We sat down with Joel Crouch, GM for Eventbrite’s London and Cork offices, to talk about the evolution of his teams so far, and about what’s in store for 2018…
When I speak to people in the UK or in Ireland about Eventbrite, the usual response is, “I know Eventbrite, I have bought a ticket from you guys”, or, “Yes, I’ve used Eventbrite for putting on an event” – and it’s great to have that recognition. However, what is perhaps less well known is the kind of presence Eventbrite has in the UK and Ireland – for instance, what kind of a company are we to work for…and why is our logo so very orange?!
Let’s start at the very beginning
Eventbrite opened its first international office (we are now present in twelve countries) in London back in 2011, with just one Marketer – this was primarily because the use of our platform in London at the time was as significant as it was in many US cities. However, since then – as our business has developed from ticketing to complete event management – our people and our offices have also changed and grown.
Our office in London developed rapidly across a multitude of functions, from Marketing to Business Development, Account Management to Field Operations, HR, and more. We eventually reached a size where we needed to look at how to continue to scale the business effectively and, as a result, in 2016, we opened an additional office in Cork, which also serves our customers across the whole of Europe.
In a very short space of time, Cork has become a hive of activity, with new functions being added continuously and a plethora of roles to fill in Customer Services, Account Management, Business Development and Finance. And that brings us to present day, where we are currently recruiting for both our London and Cork offices and looking forward to welcoming another wave of talent on board.
A bit about me
I joined the company just over two years ago to help our London office complete the transition from scrappy start-up to what we are today – an accelerated growth company that now employs people across two offices, and on both sides of the Irish Sea.
“It has been an incredible ride so far. Why? Because of the people and the culture.”
I have been very fortunate in my career to work for some incredible technology companies. Each time I have moved, the culture and dynamic of the next company have become more and more important in my decision-making criteria.
“Eventbrite, for me, has set a bar on how hiring the right people and developing the right culture can breed collaboration and productivity.”
Moving at the pace we do is not easy, but when you are working with a team that is strong and committed, disrupting an entire industry is actually a joyous challenge! The secret sauce here is empowerment – we want our people to take the initiative, make decisions, run with things and, of course, make the mistakes as well.
This all accelerates learning for both our people, and the company, and it is the reason why our teams are growing – empowered teams breed motivation and results.
What’s in store for 2018?
On that note of growing teams, I was in Cork last week for a recruitment evening – an opportunity for Corkonians to come and understand more about who we are, what we do, and what it is like to work for us. It was an incredible event to attend and exceeded all expectations.
There were well over 100 attendees which, in itself, was amazing to see, but what really blew me away was the overwhelming enthusiasm and the obvious talent in the room. An evening that could have been a series of slightly awkward sales pitches (by us and by them) was, in reality, an incredibly fun evening, full of lively conversations and opportunities for people to get to know each other.
“It was also lovely to hear such positive feedback about our Cork team, many of whom were in attendance.”
They spoke with such genuine passion and dynamism for the company, and this really is a reflection of the atmosphere in Cork, London, and across all Eventbrite office – there is a sense of innovation and motivation in the air. It’s an exciting time to be part of this.
Conclusion
I returned from Cork to London, feeling more positive than ever about the year ahead. I believe that in order to keep changing and innovating in our industry in 2018, we need more amazing people to join us. Maybe it’s you?
“If the mainstage is Event Management, then Eventbrite is graduating from Supporting Act to Headliner.”
…and as to why our logo is orange, that is a question for our CEO, Julia Hartz, and as an Eventbrite employee, you actually get to talk to her on a regular basis during our “Hearts to Hartz” townhall sessions, so you can ask. All I can tell you is that as a proud, ginger-headed man (or used to be before it went grey), I think the choice of colour is perfect!
