Happy Birthday To Ticketsolve

Around the time of her first birthday, I embarked on a different adventure: 10 years ago, was when we founded Ticketsolve.

If I am honest, 10 years ago feels like a lifetime ago - and not at all that long ago - all at the same time. I can vividly remember my daughter's first shaky steps, just as well as I can remember our initial meetings around a very nascent online box office idea. At the time, we were running a pretty successful software consultancy firm. And while I loved that, being a programmer at heart, I really wanted to build something that would be different. But making the leap to Ticketsolve was a definite risk - especially when I was thinking of my young family.

In those early days, it was so clear that the arts community was sorely lacking in options. Options that were affordable yet, provided a really polished professional system that could help arts organisations build their online presence. After all, in 2007, internet purchasing was really only just beginning to take off. Jameson International Film Festival was our first collaborator, and user number 1 on Ticketsolve. That early collaborative work, was the pattern that set all our collaborations going forward - it is the perfect way for us to work.

Back then we were a very small team - I mean microscope. Everyone did everything! We worked our proverbial a*&%s off for sure. Long nights working, not made easier by a wee one at home, but still we were building something amazing and we knew it, though we were not without our stumbles along the way for sure.

I think what I am particularly pleased about though, is that after 10 years, and countless hours, we have maintained that drive to bring the best possible solutions to the arts communities in Ireland and the UK. It is incredible how much the platform is grown, and I love that we still work collaboratively with customers.

But what I am most proud of, is our team. We are a little bigger now of course, but I am constantly amazed at how much our team manages to do for customers and for the system each and every day. The women and men on the Ticketsolve team are truly fantastic - and we would absolutely not be where we are today with out them.

Ticketsolve has definitely been a labour of love - and a team effort; not without it's ups and downs. Sort of like raising my daughter I suppose: a labour of love, a team effort, and DEFINITELY lots of ups and downs.

So happy birthday to my two favourite tweens - I am incredibly grateful only one of them is capable of snarking eye rolling.