From university events to the world stage: How NYBA is driving ticket sales for Adele and more

Markus Hetzenegger is the founder and CEO of NYBA Media GmbH, a company specialising in the marketing of major live events such as concerts and festivals. Having grown up in Spain, he returned to Germany at the age of twelve, unable at first to write in German. At eighteen, Markus Hetzenegger set out to start his own business, moved to Frankfurt, and founded his first company. The reason? “I wanted to help a friend promote a small event at his university,” he recalls. Rather than relying on flyers, they promoted the event online — and it quickly sold out. That marked the beginning of a remarkable career. Soon after, enquiries began to come in from World Fitness Day, Frankfurt’s World Club Dome, and We Will Rock You (Live Nation).

Today, Markus Hetzenegger and his team at NYBA drive ticket sales for Adele, Coldplay, and many other high profile celebrities. With a focus on data-driven digital marketing, the agency has earned the trust of major organisers worldwide. Each year, NYBA manages campaigns for more than 700 artists, bands, festivals, circuses such as Cirque du Soleil, musicals, and even sporting events.

We spoke with the founder about his motivation, the shortcomings of live event marketing, and the future of the industry.

NYBA specialises in marketing for live events. What makes this niche so fascinating for you, and how do you manage to stand out from the competition?

Markus Hetzenegger: In the digital age, many people not only work in front of a screen, but also spend their free time on one. That makes shared, real-life experiences all the more meaningful. The feeling you get when thousands of people come together to experience live music is unique. After festivals, many people say they had “the time of their lives” and today, that sentiment carries even more weight.

The reason people buy tickets for live events has pretty much stayed the same. What has changed is how they buy them and where they are inspired to do so.

In the past, large-scale out-of-home (OOH) campaigns were the go-to approach — expensive, inefficient, and nearly impossible to measure. We rethought that process and brought ticket sales into the digital age. Today, we reach exactly the right people with the right message, on the right platform, at the right time. The result: minimal waste, maximum return on marketing spend, and consistently sold-out shows.

Over the last ten years, we’ve learned from thousands of campaigns across different genres — from children’s shows like Dragons and Magical Creatures to major festivals and Adele’s concert in Munich — gathering valuable data to further boost our performance.

Many major organisers invest millions in marketing without measuring their return on investment. Why is that a problem?

Markus Hetzenegger: In our experience, many organisers still allocate huge budgets to traditional marketing channels such as out-of-home, radio, print, or TV — often without knowing what impact those efforts actually have. With our data-driven approach, we can measure precisely how much impact every euro spent creates. On average, we generate at least eight euros in return for every euro invested in marketing.

Naturally, it can make sense to support digital campaigns with traditional channels such as print or OOH. The problem is that many organisers still dedicate the majority of their budgets to these outdated methods, simply because “that’s how it’s always been done”. The result is merely wishful thinking as opposed to a data-based approach. We prefer measurable results, transparency, and predictable success.

NYBA ran the most successful TikTok campaign of 2023. What’s the secret behind campaigns like that, and what role does the huge amount of data you’ve collected over the years play?

Markus Hetzenegger: We’ve been testing different TikTok ads for organisers since 2019, back when the platform was still testing promotional inventory for advertisers. Successful campaigns are always built on data, but truly exceptional campaigns often also involve a bit of gut instinct. That was definitely the case with our campaign for Live Nation. We knew exactly which audience we wanted to reach and combined two worlds: the silent, offbeat humour of the Blue Man Group and TikTok’s fast-paced, creative energy. The result was a “viral cocktail” that generated over 20 million impressions within days and achieved a ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) of over 130 — meaning every euro spent brought in €130 in revenue.

That success, however, was no coincidence – it was the result of a long-standing strategic partnership. Back in 2019, we were among the first agencies worldwide selected by TikTok to test ads during its beta phase. This close relationship remains a huge advantage today. We work directly with TikTok’s Enterprise Team, gain early access to new beta features such as SMART+ campaigns, and can help shape emerging trends rather than simply follow them.

For us, TikTok is the most relevant platform for the future of live entertainment because its algorithm delivers exactly what we need: highly targeted, relevant audiences. That’s how we’ve achieved massive reach — such as 43.8 million impressions for Adele or a ROAS of over 24 for shows like KURIOS by Cirque du Soleil.

Here’s the full success story, produced by TikTok itself.

You’re looking to combine all your data and learnings from over ten years of entertainment marketing. What’s the goal, and how could this change the marketing landscape for live events?

Markus Hetzenegger: We’ve been developing an algorithm that allows us to use our extensive data even more effectively. These data sets come from multiple sources — platforms, audience insights, creatives (photos, videos, graphics, text), and the experience gained from thousands of live entertainment campaigns. Our goal is to optimise and scale the relationship between marketing investment and ticket revenue in a sustainable way. The algorithm is continuously enriched with new data, increasing its accuracy over time.

At the same time, we’re integrating this intelligence into a conversion-optimised sales process. Often, the greatest untapped potential lies right there — many ticket buyers drop out shortly before completing their purchase. By combining AI-driven campaign optimisation with an improved checkout process, we create maximum efficiency in digital ticket marketing.

You’ve already launched projects in the UK, the US, and the Middle East. How is NYBA approaching international expansion, and what are your goals in these markets?

Markus Hetzenegger: We started out small, promoting university events in Frankfurt. Soon after, we expanded to Austria and Switzerland. Today, we work with organisers and ticketing platforms across Europe, the US, the UK, and the entire EMEA region. Since NYBA was founded, we’ve sold more than 75 million tickets.

Our campaigns range from the BBC Earth Experience and Elvis Revolution in London to the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Clients usually approach us because we deliver measurable results and generate direct revenue through ticket sales. We don’t cost money. We create money for our partners.

As a result, we now receive more requests than we can handle in the short term. That’s why we’re focusing on sustainable expansion — for example, in the sports sector, where we’re already in talks with well-known football, basketball, and motorsport teams — and on long-term growth in these markets. Our ultimate goal is to become the world’s leading player in digital ticket marketing.

Where do you see the events industry heading, and what should major organisers do to stay competitive?

Markus Hetzenegger: Adaptability and the willingness to rethink existing practices, evolve, and stay open to new ideas are key factors for long-term success. The constant drive to improve, optimise, and the courage to try new things often create the greatest competitive edge.

Especially as the next generation — one that’s growing up with platforms like TikTok — thinks, consumes, and makes decisions completely differently from today’s still most affluent audience. But that older demographic will inevitably be replaced — it’s only a matter of time. So for organisers, the same rule applies: those who don’t move with the times will be moved by the times.

NYBA has had an impressive journey over the past decade. Looking back, what’s been your personal “wow moment”?

Markus Hetzenegger: It’s hard to narrow it down to just one “wow moment” — that wouldn’t do justice to all the events we’ve worked on. I think the entire journey — from promoting small university events with 200 tickets to selling 800,000 tickets for Adele last year — is incredibly special. I appreciate that every single day and am deeply grateful for how far we’ve come. The same goes for being able to do so much in the UK, the US, Dubai, and Qatar. Opening an EMEA office still feels a bit surreal. But despite all these milestones, I truly believe NYBA is still at the beginning of its journey — and I’m excited for what’s ahead and the amazing projects to come.