Karl McCarthy was on the Tube in London when he got the idea for what would become Usher, the event booking application platform.
He saw an advertisement for a Londoncentric mobile event booking app. McCarthy downloaded the app and liked it. It became popular in London, with half a million downloads in its first six months.
“I knew this competitor in London wouldn’t focus on Dublin any time soon. That’s when I started putting the plans in motion at the beginning of last year.”
Usher curates the best things to do in Dublin and connects people to events they might enjoy, be it culture, music, sightseeing, nightlife or sport.
The app showcases 10 to 12 events a day, unlike other online booking platforms that offer an overwhelming number of options. The focus is on quality rather than quantity.
“How do you know what things are good? Where’s the quality control? That’s what we’re trying to bring to the party,” McCarthy says.
Usher users should be able to take out their phones and know what events are on that day in about 10 seconds.
The Usher team are “always on the lookout” for good events and are picky about the ones they highlight. The company has formed relationships with event organisers in Dublin.
McCarthy says trying to curate to everyone’s taste is a tough job. Usher started out targeting all age demographics but now the focus is on the 20 to 40 age bracket.
“That tends to be the demographic with a bit of disposable income who book things at the last minute,” McCarthy said.
“For the event organisers, it’s a really great way of shifting their excess inventory,” McCarthy says.
Usher makes revenue by selling tickets. There is no cost for event organisers to list on the platform. Usher
charges organisers a fee for each ticket sold, but that fee is not passed on to the customer.
“We would never pass our booking charges on to the user,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy started coding for the app last May. Usher’s initial launch last summer saw iPad booking stations placed in hotels and hostels across Dublin. Guests could browse events and book them on the spot.
This was a temporary plan to bypass traditional marketing, get traction in the market and understand what sells and what does not.
McCarthy says he learned a lot through this process, including how users guided themselves through the platform. The team also found that guests in three- and four-star hotels were less spontaneous than guests in either five-star hotels or hostels.
Setting up the business has got McCarthy reacquainted with Dublin after many years abroad. After finishing his accountancy degree he “fell into” management consultancy, specialising in telecoms. He spent years working in countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Months before the financial crash in 2008, McCarthy moved back the Dublin to set up a graduate recruitment website. “The timing couldn’t have been better,” he said.
When business dropped off after the crash, McCarthy went back to the Middle East, this time taking a consultancy job with Ernst and Young in Bahrain. He then worked with PwC in Qatar and London doing private advisory work, which is when he had the idea for Usher.
“I’m re-engaging with Dublin. I’d been away for quite a long time. I’ve spent many a day in Temple Bar walking around and popping into things. Being a tourist in your own city is actually a lot of fun.”
So far the app has only facilitated tourists to book events around Dublin, but the mobile app is set to launch in May.
“The launch of the mobile app will help locals to reengage with the city and realise what’s actually out there,” he said.
“In the market, a couple of competitors are popping up, so we know we’re in the right space. We’re just [focused on] getting it out there as soon as possible and doing it well.”
Usher is a finalist in the AIB Start-up Academy. For more information, go to ushertheapp.com.
