Making IT: eEvent
October 22nd, 2011
By Angela Slezak
Andi Sie, president of tech startup incubator eSolutech, faced a problem in 2008 unique to tech startups – he was ahead of his time.
In 2008 eSolutech created openstub.com an ID platform which used QR codes for event registration. Unfortunately, QR codes were not yet understood in marketing so companies weren’t ready to jump into the 2D barcode test waters.
“The startup was too early,” Sie said.
Next Venture: eEvent
Sie’s next venture was eEvent which provides online marketing for large events. Online marketing includes event promotion, communicating with registrants before and after the event and check-in at the site of the event.
eEvent blossomed from Sie’s participation as an organizer of Columbus’ annual Asian Festival, which last year drew a stunning 170,000 attendees and took over 75 committee members to organize.
Sie’s mission as a self-described “mindful entrepreneur” is to make people’s lives easier using technology. Mindfulness refers to a meditation technique of paying attention to all your actions. To Sie, mindfulness in business involves "considering myself, considering others and considering the environment” when determining where to invest his time and energy.
Sie wanted to make life easier for the organizers of the Asian Festival. His commitment to solving problems using technology drove him to create the prototype tool to serve the Asian Festival committees in managing the complex event.
That prototype was brought to IT Martini Hour 8 in December 2009 and won the coveted IT Community Choice Award. eEvent went on to win another two awards -- Event Solutions’ Spotlight Award, Indonesia’s SparxUp Award -- and is listed as one of Asia’s Top 50 Apps.
“We received a good response and got lots of critical feedback at IT Martini,” Sie said. “That feedback and the winning of a few other awards validated the concept.”
From Prototype to Market
Local angel investors and IT Martini Community Choice Award prize money allowed eEvent’s to become a more serious business ventureand helped the company to finalize development and launch its redesigned online marketing tool in January 2011.
Since appearing as a prototype at IT Martini Hour 8 eEvent is now used in over 4,500 regions of the world from Columbus, Ohio to Jakarta, Indonesia and serves clients from large corporations to non-profits.
Last weekend’s New Albany Classic, a local charity event featuring horse jumping and family events, was organized using eEvent. Their participation garnered a cover article in Columbus Business First Magazine:
"The 14-year-old event, held to support the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence, has launched a redesigned website, breathed life into its Facebook page and hired a local e-ticketing company to help it reach a teen audience. With teens immersed in social media as a way to communicate, it only made sense to revamp in a way that can reach that audience, said Abigail Wexner, the coalition’s chairwoman."
In six short months, eEvent grew from a local company started near Dodridge and High Street in Columbus, Ohio to a company that is now compared to the big guys in the industry, including Eventbrite, Sie said.
Overall, Sie's goal is to promote mindful technology. “QR codes allow us to eliminate paper,” Sie said. “Those that still feel more comfortable with ticket in hand can still print a ticket. However, each ticket not printed brings us closer to sustainability."
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Angela Slezak
