Job search
Job Search

People: Niraj Shah, founder of ticketing system firm EventGrid, on the sports that make his business tick

Founder, EventGrid

Published in Sports Management 27 Jun 2016 issue 123
Niraj Shah, founder, EventGrid
Niraj Shah, founder, EventGrid

What is Eventgrid?
Eventgrid is a registration management and ticketing system designed for sports events of all sizes. It helps organisations with their event management needs by providing a single platform that powers registration, marketing, promotion and management needs.

It is used by a wide range of clients – from individuals to multinational corporations – and customers include sports organisations as well as companies in other markets, such as Sony and AirBnB.

How did you come up with the idea for it?
The idea actually came from helping a client. I was setting up a simple registration site for a client, trying to use the client’s existing system. The solution was very old, so I recommended they create a new system – and it took off from there.

When did Eventgrid launch?
In early 2013. The first couple of events were pretty small. We had a local Little League in New York use the platform for team and game registration.

All of the players had to be registered and had to pay the fee. Then, we had a dance company use our software to sell tickets for their recital and it grew from there. The platform is designed to be simple to use and suitable for a range of events.

How many events does Eventgrid manage?
More than 1,000 a year; ranging from small ones – such as local baseball teams and lacrosse registrations – to Fortune 500 companies distributing tickets to games for their VIP clients.

Which sports are you targeting?
What we’ve learned is that sports industries share many of the same pain points that Eventgrid already helps alleviate in other verticals. While we’ve already had success in golf, baseball and lacrosse, we see massive opportunity in sports such as tennis, swimming, cricket, soccer and running.

What was the most challenging aspect of bringing Eventgrid to the market?
The noise in the event registration and ticketing market. There are hundreds of mediocre solutions available and we had to differentiate our system, which is a complete event management tool, from platforms which only offer a few features.

Born: Kathmandu, Nepal.

Bio: Studied Information Technology at Central Queensland University in Sydney, Australia. Moved to New York in search of a new challenge in 1999. Launched Entech Solutions in 2006 – a consulting startup helping other startups with their tech needs. Launched EventGrid in 2013. Lives in New Jersey with his wife and daughter

The company: www.eventgrid.com

Sign up for FREE ezines

Company profile

Company profile: Rubb Buildings Ltd
Rubb Buildings Ltd designs and manufactures relocatable, semi-permanent and permanent fabric engineered specialist sports buildings.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

CoverMe extends matching service to personal training, rewriting how members and personal trainers connect
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right client in under 10 seconds.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Stratford, East London.
Company: Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Location: Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Company: Newmark
Location: Newhaven, Sussex
Company: EiA Real Estate
Location: Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire
Company: Savills
Location: Oxford
Company: University of Oxford
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

22-23 Jun 2026
WX Wakefield , Wakefield, United Kingdom
21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
22-22 Oct 2026
QEII Conference Centre, London
More diary dates