Opendate, the only all-in-one platform for booking, ticketing, and marketing live events, is entering a new era of momentum and innovation. As the company deepens its commitment to independent venues, it’s announcing major leadership additions, new customer wins, a game-changing product feature, and the close of a fundraising round, all in time for the 2025 NIVA conference, as the live music industry recalibrates around a post-pandemic landscape shaped by consolidation, shifting fan behavior, and tighter margins.
Leadership Additions
Opendate welcomes a powerhouse team to guide its next chapter:
- Eric Tobias, Opendate founder, has stepped in as CEO to scale the platform he originally built for his own venues. A three-time founder with multiple exits (including iGoDigital acquired by Salesforce), Tobias brings deep experience from building and investing in software startups with High Alpha, plus firsthand knowledge of the challenges indie venues face.
- Eric Berrebbi, a sales leader with a track record at major ticketing firms, joins as VP of Sales to accelerate customer growth.
- Ariel Young, a customer service leader who has supported many of the largest venues across the country.
- Steve Caldwell, Head of Data Science & AI, is accelerating product innovation at the intersection of live events and artificial intelligence.
The company has also doubled the size of its engineering team to support an ambitious product roadmap and fast-growing customer base.
Founder/CEO Eric Tobias remarked, “Independent venues are the cultural heartbeat of every music scene. At Opendate, we’re building tools that respect how these rooms actually work and help them thrive. This next chapter of Opendate will accelerate our efforts to give venues and promoters every advantage to connect artists and fans, while helping them grow their business on their own terms.”
Major Venues Join the Roster
Opendate is now powering some of the most iconic and forward-thinking independent venues in the country, including Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, and Union Stage Presents, a leading promoter in the Washington, DC area. Union Stage Presents owner Daniel Brindley says:
“The Opendate team just gets it. They understand what independent venues actually need and have built a platform that truly makes a difference. We’re saving time, cutting costs, and unlocking new revenue streams we never had access to before.”
Introducing Conductor
Opendate is reimagining how shows come together. Conductor gives venues and promoters an AI-accelerated workspace to manage offers, event details, and marketing, all in one place. From artist availability to ad copy, everyone stays aligned and moving fast. It's the first tool of its kind built specifically for the pace and complexity of independent live events.
Strategic Growth
The company recently closed a new round of funding to fuel rapid product development and expansion. Opendate has also opened a new office in Chicago, placing it at the heart of the Midwest’s independent music scene.
Looking Ahead
With deeper resources, sharper tools, and a growing community of independent venues and promoters, Opendate is redefining what’s possible, and leading the charge into a more connected, more profitable, and a venue-friendly future for live music.
The future is Opendate.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250619599619/en/
Independent venues are the cultural heartbeat of every music scene. At Opendate, we’re building tools that respect how these rooms actually work and help them thrive.
Contacts
For press inquiries, contact:
Heidi Gluck
heidi@opendate.io
