ShowBird

Name

ShowBird

Legal name

Showbird Nederland B.V.

Website

https://showbird.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Booking Marketplace

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performers & Specialty Acts Booking (Magicians, Comedians, Circus, Variety) (HSACAHAB)

Keywords

• Online entertainment booking
• Live event marketplace
• Artist booking platform
• Talent marketplace
• Event booking platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Rijswijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Booking Commission (Transaction Fee): ShowBird charges artists a 10% booking fee (excluding VAT) per transaction when their act is booked through the platform. This is the primary revenue stream. Customers use the platform free of charge. For agents, the fee is the agency's own commission rate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ShowBird operates an online marketplace that connects customers seeking live entertainment in the Netherlands and Belgium with 11,000+ performers across 40+ categories (bands, DJs, magicians, stunt shows, speakers, food trucks, kids entertainment, acrobats). Customers can search by category, event type, theme, or location, submit quotation requests directly to artists, and complete bookings through ShowBird's secure payment system. The platform handles contract generation, payment intermediation, and invoicing on both sides of the marketplace.

Product overview

ShowBird is an online marketplace for booking live entertainment acts in the Netherlands and Belgium. The core ShowBird platform connects customers with performers across 40+ entertainment categories including music (bands, DJs, musicians, singers), speakers and presenters, kids entertainment, food and drink services, and special acts (magicians, fire shows, stunt performances). The platform serves three distinct user segments: customers seeking entertainment (via Customer Accounts), performers promoting their acts (via Artist Accounts), and booking agents managing multiple artists (via Agent Accounts). The platform provides integrated services including act discovery, quotation request workflows, secure payment handling, automatic contract generation, and artist payment processing. A notable feature is External Bookings, which allows artists to bring outside bookings into the platform for standardized administration. ShowBird expanded its market position by acquiring competitor Plugify.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ShowBird Booking Platform Core online marketplace connecting customers seeking live entertainment in the Netherlands and Belgium with 11,142+ performers across 40+ categories (bands, DJs, magicians, stunt shows, speakers, food trucks, acrobats). Customers browse by category, event type, theme, and location, submit quotation requests to artists, and complete secure bookings through ShowBird's payment intermediation system which generates contracts and invoices.
• Artist Accounts Registration and profile management system for entertainment performers. Artists create accounts, present their acts with descriptions and pricing, manage availability through an integrated calendar, and receive booking requests directly from customers searching the ShowBird marketplace.
• Customer Accounts Registration and account system for customers to browse entertainment acts, submit quotation requests to multiple artists, manage bookings, and access customer support services across the ShowBird marketplace.
• Agent Accounts Multi-artist management dashboard for exclusive booking agents. Agents can handle multiple artists and acts from a single account, manage profiles and calendars, receive and respond to booking requests on behalf of artists, and enter binding contracts directly with clients. The platform fee for agents equals the agency's own commission rate rather than the standard 10%.
• Plugify Acquired competitor platform for live entertainment booking, operating under the ShowBird umbrella. ShowBird acquired Plugify to expand its position in the Benelux entertainment booking market.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average customer rating of 9.6 out of 10 based on 622 verified reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PlugifyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShowBird acquired Plugify, a competitor in the entertainment booking space. This acquisition strengthens ShowBird's market position in the Benelux entertainment booking market. Coverage appeared in Telegraaf, Emerce, and other Dutch media outlets.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bark: UK-founded professional services marketplace where customers post jobs and suppliers respond — overlaps ShowBird's request-quote-and-book workflow in the entertainment and events vertical while operating at much larger scale.
• Encore Musicians: UK-based agency and marketplace for booking live bands, musicians and DJs for weddings and corporate events — comparable in vertical (live music entertainment booking) and in handling both consumer and corporate demand.
• GigSalad: US-based online marketplace for booking live entertainment (musicians, DJs, magicians, party entertainers) — the closest US analogue to ShowBird's two-sided booking model with consumer and corporate customers and a take-rate revenue structure.
• The Bash (formerly GigMasters): US live entertainment marketplace connecting event planners with DJs, bands, musicians and specialty performers — directly comparable marketplace mechanics, customer segments and artist-side onboarding to ShowBird.
• BookingEntertainment: US online marketplace for booking musicians, bands and headline entertainers for corporate and private events — directly comparable two-sided marketplace serving both consumer and B2B event buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Thumbtack: US-based horizontal services marketplace spanning hundreds of categories including event entertainment (DJs, musicians, photographers). Larger-scale incumbent with similar request-and-quote mechanics but operating outside ShowBird's specialty niche.
• Eventbrite: Large global event ticketing and discovery platform — adjacent rather than head-to-head, but occupies connected event-discovery and supplier-connection real estate that could be extended into entertainment talent booking.

Regional players

• Gigmit: Germany-based online booking platform for live music acts and bands connecting artists with venues and event organisers — directly comparable marketplace mechanics but operating in DACH rather than Benelux.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ShowBirdCom
• Instagraminstagram.com/showbirdcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/showbirdcom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 ShowBird