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Etix Blast! 2019 Recap

Etix Blast 2019 began with a stormy start (thanks to Hurricane Dorian), but a little rain can’t stop the Etix team and clients from enjoying this year’s events. Clients and partners met up in Raleigh, NC for our annual summit for a jam-packed 3 days of industry panels, platform education, and good times with our team.

THE FIRST DAY

Our conference began with our traditional “Etix: Past, Present, & Future” keynote, taking a look into the last 20 years, this year’s pivotal moments, and future expectations. Spoiler alert: We are thriving, and you can expect more platform growth.

After welcoming, attendees dove into the rest of the session schedule that provided a mix of Etix training sessions, client-led panels, and Rockhouse Partners marketing presentations. This year’s topics included box office best practices, how to manage fan security while keeping customers happy, audience insights to boost marketing efforts, an intro to our new APIs, and lessons learned from marketing fails. Mammoth Live, Adhoc Presents, and Sleeping Village gave an insider’s look at the promoter world, while Etix CEO Travis Janovich and Lyte CEO Ant Taylor tag-teamed for a fireside chat about the secondary ticketing market.

In between sessions, attendees were able to learn about and demo ticketing equipment with Weldon, Williams, and Lick, Boca Systems, and Data Capture Solutions. The learning lab was also in session for one-on-one time with our team for any ticketing or marketing assistance.

In the evening, Hurricane Dorian put a damper on Hopscotch’s show schedule of Sleater Kinney and Kurt Vile, but Prism.fm kept the fun indoors at our After Hours Lounge, followed by the after-after party at Trophy, Tap, and Table. We had to call it a night at 2am.

THE SECOND DAY

Day 2 began late with a greasy brunch–the best cure for a hangover. Attendees congregated for our keynote panel with members of the Chicago Independent Venues League (CIVL), moderated by Reverend Moose of Independent Venue Week. Prominent Chicago venues The Hideout, Subterranean, and Metro gave an insightful look at how they keep Chicago live music scene vibrant and out of the hands of corporate interests. The conversation sparked interest among independent venues in other regions to consider how their live music scene is shaped by big companies.

Other sessions included creative ways to use marketing data, how to avoid ticket fraud and a look at Etix ticketing features tailored for different types of events. The main highlight was the unveiling of our most significant product feature yet: ConnectFun. ConnectFun is a cashless solution for rides, games, and food transactions on-site for events like fairs and festivals. Interest in ConnectFun was high, with many questions about what the cashless fair or festival could look like.

The drinks continued with ToneDen‘s marketing meetup. Attendees were able to meet other marketing professionals and Rockhouse Partner reps, and discuss the event lifecycle and digital marketing strategies to capitalize on it. The event flowed into After Hours Lounge and a great view of the Nude Party on Raleigh City Plaza.

The last day was a day of recovery and Hopscotch Music Festival exploration. Clients and employees got together to check out day parties that took over downtown Raleigh and jumped from local venue to venue to listen to new artists. Chvrches and Phantogram closed the last night of Etix Blast! and the Hopscotch Music Festival.

See ya next year! We promise to have ponchos ready for you.

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