PRESS RELEASE: Big Red Group acquires Experience Oz and leading hotel concierge booking platform Local Agent

Big Red Group acquires Experience Oz and leading hotel concierge booking platform Local Agent
Better together – Australian owned and operated businesses unite to strengthen domestic experience marketplace

Sydney, 9 November 2021 – Big Red Group has further cemented its position as the largest
experience marketplace in Australia and New Zealand, announcing the acquisition of
Experience Oz and Experience Oz Local Agent from holding company TicketMates Australia.

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.

David Anderson, CEO of Big Red Group comments:
“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 & Distribution Director of Big Red Group
comments: “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.”

– ENDS –

About Big Red Group:
Big Red Group is the largest marketplace of experiences in Australia and New Zealand with
more than 10,000 experiences on offer, and home to leading brands including
Adrenaline, Lime&Tonic, Experience Oz, Experience Oz Local Agent, and RedBalloon.

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 3 million experiences, and serves an experience circa every 30 seconds.

In 2021, Big Red Group is on track to deliver around 1 million customers to its supply network.

Media: Imagery can be found attached. For Big Red Group media enquiries, please contact:  
Kylie Gill, Head of Communications:
+61 437 037 805  
[email protected]

Images attached:
David Anderson, Group CEO of Big Red Group
Photo Credit – Experience Oz Sail Away / Experience Oz Great Adventure