Co:Create & EVNTZ Delivered a Revolutionary First Act for the Future of Fan Engagement

80,000 screaming fans. A legendary venue. An iconic artist. Last week, something extraordinary happened for the lucky Harry Styles fans who attended his sold-out concert at Slane Castle outside Dublin, Ireland, the first gig at the iconic venue since COVID began. Not only was playing Slane a marquee moment for Styles, who joined the ranks of legends like David Bowie, U2, and Madonna, but for his die-hard fans, who experienced something unique in today’s increasingly fragmented and transactional fan environment: ownership, empowerment, and rewards — all powered by Co:Create’s web3 APIs and the all new, innovative EVNTZ app.

Let’s hear what took place and why it points to an exciting new future for music fans and their favorite artists.

👀 The Fragmented State of Live Music Experiences today

In recent years, major conglomerates have significantly impacted the live event experience. It has become more and more difficult for artists to interact with fans and for those fans to feel excited, empowered and rewarded when engaging with live music events. For the younger generation of fans who want something more from the artists they support and experiences they participate in, change needs to happen.

“There’s a huge disconnect for the customer when it comes to events. Whether they’re going to one event or 100, they’re treated the same — there’s no rewards, loyalty, or community,” said Kim O’ Callaghan, the founder of EVTNZ and 15-year veteran of the live music industry.

Working with MCD Productions, Ireland’s biggest concert promoter, across project management, event control, venue operations, and customer care, Kim got a 360-experience in everything events. Later on, while overseeing the development of fan-focused, Irish government-backed mobile apps used for major live events such as One Direction concerts, Kim also witnessed firsthand the shortcomings of what fans receive from their engagement.

“It’s very much ‘sell you the ticket. There you go,’ she said. “I’ve always come from the fan side. We need to engage the fans more.”

So where did EVNTZ turn for offering fans something more? Web3 technology — to power gamified, truly owned reward experiences, starting with self-custodial wallets.

🤝 A New Future for Music Fan Communities, Live Events & Artists — powered by web3

Enter a world where web3 empowers true ownership for music fans, allowing innovative teams like EVNTZ the opportunity to plug in and deliver personalized fan-first experiences — fueled by Co:Creates flexible APIs.

That’s precisely the kind of opportunity that came to life at Slane Castle with Harry Styles and his loyal “Harries,” who signed up and got a taste of how web3 — and more specifically, wallets, 5,000 of which were claimed by attendees — can deliver the start of an entirely new and rewarding fan experience. “As a fan base that leans heavily toward GenZ, Harries were a perfect use case for how web3 can give back to the younger demographic of fans looking for a deeper connection with the artist and other fans.

Fans who used the app unlocked an entirely new power of community, transforming seemingly mundane actions like exploring a venue map, booking transport, and posting photos into an intuitive environment that solves the disjointed process fans have to endure and replaces it with a all-in-one app that’s easy and fun to engage with. And that’s just the beginning.

🕺A New Fan Experience Like No Other — All in One

Most people couldn’t remember how many times they’ve clicked “going” to a concert or engaged with any of the countless apps people rely on to attend, share, or explore events online and IRL. Few would argue those arbitrary actions — buying tickets, merch, transportation, or posting an Instagram story — instills in them any profound sense of belonging, whether that’s with artists or event brands and organizers. But through web3, Co:Create, and the EVTNZ app, the model is being flipped on its head — and it’s now possible to rethink the live event experience and explore opportunities for artists and brands to deliver entirely new experiences — and get rewarded for them.

In the future, EVNTZ users (with their newly claimed wallets) may be able to claim exciting self-owned rewards for buying tickets, engaging with social content such as digital memorabilia, buying merch, even calling a ride home, and more to come.

“We need to make fans feel like more of a part of the events they attend,” Kim said. “As a brand, Evntz can lock in closely with the promoters, venues, tours, and artists to build the community, rewards system and loyalty for fans who come to shows all the time.”

🎶 EVNTZ & Co:Create: An Encore is Coming

Following the success of EVNTZ’ activation at Slane Castle, which garnered over 100,000 unique interactions to their app, there’s a lot more on the way. Harry Styles was just the beggining for EVNTZ and their 2024 roster will be dropping soon with some of the biggest names in the world.

With the help of Co:Create, the EVNTZ team is exploring all sorts of rewards features to empower and incentivize the next generation of music fans, who finally want — and certainly deserve — more for their loyalty. For the forward-thinking event promoters, artists, and venues ready to finally give back to the fans who keep the lights on, the future is waiting.

Know this: the next era fan engagement won’t be the same “as it was.”

Learn more about EVNTZ here.