One of the most popular online event marketing tools out there is EventBrite. EventBrite is a great website for handling all aspects of event marketing. By using EventBrite, you can plan your event, set up ticket sales for your event, promote your event, and spread the word about your event across Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. On the other side of the spectrum, event goers can find and buy tickets to any event using the EventBrite website.

What sets EventBrite apart is that it is an all-in-one solution. Everything can be done using one simple site and it is all consolidated in one place. EventBrite makes its money by charging organizers a small fee of 2.5% of the ticket price, plus $.99 for each ticket sold. EventBrite does not charge any fee for free events,however. Recently, EventBrite made news by being the first ever ticketing service company to intergrate itself with Facebook's new "buy tickets" feature, which is sure to open up many doors for the company, being as Facebook is the biggest driver of traffic to EventBrite's site!

When it comes to online event marketing and planning, EventBrite is gaining steam rapidly. In fact, the company recently announced that they have raised $60 million in new funding, led by Tiger Global Management. Funding partners also include a new investment partner in T. Rowe Price. This brings EventBrite's total funding to around $140 million. So, just why has EventBrite proven to be so successful?

"Live experiences are the new luxury good -- from large festivals and concerts to conferences and political rallies, people are increasingly looking to share live experiences with people of similar interests and passions. We're pleased to be able to work with existing as well as new investors who truly understand the opportunities that these kind of occasions represent, as well as the power of the platform we have built to make them happen," said Kevin Hartz, CEO and founder of Eventbrite. "This funding round is the most efficient way to scale our business around the world, while remaining totally focused on our users."

Another interesting aspect of EventBrite is that was founded by a husband and wife team, Julia and Kevin Hartz. The couple realizes that there are unique challenges to being a husband and wife founder team, and they are not afraid to address those issues head on. Kevin reveals:
"There's been famous husband and wife teams where it's worked out remarkably, and famous husband and wife teams, as in the case of Cisco, where it's kind of a disaster — but, you know, Cisco became a great company. Like anything, it's a co-founder relationship, and in our case we had to be extra sensitive about it because there was this extra personal relationship important aspect about it.

"So, we approached it somewhat cautiously. We had many different chances where we would say, 'OK, we're not going to ruin the marriage,' so you know, one of us steps out, and we have this kind of a Plan B if things went poorly. I also think it's a great exercise in really ensuring we're compatible founders, and we were very conscientious of it. When you're working with founders, your fellow founders, that relationship is fundamental whether it's romantic or not."

Great advice! You can find an indepth interview with the couple here, if you are interested in learning more about what makes them tick! There is also a great video on YouTube from The Next Web Conference Europe 2013, where Julia Hartz was the keynote speaker, which you can find here.

EventBrite and other online event marketing tools are a big help to small business owners who are organizing events. You can handle every aspect of your event from sites like these. You can promote your event and get even more attendees to join. Once it is time for your event, there are additional apps available to help you see the number of tickets sold vs. the number of guests in attendance. You can even scan your attendees tickets at the door, and see a "report card" of how well your event did. The options are truly endless when using these types of apps, and it gives small business owners the upper hand when planning events. No longer are events something to dread, they are exciting and can give business owners something to look forward to!