GiG, a revolutionary event ticketing platform in Kenya, is transforming the way organisers engage with attendees. Founded in 2018 by David Reed and his team, GiG aims to create vibrant communities around events rather than just facilitating ticket sales. In a candid conversation with TechCabal, Reed shared the inspiration behind GiG’s inception, highlighting the shortcomings of traditional ticketing solutions that left event organisers grappling with attendee management post-ticket purchase.
“We started GiG after realizing a lot of the ticketing solutions simply ended at providing tickets and left event organisers with a hard time handling the rest of the attendee management process,”
Reed explained. This realization fueled the development of GiG’s robust platform equipped with tools for seamless communication, interactive polls, and insightful audience analytics.
Expanding Beyond Ticket Sales
While Kenya already boasts established ticketing platforms like TicketSasa and Eventbrite, GiG sets itself apart by focusing on leveraging attendee data to create personalized profiles. Reed emphasized that
“Unlike other ticketing platforms, we focus on using the data collected and volunteered by the attendees to build interest-based profiles for them and link them with similar events and other like-minded individuals.”
By harnessing algorithms to predict attendees’ future interests, GiG facilitates targeted event recommendations tailored to individual preferences.
Taking Audience Engagement to New Heights
GiG redefines event experiences by offering more than just ticket sales; it provides advanced audience engagement tools, fraud prevention measures, and comprehensive post-event analytics. Attendees can actively participate through chat forums, photo sharing features, live streams during events—a far cry from conventional static registration processes offered by competitors.
Reed highlighted how each event powered by GiG comes with its dedicated mobile app enabling real-time interaction between organisers and attendees even after an event concludes.
“Our focus is mostly on event organisers who wish to build a community of their attendees,”
Reed reiterated. This continuous engagement strategy ensures that events are not isolated occurrences but rather serve as building blocks for enduring community connections.
Mitigating Fraud Risks Through Data-Driven Solutions
Ticket fraud poses a significant challenge in Kenya’s events industry. To combat this menace effectively, GiG employs sophisticated data-driven mechanisms that monitor transactions closely. By detecting unusual purchasing patterns indicative of fraudulent activities early on,
“The platform flags suspicious purchases…This reduces disputes,”
explained Reed.
Enhancing Revenue Streams and Expansion Plans
Despite facing revenue fluctuations due to seasonal event cycles,
“Some months are packed with events while others are slow,”
acknowledged Reed; GiG offers diverse pricing packages catering to varying organisational needs—from basic tier plans charging 6% per ticket sale to premium offerings encompassing extensive marketing tools and customisable features.
Having handled over 500 successful events selling more than 80,000 tickets generating revenue exceeding $200,000 predominantly from corporate clients,
“Most of GiG’s growth has been driven by referrals and word-of-mouth,”
mentioned Reed. Looking ahead towards expansion initiatives,GiGbeyond bootstrapping mode explores avenues for external fundingto further enhanceits innovative approach towards modernizingeventexperiencesin Kenyaand beyond.
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