Make it Social, the group booking platform, expects to become profitable for the first time in 2018.
The tech startup, founded in 2013 by Eddie Robb (pictured), has seen significant growth in recent months, most notably since the arrival of ticketing industry veteran Tim Chambers as chief commercial officer in 2016.
With partnerships signed with Ticketmaster Sports UK and Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), as well as Kia Oval, Scottish Rugby Union and English Premier League football club Brighton & Hove Albion, Edinburgh-based Make it Social is benefitting from the more than £1m ($1.4m/€1.1m) it has raised since its foundation.
In an interview with the Times newspaper, Robb said the business has managed to “scale up” at a much faster rate in the last two years, which he believes is proof that investment is starting to pay off.
“We still have to break even but we’re growing month on month, and I expect the business to be in profit in 2018,” he told the Times.
“My skill set is the vision and ideas. I’m not a deal-maker so for the business to work it’s important to bring in people that have those skill sets. Having Tim, with all his industry experience, on board is very much part of that, and it’s been great.”
Potential customers access the Make it Social service directly through the website, or via its trading partners’ websites by clicking a dedicated ‘Book with friends’ link.
Its potential is illustrated by a bookings-per-transaction average of 7.2 with the Kia Oval, compared to the venue’s usual 2.3.
Robb added: “If you think your friends might be interested in an event you’re buying a ticket for, you click and invite them. They’re notified by text or email, and have a specified time to join and buy a ticket — anything from five days to just an hour for very hot tickets — before the tickets are released back on sale. Everyone pre-pays so there is absolutely no risk on the group leader.”
- Make it Social is a sponsor of TheTicketingBusiness Forum (TBF18), which takes place at Manchester’s Emirates Old Trafford on April 17
MAIN IMAGE: James Boyes/Make it Social
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