It’s not enough that I’m a wife, a mom of two, a free-lance writer/blogger, a tech columnist, a business consultant, communication manager for my moms’ group, and for some reason… expected to have already decided when, where, with whom, and for how long we will be spending Christmas break….
Two weeks ago, I received notice from my son’s school that I had been “nominated” to be the c0-room parent for the Kindergarten class. Apparently, I did such a stellar job as co-room parent of the Pre-K class last year, they wanted to me do it again… which we all know is code for, “no one else wants do to this and you never say ‘no’… Heh Sucker!”
The job of being a Pre-K room parent was cake. I redistributed a few emails and showed up to the potluck parties. Kindergarten, which is to say the Elementary and Middle School, is a whole other gig. Now, I am actually expected to arrange classroom volunteers, coordinate 80s dress-up day, and something called the “Healthy Snack Party” and the “Apple Unit”.
This is in addition to fielding a million tiny crisis like “What are we supposed to wear for 80s day??” and I ask myself, “Why can’t i just say ‘no’ to these things?”
It’s true. I don’t usually say “no” to anything. In fact, I’m more than happy to help, and in turn, I am always looking for things that can help ME…
- Julia Hartz, Eventbrite’s Co-Founder and President
As I was pondering how I was going to take on the daunting task of being “in with the big boys and girls”, I was given an opportunity to interview Eventbrite co-founder and president, mom, and entrepreneur, Julia Hartz on behalf of Splash Creative Media. It was a thrill to talk to Julia about the challenges of being a working mom and how Eventbrite can help manage school events.
Eventbrite has been the ticketing company behind countless community events, concerts, conferences, and speakers I’ve attend over the years. It has been an active supporter of Not-for-profit (NFPs) organizations such as my very favorite, Help a Mother Out.
Me: What are some of the biggest challenges planners face when hosting an event, and how does Eventbrite help them through it? What tools or analyses do you offer your customers in order to help them pull off a successful event?
Julia: Eventbrite has a fantastic support staff which has access to analytical and anecdotal advice for customers. They take on a more consultative approach, since events are so specific and so personal. On the Eventbrite Blog , there are some great tips on how to plan a successful event such as Five Steps to Planning a Back-to-School BBQ and Ways to Plan for a Crisis.
We are happy to share our general best practices on ticket sales, but we give the event owners final say.
Eventbrite can provide help with wording, setting up your event page, ticket types, and how to best drive sales. We’re basically there to ease anxiety and make this a positive experience.
Me: Hacking, privacy, and identity theft are huge concerns to consumers and Internet users these days. What steps has Eventbrite taken to protect its customers’ personal information?
Julia: Eventbrite is very responsible about securing data. We’re collecting personal information so we must be PCI compliant, which is a requirement if you take credit cards. (This is a very complex and involved process “designed to ensure that ALL companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment”. )
Eventbrite does not share any data with anyone one other than the event organizers. Eventbrite won’t sell any information about its customers. Everything is hosted on the organizer’s page, which offers visibility into sales and trends. This type of key accessibility is an advantage that Eventbrite has over similar services.
Eventbrite also offers an HTTPS site and other privacy options such as invite-only, password protection, etc. We’ve created walls around certain private events (such as school functions) so that they are not searchable.
Working with the Fill the Backpack campaign is such an exciting opportunity for Eventbrite, since it gives us an opportunity to get the word out to schools and organizations looking for help to plan and ticket their events!
ME: How have you used social media to provide your customers a stellar experience using your product? Do you have any partnerships in place or in the works with location-based apps, daily deal sites, or the like– things that would be added-value to the service you already provide.
Julia: Our deepest integration is with Facebook. We have been working with them since 2008, but we have also integrated LinkedIn and Twitter, into our service. We find that this is a great way that Eventbrite helps you get the word out on your events.
The site is designed in such a way that events can be shared on social media easily. This turns ticket buyers into your best event promoters– rely on people who really care about your events to build relevance around it and create word of mouth.
We are always in conversation and trying to find the right partner that aligns with us, but have no relationship with anything else right now.
This post is sponsored by Splash Creative Media as a part of the Fill the Backpack campaign. Eventbrite is a proud and fantastic sponsor of Fill the Backpack. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own, and do not reflect those of Splash Creative Media or Eventbrite
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Wow you sound like such an incredible giving perosn and i hope those classrooms really award you with something nice like a gift basket or tripor something.