And that vertical integration is really key to what makes SeatGeek special because historically in the
industry to get a ticket in your pocket, you had to interact with a bunch of different parties that might have conflicting interests. With SeatGeek it gets consolidated makes it much easier for fans and ultimately that enables folks to just go to
more stuff and have more fun.
Kristen Scholer: So Jack, Im curious about NFTs, how you might be able to use them with what youre
trying to do here. We see that the sports world is embracing NFTs at a pretty rapid clip. Is that something that youre looking to work with?
Jack Groetzinger: Yeah, we think its incredibly interesting. And a lot of what weve seen with the NFTs is people taking things that were
collectibles in the real world and moving them to be collectibles on the internet. Which obviously tickets have historically been a thing that people collect. So were really working closely with our clients and our partners to figure out what
they want and what fans want, so that we can make sure that what were building is not just following trends, but also is really delivering on what the industry needs.
Kristen Scholer: And in terms of major ticket sales, are there certain games, certain events, certain money makers for you on a regular basis?
Jack Groetzinger: Yeah, I mean, whats interesting for me is kind of watching how the market is returning as the impact of COVID decreases a bit.
And what weve seen is sports have recovered more quickly than music. And thats just because it takes longer to organize a major music act. But what that means for 2022 is that theres just going to be a bonanza of concerts as we
talk to the promoters we work with, our clients, many of them have already booked twice historical records in terms of concerts for next year. So I think next year will be a epic year for live entertainment.
Kristen Scholer: And what do you, Ryan Smith, owner of Utah Jazz, and Kevin Durant, of course, the NBA star, bring to this deal?
Jack Groetzinger: When we put together the PIPE for this deal, we wanted to get as many smart people with sports and technology backgrounds as possible
involved with SeatGeek. And with both Ryan and Kevin, I think these are folks whove obviously had tremendous amount of success and are each leaders. And as we look to grow, will be able to help us along in that journey.
Kristen Scholer: Any other deals to be had here in this space? I mean, I know it sounds like your company really does want to grow. Are you looking to
acquire? Is RedBall Acquisition looking to acquire more companies that could be mutually beneficial?
Jack Groetzinger: Yeah. So,
like I mentioned, we came into this with 70% annualized growth. As we come out of it, thanks to this deal, were going to be looking at both organic and inorganic growth. On the organic side, were going to keep doubling down on things
that are already working really, really well. So for us, thats been signing clients, growing our brand, investing in performance marketing, and most importantly building great technology. We are first and foremost a technology company. We want
to continue to build the future of this industry by inventing things that will ultimately help people go to live event and have more fun.