Calling all entrepreneurs, trendsetters, and innovators! Eventbrite’s RECONVENE Accelerator provides direct support to emerging creators who build community and shape culture.
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Voting for the 2022 Accelerator class has closed
Meet the Finalists
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PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS
JUNE 21-29 | Public Vote
JULY 14 | Winners Announced

Meet the Finalists

Our 2022 RECONVENE Accelerator program finalists are in and we need your help selecting the winners. Vote now through June 29th.
Vote now
Scotty Crowe
Atlanta, Georgia
Vote for her
Scotty was born and raised in Atlanta and his event series is a love letter to his hometown. His concept “Show and Tell ATL” is a cross cultural, multi-media performance that brings voices together to entertain, inspire, and share work that showcases the city's creative community. He will build off his quarterly living room storytelling series, bringing the event to bigger, more unconventional spaces.
Finalist 1/10
Juan G.
Oakland, California
Vote for her
Juan G. is a longtime San Francisco Bay Area DJ who’s been exposing audiences to Afro-pop music and cultivating a community around the genre for more than a decade. Along with Asaba Kugonza, he co-founded Afrobeats Oakland. Their series "Ladies First," will feature an all-female lineup, showcasing the talent and diversity of DJs that uplift music from the African diaspora.
Finalist 2/10
Melody Lewis
Phoenix, Arizona
Vote for her
Melody is Mojave/Tewa/Hopi, an enrolled member of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, the founder of Indigenous Community Collaborative, and the co-founder of Cahokia: Social Tech + ArtSpace. She will launch the first Indigenous People’s Day Block Party at Roosevelt Row Arts District in Downtown Phoenix. The block party will uplift Indigenous voices and entrepreneurs, featuring a fashion show, live art, and music.
Finalist 3/10
Kate McLachlan & Lee Robinson
Denver, Colorado
Vote for her
Kate and Lee are the founders of Dyketopia, a queer comedy variety show that routinely sells out tickets in under a minute. Their concept "Camp Dyketopia" builds off this success, proposing a queer comedy and arts festival where you can learn how to prepare for a drag performance, get your tarot read, meet a new friend (or two) while you listen to live music, and be introduced to new queer artists.
Finalist 4/10
Larissa "Larz" May
Sonoma, California
Vote for her
Larz is one of Gen-Z's most influential mental health advocates and the founder of #HalfTheStory, a non-profit dedicated to empowering young people to reconsider their relationship with social media. Her series "Screen Free Weekends" connects teens IRL to strengthen their offline support systems through interactive activities. The previous event drew 3,500 people in Washington Square Park, and the new series will kick-off on Global Day of Unplugging on August 6th.
Finalist 5/10
Britt Parrish
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Vote for her
Britt is a plant enthusiast on a mission to spread the message that “there’s a plant for everyone.” Her series “Plant.Sip.Vibe" brings people together to learn and build community around houseplants. The event features a workshop detailing specific houseplants and the skills to care for them, accompanied by wine, charcuterie style foods, raffle prizes, a DJ, and conversation. Already a success in Tulsa, she is ready to take the concept across the country.
Finalist 6/10
Syd Suntha
Seattle, Washington
Vote for her
Syd left the music industry to become a chef and his concept for a 36 course dinner inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan combines his love for music and food. Laden with references to the hip-hop group’s debut album Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers), the courses included in the meal will feature dishes from local chefs and curated beverages, accompanied by experiences such as live painting, cellists playing Wu-Tang tracks, spoken word artists, escape room boxes, DJs, and more.
Finalist 7/10
Tempest
Portland, OR
Vote for her
Tempest is a science fiction and fantasy writer. She plans to launch a local book fair for children and teens featuring BIPOC authors and characters. The fair will also welcome authors to sign books, give talks and readings, and participate in other literary-based activities. Every child will get a free book as part of their ticket.
Finalist 8/10
Nancy Volpe Beringer
Flourtown, Pennsylvania
Vote for her
Nancy made history at age 64 as the oldest designer ever to be a contestant on Bravo’s Project Runway, where she showcased the most sustainable and accessible collection ever to walk on the show’s season 18 finale at New York Fashion Week. Her interactive, educational event series “sus•tain•OUR•a•bil•i•ty” will bring fashion pioneers, disability advocates, models, and influencers together to celebrate adaptive design, accessibility and sustainability in fashion.
Finalist 9/10
Makensy Venerri
Portland, Oregon
Vote for her
Makensy runs community programs at a start-up called Masa, whose mission is to connect local people that eat food with the local farmers that grow food. Their “Seed In Desert” series will be a four-day hybrid in-person and online event featuring award-winning and emerging chefs creating meals made with produce grown within 100 miles of Portland, in addition to workshops that explore composting, seed sovereignty, biodiversity, and more.
