Lee Resnick never thought he’d be fielding calls about the success of his ticket sales.
As the founder of “Barbershopconnect,” an Instagram account with more than 1 million followers, Resnick is passionate about assembling the global community of hair enthusiasts he’s fostered online.
That’s why, in 2016, he created Barbercon- “a music festival for hair. Not only is Barbercon becoming synonymous with “sold out,” it's moving the needle forward for all of cosmetology and men’s grooming.
Joe Fucigna, Head of Touring for A3 Artists Agency has been with Barbercon from the beginning and attributes its progress to Tixr.
“In the past we’ve always gone into venues and had partnerships with local promoters where they controlled the ticketing,” said Fucigna. Now, as a result of having direct access to sales data through the Tixr Door app, Barbercon’s leadership is making groundbreaking observations.
Earlier this month in Austin, Texas, for instance, nearly half of attendees were women. “To give you a little background, most barbering events are predominantly male,” said Fucigna. “Being able to see those [gender] insights and provide that to the brands that are showing up is important.” Resnick recalled one of his clients experiencing a tangible boost in business after he advised they carry more products targeting women.
This type of support for businesses, creators, and consumers amidst a pandemic makes the technological tools Tixr provides even more valuable.
Fucigna emphasized that the app’s waitlist feature was particularly key to Barbercon’s recent success. “Our event sold out a month in advance, so at that point we turned to the waitlist'' he said. “Due to the Covid situation and people dropping out last minute, we were able to fill the tickets which is amazing.” Without Tixr’s feature, Barbercon’s Texas event would’ve had to refund buyers and somehow communicate limited ticket availability to an audience aware of its “sold out” status.
For Resnick, serving that audience is top priority. Having never worked as a barber himself, he feels uniquely positioned to relate to the niche community on a human level. “I’ve never cut hair and now I have no hair, '' the founder joked. As a veteran of the entertainment industry, he’s excited by creating a festival-type celebration where none previously existed for this global fanbase.
Looking forward, the Barbercon team knows their next live iteration in Los Angeles on November 14th will see bigger and better sales. There is relief in knowing that expert eventing tools are already in their back pocket- on the Tixr Door app.
