Couple of months ago I discovered eventstagram and started following their news on Twitter and Instagram. Eventstagram is a live Instagram slideshow for events where participants can view all photos in the same place by using the same hashtag. The photos are shared live on the screen for everyone to see and enjoy them. Eventstagram is very easy to use and all your need is a screen/ projector, laptop or any other device to play the photos and internet connection.
I met Dan the CEO of eventstagram at their Wayra offices to chat about his business, how it all started and what their future plans are. Eventstagram received initial funding from Wyra which is part of Telefónica and invests in up to 20 UK based start-ups each year. In addition to funding, it provides nine month of mentoring and office space in return for small percentage equity in the company. To receive the funding 3,444 companies applied and only 30 were invited to the final and eventstagram was one of the lucky winners.
Launched in 2012, in less than two years the company grew organically and received great support from the events industry. Now they employ 3 web developers, 1 designer, 2 sales and 2 marketing representatives all under the direction of Dan. About 65% of their business is in the US, one of the reasons that from September eventstagram will open an office in New York. The idea of eventstagram was born when a friend of Ollie, eventstagram’s CTO, considered having disposable cameras at his wedding. But Ollie came up with another suggestion of using Instagram. When he didn’t find any solution on the web, being a web developer he just set it up as a wedding present. The couple was able to get all the photos and to create a book out of it. That was a very positive experience where Ollie realised that it can work for any event. Dan came on board to help with sales and marketing and within short period of time eventstagram was used at events in the UK and abroad.
While it can be used at concerts, sport stadiums, parties, exhibitions and basically everywhere where there is a screen and an internet connection, now eventstagram decided to further develop their wedding product which accounts for up to 35% of the sales volume. Wedding features include live wedding album with possibility to print it out and table place cards.
To date one of the biggest eventstagram customers is The O2 Arena and if you tag the photos with #TheO2 they will show up on their screens.
I asked Dan what was their biggest challenge when they just set up the company, but it seems that for them there were not much as from day one they had high-end brands and events using their services. But Dan added that biggest challenge for every company is to find the first customer. If you struggle to find a customer propose to do it for free so you get the experience and the brand name.
Lastly a good advice from Dan on how to leverage the business is very simple, “Find out what works and repeat it”.
Being a big fan of Instagram, technology and the start-up scene it was very inspiring to meet Dan and learn more about their product.
Have you tried eventstagram? How was your experience?
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