Finalist 10/10
To guide our first Accelerator class, we’ve enlisted a panel of seasoned creators and curators, the minds behind some of the event series that inspire us most. They’ll help select our winners and provide mentorship as the winners plan their event series.
Vote now
Scotty Crowe
Atlanta, Georgia
Vote for her
Scotty was born and raised in Atlanta and his event series is a love letter to his hometown. His concept “Show and Tell ATL” is a cross cultural, multi-media performance that brings voices together to entertain, inspire, and share work that showcases the city's creative community. He will build off his quarterly living room storytelling series, bringing the event to bigger, more unconventional spaces.
Finalist 2/10
Juan G.
Oakland, California
Vote for her
Juan G. is the co-founder of Afrobeats Oakland and a longtime San Francisco Bay Area DJ. For more than a decade, he’s been exposing audiences to Afro-pop music and cultivating a community for the genre. The series "Ladies First," organized by the Afrobeats Oakland collective will feature an all-female lineup, showcasing the talent and diversity of Afrobeats DJs.
Finalist 3/10
Melody Lewis
Phoenix, Arizona
Vote for her
Melody is Mojave/Tewa/Hopi, an enrolled member of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, the founder of Indigenous Community Collaborative, and the co-founder of Cahokia: Social Tech + ArtSpace. She will launch the first Indigenous People’s Day Block Party at Roosevelt Row Arts District in Downtown Phoenix. The block party will uplift Indigenous voices and entrepreneurs, featuring a fashion show, live art, and music.
Finalist 4/10
Kate McLachlan & Lee Robinson
Denver, Colorado
Vote for her
Kate and Lee are the founders of Dyketopia, a queer comedy variety show that routinely sells out tickets in under a minute. Their concept "Camp Dyketopia" builds off this success, proposing a queer comedy and arts festival where you can learn how to prepare for a drag performance, get your tarot read, meet a new friend (or two) while you listen to live music, and be introduced to new queer artists.
Finalist 5/10
Larissa "Larz" May
Sonoma, California
Vote for her
Larz is one of Gen-Z's most influential mental health advocates and the founder of #HalfTheStory, a non-profit dedicated to empowering young people’s relationship with social media. Her series "Screen Free Weekends" connects teens IRL to strengthen their offline support systems through interactive activities. The previous event drew 3,500 people in Washington Square Park, and the new series will kick-off on Global Day of Unplugging on August 6th.
Finalist 6/10
Britt Parrish
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Vote for her
Britt is a plant enthusiast on a mission to spread the message that “there’s a plant for everyone.” Her series “Plant.Sip.Vibe" brings people together to learn and build community around houseplants. The event features a workshop detailing specific houseplants and the skills to care for them, accompanied by wine, charcuterie style foods, raffle prizes, a DJ, and conversation. Already a success in Tulsa, she is ready to take the concept across the country.
Finalist 7/10
Syd Suntha
Seattle, Washington
Vote for her
Syd left the music industry to become a chef and his concept for a 36 course dinner inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan combines his love for music and food. Laden with references to the hip-hop group’s debut album Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers), the courses included in the meal will feature dishes from local chefs and curated beverages, accompanied by experiences such as live painting, cellists playing Wu-Tang tracks, spoken word artists, escape room boxes, DJs, and more.
Finalist 8/10
Tempest
Portland, OR
Vote for her
Tempest is a science fiction and fantasy writer. She plans to launch a local book fair for children and teens featuring BIPOC authors and characters. The fair will also welcome authors to sign books, give talks and readings, and participate in other literary-based activities. Every child will get a free book as part of their ticket.
Finalist 1/10
Nancy Volpe Beringer
Flourtown, Pennsylvania
Vote for her
Nancy made history at age 64 as the oldest designer ever to be a contestant on Bravo’s Project Runway, where she showcased the most sustainable and accessible collection ever to walk on the show’s season 18 finale at New York Fashion Week. Her interactive, educational event series “sus•tain•OUR•a•bil•i•ty” will bring fashion pioneers, disability advocates, models, and influencers together to celebrate adaptive design, accessibility and sustainability in fashion.
Finalist 9/10
Makensy Venerri
Portland, Oregon
Vote for her
Makensy runs community programs at Masa, whose mission is to connect local people that eat food with the local farmers that grow food. Their “Seed In Desert” series will be a four-day hybrid in-person and online event featuring award-winning and emerging chefs creating meals made with produce grown within 100 miles of Portland, in addition to workshops that explore composting, seed sovereignty, biodiversity, and more.
Finalist 10/10

