Eventbrite Study Demonstrates Events as Valuable Offline Platform for Improving Tech Skills

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwired – June 18, 2015) – Eventbrite, the global ticketing and events marketplace, today released new research on how events are leveraged as a valuable platform for staying current in a world where technology is increasingly pervasive. The report, “Keeping up with the Coders: Surprising findings in the who, what, and where of today’s booming tech events,” features insights from an analysis of 70,000 technology-related events on the Eventbrite platform and survey data from more than 3,000 attendees. Key findings include:

Tech Events Emphasize Learning and Employers See the Value

The analysis revealed 86% of the technology events had programming intended to help attendees learn about tech topics. Of those learning-focused events, more than two-thirds (68%) were in the format of a class, workshop, or included a featured speaker. The remaining portion (32%) classified as conferences, or networking-style events hosted by hobby and professional groups. Employers recognize the importance of continued education around technology with 66% of respondents indicating that their employer picked up at least some of the costs related to their attendance.

Motivation Beyond Money

While building tech skills related to work-specific needs was a common driver for attending tech literacy events, more than 64% of those surveyed said they had a personal interest in learning more about the topics covered during the events. Other motivations included building skills needed for a current job (55%), networking (49%), building skills needed for a promotion (46%) and building skills needed to switch careers (15%). Approximately 50% of the classes and workshops attended by survey respondents were targeted towards people with an Intermediate skill level.

Attendee Demographics Shatter Tech Stereotypes

Skewing female (55% versus 45% male) and over the age of 40 (nearly 50%), the research shows that tech literacy events are engaging a group of people that reaches outside traditional norms for tech audiences. The data also demonstrates the importance of technology across all professional fields with 60% of those surveyed reporting they work in a profession not traditionally considered a “tech job.” While the single largest professional group represented among attendees was Information Technology or Information Systems at 17%, attendees span beyond the IT universe; Marketing and Sales professionals made up 14% and were not far behind as the second largest group.

High-Tech Communities Fuel Tech Event Ecosystem

The company’s analysis of more than 70,000 tech-related events also identified the top cities for tech events overall — a list of metros that boast vibrant tech and startup communities — as well as the fastest-growing for tech events, which surfaces cities that are home to major tech companies and leading universities:

“As a platform that provides ticketing and registration for tens of thousands of technology-related events for these types of events every year, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver insights on how people use them to stay current, and to better understand who attends these gatherings,” said Mike Flynn, head of business and professional marketing at Eventbrite. “Our findings revealed that tech event attendees fit a very different profile than you would expect, and some of the fastest-growing cities for tech events are locations not traditionally thought of as tech hubs.”

For more details and to view the full report, please visit the Event Academy, Eventbrite’s resource for event organizers with webinars, whitepapers, and industry insights for events of any kind. To learn more about Eventbrite ticketing and registration for business and professional events, check out eventbrite.com/smallbusiness.

About Eventbrite

Eventbrite is the global marketplace for live experiences that allows people to find and create events. Since 2006, the self-service platform has helped event organizers of all kinds to sell more tickets through robust technology and promotional tools, totaling $3.5 billion in gross ticket sales. In addition to providing technology for organizers, Eventbrite has become the destination for consumers looking to discover a variety of live experiences from small photography and yoga classes to large concerts and festivals with tens of thousands of attendees. More than 200 million tickets have been processed on the platform, and in 2014 alone, Eventbrite processed $1.5 billion in gross ticket sales for attendees in more than 180 countries. Eventbrite investors include Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global and T. Rowe Price. Learn more at www.eventbrite.com.