Festicket names CEO ahead of “major growth drive”

Benjamin Leaver has been named CEO of festival discovery and booking platform Festicket and its subsidiary Event Genius.

Leaver has been a non-executive board member of the company since 2018 and also has wide-ranging experience in technology businesses across multiple sectors.

He was formerly COO of Treatwell, the largest beauty website in Europe which in 2015 was acquired for more than $200 million.

As a result of Leaver’s appointment, Festicket co-founder and CEO Zack Sabban assumes the role of president.

In the new role, Sabban will focus on strategic relationships with partners and clients, driving accelerated global growth and capitalising on-demand around the world.

“During the next phase of our development, I want to drive our global growth”

Today’s news follows the appointment of Brian Walker as chief technology officer, and the promotion of Event Genius and Ticket Arena founder Reshad Hossenally to chief operating officer, as the business focuses on a global rollout of its end-to-end Event Genius technology.

Sabban says: “I am immensely proud of how much we have achieved since we started Festicket a decade ago. During the next phase of our development, I want to drive our global growth and take our services to thousands more event creators around the world.

“I am delighted that Benjamin has agreed to lead the business as it seeks to empower event creators everywhere to grow profitably and sustainably as they deliver incredible experiences to people all over the world.”

Leaver adds: “We have an amazing team with an incredible knowledge of what makes live events successful. The coming months and into next year will be one of the most important in the history of the industry.”

“The coming months and into next year will be one of the most important in the history of the industry”

Leading promoter and Festicket senior advisor Harvey Goldsmith comments: “Under Benjamin’s leadership and with an exceptional senior team in place, Festicket can continue to grow as the live events market explodes into 2022.

“When fans attend a show, they want a seamless experience from the moment they leave their homes. Post pandemic the adoption of technology, such as cashless, a core part of Festicket’s offering to its event partners, has become even more vital.”

Founded in 2012 by Sabban and Jonathan Youne, Festicket is the world’s largest platform for discovering and booking festival trips.

In 2019, the company completed the acquisition of Event Genius, and the associated Ticket Arena consumer website and brand.

Event Genius is a UK-based ticketing, access control and cashless POS platform servicing events across the globe.

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