Horizon Music Festival's
Case Study
See how we’ve solved challenges for seated venues, timed ticketing and general admission events.
Into The Horizon Music Festival: A Full-Funnel Marketing Play That Hit All the Right Notes
Background
Held at the scenic Waterfront Park in San Diego, Horizon Music Festival is a vibrant 21+ celebration of music, culture, and community. Known for delivering great music, good vibes, and an unforgettable setting, the event draws thousands of fans to kick off summer in style.
After a successful 2023, the Horizon team returned to TicketSocket for their second year, not just for ticketing infrastructure—but for expanded support across marketing and onsite operations. With ambitious goals to scale, the festival team leveraged multiple TicketSocket solutions to level up their strategy—and it paid off.
From 2023 to 2024, Horizon scaled its total ticket volume by over 120%.
Challenges
In addition to TicketSocket’s white-label checkout—which maintains brand consistency and removes friction during the purchase flow to improve cart conversion—Into The Horizon Festival also leveraged several key marketing and operational tools to drive performance across the funnel:
- A streamlined platform that could handle large-volume ticketing with ease
- Performance-driven marketing that could stretch ad dollars further
- On-site support to ensure operations ran smoothly on event day
- More first-party data to future-proof their marketing
Solutions
Solutions
Into The Horizon Festival leveraged several of TicketSocket’s key marketing and support offerings to drive performance across the funnel:
- Meta Advertising: Strategic campaign planning and execution to drive awareness and conversions
- Customized Email Automation: A tailored abandoned cart flow designed to recover missed sales and increase ticket conversions
- Ice Cream Social (ICS): A viral social referral and first-party data tool that turns all fans into influencers for your event
- Onsite Operational Support: Live event-day assistance to ensure smooth check-in and reliable scanning at entry points
Results
The 2024 campaign produced remarkable results across all channels:
Marketing & Advertising Impact
- Meta prospecting campaigns achieved up to an average of 7.16x ROAS
- Overall ad spend returned consistent, profitable returns—even in last-minute pushes
Viral Social Sharing via Ice Cream Social (ICS)
- ICS added an additional 5% of revenue via peer-to-peer marketing to the overall bottom line of sales revenue
- Fans who used ICS shared the event with friends and received rewards, increasing both reach and conversions
- Provided high-quality first-party data that can fuel future campaigns
Operational Support
- TicketSocket’s onsite support team ensured check-in flowed smoothly, with staff available to troubleshoot and assist in real time
- The Horizon team described the support as “24/7 responsive” and “solution-driven”—giving them confidence that any challenge would be resolved within hours, not days
- On-site ticketing solutions were deployed successfully when needed
Client Feedback
“The TicketSocket team is always responsive and solution-driven. Anytime we needed support, they delivered quickly and effectively. On-site ticketing has also been smooth and reliable whenever we’ve used it.”— Omid Sabet, Horizon Festival Team
Summary
By combining TicketSocket’s white-label checkout, responsive on-site support, and a curated mix of marketing services—including Meta advertising, customized email automation, and social referral tools—Horizon Festival achieved its most successful year to date. The team scaled ticket sales by more than 120% year-over-year, while maintaining full brand control and delivering a smooth fan experience. Horizon didn’t just grow attendance—they amplified awareness, streamlined operations, and laid the groundwork for continued success in the seasons ahead.
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