UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

r

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

OR

For the transition period from __________ to __________

Commission File Number: 001-40926

Vivid Seats Inc.

(Exact Name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(312) 291-9966

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. YES ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ NO ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2023, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $328 million.

As of February 29, 2024, the registrant had outstanding 133,952,766 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, net of treasury shares and 76,225,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this "Report") contains “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) regarding future events and the future results of Vivid Seats Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, “we,” “us” and “our”). Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “designed,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “goal,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “propose,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will” and “would,” as well as similar expressions which predict or indicate future events and trends or which do not relate to historical matters, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

For example, we may use forward-looking statements when addressing topics such as our future financial performance, including our ability to generate sufficient cash flows or to raise additional capital when necessary or desirable, our success in attracting, hiring, motivating and retaining our senior management team, key technical employees and other highly skilled personnel, our ability to declare and pay dividends on our Class A common stock and other topics relating to our business, operations and financial performance such as:

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that can be difficult to predict and/or are outside of our control. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Report or, in the case of statements incorporated by reference herein, as of the date of the incorporated document.

Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of this Report, as well as in our press releases and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this Report, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

You should carefully read this Report in its entirety, including the risks discussed in the “Risk Factors” section. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

Risks Related to Our Business and the Live Events and Ticketing Industries

Risks Related to Government Regulation and Litigation

Risks Related to Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Risks Related to our Organizational Structure and the Ownership of Our Securities

Risks Related to Being a Public Company

Part I

Item 1. Business

Overview

We are an online ticket marketplace that utilizes our technology platform to connect fans of live events seamlessly with ticket sellers. Our mission is to empower and enable fans to Experience It Live.

We believe in the power of shared experiences to connect people with live events delivering some of life’s most exciting moments. We are relentless about finding ways to make event discovery and ticket purchasing easy, exciting and stress-free. Our platform provides ticket buyers, sellers and partners with an easy-to-use, trusted marketplace experience, ensuring fans can attend live events and create new memories.

We operate a technology platform and marketplace that enables ticket buyers to easily discover and purchase tickets while enabling ticket sellers and partners to seamlessly manage their operations. To generate ticket sales, drive traffic to our websites and mobile applications, and build brand recognition, we have mutually beneficial partnerships with media partners, product and service partners, distribution partners, content rights holders such as teams, leagues and venues, and supplier partners in Las Vegas. To attract and retain sellers and partners, we offer a variety of products and services that allow their businesses to thrive.

Our platform is built on years of transactional and engagement data that provides us with deep insights into how to best connect ticket buyers with the experiences they seek. We understand the feeling of anticipation as the start of an event approaches and work diligently to enable fans to experience as many of these moments as possible. We seek to provide enriching customer engagement opportunities with personalized recommendations, engaging discovery options, a streamlined shopping experience and a differentiated value proposition through competitively priced tickets and loyalty rewards. Our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program allows enrolled ticket buyers on Vivid Seats branded properties to earn reward credits to spend on future orders and experience even more of their favorite events.

As a marketplace, our customer base includes ticket buyers, sellers and partners, as well as Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports users.

Recent Business Acquisitions

In November 2023, we acquired VDC Holdco, LLC, the indirect parent company of Vegas.com, LLC ("Vegas.com"), an online ticket marketplace for live event enthusiasts exploring Las Vegas. As the local market authority, Vegas.com provides a comprehensive event inventory of shows, attractions and tours in Las Vegas, as well as an end-to-end travel shopping experience complete with flights and hotels.

In September 2023, we acquired WD Holdings Co., Ltd., the parent company of Wavedash Co., Ltd. (“Wavedash”), an online ticket marketplace headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Wavedash is the market leader in the Japanese secondary ticketing market with a large and growing customer network supported by robust technology and compliance capabilities.

In December 2021, we acquired Betcha Sports, Inc. (“Betcha”), a real money daily fantasy sports mobile application with social and gamification features. In August 2022, we rebranded Betcha as Vivid Picks, LLC (“Vivid Picks”) and integrated the product into our ecosystem. We leverage the natural overlap between sports fans who play fantasy and sports fans who buy tickets. We also learn more about our customer preferences, and foster engagement between ticketing transactions. Within the Vivid Picks application, users are able to place entries and engage socially, as well as browse, discover, and buy tickets to events. Building on Vivid Picks' technology, we launched Game Center in 2023, with free-to-play games available directly in the Vivid Seats mobile application, where players can engage and win free event tickets.

Our Business Model

We operate our business in two segments, Marketplace and Resale.

Marketplace

In our Marketplace segment, we primarily act as an intermediary between ticket buyers, sellers and partners through which we earn revenue processing ticket sales from our Owned Properties, consisting of our websites and mobile applications, including Vivid Seats, Vegas.com and Wavedash, and from our Private Label Offering, which includes numerous distribution partners. Our Marketplace segment also includes our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering, where users partake in contests by making picks from a variety of sport and player matchups. Using our online platform, we facilitate customer payments, deposits and withdrawals, coordinate ticket deliveries, and provide customer service. We do not hold ticket inventory in our Marketplace segment.

We primarily earn revenue from service and delivery fees charged to ticket buyers. We also earn referral fee revenue by offering event ticket insurance to ticket buyers, using a third-party insurance provider. The revenue we earn from our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering is the difference between cash entry fees collected and cash amounts paid out to users for winning picks, less customer promotions and incentives.

