How Linganore Winecellars Transformed a Regional Festival Into a Destination Experience With Eventbrite

In 1976, the Aellen family planted a single acre of grapes in Maryland. Now in their 50th anniversary year, the Aellen’s Linganore Winecellars spans more than 80 acres of vines across a 240-acre property.

But the Linganore team didn’t just grow grapes. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, they pioneered something entirely new.

“Linganore actually started the very first wine festivals in Maryland,” says Morgan Kilduff, Director of Festivals and Public Events. “We were really the OG here in this area.”

What began as genre experiments — country, bluegrass, jazz — evolved into Caribbean-themed wine festivals that take place three times a year.

What’s more, the festivals don’t just attract local foot traffic, but a multigenerational crowd who travel from across the East Coast — and even from the Caribbean itself.

“Of the 16,000 people that came here last May, 200 of them were from Frederick County. That’s it,” Morgan reveals.

In other words: Linganore isn’t simply running a county event; they’re running a destination experience, and Eventbrite’s unparalleled consumer reach helps make that happen.

Reaching beyond the vineyard: the power of Eventbrite’s marketplace

With only a tiny fraction of attendees coming from their home county, Linganore relies heavily on broader exposure.

That’s where Eventbrite’s marketplace and paid promotional tools make a measurable impact.

When Morgan joined Linganore in 2021 — just two months before her first festival — they were using another ticketing provider, but that platform didn’t meet Linganore’s business needs.

“They just didn’t have any marketing aspects at all,” Morgan explains. 

Eventbrite’s built-in tools meant Linganore could reach new audiences and sell more tickets. 

Today, 21% of Linganore’s ticket sales are driven by Eventbrite’s Marketplace. Eventbrite Ads help bump up sales even further and have become a key part of their marketing strategy. 

“More often than not, we’re using those paid campaigns, the Eventbrite Ads.”

For Linganore’s Caribbean Wine & Music Festival held in May 2025, Morgan ran an Eventbrite Ads campaign in the lead-up to the festival, which resulted in a significant boost to ticket sales.

“At the end of March 2025, we saw a 52% jump in tickets sold during the four days of running our Eventbrite Ad, compared to the daily average value during the entire month of March.”

Morgan has also embraced newer features like conversion vs. awareness campaign types, as well as A/B testing.

“We’ve been playing around with those and seeing the conversions come through and seeing what’s working, and what’s not,” she explains.

The results are tangible, especially when paired with tiered pricing.

Last year, Linganore introduced three pricing tiers: early bird, mid-tier, and general admission. In the days leading up to each price increase, they activated Eventbrite Ads.

“It was really fun to see that huge spike in sales,” she says. “Always when we ran those ads, there would be a nice jump.”

By aligning urgency (price increases) with targeted promotion, Linganore maximized conversions and revenue.

A better first impression: ticket buying as the start of the attendee experience

Putting on 8,000-capacity events requires a seamless ticket-buying experience for attendees, something Linganore’s previous ticketing provider struggled to pull off.

“Our old ticketing platform was a little confusing. It wasn’t always super clear how to get through the ticketing process,” Morgan explains.

Customers had questions. Ticket types caused confusion. The buying experience wasn’t smooth.

And Morgan understood something many organizers overlook.

“For event attendees, the experience starts at the ticket-buying stage. And if that process is difficult, it leaves such a sour taste.”

After evaluating alternatives, Eventbrite stood out immediately.

“One of the things that we really liked was just the ease of the customer experience. It was very clean and clear,” Morgan states.

Equally important was brand recognition. For a festival drawing thousands from outside the region, trust isn’t optional — it’s foundational.

“People know Eventbrite,” she says. “They’ve seen it before. They know it’s legit. That just helps put customers at ease.”

Data-driven capacity management to sell more tickets

Post-COVID, Linganore made a strategic decision: limit attendance to 8,000 guests.

“We capped it at 8,000 people, and since then we’ve kept it at 8,000 because it just has really enhanced the guest experience,” Morgan says.

Eventbrite’s check-in and scanning tools play a major role in managing that experience.

“We use the scanners … I appreciate that we can see how many guests have checked in. I can just log into the back end and see that in real time.”

By reviewing check-in rates, Morgan noticed a pattern during post-event analysis, which provided her with powerful insights.

“We know that 10% of people aren’t coming in … they’ve bought a ticket, but they’re not utilizing it. So we can increase the number of tickets available by 10%,” she says.

That simple data insight allows Linganore to optimize ticket availability while confidently staying within capacity, driving additional revenue without sacrificing experience.

Streamlined operations for high-volume events

Despite the scale of their festivals, Linganore operates with a small team. Morgan can assign multiple users to their Eventbrite account, allowing teammates to step in seamlessly.

“The training aspect and the amount of time that it takes to explain, ‘This is how you do this,’ is very minimal, which I love,” she says.

“I could be off-site, and just say, ‘Hey, can you jump in there and do this for me?’ and they can. It’s great. That’s the best part.”

On event day, the Eventbrite Organizer App gives her full visibility on the move.

“The Organizer App is excellent. I can just check my phone real quick and see what needs to be done or check where we’re at.”

This means more time to focus on the customer experience. This includes their Eventbrite listings, which they recently revamped to take full advantage of the multimedia capabilities.

“We’re able to feature our recap videos,” Morgan says. “Guests want to know exactly what the experience is like before buying a ticket.”

A “reliable and stable relationship”

When asked to summarize the ROI of partnering with Eventbrite, Morgan doesn’t hesitate.

“The whole relationship with Eventbrite is just very easy and very comfortable,” she says. “It’s really reliable and very stable.”

And her advice to organizers considering Eventbrite?

“Look at the process from a customer’s perspective. If you don’t feel like it’s simple and comfortable for you, it’s certainly not going to be for your customers.”

For Linganore Winecellars, Eventbrite’s marketplace reach, marketing tools, and operational simplicity have helped turn a regional winery into a destination festival brand.

As they celebrate 50 years in 2026, Linganore’s growth story proves what’s possible when exceptional experiences meet a platform built to scale them.