Eventbrite Launches iPad Credit Card Reader Attachment

By Tech Wire Asia | 23 March, 2012

Event planning and ticketing company Eventbrite announced its own credit/debit card reader device on the heels of PayPal’s launch of PayPal Here, the triangular card-reading device for Android smartphones and Apple phones and tablets. Eventbrite CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Hartz introduced the device as a game changer for events sales.

At The Door transforms an off-the-shelf iPad into a paradigm-shifting tool for managing sales for events. We’re essentially taking the devices that are proliferating among consumers and transforming them into perfectly-tailored tools for event organizers, at no cost, and with greater impact than anything previously available.

Eventbrite At The Door Card Reader, the credit/debit card reader aimed at ticket payment services for concerts, classes, exhibits or conferences.

Eventbrite At The Door, the card reader aimed at ticket payment services. (Image: Eventbrite)

Eventbrite calls the device the “At The Door Card Reader”, quite a mouthful considering it’s taking on Square, Here (PayPal), GoPayment (Intuit) and Swiff. But the San Francisco startup wants a specific market in mind — the market they sought right from the start, event ticketing. Hartz doesn’t see it going up against similar devices with a wider range of functions. As far as names go, it’s up there with VeriFone’s PayWare Mobile, and it even shares one of the devices the dongle will work with: iPads.

The fledgling company made brisk business in online ticketing sales last year, selling 20,798,509 tickets in 458,207 events and raking in $400 million. Eventbrite wants to make $1 billion in gross ticket sales this year. Hartz expressed his interest in taking Eventbrite public before the year ends.

After getting solid footing in online ticketing, Eventbrite saw the potential in walk-in sales for events and launched the iPad app “At the Door” last December. The card reader complements the application and provides faster ticket sales compared to manually entering card information.

Eventbrite says At The Door Card Reader can process 400 transactions per hour and hooks up to a proprietary printer for delivering receipts and tickets. Currently, Eventbrite is waiving service fees for ticket sales, although transaction charges may still apply. The device is free, since the $10 cost for getting it is credited back to user accounts.