Eventbrite
A global marketplace and software platform for discovering, publishing, promoting, ticketing, and managing live and online events.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Eventbrite is an American event-technology company whose platform connects event organizers with attendees. Organizers can publish event pages, promote experiences, configure registration or ticketing, collect payments, communicate with participants, and manage check-in and attendance. Consumers can use the service to discover local and interest-based events, including concerts, festivals, classes, conferences, fundraisers, food and beverage experiences, and community gatherings. Founded in San Francisco in 2006 by Kevin Hartz, Julia Hartz, and Renaud Visage, Eventbrite helped establish a self-service model for online event registration and ticket sales in the United States. Its proposition was that organizers of almost any scale could create and distribute an event without building their own ticketing infrastructure. The platform supported free publication as well as paid ticketing, allowing the company to serve small community organizers alongside professional promoters and larger cultural or entertainment events. The company expanded internationally during the 2010s, opening its first overseas office in the United Kingdom in 2012 and later establishing offices or operations in cities including London, Nashville, Cork, Amsterdam, Dublin, Berlin, Melbourne, Mendoza, Madrid, and São Paulo. Its international growth was reinforced through acquisitions, including the Dutch ticketing company Ticketscript, Spanish service Ticketea, Vancouver-based Picatic, and Ticketfly, a major move into live music ticketing. Eventbrite also bought Queue Ticketing, Nvite, and ToneDen to broaden its capabilities in music, event technology, event promotion, and social-media marketing. Julia Hartz became chief executive officer in 2016, while Kevin Hartz moved into the role of executive chairman. The company raised substantial private funding before filing for an initial public offering in 2018. Eventbrite began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EB on September 20, 2018. Its public-company period included cost-reduction measures, workforce restructuring, pricing experimentation, and efforts to improve the economics of its marketplace and software operations. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted Eventbrite because a large portion of its activity depended on in-person gatherings. In April 2020, the company reduced its workforce by approximately 45 percent as event cancellations and restrictions sharply reduced demand; online events did not replace most of the lost revenue at that time. Eventbrite subsequently continued developing digital marketing, discovery, organizer tools, and ticketing services while the live-events market recovered. From 2023 into 2024, the company tested changes to its pricing model. Since September 2024, organizers have been able to publish unlimited events of any size at no charge, while Eventbrite can monetize paid ticket transactions and related services. In December 2025, Eventbrite announced an agreement to be acquired by Bending Spoons in an all-cash transaction. The acquisition closed on March 10, 2026, ending Eventbrite's status as a separately listed public company. The Eventbrite brand and platform continue under private ownership.
History
Eventbrite was established in San Francisco in 2006 by Kevin Hartz, Julia Hartz, and Renaud Visage. The founders designed a web-based service that would allow organizers to create event pages, sell tickets, collect registrations, and manage attendees without developing their own technical systems. The platform also offered consumers a way to find local activities and purchase admission, creating a two-sided marketplace. The company raised private capital throughout the early and mid-2010s. Its financing included a $50 million Series E round in 2011, a further $60 million growth round in 2013, a $60 million private-equity round in 2014, and a $134 million Series G round in 2017. Investors named in public accounts included Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, DAG Ventures, Tenaya Capital, and T. Rowe Price. Eventbrite used this funding to expand its product, international presence, and acquisition program. Internationalization began with the opening of a United Kingdom office in 2012. Eventbrite later developed a broad office and operating footprint across Europe, Australia, and Latin America. Acquisitions became an important part of its strategy. Queue Ticketing supported a push into live music, Ticketscript expanded the European ticketing business, and Nvite added event technology capabilities. The $200 million purchase of Ticketfly from Pandora in 2017 was especially significant because it gave Eventbrite a stronger position among music venues and promoters. Ticketea, Picatic, and ToneDen subsequently added event discovery, registration, and marketing capabilities. In 2016, Julia Hartz became chief executive officer and Kevin Hartz became executive chairman. Eventbrite filed for an IPO in 2018 and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on September 20 of that year under the symbol EB. The public listing gave the company access to public equity markets but also increased pressure to improve operating efficiency and demonstrate durable growth. The business faced a major disruption in 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions caused widespread cancellation of concerts, conferences, classes, and other in-person gatherings. Eventbrite reduced its workforce by approximately 45 percent in April 2020. The company had explored online events, but digital programming represented less than a tenth of revenue in 2019 and did not immediately offset the collapse in physical events. Subsequent operations focused on supporting the recovery of live events while expanding marketing, discovery, registration, and organizer-management functions. Eventbrite also experienced controversy in 2018 after changing its merchants agreement to include language that appeared to give it broad rights to attend and record events. Organizers objected to the wording and to the burden of securing permissions. Eventbrite removed the language and explained that it had intended only to preserve the possibility of arranging event photography or video with individual organizers. Between October 2023 and September 2024, Eventbrite evaluated a revised pricing structure. From September 2024, it allowed unlimited events of any size to be published without a publishing fee, emphasizing organizer acquisition and transaction-based monetization. In December 2025, the company announced that Bending Spoons would acquire it in an all-cash transaction. The deal closed on March 10, 2026, taking Eventbrite private while retaining the Eventbrite brand and operating platform.
