Brian Dear quotes Andy Baio (I presume without permission.)
"Please, Brian, buy Upcoming!" I remember him pleading. "I just don't have the fascination or passion you have for events! Upcoming's just a hobby to me! Buy it so I can afford to go off and do the startup I want to do!"
You have to read the whole thing. Nice stuff, Brian. Glad to see you joining the conversation. Or should I say, "bitch match".
Can't we all just get along?
"There can only be one" - profitable website for events. (maybe two) Who will it be?
Because of the razor thin profit margins per visitor, only the most popular event sites (one or maybe two) can be profitable.
I have been enjoying the event website arena as the founder of eForis.com which launched in late July. We have large plans and are seeking partnership with others in the game.
The look and feel of upcoming.org, eventful.com, zvents, cityguide, citysearch, evite.com, eForis.com, eventcrazy.com, and others are rapidly converging. Sustainable profit and competitive advantage can only be gained by the one or two who have the resources and social expertise to draw a large and loyal following over a period of several years.
cityguide, citysearch, evite, and other popular sites appear interested in event advertising- but haven't improved in their event listing offerings. They may be willing, like Yahoo, to buy more innovative event companies to take them to the next level.
The current race (in my opinion)
First: zvents.com and eventful.com are tied
Second: upcoming.org, with Yahoo backing, can quickly take the lead.
Third: eForis.com - planned overhaul will leap eForis to 1st (my biased opinion)
Randall Bostick
Founder, eForis LLC
Posted by: Randall Bostick | October 12, 2005 at 11:13 AM
Glad to see you've joined the "race" and the conversation, Randall.
Looking forward to what you come up with.
I agree that if you are relying entirely on advertising (or even calendar hosting) as your revenue stream, it is a tough game to play.
Posted by: Peter Caputa | October 12, 2005 at 11:30 AM