Seatwave hires first group marketing director
Online ticket marketplace Seatwave has appointed its first group marketing director as the company prepares for a major drive into mobile.
Martine Parnell joins from peer-to-peer lender Zopa, where as marketing director she helped grow the business into facilitating more than £500m worth of consumer loans.
She has also held senior marketing and product positions within the Friends Reunited Group where she was part of the team that sold the company to ITV to 2005 and then on to Bright Solid in 2010.
Parnell joins the UK-based Seatwave as it prepares to shift its focus towards the mobile and social aspects of live entertainment. The mobile-focused marketing strategy has been designed to help fans discover more live music, with a new product announcement expected next month.
Prior to Parnell’s appointment, Seatwave’s most senior marketing role was held by chief commercial officer Louise Mullock.
The secondary ticketing market, which also includes brands such as Viagogo and Stubhub, has previously come under criticism for exploiting music fans with high prices. Last month the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse published proposals to the Government to better manage the sector which included legal requirements for more transparency from resale websites.
More than 2.3 million tickets have been bought by fans via Seatwave since it launched in 2007. The company is backed by four international investors: Accel Partners, Atlast Ventures, Fidelity Growth Partners and Mangrove Capital Partners.
