This startup is trusted by Live Nation, Wynn, Kygo’s Palm Tree Festival & Many Others
Surge has powered $10M+ in ticket sales through their expansive ambassador network
As the live events industry faces mounting challenges—from rising economic costs to stalled ticket sales—Surge is quietly becoming one of the most effective marketing agencies for festivals and events to hire to generate impactful sales.
The startup has already helped sell over $3.5 million in tickets this year alone, averaging $100K in weekly ticket sales across its growing roster of clients – including Live Nation, Gryffin, Ultra Europe, World Pride, Kygo’s Palm Tree Festival, Same Same But Different and others.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” says Alex Hilburn, co-founder of Surge, “but we’ve seen that when you put the right people behind the right events, you can create real momentum. Our ambassadors care about the culture—they’re fans first—and that energy translates into genuine excitement and ticket sales.”
Surge taps into a nationwide network of over 10,000 active ambassadors along with a college network spanning across 400 universities, with a talent for turning on-the-fence festival goers into high-performing, passionate promoters. These ambassadors are embedded in the cities and genres they promote, driving up to 30% of total ticket sales for some clients. With more than $10 million in ambassador-led sales to date, Surge’s strategy is about delivering the right message to the right audience, with authenticity and impact.
Another key differentiator is that while other platforms collect and monetize data, Surge takes zero attendee information and keeps the relationship between ambassador, fan, and client intact. Surge’s streamlined, data-free model offers a refreshing alternative in an era of rising customer acquisition costs and shrinking ROIs.
Surge was founded by Zach Mendelsohn, Alex Hilburn, and Bo Thede, three longtime leaders in the live event and hospitality space. Zach brings over a decade of experience in travel, nightlife, and ambassador-driven marketing, while Alex has generated more than $20 million in festival sales through his work building successful event experiences.
As economic pressures and production costs continue to plague the industry, Surge has proven to become a go-to solution for festivals and events looking to connect with more fans—and sell tickets—without sacrificing control, trust, or their bottom line.
Co-founder Alex Hilburn
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Follow Surge:
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About Surge:
Surge is a marketing startup specializing in ambassador-led ticket sales for festivals and live events. Built on a network of over 10,000 active ambassadors across 400+ campuses, Surge connects events with real fans to drive organic, community-first sales. With more than $10 million in ambassador-driven revenue to date—and over $1.5 million sold in 2025 alone—Surge offers a scalable, data-free alternative to traditional digital marketing, trusted by major clients like Kygo, Fashion Nova, Framework, Shabang SLO, Ultra Europe, Palm Tree Festival and others.