Vote for your favorite finalist

One vote per person. Voting ends June 29 at 11:59pm PT.
Share

Scotty Crowe

Juan G.

Melody Lewis

Kate McLachlan and Lee Robinson

Larissa “Larz” May

Britt Parrish

Syd Suntha

Tempest

Nancy Volpe Beringer

Makensy Venneri

Meet the Mentors

To guide our first Accelerator class, we’ve enlisted a panel of seasoned creators and curators, the minds behind some of the event series that inspire us most. They’ll help select our winners and provide mentorship as the winners plan their event series.

Elyse Fox

Founder and CEO, Sad Girls Club

Jocelyn
Ramirez

Founder, Todo Verde

Duy Nguyen & Mike Pak

Founders, Koreatown Run Club & Love Hour

Dj Skee

DJ, TV Host & Entrepreneur

Award
Benefits
  • $10,000 award to launch
    your first event
  • Specialized coaching to help guide your project
    including workshops with Eventbrite executives, marketing experts, product specialists, and
    our industry insiders
  • Peer-to-peer networking
    and introductions to top event creators around the country

Selection Process

A total of five winners will be selected to participate in the Accelerator program. Two winners will be decided by a public vote, and three winners will be hand-picked by our Mentors.

Who Should Apply?

RECONVENE Accelerator is built to support all different kinds of events — music, art, fitness, culinary — you name it. Whether or not you’ve ever hosted an event, you may be a great fit for the program. We’re looking for hustlers, innovators, and trendsetters who are passionate about bringing people together to create or nurture a community.

If you’re interested in building or growing an events business and are ready to get things off the ground, then RECONVENE Accelerator is for you!

Application Criteria

We are focusing on emerging creators to help unlock access and nurture new ideas.
To apply, you should be:

  • An independent creator (not representing a corporation, ex: a sole proprietor, small business with <10 employees, or a 501(c)(3) organization)

  • Pitching a brand new event series

  • Hosting a paid, ticketed event

  • Based in the United States, pitching an event series taking place within the US or online

  • 18 years of age or older

Evaluation Criteria

As we choose our finalists, we’ll evaluate event concepts based on the following criteria:

Cultivating Community

  • Serves a specific community (communities can be based on geography, interest, industry, identity, etc.)

  • Presents a clear and positive benefit to participants (ex. educational enrichment, fostering social connection, developing skills, offering networking opportunities, etc.)

  • Creator demonstrates a history of working with their intended audience

Creativity

Presents a new, unique, or innovative approach to:

  • Event concept or format

  • Participation or accessibility

  • Bringing communities together

  • Attendee benefit or takeaway

Feasibility

  • Defined project plan and goals

  • Clear opportunity for repetition or iteration

  • Detailed and appropriate budget

SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES

To submit your application, fill out the application by clicking “Apply Now” and be ready to provide the following:

  • Answer all questions in the form clearly and in detail

  • Provide an itemized budget for how you will invest the $10,000

  • Include a headshot to be used on our voting page if you are selected as a finalist

  • Optional: Submit a short video showing us who you are, who your community is, and how you plan to bring them together with an impactful event

Important Dates

JUN 06
Application
Deadline
JUN 21
Finalists
Announced
JUN 21-29
Public
Vote
JUL 14
Winners
Announced
AUG 1 - 12
ACCELERATOR
PROGRAM
OCT 31
deadline to host your event