In Kenya’s evolving events space, selling tickets online remains a complex process. Many organisers still prefer manual sales, and fraud continues to be a persistent issue. While most ticketing platforms focus solely on processing payments, GiG a platform launched in 2018 is challenging that model with a more comprehensive approach. Founded by James Reed, it was developed to help organisers go beyond ticket sales.
“Most platforms stop at ticketing, but event organisers are left to manage attendees on their own,” says Reed, co-founder and CEO. “We created GiG to help build communities around events—not just sell tickets.”
GiG offers tools like in-app messaging, polls, live chats, photo sharing, and post-event analytics to foster engagement before, during, and after the event. Each event has its mobile app where organisers can collect feedback, view audience insights, and maintain ongoing communication with attendees.
While platforms like TicketSasa and Eventbrite are already present in Kenya, GiG sets itself apart through its audience engagement model. It uses attendee data to create interest-based profiles, allowing event organisers to suggest relevant future events and foster stronger connections among participants.
“GiG transforms events into social experiences,” says Reed. By collecting and analysing user data, the platform helps organisers send targeted invitations and create interest-driven communities.
The platform caters to a range of events from concerts and game nights to conferences and free community gatherings. GiG’s integration of fraud prevention mechanisms, such as real-time tracking and purchase thresholds, offers added security.
GiG uses real-time APIs to process M-PESA and card transactions, ensuring fast reconciliation and immediate fund access. The platform also simplifies refund processing for cancelled events and provides full transaction logs for traceability.
Its fraud prevention strategy is designed to combat bulk purchases and ticket scalping—a problem that has plagued high-demand events in Kenya, such as the Kenya vs. Gabon football match and Madaraka Express holiday travel. By monitoring user behavior, the system automatically flags suspicious transactions.
GiG’s pricing model ranges from a free basic plan—charging a 6% transaction fee—to premium tiers starting at KES 8,700 ($67). Advanced plans offer custom event apps, analytics, SMS/email tools, badge printing, and white-labelling features for enterprise clients.
Unlike many platforms that only offer tools during active ticket sales, GiG allows continuous audience management between events on premium plans.
So far, GiG has facilitated over 500 events, sold more than 80,000 tickets, and processed over $200,000 in revenue, primarily from corporate clients. Its customer acquisition strategy relies heavily on referrals and word-of-mouth, keeping costs low just $5 per new organiser.
Although the company has been bootstrapped to date, it’s now preparing to raise external funding to scale its technology and reach.
As Kenya’s events industry evolves, GiG is proving that modern ticketing solutions must go beyond transactions. In a world where building meaningful engagement is key, GiG is helping organisers turn one-time attendees into lasting communities.
