Red61

What Red61 does

Red61 is an Edinburgh-based ticketing-as-a-service (TaaS) provider founded in 2002 that builds cloud-based ticketing software for arts, culture, and live-event organisations. Its platform is hosted on Amazon Web Services and serves a client base anchored by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with which Red61 has held a 20-year relationship since 2005, alongside other major festivals (Adelaide Fringe, Edmonton International Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh's Hogmanay), theatres, attractions, and government ticketing clients across the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The platform's defining feature is a collaborative cross-selling architecture that links independent venues into shared ticketing networks, with up to 17 separate instances communicating simultaneously during Edinburgh Fringe 2024, enabling participating organisations to sell tickets for each other through a single integrated experience.

The product is modular: core ticketing is complemented by a Front of House mobile access-control app for iOS and Android with Stripe Tap-to-Pay, reserved seating plan builder, white-label WordPress microsites, an industry-leading API for custom integrations, integrated CRM and marketing tools, an accreditation portal for festival delegates, and digital wallet delivery through Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. Payments are processed via Stripe, with regional partners Moneris (Canada) and Linkly (Australia), supporting Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, and Afterpay/Clearpay under a PCI-compliant architecture. Integrations extend to Salesforce, Power BI, Excel, Google Sheets, Airtable, and four video providers (YouTube, Zoom, Vimeo, Brightcove) for digital events, with full data export and BI connectivity.

Red61 monetises through a combination of transaction-based fees and SaaS subscription/licensing charges, with pricing set via a quote-based enterprise sales motion and multi-year contracts; specific tiers are not publicly disclosed. The company operates with 11-50 employees across the UK, Canada, and Australia, runs an enterprise field-sales GTM with regional phone numbers for the UK, ANZ, and North America, and has raised multiple funding rounds since 2008, most recently a £1.4 million seed in May 2021 led by Par Equity and the Scottish Investment Bank. The business is privately held with plans for a future Series A round and continued product and geographic expansion.

Name

Red61

Legal name

Red Sixty One Limited

Website

https://red61.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Edinburgh-based Red61 provides cloud-based ticketing-as-a-service on AWS for festivals, theatres, and government clients across the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the US. Its platform enables collaborative cross-selling across venue networks, anchored by a 20-year Edinburgh Festival Fringe partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Ticketing Software

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Primary Ticketing Platforms & Box Office Systems (MPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ticketing, Box Office & Access Control (MPAGAAAD), Ticketing Platforms & Primary Ticketing (MPAIAFAD), Event Marketing, Ticketing & Registration Management (HSACAAAM)

Keywords

• Cloud ticketing platform
• Event ticketing software
• Festival ticketing solutions
• Box office software
• Venue management system

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Ticketing Platform Fees: Red61 operates as a Ticketing-as-a-Service provider, generating revenue through platform fees charged to venues, festivals, and arts organizations for using their ticketing system. The platform supports transaction-based fees, subscription arrangements, and flexible pricing models tailored to client needs.
2. SaaS Platform Subscription: Provides scalable ticketing infrastructure with cloud hosting through AWS, CRM tools, and reporting analytics as part of the platform offering, suggesting subscription or licensing revenue components.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Red61 provides a cloud-based Ticketing-as-a-Service platform for festivals, theatres, performing arts venues, exhibitions, attractions, cinemas, and government/council organizations. The offering includes the core ticketing engine with collaborative cross-selling, a mobile Front of House access-control app, white-label WordPress ticketing microsites, a comprehensive REST API for custom integrations, integrated CRM and marketing tools, reserved seating plans, memberships and passes, merchandise/gift voucher sales, fundraising tools, accreditation portals, and AWS-hosted scalable infrastructure.

