Podcast Summary: Omar Sarieddine: Own the Crowd. Own the Revenue.

The Digital Executive by Coruzant Technologies | Episode 1220
Date: March 26, 2026
Guest: Omar Sarieddine, Co-Founder of Tickmint
Host: Brian Thomas

Episode Overview

This episode features Omar Sarieddine, co-founder of Tickmint, discussing his journey from community event planning in the UAE to revolutionizing event technology with blockchain-powered ticketing infrastructure. The conversation focuses on the importance of audience ownership, evolving from intermediary marketplaces to creator-driven ecosystems, and how platforms like Tickmint are empowering event organizers of all sizes to own their audience relationships, monetize more effectively, and harness the power of emerging tech like blockchain.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Omar’s Background & Path to Event Technology

[01:16 - 02:58]

• Omar started with free community events, focusing on audience experience rather than ticketing.
• Built a community hub in 2016 hosting workshops, festivals, and creative events.
• Discovered a core insight: audience ownership is critical for scale and sustainability.
• Quote:

  “The key kind of learning experience for me at the time was the value of audience ownership. … Platforms felt like distribution channels, not infrastructure.” – Omar ([01:49])

• Noted the lack of true infrastructure for organizers, inspiring the creation of Tickmint, aiming to solve for ownership and infrastructure problems, not just ticketing.

2. Shopify for Ticketing: What Tickmint Does Differently

[03:43 - 05:08]

• Tickmint is described as a “Shopify for ticketing” — offering infrastructure, not just a marketplace.
• Organizers get full branding control, own their audience data, and can monetize beyond tickets (e.g., memberships, add-ons).
• Designed as an enterprise-grade, self-service platform accessible to events of all sizes—from small workshops to large music festivals.
• Quote:

  "Tickmint... it's infrastructure, it's not a marketplace...you build your own ecosystem." – Omar ([03:57])
  "The analogy here is the same shift that Shopify created for e-commerce. We're doing that same shift for... the event space." – Omar ([04:57])

3. Role of Blockchain & Programmable Content

[05:44 - 08:05]

• Initial focus was on addressing the secondary ticket market, notorious for fraud, scalping, and inflated prices.
• Blockchain was chosen for its programmability (smart contracts), traceability, and verification.
  • Enables price caps, royalty payments to event creators, and transparent tracking of ticket lifecycle.
  • Example: Smart contracts can enforce resale royalties and cap scalping prices.
• However, after extensive feedback, realized that organizers’ current priorities are better infrastructure and flexibility, not just blockchain-powered resale.
• Tickmint’s architecture is modular, ready to scale secondary market features when the market demands it.
• Quote:

  "With the programmability part you can control the inflated pricing with setting price caps... You can introduce royalties... fees that go back to the creator or organizer once a ticket has been resold." – Omar ([06:27])
  “Technology isn’t enough. Timing matters. …We didn’t really pivot, we just sequenced or reprioritized.” – Omar ([07:17])

4. The Future of Ticketing & Event Infrastructure

[09:09 - 10:36]

• Trend: Shift from a transactional model to a relationship-based ecosystem.
• Tickets are evolving from mere access tokens to starting points in ongoing audience relationships.
• Emphasized personalization, stronger communities, and monetization beyond events.
• Tickmint’s role: To become a fundamental infrastructure layer for all organizers, not an intermediary.
• Exploring integration of collectibility features (digital and physical memorabilia) into ticketing.
• Quote:

  “The shift happens... from transactional to relationship. So instead of it being a transaction, it turns into a relationship. The ticket... is not just access anymore; it’s the start of an ongoing connection.” – Omar ([09:29])
  "The goal is to help anyone build, scale or monetize their audience." – Omar ([10:29])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Value Creation:

  “The people who are creating the value should be the ones who are capturing it. And that's essentially what we're enabling with Tickmint.” – Omar ([11:17])

• Host’s Praise:

  “You're not just providing this access... it's a long-term connection and relationship and fundamentally the infrastructure is a part of that for ownership for these creators.” – Brian ([10:36])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Omar’s Early Journey & Insight – [01:16 - 02:58]
• Tickmint: Shopify for Ticketing Explained – [03:43 - 05:08]
• Blockchain’s Role in Ticketing – [05:44 - 08:05]
• Future of Live Event Infrastructure – [09:09 - 10:36]
• Closing Thoughts – [11:08 - 11:29]

Summary

Omar Sarieddine shares a compelling story of shifting from event operations to building a platform that empowers creators and organizers through true ownership. Tickmint challenges the traditional event ticketing model by giving control, data, and new revenue streams to organizers, using blockchain tech to create transparent and fair marketplaces. The vision is for ticketing to be the beginning of an active relationship between organizers and their audiences, not just a transaction, and for those creating value in events to finally capture it themselves.