More than 120,000 punters rocked up to the Punchestown Festival in Kildare last week and about 100.000 of them acquired their tickets courtesy of the services of Future Ticketing - an Irish company which has established a foothold in the competitive event ticketing market.
Its Chief Executive Liam Holton joined Breakfast Business this morning to discuss his business.
Trinity College uses the company's technology
Its service allows event organisers to sell tickets through their websites without going through a third-party seller like Ticketmaster or Eventbrite. To the user, it looks and feels like you are directly purchasing the tickets from the organisers - while Future Ticketing processes the transaction.
"Our software allows you to brand and create your own user experience," he told Newstalk. This creates a smoother user experience and the company also allows organisers to collect user data - Liam describes this information as "gold dust" for promoters.
Ticket Force gives ticket money directly to businesses and later charges a commission (its rivals take punters cash, before transferring it to organisers minus their fees).
Shamrock Rovers fans / INPHO / James Crombie
Mr Holton added that selling through a third party is, "the equivalent of me coming into your shop and saying 'I want to buy something from you' - and you turn around and say, 'Okay well you have to go out that door - take a left - and come back to us then after you have bought your ticket.'
"That's not the way we feel it should be. That's not a way that we feel helps to sell tickets, it's not the best user experience," he continued.
The Book of Kells & Old Library Exhibition in Trinity College, Shamrock Rovers, and MMA promotion Cage Warriors are among the company's clients.
The firm is based in Tullamore Co Offaly - the chief executive remarked that it can be a challenge to find the right personnel in the Midlands, but the company has a very high staff retention rate. The nearby Athlone IT has also proved to be a strong source of tech talent.
The company now has its eyes on expansion in the UK market.
