Here are some questions we have been asked:
1) Why do you think is there a need for a solution like this? simply put, what makes you think now is the right time, and why haven't others tried working on this so far?
• There are millions of people organising and attending events on sites like meetup.com, around the world. Some events are free and some are paid.
• We are also in touch with supper club organisers, who currently pay up to 20% or either advertise with Airbnb experiences for dinner parties or to sell tickets on Eventbrite. An example is the mensa supper club in London who is waiting to join beesocials platform. May other people organise suppr clubs in all major cities and have their own website etc but struggle to get the traffic.
• This solution enables a network of local events, in local homes. If you move to a new city, you want to know your neighbours and the local area you live in, which may not be the city centre. These kind of social ‘meetups’ where you meet likeminded people are usually in ity centre locations
• Convenience and local: No expensive taxis fares, public transport, or long journeys in bad weather.
• Cost: Drinks in bars are expensive. This is the reason house parties are popular with students. You can have the same drinks for a fraction of the price.
• The platform will enable hosts to make more than 5x (£300) in one night compared to Airbnb (average Airbnb listing £60 in central London)
• Others are trying it and we do have competition (Airbnb experiences, vizeat, meetup, verlocal )
Right time
• Now if the right time, because the sharing economy is booming. The likes of AirBnB have paved the way for such businesses and this economy has grown exponentially in the last few years. Worth $15bn in its first 7 years and expected to be worth $335bn by 2025
• London is the best place for this because the UK is at the forefront of this economy, known as the sharing economy hub of Europe. Furthermore the UK government support it and have a £2000 extra tax free income allowance from the sharing economy
2) Can you share more concrete market data? Existing unorganized events happening on a time frame (daily / weekly / monthly), geographically?
We have some data available on our whitepaper, based on meetup as a test case and also on food and drink in social settings. Whitepaper:
http://ico.beesocials.com/BeeSocials_Whitepaper.pdf