- 2026
Taken private by Bending Spoons
[1]Bending Spoons completes its acquisition of Eventbrite on March 10, 2026.
- 2024
Free unlimited event publishing
[1]Eventbrite makes unlimited event publishing free from September 2024.
- 2020
Pandemic restructuring
[1]The collapse in in-person events leads to a workforce reduction of approximately 45 percent.
- 2018
New York Stock Exchange listing
[1]Eventbrite completes its IPO and begins trading under the symbol EB.
- 2017
Ticketfly acquisition
[1]Eventbrite purchases Ticketfly from Pandora for $200 million to expand in live music ticketing.
- 2016
Julia Hartz becomes CEO
[1]Julia Hartz takes the chief executive role, while Kevin Hartz becomes executive chairman.
- 2012
First international office opens
[1]Eventbrite opens its first international office in the United Kingdom.
- 2006
Eventbrite is founded
[1]Kevin Hartz, Julia Hartz, and Renaud Visage establish Eventbrite in San Francisco as an online event registration and ticketing service.
Products and positioning
A self-service, globally oriented event marketplace and ticketing platform for organizers ranging from individuals and community groups to professional promoters and larger live-event businesses.
Event discovery · 2006
Eventbrite Marketplace
The consumer-facing marketplace lets users browse and discover local and interest-based events. Listings can cover entertainment, education, business, food, community, fundraising, and other categories. Discovery is linked to organizer pages and registration or ticket-purchase flows.
Event management · 2006
Eventbrite Organizer
Organizer tools allow individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and professional promoters to create event pages, define ticket types, manage capacity, communicate with attendees, and monitor registrations. The self-service design is intended to support both small gatherings and larger events.
Ticketing · 2006
Eventbrite Ticketing and Registration
The platform supports free registration and paid ticket sales, including payment collection and attendee records. It is used for concerts, festivals, classes, conferences, workshops, and community events. Ticketing capabilities were expanded through acquisitions in music and international markets.
Event promotion · 2020
Eventbrite Marketing
Eventbrite provides promotional and audience-development functions intended to help organizers reach potential attendees. The acquisition of ToneDen added social-media marketing expertise to the broader event-promotion offering.
Attendance management
Eventbrite Check-In and Analytics
Organizer-facing attendance functions support check-in and the management of registered participants. Reporting and analytics help organizers monitor sales, registrations, attendance, and campaign performance.
Controversies
2018
Backlash over event-recording rights
A revision to Eventbrite's merchants agreement appeared to give the company broad permission to attend and record events for any purpose, while placing responsibility for third-party permissions on organizers. Following public criticism, Eventbrite removed the disputed language and said the wording was broader than intended.
Brand decisions
2025
Agree to acquisition by Bending SpoonsM&ABackground
Eventbrite announced a transaction that would end its period as a separately listed public company.
Action taken
The company entered a definitive all-cash agreement to be acquired by Bending Spoons.
Aftermath
The transaction closed on March 10, 2026, and Eventbrite became privately held under Bending Spoons.
Announced transaction value. Approximately $500 million (2025 announcement)
2024
Make unlimited event publishing freePrice changeBackground
Eventbrite tested a new pricing structure between October 2023 and September 2024.
Action taken
From September 2024, the company allowed organizers to publish unlimited events of any size without a publishing fee.
Aftermath
The model placed greater emphasis on attracting organizers and monetizing paid transactions and related services.
2020
Restructure during the pandemicStrategyBackground
COVID-19 restrictions caused a sharp decline in in-person events and ticketing activity.
Action taken
Eventbrite reduced its workforce by approximately 45 percent and emphasized adaptation to changing event formats.
Aftermath
The company continued operating while the live-events market gradually recovered.
2018
Withdraw broad event-recording contract languageOtherBackground
Organizers objected to a merchants-agreement provision concerning Eventbrite's ability to attend and record events.
Action taken
Eventbrite removed the passage after public backlash and clarified that it intended to negotiate permissions with individual organizers.
Aftermath
The episode became a notable example of organizer concerns about platform rights and event-content ownership.
2017
Acquire Ticketfly to expand live musicM&ABackground
Eventbrite sought a stronger position in music venues, concerts, and professional promotion.
Action taken
It acquired Ticketfly from Pandora for $200 million.
Aftermath
The deal expanded Eventbrite's live-music presence, although integration difficulties were later reported.
Acquisition price. $200 million (2017)
Recent events
Reported
Eventbrite launches Eventbrite Boost[3]
Eventbrite launched Eventbrite Boost, a marketing service for event organisers that provides social media promotion, branded email and marketing tools, ticket-sales tracking, and advertising optimisation.
Reported
Eventbrite launches Eventbrite Boost[4]
Eventbrite launched Eventbrite Boost, a marketing platform designed to help event organizers promote events, reach audiences, and manage campaigns.
- Unconfirmed
YouTube expands ticketing partnerships to the UK and Ireland[5]
YouTube announced partnerships with Ticketmaster, See Tickets and Eventbrite that let fans in the UK and Ireland discover concert listings on artists' Official Artists Channels and purchase tickets through the ticketing partners.
Sources5 sources
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