Product overview

Red61 is a Ticketing-as-a-Service provider offering a modular platform built around its core Red61 Ticketing Platform. The ecosystem includes the Front of House access-control app, WordPress white-label microsites, Artist/Promoter Ticket Management Portal, Accreditation Portal, and comprehensive Reporting & Analytics tools. Payment integrations (Stripe, Moneris, Linkly, Klarna), digital wallet delivery (Apple/Google), video streaming capabilities, and CRM/Marketing modules extend the platform. The product architecture supports single venues to complex multi-site festival networks with collaborative cross-selling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Red61 Ticketing Platform Core ticketing system for venues, festivals, theatres, and arts organizations, providing event management, ticket sales, access control, CRM, analytics, and collaborative cross-selling across multi-venue networks. Built to handle high-volume, multi-venue festival environments such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
• Mobile Ticket Sales and Access Control

Quantifiable outcome

• Edinburgh Fringe processes 2.8 million tickets per month at peak, with the system handling 'a stadium's worth of tickets every single day'
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration20 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides cloud-based hosting infrastructure for Red61's ticketing platform, offering scalable, reliable, and secure database hosting with world-leading technology.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary payment processing partner. Enables Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe Link for saved cards, Klarna buy-now-pay-later, and Stripe Tap-to-Pay for mobile sales. Part of Red61's PCI compliance.
• MoneriscoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partner for Canadian clients. Works alongside Stripe as part of Red61's PCI compliance ecosystem.
• LinklycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing partner for in-person sales in Australia, complementing Stripe for online transactions.
• Apple (Apple Wallet)strategicTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Apple Wallet for digital ticket delivery and mobile membership passes. Red61 leverages Apple's wallet technology for secure, convenient ticket access.
• Google (Google Wallet)strategicTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Google Wallet for digital ticket delivery and mobile membership passes. Enables Google Pay for online payments through Stripe.
• KlarnastrategicTechnology or IntegrationBuy-now-pay-later payment option enabled through Stripe integration, providing flexible payment options for customers at checkout.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Spektrix: UK-based ticketing and CRM platform purpose-built for arts and cultural organizations. Directly comparable to Red61 in serving theatres, venues, and festivals with a subscription SaaS model, particularly in the UK and Irish arts market.
• Tessitura Network: US-based unified ticketing, CRM, and fundraising platform serving performing arts organizations, museums, and cultural institutions. Comparable to Red61 in targeting the arts and culture vertical with deep CRM and patron management capabilities.
• AudienceView: Toronto-based ticketing and commerce platform serving arts, sports, and live events with end-to-end box office and online sales. Comparable to Red61 in supporting performing arts organizations and Canadian/international venues, with overlap in festivals and attractions.
• Ticketsolve: Ireland-based cloud ticketing platform focused on arts, festivals, and cultural organizations across the UK and Europe. Directly comparable to Red61 in serving small-to-mid venues and festival organizers with subscription-based SaaS pricing.
• PatronBase (by TRG Arts): Cloud-based ticketing and CRM system for arts and entertainment organizations in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. Directly comparable to Red61 in serving performing arts centers and cultural venues with subscription pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Eventbrite: Large US-based public ticketing platform serving events of all sizes globally. Comparable to Red61 in providing ticketing SaaS but broader and self-serve rather than specializing in arts festivals and large multi-venue operators.
• Ticketmaster: Global primary ticketing incumbent serving concerts, sports, and large live events. Comparable to Red61 in primary ticketing but operates at vastly greater scale and serves a different mix of customers, with global brand and distribution advantages.
• See Tickets: UK and Europe-focused ticketing platform owned by Vivendi, serving festivals, concerts, and live events. Comparable to Red61 in UK festival ticketing but at much larger scale and broader event verticals.

Regional players

• TryBooking: Australia and New Zealand-based ticketing platform serving community events, festivals, and venues. Comparable to Red61 in addressing the ANZ festival market that Red61 also serves with Adelaide and Melbourne clients.

Emerging players

• TixTrack: US-based enterprise ticketing platform serving performing arts, museums, and attractions. Comparable to Red61 in providing modern cloud ticketing for cultural venues, with overlap in reserved seating and CRM features.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RED61ticketing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2853204
• Instagraminstagram.com/red61ticketing
• Xx.com/red61ticketing

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red61