts ? such as exhibiting at Confex and the UK Festival Awards. But we?ve also organised our own events to celebrate with local event organisers and it?s really inspiring to see the diversity and success from people using Eventbrite in the UK.

SMP: What are the main social channels you are using, why and which are the most effective for Eventbrite?

We?ve found Twitter to be a really powerful way of connecting with event organisers and attendees. We have two Twitter accounts in the UK.  BriteLondon @britelondon helps people discover great events in and around London.  EventbriteUK @eventbriteuk is more focused on event organisers so we share tips and updates to help them make the most of Eventbrite and bring their events to life.

We also have a Facebook page, which is more focused on information for organisers, but does also include some suggestions for great events ? everyone likes to get out to do something fun after all.

SMP: What sort of activity and engagement are you receiving across the social channels that you use and how do you create and sustain this?

KMcP: Twitter drives the highest level of engagement for us. On average we have five to six organisers contact us each day, be with customer service queries or to share their events. We post six to seven times a day on @BriteLondon with event suggestions and less frequently on our Facebook page.

SMP: What do you see as your biggest challenges and opportunities for event organisers (particularly from a digital perspective) and how can you assist them?

KMcP: Reaching a wider audience and effective event promotion is something that will always be a challenge for event organisers; particularly those that are just starting out and don?t have an extended mailing list yet.
Social media allows organisers to reach lots more people so represents a great opportunity.  Eventbrite provides the tools for organisers to effectively promote events and build a network from these.

SMP: What is the most challenging part of building upon the Eventbrite UK?s brand presence in digital environments (including social media)?

KMcP: The fact that Eventbrite has two audiences, event organisers and event attendees presents both a challenge and an opportunity. We want both audiences to find our communications interesting and relevant. The fact that we have so many different events on Eventbrite also means that we?re speaking to a huge range of different people so the content can be quite diverse.

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media / technology for the next 12 to 18-months and what impact could this have on what Eventbrite UK does?

KMcP: Wearable computing and how that integrates with social. It could potentially have a big impact on how people discover and experience events.

SMP: What are your top five predictions for social media for the next 12 to 18-months?

KMcP replies with:

1. We?re going to see event more video, with people only really just getting started with things like Vine and Instagram video

2. Google+ is becoming increasingly important as part of the social marketing mix, like us I think many brands will be working hard to build their community there

3. Paid advertising increasingly important to brands on social

4. Thought leaders increasingly important on social as it becomes harder to be heard

5. ?Medium? becomes increasingly popular as a destination for longer form publishing

SMP: What are your top five social media tips for businesses and event organisers?

KMcP replies with:

1. Set up a plan so you have a timeline (e.g. incentivising early purchases; announcing new speakers/partners). This will also help avoid over communicating

2. Create a hashtag when you create your event. Let people take part in the conversation and get the word out for you from the moment your ticket page is live.

3. Ensure the live tweeting at the event is covered. As the event organiser you?ll probably be managing a hundred other things so allocate this task to another team member.

4. Make the most of platforms like SlideShare and Eventbrite?s Social Stream to curate a post-event summary. Share this in a post event email and on Facebook, Twitter and G+

5. Events provide a great opportunity for content creation. Be sure to use and re-use this content over the weeks and months via social and for publicising your next event

SMP: Best way to contact you and Eventbrite?

KMcP: Katie McPhee, Eventbrite  @BriteLondon or @ktmcphee

Eventbrite app information.
Our latest webinar ?Use Social Media to Sell Out Your Next Event?


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

KMcP: Breakfast: a breakfast burrito and fresh coffee.

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

KMcP: Shared Christmas Cats with my colleague in Boston who loves cats.

SMP: If you weren?t working at Eventbrite UK what would you be doing?

KMcP: So hard to say.  I?m passionate about music, events and non-profits so hopefully something that spans those categories as well as my role with Eventbrite does!

SMP: When / where was the last event that you went to and why did you go?

KMcP: I went to Culture Label?s REMIX conference on 4 December as I was speaking there about The Future of The Box office ? and how Eventbrite?s technology is changing the ticketing landscape.  Below is the presentation from that event.



SMP: What was the best non-Eventbrite organised event you?ve been to in the last six-months and why (it can?t be one you?ve been involved with either)?

KMcP: Shambala was a brilliant festival I went to over the summer. It had a brilliant balance of music and activities.  It was in a lovely setting (and it didn?t rain!).

SMP: If you could attend any event what would it be and why (again, not an Eventbrite promoted event)?

KMcP: I?d love to attend a TED conference.

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

KMcP: Croatia in September.  I went to Dimensions; an Eventbrite ticketed festival and made a trip out of it.

SMP:  What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

KMcP: Make a green tea and check the emails that have come in from my San Francisco colleagues overnight.

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

KMcP: Invisibility.  I?m nosey and would love to know what?s going on everywhere all the time!

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