Rising production costs, cancellations, and shifting fan spending habits have made ticket sales harder to come by, and even established events have felt the squeeze. But while some festivals are pouring bigger budgets into paid ads chasing the same audiences, one company is proving there’s a better way to sell tickets, and it starts with the fans themselves. Surge is an ambassador-driven marketing platform co-founded by 28 year old Alex Hilburn, built on one core idea: fans sell better than ads ever will, if you empower them correctly. Surge has already secured over $6 million in sales in 2026 and is on pace to exceed $10 million by the end of the year. Hilburn has spent his career building these systems, helping generate more than $20 million in festival ticket sales along the way.