Inside Vibee: Its Founder on the Gamble That Built a Live-Event Travel Platform

When the Backstreet Boys bring their "Into the Millennium: Homecoming, Live in Germany" residency to Düsseldorf, fans won't just be buying a ticket, they'll be booking a trip built around the band. Through experience company Vibee, concert-and-hotel packages promise everything from Golden Circle floor access and the exclusive BSB Air Millennium Lounge to two-night stays in Backstreet Boys-themed rooms. We spoke with the brains behind Vibee about what fans can expect, the gamble of building a ticketing-meets-travel platform from scratch, and how they keep VIP experiences feeling special without shutting everyday fans out.

What can Backstreet Boys fans expect from the upcoming concert and hotel experience packages for the “Into the Millennium: Homecoming, Live in Germany” European residency?

These packages are designed to make the entire trip feel like an extension of the concert. Fans can choose from several experience levels featuring some of the best available tickets, including Golden Circle floor access, premium reserved seating, and access to the BSB Air Millennium Lounge near the “B” Stage. Concert and hotel packages also include a two-night stay at one of our curated partner hotels, with select guests staying in BSB-themed rooms at 25hours Das Tour Düsseldorf, Vibee’s Homecoming Fan Headquarters.

Depending on the package, fans can also enjoy early concert entry, priority access to the Backstreet Boys Fan Pop-Up Experience and merchandise store, exclusive BSB Air merchandise, Vibee’s Homecoming welcome event, and dedicated concierge service. Our goal is to create a complete Backstreet Boys destination experience that begins well before the show and gives fans traveling from around the world even more opportunities to celebrate the group’s history, music, and enduring connection with one another.

How can fans book the ticket packages?

Fans can explore packages at backstreetboysgermany.vibee.com. 

What was the biggest risk you took when launching Vibee, and what did you learn from it?

The greatest risk we took when launching Vibee was deciding to build our own booking platform. Ticketing alone is incredibly complex, but incorporating travel takes that complexity to an entirely new level. In addition to ticket inventory, we may be managing tens of thousands of hotel rooms across dozens of properties, each with numerous room categories and variables. That all has to work seamlessly across major engagements, whether it is 10 Backstreet Boys shows in Düsseldorf, more than 50 shows in Las Vegas, or Bad Bunny’s 30-show residency in San Juan.

Our first true test came with U2 at Sphere. We had run every simulation possible, but nothing can fully account for how people behave during a major on-sale. A platform failure involving one of the world’s biggest bands at the most talked-about new venue in decades would have been catastrophic. Still, if we wanted to make our mark, it was a risk we had to take.

The platform performed without issue, and the response to our packages exceeded even my most ambitious expectations. It reinforced an important lesson: risk is essential in business and in life. If you believe in your direction, prepare thoroughly, and do everything possible to improve your odds, there comes a point when you simply have to go for it.

How do you balance creating exclusive VIP experiences with keeping them appealing to a broader audience of music fans?

It starts with building a strong foundation that appeals to every fan: a great artist, a compelling destination, and thoughtful activities and inclusions offered at an accessible range of price points. From there, we can layer in additional “magic moments” for fans who want to elevate their experience.

An intimate meet-and-greet or a front-row seat may only be available to a small number of guests, giving them something highly curated and personal. At the same time, they are still part of a larger community of thousands of passionate fans who have gathered to celebrate the same artist. The goal is to create different levels of access without losing that shared sense of connection.

How have fans’ expectations of live music experiences changed over the past five years?

Fans increasingly want a complete experience, not just a concert. The response to our fan experiences has reached levels I never could have predicted. Welcoming nearly 15,000 people to one experience in a single day demonstrates how strongly fans want to feel closer to the artists they love.

That connection can take many forms, from exploring 500 pieces of memorabilia tracing the history of No Doubt, to stepping inside our historically accurate recreation of the Troubadour, where the founding members of Eagles first met, to visiting the Clio Award-winning Backstreet Boys Terminal in Las Vegas. We are now excited to bring that same spirit to Düsseldorf, creating an experience that complements the incredible run of shows Backstreet Boys are preparing to deliver.

Which Vibee experience best represents the company’s vision, and why?

It is nearly impossible to choose just one. We have been fortunate to work closely with so many extraordinary artists to create something meaningful for their biggest fans.

Nearly every artist we partner with takes that responsibility very seriously because they are opening a door into their lives and careers that most fans have never had the opportunity to walk through. That sense of access, authenticity, and discovery is at the heart of Vibee’s vision, and it is present in every experience we create.

How is technology, particularly AI, changing the way you design and personalize fan experiences?

Technology allows us to create experiences that may not have been possible even a few years ago. It can help us improve personalization, simplify the guest journey, and bring creative ideas to life in entirely new ways.

However, the foundation of our business is passion, and no technology can replicate that. During the pandemic, there was significant discussion about whether people would still need or want to attend live events when experiences could be recreated digitally. The years since have shown the opposite. People want to gather and experience the energy, passion, and raw emotion that can only exist in person. Technology can enhance that connection, but it cannot replace it.

Which international markets do you see as the biggest growth opportunities for Vibee?

Almost any market can successfully host a destination event, provided it is somewhere the artist and their fans genuinely want to gather. Bad Bunny’s historic 30-show residency in San Juan demonstrated that clearly, with nearly 500,000 tickets selling on the day of the on-sale and Vibee hosting close to 80,000 guests.

