Evvnt’s team, like many in the event promotion industry, is a small yet agile group driven by collaboration and a shared passion for creating memorable experiences. Evvnt is a unique business as we provide both B2B and B2C opportunities in the event promotion’s space.
Today we’re going to head over to the B2B side of town to hear from Erin Van Fossen, one of Partner Success Managers (PSM). Evvnt has partners from all over the world who we help provide ticketing and marketing for their event promoters.
Here’s our latest interview with Erin.
Tell us a little more about yourself Erin.
Erin: My name is Erin Van Fossen. I started at a young age putting on concerts and put on shows for 10 years, and then I started managing bands and was on tour every summer and every winter I bartended. I came back to my hometown and ended up having a family. And now I’m a single mother of a beautiful nine-year-old little boy. Then, I had the opportunity to start as a partner with Evvnt before working my way to being a proud PSM.
What is world class service to you as a PSM?
Erin: World class service starts the moment someone becomes a partner at Evvnt. I am there from day one making sure they understand the whole system and what we offer, because we offer so much to both them and their event promoters. My goal is to teach them enough to be confident when using AND talking about the backend technology. That includes doing demos specifically for them when needed and helping them create new events. I also help their event creators post events on both the ticketing side and calendar side of our business. On the calendar side it’s so cool because the event creator doesn’t always realize we have the ability to place their event across more websites.
Love it! For you, what makes Evvnt truly special in how we work with our Partners?
Erin: I think our partners feel us being a one-stop shop in a lot of ways is what makes us truly special, because you don’t just ticket with us. We’re so much more! Your event gets on a community calendar. And your community calendar now goes out to all the other calendars. And you can work with us directly on building out, you know, any campaigns and things like that. I feel like a lot of other ticketing companies can’t offer that.
Yes! Plus, our customer service is top tier.
Erin: Exactly. Most other event companies don’t even have a customer service line or person you can actually speak with. That’s one of the biggest things that I see that stands out from other event companies. A lot of the partners tell me they’re so thankful for the relationship we’ve built because that level of hands-on community is extremely important to everyone’s success.
What is one event you’ve worked on with a partner that really stands out?
Erin: This is the second year we’re doing the Red Wings training camp from My North Tickets in Traverse City, Michigan. The success story comes when it shows how we all as a team from Evvnt to the partner to the event promoter gets better year after year. This year setting the event up was so much easier for them.
We took it on last year, and it wasn’t just helping them build the events and getting their team ready. I was there on site. Our customer service team members Brian and Micah were on calls with us to make sure everything was going correct when ticket sales came live and when we were checking in. And we had such a great outpour from the volunteers and everybody else saying how easy it was and how many people we checked in. I think we checked in 178 people in seven minutes using the Evvnt app. So that’s a huge deal.
And when we started this year, it was, let’s talk about what we liked, what we didn’t like, and what we can do better. We went in and fixed a few things, and their tickets went up for sale. There were no glitches. There was no stress. And they’re so excited that everything’s been streamlined so easily. And I’m going to go out and help again because I actually love hockey.
That sounds like such a fun experience! How do you know what type of help a partner needs?
Erin: It’s really just talking to them. When I first onboard a partner I learn their needs. It’s like, okay, so you guys are really tech savvy. Cool. That’ll be an easy thing for us to go through. We won’t have to spend so much time on that, but your sales team’s pretty new. They’re not used to doing anything like this. Let’s work with them a little harder. Let’s show them how to find these leads, you know, how we can use ChatGPT to find leads, how we can go through other companies and find leads. Just giving them those tools is imperative. We have such a big toolbox. You know, I think of it kind of like you walk into a garage and you see this giant toolbox and you know each car needs a certain part. And some of them are going to use the same part, but they, we have it all sitting there.
That’s amazing, let’s flip the narrative. How can a partner help you make them more successful?
Erin: Hmmm…I think engage. That’s so important, don’t set it and forget it. If you really have the drive and you really want to make the money, it’s not as hard as it seems. But it’s the engagement with me to make sure that you’re telling me or telling Chris (other PSM) or anyone else what you guys are lacking or what you’re strong in that we can help with.It’s also utilizing the advertisement and your friend base and everybody you know a little bit more than you don’t realize how many people you know are doing events every day. And they already know you and love you as the product that you sell or the person you are. So why not make it their one-stop shop so they can do all their advertisement, all their, you know, any of their direct campaigns and ticketing.