The New Virtual Event Experience

Goldstar has been in business for over 18 years, selling tickets to live entertainment, including concerts, theater, sports, and comedy shows. Co-Founder Jim McCarthy discusses watching his industry go from basically being at the top of their game to nothing in a matter of, literally, 36 hours when the Coronavirus basically shut down the nation. We also talk about their platform Stellar and that although this may be the end of concerts as we know them, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s time to up the game of the virtual experience, and this technology will be critical long after we’re back to a post-COVID world. Discussion Breakdown: 3:22 - Jim discusses the background of Goldstar, and their footprint in the concert 10:49 - Jim talks more about what was happening in his business in that week when the world started to shut down, and how they were trying to plan for a future that wasn’t known at all. 14:15 - So as we go forward, will people turn back to in-person concerts, or will the landscape change as we know it. Will we always have to have a hybrid option going forward? 19:04 - As we enter into this new normal in the concert world, what makes a great online experience, and how does the online version maintain the connection that makes concerts so special. 21:45 - This is where we jump into what Goldstar is in addition to their product Stellar, and what makes it so different from other online event experiences. 24:15 - Does the need for screen exhaustion need to be considered, and how are they overcoming it by creating experiences vs just one more video to watch. 25:56 - What kind of technical requirements are there to make something like Stellar happen? Jim breaks down the technology and what it’s run on. 29:53 - What about massive hurdles that needed to be overcome to bring this product to life. Is everyone on board with this? Is there any pushback that they have to deal with? 33:20 - The biggest opportunity in entertainment right now and the mindset shift required to have everyone take advantage of it. 34:06 - Who has to be able to jump on this bandwagon to truly make it work? Is it the venues? Or is it the artists, or is it a combination of both? 38:03- When it comes to pushback, what’s causing it? Is it simply just a matter of logistics? 45:03 - What’s on the horizon for Stellar as the online concert experience continues to be the only thing we can look forward to for a while. You can find out more about Goldstar and Stellar visit: https://www.goldstar.com/ https://www.stellartickets.com/