We are seeing that same global enthusiasm in Düsseldorf, where Backstreet Boys will perform 10 stadium shows for fans traveling from dozens of countries. Europe and Asia both represent significant opportunities for Vibee. Shorter distances between major cities, strong transportation infrastructure, particularly rail, and the ease of movement within regions such as the Schengen Area create ideal conditions for destination experiences. We hope Düsseldorf will be one of many opportunities to bring fans together in this way.

What are artists looking for when they decide to partner with Vibee?

Artists are looking for a partner who understands that the experience is an extension of their relationship with their fans. They want us to bring their creative vision to life in a way that feels authentic, while managing the enormous operational complexity behind the scenes. That includes everything from ticketing and accommodations to programming, merchandise, and on-site service. Most importantly, they trust us to create moments that deepen fan connection, celebrate their history, and give audiences access to something they could not experience at a traditional concert.

Beyond ticket sales and revenue, how do you measure the success of a fan experience?

The smiles on fans’ faces tell us everything we need to know. Commercial results matter, but the clearest measure of success is how guests feel while they are with us and the memories they take home. When fans return for multiple Vibee experiences, or even attend the same residency seven or eight times, that is an incredibly meaningful sign that we have created something special.

Ticket prices and VIP packages have become increasingly expensive. How do you respond to fans who feel the live music experience is becoming less accessible?

Live entertainment can still offer tremendous value compared with many professional sports and entertainment experiences. At Vibee, we aim to create options across a range of price points while following a model used by many promoters: pricing a limited number of top-tier tickets at market value and keeping that revenue within the event ecosystem.

For example, the additional revenue from one $1,000 front-row ticket could allow approximately 20 other tickets to be offered at $50 rather than $100. Applied across multiple premium tickets, that model can make hundreds of more affordable tickets available and open the door for more fans to attend.

We also strive to offer an accessible Signature package that includes a great seat, comfortable accommodations, a commemorative keepsake, and support from our concierge team, often at a price lower than fans could secure by booking each component separately.

Looking back on your career, what is one mistake that became one of your most valuable lessons as a leader?

Early in my career as an independent, self-funded promoter, I made the mistake of saving money at the expense of the fan experience. It is a lesson I now emphasize with every team I lead: you cannot sacrifice the guest experience simply to reduce costs.

When an event is losing money, experiential elements are often the first things to be cut, whether that means an additional viewing deck, upgraded festival restrooms, or extra screens for fans farther from the stage. Those reductions may seem financially responsible in the moment, but a single poor experience can cause lasting damage to a brand. Rebuilding that trust will ultimately cost far more than delivering the experience properly in the first place.

What is the biggest misconception people have about premium fan experiences?

The biggest misconception is that premium fan experiences are only available to people with significant disposable income. In many cases, Vibee packages combining tickets, accommodations, collectibles, and support from our concierge team cost less than booking the same components individually.

There is also tremendous value in access. Because our packages are generally among the first offerings available, fans can avoid the uncertainty of competing with millions of other buyers for a much smaller number of tickets. A premium experience is not always about extravagance. It can also mean convenience, confidence, thoughtful service, and knowing the entire trip has been designed around the fan.

Have you ever declined a project because it did not align with Vibee’s values, even though it could have been very profitable?

Absolutely. If an artist is primarily looking for a financial opportunity but is not willing to contribute the emotion, effort, and time required to create something truly special for fans, we will walk away.

The experiences we build depend on genuine collaboration. Without an artist’s commitment to creating moments fans could not experience anywhere else, the project would not meet Vibee’s standards, regardless of its commercial potential.

Do you think the live entertainment industry sometimes mistakes luxury for genuine connection?

Absolutely. I will be the first to acknowledge that I do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of every artist’s career before we begin working together. We could deliver an expensive luxury weekend where guests are pampered, but that is not our purpose. Vibee exists to create a deeper connection between artists and their fans.

That requires us to look beyond our own walls and involve the people who truly understand the artist, the history, and the fan community. There is no ego in that process. It is how we protect authenticity. Fans appreciate comfort and quality, but what they value most is an experience that feels genuine.

What is something fans value that data alone can never measure?

A sense of belonging. Data can tell us what fans purchased, where they traveled from, and which moments generated the most engagement, but it cannot fully capture the feeling of being surrounded by people who share the same passion. That sense of community, and the emotion of experiencing something meaningful together, is often what fans remember long after the event ends. We saw this with our first run of Backstreet Boys at Sphere in the summer of 2025. Fans oured into the BSB Terminal pop-up space dressedin theme, singing together, sharing cocktails, and just overall having special moments facilitated by Vibee’s offerings. 

If every company is promising “once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” how do you avoid becoming just another marketing slogan?

When fans return home and enthusiastically tell their friends and family about their Vibee experience, that is the most meaningful marketing we could ask for. We have seen guests travel with Vibee seven or eight times during a single residency, and that level of loyalty speaks for itself.

We also work every day to ensure the phrase never becomes an empty promise. That requires late nights, rigorous internal debate, and sometimes challenging conversations with artist teams as we push for more. We want to uncover more history, more meaningful details, and more previously untold stories. Our goal is to give fans something fresh and revealing, not repeat the same anecdotes they have already heard in countless interviews.

Brand names often have a story behind them. Why did you choose the name “Vibee,” and what does the extra “e” represent?

Vibee guests should always feel the energy of the event from the moment they arrive. Whether it is a five-day dance party aboard EDSea, Electric Daisy Carnival’s annual sold-out cruise, or the eclectic community gathering to see Dead & Company, guests are stepping into a world curated specifically for them.

The name captures the feeling we want every guest to have: a distinctive atmosphere, a shared connection, and the sense that the entire experience was designed around the artist and their fans. In other words, it should feel uniquely Vibee.