Big Red Group acquires Experience Oz and hospitality booking platform Local Agent

Big Red Group has secured its position as the largest experience marketplace in Australia and New Zealand, with the acquisition of Experience Oz and Experience Oz Local Agent from holding company TicketMates Australia.

Australian owned and operated, Big Red Group grows the experience economy through its scale, expert marketing, state-of-the-art tech platforms, industry alliances and partnerships. Big Red Group has delivered more than three million experiences, and serves an experience circa every 30 seconds. In 2021, Big Red Group is on track to deliver around one million customers to its supply network.

In line with Big Red Group’s ethos to support local, the new additions are Australian owned and operated entities, making them a logical fit to join the powerhouse of experience brands which include Adrenaline, Lime&Tonic, and RedBalloon.

All brands under TicketMates Australia will move into Big Red Group’s portfolio of brands, with the exception of auto-club business Club Connect - a dedicated member benefits platform serving Australia’s large-scale auto-clubs such as RACQ, RACV and NRMA. 

Queensland based Experience Oz is an industry leader in serving domestic holiday makers, while its B2B platform Local Agent, is Australia’s leading one-stop-shop for concierge activity bookings. Local Agent currently serves 700+ hotels including Mantra and Oaks Hotels, providing access to 3000+ experiences Australia wide. 

TicketMates Australia Managing Director, Ben Manns will become a shareholder in Big Red Group and joins the senior leadership team effective immediately, with the remit to refine and grow relationships with industry alliances and supply partners.

Clint Gudenswager, General Manager of TicketMates Australia, will continue his stewardship of Local Agent, with the number of experiences available, and hotels across Australia and New Zealand set to vastly expand under the Big Red Group umbrella. 

Big Red Group Chief Executive, David Anderson notes “we’re delighted to welcome Experience Oz and Local Agent into our portfolio of experience brands. This is a natural evolution that has been in the workings for over a year. And while Club Connect will continue to procure its existing products directly, we have negotiated a long-term wholesale agreement enabling Big Red Group experience suppliers to be progressively introduced to the portal, giving them exclusive access to auto-club’s 11 million members.”

Anderson sees it as a win-win for all parties, with Club Connect able to offer the auto-clubs more expansive choice, and Big Red Group experience suppliers gaining a new channel to market. This in addition to the recent Google / Big Red Group integration, for Google’s ‘Things to Do’, of which suppliers listed across Adrenaline, Experience Oz and RedBalloon may feature if they fit users geographic search criteria.

Excited at the tremendous mutual benefits ahead through driving efficiencies and expanding product offerings, Anderson says it’s the right time to reset Big Red Group’s supplier value proposition.

Ben Manns, newly appointed Supply and Distribution Director of Big Red Group adds “we want to build much deeper relationships with our suppliers, and now have a tremendously compelling value proposition to partner with us. Big Red Group is growing the experience marketplace through its brands, scale and reach, giving suppliers unparalleled access to both direct and indirect audiences, with B2C, B2B, and exclusive partnership offerings. Ultimately, this enables us to deliver much better outcomes for consumers and our industry partners.”

For more information Big Red Group; Experience Oz; Experience Oz Local Agent 

Images: Experience Oz Great Adventures (top and centre) Big Red Group Chief Executive, David Anderson (below).