Leeds-based North Brewing Co has been left £25,000 out of pocket after the collapse of the Event Genius ticketing platform.
The business has gone ‘under moratorium’ two and a half weeks before the brewery’s flagship beer festival, The
Springwell Sessions.
The ticket provider’s bank account has been frozen, meaning that North cannot receive any funds taken towards its future events, nor can ticket holders receive refunds.
However, North is determined to deliver the event it promised, and with the support of the participating breweries it has set up a GoFundMe account. This will protect ticket holders and ensure that the event can go ahead.
North Brewing Co founder John Gyngell said “At a time when our industry is under enormous pressure due to the cost increases on Co2, utilities, distribution, and raw materials, this was terrible news for us to receive today.
“Further to this, we are disappointed to learn today that Festicket, who own Event Genius, continued to take payments from customers over the last two weeks, despite filing for moratorium on 24th August.
“We built the brewery and taproom at Springwell during lockdowns, finally opening our doors to the public in April 2021. The Springwell Sessions is our first beer festival at the venue and an amazing opportunity to showcase the brewery, work with our friends in the industry, and put on an incredible event for the city of Leeds.”
John added: “To lose the ticket sales as a result of Event Genius collapsing has lost us in excess of £25,000. Regardless of this, we are committed to running this festival. To help with this we have setup a GoFundMe page and we are reaching out to our friends, family, and fellow brewers to support us, given the lost revenue from the tickets.
“Already, the conversations we have had with the brewers attending have been incredibly moving, and incredibly supportive. It is great to see everyone come together to help make this event a success.
“In addition to this, our partner charity, St George’s Crypt, was due to receive £2,000 from these ticket sales. We are committed to donate 10% of any funds raised to this incredibly important local charity.”
Springwell Sessions will see 17 breweries from across the UK pouring at the three-day event. Local independent wine shop, Bottle Chop, will be hosting a natural wine bar. Cocktails will be shaken by No. 3 Gin, and street food will be provided by Little Bao Boy, Kerbside Kids, MorMor, and Homeboy Pizza. There will be a series of talks and tastings across the three days, and DJs spinning vinyl and bringing the party vibes.
