Member Article

Easier events thanks to new technology

Three Friends who set up a business just twelve weeks ago have launched an innovative internet start-up designed to take the stress out of organising an event.

Based in Middlesbrough, EventSneaker brings together different social media platforms, ticket-selling websites and creates analytical information to help event organisers better plan their events and understand what’s working for them.

The software is the idea of Mark Stephenson, 32, Richard Baister, 31 and Elliott Perry, 23

Mark, from Spennymoor, County Durham, said: “The last few months have been incredibly busy but extremely positive.

“EventSneaker is all about efficiently managing events and communicating with audiences more successfully.”

Mark, who came up with the EventSneaker name in the shower, said: “The trouble for many organisations at the moment is that it’s difficult to track exactly what success their marketing activity is having.

“For instance, they could be spending huge amounts of time and resources promoting their event on Facebook when everyone is finding it through Twitter.

“With EventSneaker it’s easy to track the success you’re having and perform single actions across multiple platforms.”

The company is one of the many creative digital start-ups based at the Boho Four building on Cleveland Street, Middlesbrough.

Already EventSneaker is attracting investor interest and has a number of customers.

Mark, who has a background in information technology, events and data visualisation, said: “We’ve managed to raise some money from various funds and angel investors but are now looking for more to complete and expand our offering.

“We’ve also had a lot of support from DigitalCity Business and its staff”

“DigitalCity Business helped us get our initial idea off the ground and provided us with a lot of useful resources on understanding business practices and taking a product to market. It was through DigitalCity that I was introduced to Bobby Patterson at Searchcamp - our first investor.

“The interest we’ve had has been huge and shows the potential for this sort of software.”

EventSneaker can be used to support any event, from business networking lunches through to music festivals.

There is a charge to use the software although the company is currently offering a 30 day free trial.

Mark Elliott, DigitalCity Business CEO, said: “EventSneaker is a fantastic idea with massive potential.

“It has been shown to save time and money and I’m not surprised there has been such interest in it.

“Often businesses take years to get off the ground but this pair have managed to do so much in such a short period of time – the speed of their success is astounding.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ian Benet .