From actor to entrepreneur, Enrique Gil has been known to combine his passions with the intention of leaving a more “legacy” in the entertainment world.
Now, 31, Gil recently resurfaced and effectively ended his self-imposed hiatus when he was recently introduced as the new chief marketing officer (CMO) and equity partner of Ticket2Me, a fully digital and end-to-end ticketing company for live and online events.
After being cooped up for three years, Gil admitted that he thought of never going back to the entertainment industry, but he felt deep inside his heart that something was missing.
Gil said that through Ticket2Me, “Kahit hindi na ko makakapagsayaw o kumembot like I used to, I will still be able to be in a position where I can still give entertainment, give the fans a really good show. It just completes my story.”
When asked about what he can bring to the company, Gil said that as a performer and someone who grew up in the industry, he had firsthand experience in music, dance, and acting scenes. He also knows what the fans and viewers want to see, like, and need—perspectives he can contribute, as well as connect the fans directly to their idols.
Gil adds, “To help my fellow artists, performers, and producers – so that they have a more efficient and a more powerful way of ticketing and monetizing their events.”
Ranvel Rufino, Ticket2Me’s new equity partner, and Gil’s manager, said, “We wanted our work to be recognized here in the Philippines. We have some crazy ideas that will be launching this year.”
“That’s what completed the story of Quen—he has this production company now that will provide content that is different—”crazy fun” that will be appreciated,” he added.
A different ticketing and events experience
With various artists coming to the Philippines and acts happening left and right, fans don’t know which one to attend first. But to see them, they need to buy tickets first, and what a stressful and chaotic process that is.
As a concert-goer himself, Gil said he had to wait in line for seven hours to secure BTS concert tickets in Hong Kong which he recalled as a “crazy, crazy experience.”
Because of that, Gil envisions for Ticket2Me “to make everything a good experience and easier for the consumers’ part.”
“Our goal is to cut steps. The current business model should have shorter or less steps than the other ticketing platforms,” told Chief Executive Officer Julie Bautista to BusinessMirror when asked about how Ticket2Me will bring efficiency for concert- and theater-goers in securing tickets.
Darwin Mariano, the founder of the company, explained that when customers pay online from the legacy ticketing systems, many will have to go redeem the tickets physically from the outlets, citing the technology limitations of their competitors.
“Ticket2Me is designed to be fully digital. You will never have to go to a kiosk, even our organizers don’t need to buy ticket scanners,” Mariano said.
Through Ticket2Me, people can buy e-tickets online anywhere they are. On the day of the event, they will just present their e-tickets at the gate booth, effectively cutting down lines and steps for customers and producers, Bautista said.
It is also the only ticketing company that is a one-stop shop that can ticket for streams, live streams, and live events such as concerts, theater plays, fan meets, and even classes.
“I believe there is no ticketing company that is like that. We are all here to improve the ticketing system, but Ticket2Me provides you with options such as that,” Bautista added.
What’s next?
Also celebrating its 5th anniversary in the business, Ticket2Me highlighted its growth over the years. As of July 2023, it achieved its Php145M topline sales, issued over 680,000 tickets to more than 150,000 users, and worked with over 450 organizers and producers.
Now, the company will release the most powerful version of its platform to equip the company for global expansion to serve the ticketing needs of buyers and producers.
Ticket2Me, led by Gil and Rufino, will also launch two new major projects focusing on the sports and music scene: “Manila Madness,” an all-celebrity basketball league, and “Madness Manila,” which will bring back the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) scene in the country.
“I also noticed during the pandemic that EDM scenes were a huge thing here in the Philippines before. I just realized that during the pandemic, nawala lahat yon. We have to bring EDM back on the scene,” Gil said.
For tickets to the latest events, visit www.ticket2me.net. More information on Ticket2Me’s limited Series A Fundraising Round is found at www.fundable.com/ticket2me-pte-ltd.
Originally published on Business Mirror.
