After years of managing a growing festival across multiple platforms, Gulf Coast Jam debuts on Tixr for unified ticketing, deeper fan engagement, and full ownership of their fan data.
Explore tickets for Gulf Coast Jam 2027.
What started as a Labor Day weekend show on the Emerald Coast has spent over a decade becoming one of country music's premier beach festivals. Founded by Executive Producer Rendy Lovelady and Chief Operations Officer Mark Sheldon, Gulf Coast Jam draws tens of thousands of fans to Frank Brown Park in Panama City Beach each May from all 50 states, with lineups that sell out before the current year's festival is even over.
Heading into 2027, Gulf Coast Jam is making another deliberate move: bringing its ticketing and fan commerce onto Tixr. The goal is the same one that's driven every expansion: a better experience for the fans who show up year after year.
From Legacy Ticketing to One Modern Solution
Gulf Coast Jam launched in 2013 with 13,000 attendees and has spent over a decade making deliberate decisions about how to grow: expanding to four nights, building out tiered ticketing, and cultivating a fan base that now travels from every state in the country.
As the festival scaled, so did the complexity behind it. Managing pricing, multiple ticket types, hospitality packages, and fan communication across multiple platforms left the team with fragmented operations and limited visibility.
"When Rendy and I reviewed our current operation, we knew we needed to evolve more. We have grown to a premiere beach festival in the country, and we needed a ticketing partner that could grow with us and push us to the next level." –Mark Sheldon, COO of Gulf Coast Jam
The move to Tixr consolidates what previously required several separate tools into one platform, giving the team unified control over how they manage and market the festival.
Data & Visibility: Turning “Lookers” Into Loyal Fans
For Gulf Coast Jam, the opportunity on Tixr goes beyond consolidation. The team has been specific about what they want: deeper audience data, better tools to reach fans who are interested but haven't yet committed, and the ability to offer more of what brings people back each year.
"Data, data, data. Rendy and I constantly look for better tools to engage with 'lookers' at our event. We know in the end it's all about giving our team better tools to connect with our fans to drive growth."
Within Tixr, the team gets full ownership of their fan data alongside real-time reporting, audience segmentation, and marketing intelligence tools that tie campaign activity to actual sales outcomes. For a festival with Gulf Coast Jam's ambitions, that kind of visibility changes what the team can do from both a marketing and revenue standpoint.
“We needed more control over how we market, price, and package our event due to the tiers that we have on ticket types. We also wanted deeper insights about our audience so we can make smarter decisions.”
Looking Ahead to 2027
Gulf Coast Jam has a track record that puts it among the top country music events in the country. The 2027 festival represents another step forward, and the team is approaching it with the same mindset that has guided every expansion.
"We're focused on delivering an unforgettable experience on the beach, and with Tixr we think we can expose our event to more people than we have in the past," Sheldon said. "We have the opportunity to use new features that we have not had in the past, so 2027 for us, the sky on the beach is the limit."
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