In a year where many festivals have struggled to keep pace with rising costs and slowing sales, Kygo’s Palm Tree Festival, Ultra Europe, and a roster of other marquee events have turned to Surge—an emerging ambassador-driven marketing agency that has already moved over $1.5 million in ticket sales this year alone. Averaging $100K in weekly conversions, the startup is proving to be a behind-the-scenes force for some of the industry’s most prominent players.
Founded by longtime live events operators Zach Mendelsohn and Alex Hilburn, Surge has built its success on a performance-first model powered by a national network of 3,000+ brand ambassadors and deep reach across more than 400 U.S. college campuses. It’s a system built for scale, but grounded in culture—designed to put the right people behind the right events, without resorting to invasive data collection or costly ad strategies.
That model is already delivering results. Surge’s ambassador network has accounted for up to 30% of total ticket sales for some clients. Brands like Avant Gardner, Project Glow, Windy City Smokeout, and World Pride are now using the platform to drive organic ticket movement in ways traditional campaigns can’t.
“Our ambassadors care about the culture—they’re fans first,” says Hilburn. “That energy translates into genuine excitement and real momentum.”
While the rest of the market contends with increased acquisition costs and diminishing ROI, Surge has generated over $10 million in ambassador-led sales to date. With major artists and flagship events now in their portfolio, the company is positioning itself not as a workaround—but as the new standard in festival marketing.
Events & Festivals can reach out to Alex (Alex@thesurge.social) if they’re interested in learning more!