GigMasters

What GigMasters does

GigMasters.com, Inc., operating commercially as "The Bash" since a 2024 rebrand, is a US nationwide online marketplace founded in 1997 that connects party hosts and event planners with local entertainment vendors and event service providers. The platform is organized into specialized sub-marketplaces spanning musical entertainment (bands, DJs, soloists, ensembles, world bands), variety acts (comedians, magicians, dancers, kids' entertainment, impersonators), event services (photographers, videographers, caterers, bartenders, transportation), party rentals (photo booths, inflatables, tents, animal attractions), and speakers and officiants. The company is a subsidiary within The Knot Worldwide portfolio, operating alongside sister brands The Knot (wedding planning) and The Bump (baby/parenting).

The platform's underlying technology is a self-serve marketplace stack with vendor search and matching by service type, location, and event category; a price-quote system enabling rapid buyer-to-vendor RFQs; and a corpus of 210,000+ verified reviews supporting buyer due diligence. Adjacent free planning tools (event budgeter and checklist) and an editorial library of party themes, event guides, and inspiration articles function as top-of-funnel engagement and SEO assets. The platform has facilitated 525,000+ events over 25+ years; no public API, SDK, or native mobile app is offered, and no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The business model is marketplace commission: GigMasters earns a take rate on bookings completed through the platform between buyers (individual party hosts and professional event planners) and vendors (independent entertainers and service providers). Customer segments are consumer-led, with individual party hosts as the primary segment and professional event planners as secondary; vendor supply is a long tail of SMB independents. Distribution relies on SEO-optimized category pages, content marketing, free planning tools, and sister-brand cross-promotion from The Knot and The Bump. The only recorded external funding is a $1.3M round in February 2014; no revenue, GMV, or current booking-volume figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

GigMasters

Legal name

GigMasters.com, Inc.

Website

https://gigmasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Bash (formerly GigMasters) is a US nationwide online marketplace operated by GigMasters.com, Inc., connecting individual party hosts and professional event planners with a long tail of local entertainment vendors, performers, photographers, caterers, and event service providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Event Services Marketplace

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs) (BPAMAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Music Booking (Bands, Soloists, DJs) (HSACAHAA), Professional & Business Services Marketplaces (Freelancers, SMB Services) (BPAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Event booking marketplace
• Party entertainment platform
• Vendor booking service
• Live event marketplace
• Wedding vendor directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwalk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Commission: Platform facilitates booking transactions between party hosts and entertainment vendors, earning commission on completed bookings through the marketplace

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GigMasters (now operating as The Bash) runs a nationwide online marketplace that connects party hosts and event planners with local vendors and entertainers across categories such as musical entertainment, DJs, variety acts, photographers, caterers, bartenders, party rentals, and speakers/officiants. The platform facilitates price quotes, bookings, and verified reviews, supported by free event planning tools and editorial content for celebration inspiration.

Product overview

The Bash is a single-platform marketplace (formerly GigMasters) connecting party hosts and event planners with local vendors and entertainers nationwide. The platform operates as a unified marketplace with specialized sub-marketplace modules organized by service category: Musical Entertainment (bands, DJs, soloists, ensembles, world music), Variety Acts (comedians, magicians, dancers, impersonators, kids entertainment), Event Services (photographers, planners, bartenders, caterers, transportation), Party Rentals (animals, inflatables, tents, photo booths), and Speakers & Officiants. The offering also includes free planning tools (budgeter, checklists) and an editorial content library (articles, themes, trends) to support the booking experience. The platform features 525,000+ events booked and 210,000+ verified reviews across 25+ years of operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Bash Marketplace (formerly GigMasters) A nationwide online marketplace connecting party hosts and event planners with local vendors and entertainers, offering browse, search, and quote-request functionality for booking services across 15+ service categories. Customers can search by service type, location, and event category; vendors list services for discovery. The marketplace has facilitated 525,000+ events and hosts 210,000+ verified reviews across 25+ years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 525,000+ events booked through the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The KnotcoreOthersThe Knot is a sister brand within The Knot Worldwide family. The Bash is part of the same family of brands as The Knot, which focuses on wedding planning services. The Knot serves as a cross-promotional channel driving wedding-related traffic to The Bash.
• The BumpminorOthersThe Bump is a sister brand within The Knot Worldwide family focused on baby and pregnancy-related content. The Bash benefits from cross-promotional opportunities within the family of brands, reaching audiences planning baby showers and related celebrations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GigSalad: Closest direct competitor — an online marketplace for booking local entertainers and event services (DJs, bands, photographers, party vendors) nationwide. Operates the same two-sided marketplace model targeting party hosts and event planners with a comparable service taxonomy.
• Bark: Global services marketplace operating a similar two-sided model where customers post needs and local professionals respond with quotes. Overlaps directly with The Bash in event entertainment, photography, and party service categories across U.S. markets.

Broad incumbents

• Thumbtack: Largest venture-backed local services marketplace in the U.S., covering event-related categories (entertainment, photography, catering, event planning) among hundreds of other home and personal services. Competes for both vendor supply and party/event bookings with substantially more capital and a mobile-first product.
• WeddingWire: Major wedding vendor marketplace and directory that competes for the wedding portion of The Bash's bookings. Already overlaps on photographers, DJs, bands, officiants, and other ceremony-related vendors that both platforms list.
• Yelp: Mass-market local business directory with established vendor listings across entertainment, catering, photography, and event services. Competes indirectly by capturing general-intent local search traffic that The Bash also targets via category-specific SEO pages.

Others

• The Knot: Sister brand within The Knot Worldwide portfolio; a wedding planning platform that also connects users to vendors. While overlapping in vendor categories for weddings, it is treated here as an ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor given shared ownership and intentional cross-promotion.

Emerging players

• Zola: Wedding planning platform expanding into vendor marketplace functionality. Overlaps with The Bash on wedding entertainment and photography categories, particularly among digitally native millennial and Gen Z couples.
• Eventbrite: Large-scale event ticketing and creation platform that increasingly supports event services discovery. While its primary model is ticketed events rather than vendor booking, it competes for the same event planner's attention and wallet share.
• Peerspace: Marketplace for booking unique event venues and spaces. Adjacent rather than head-to-head — Peerspace owns the venue leg of event planning while The Bash owns entertainment/services, but the platforms increasingly bundle offers to the same event planner.
• Aisle Planner: Wedding planning software with vendor marketplace functionality targeting professional wedding planners. Competes for the professional event planner segment that The Bash also serves as a secondary customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GigMasters
• Facebookfacebook.com/gigmasters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gigmasters.com-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 GigMasters