We incur costs for developing and maintaining our platform, providing back-office support and customer service, facilitating payments and deposits and shipping non-electronic tickets. We also incur substantial marketing costs, primarily related to online advertising.

A key component of our platform is Skybox, a proprietary enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) tool used by the majority of ticket sellers. Skybox is a free-to-use system that helps ticket sellers manage ticket inventories, adjust pricing and fulfill orders across multiple ticket resale marketplaces. Professional ticket sellers use an ERP to manage their operations, and Skybox is their most widely adopted ERP.

The tickets we sell through our Marketplace segment are diversified across event categories including sports, concerts and theater. A diversified mix across these three major categories broadens our opportunities, limits exposure to any particular category and reduces seasonal variation in order volumes.

Within each of these categories, there are a broad range of productions that provide further diversification:

Resale

In our Resale segment, we acquire tickets to resell on secondary ticket marketplaces, including our own. Our Resale segment also provides internal research and development support for Skybox and our ongoing efforts to deliver industry-leading seller software and tools.

Our Growth Strategies

New Customer Acquisition via Performance Marketing and Alternative Channels

Fans interested in attending live events frequently utilize internet search engines to browse tickets. With our proprietary digital marketing technology and real-time first-party data, we have historically captured customer search traffic within reasonable customer acquisition cost thresholds. We will continue to hone our performance marketing algorithms, refine our strategies for other marketing channels and invest to acquire new customers where we identify positive lifetime value. We believe our Vegas.com property is one such alternative and profitable

customer acquisition channel; as millions of live event enthusiasts travel to Las Vegas and transact on Vegas.com, we anticipate a nationwide awareness benefit as tourists return to their home markets with greater awareness of and affinity for Vivid Seats.

Increase Brand Awareness and Affinity

Across our brands, we want to be the go-to ticketing marketplace for buyers and sellers when searching for, purchasing and selling event tickets. We seek to offer the best value to ticket buyers and sellers in the secondary ticketing market and want to amplify our message to maximize awareness of what differentiates our offerings. We differentiate ourselves from competitors by offering an extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value. Our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program allows enrolled Vivid Seats ticket buyers to earn reward credits to spend on future orders, enhancing our value proposition, and surprises and delights these buyers with other perks and upgrades. Our brand campaigns connect Vivid Seats with the number 11 and drive awareness of the key tenet of Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty — the free 11th ticket.

We offer a reliable and secure experience for our buyers by providing them with award-winning customer service and a 100% buyer guarantee. This guarantee provides full-service customer care, safe and secure transactions and valid tickets, which are delivered before the event. Since live event tickets are often a significant purchase, our ticket buyers receive compensation for late delivery of tickets and cancelled events. The more customers understand our value proposition, appreciate that we are a trusted marketplace, develop an affinity for our brand and interact with our platform, the more transactions we expect to complete.

Increase Customer Retention

Once customers transact with us, many return and complete additional transactions. We seek to increase both the number and frequency of these repeat customer visits and transactions by having ticket buyers view us as their ticketing platform of choice. The combination of our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program, increasing brand awareness and ongoing product improvements will drive a more personalized and engaging experience and will result in greater affinity towards our marketplace. As ticket buyers gain a full appreciation of our value proposition relative to other ticketing marketplaces, we anticipate they will increasingly choose us over other marketplaces and make purchases more frequently. We typically incur lower marketing costs from repeat customers that go directly to our websites and mobile applications to browse and place orders.

Increase Customer Engagement

We want to connect with our customers and we want our customers to connect with us. Such engagement allows us to know our customers better, fosters brand affinity and ultimately drives higher repeat purchase activity. We aim to close the awareness gap to ensure that our ticket buyers know when their favorite artists or sports teams are performing or playing near them. Accordingly, we strive to improve the discovery process to help our ticket buyers attend more of their favorite events.

We provide customized content to our customers to enhance their experience while driving continued engagement. We provide a broad selection of competitively priced tickets and personalized recommendations, blog content and industry news. With the launch of Game Center in July 2023, fans can engage in free-to-play games directly in the Vivid Seats mobile application, earn tokens towards Game Center rewards such as promo codes and earn entries in weekly drawings for free tickets. Additionally, Vivid Picks provides an adjacent opportunity for our sports fans to partake in a fun, interactive gamification experience where they can play and win real money.

Develop Additional Seller Tools and Services

We enable ticket sellers to thrive by offering products and services that support their business needs. Our proprietary Skybox platform helps ticket sellers manage their inventory, set pricing, fulfill orders and track sales. We have a proud history of innovating to support ticket sellers and continue to develop additional tools and service offerings that address existing problems or add efficiency to the sales and fulfillment process. As we increase the quality and depth of our seller tools and service offerings, we will attract additional sellers and listings to our platform, reinforce our existing seller relationships and help sellers improve the efficiency of their business processes. We anticipate this will result in more transactions on our marketplace.

Expand Our Partnerships

Partnerships are an important and additive part of our ecosystem. They help generate ticket sales, drive traffic to our websites and mobile applications and build brand recognition. Our partner ecosystem includes:

We will continue to seek out mutually beneficial partnerships in our existing ecosystem and other categories that improve our customers’ experience while leveraging our existing brand, traffic and reputation.

Our Platform

Modern Technology that Delivers a Seamless Experience

Our “built in the cloud” technology platform supports all elements of the customer experience. Customers can search for an event, buy or sell a ticket, engage with curated content, and contact customer support. Our technology mission is to continually innovate and deliver market-leading products and services that support the evolving needs and preferences of ticket buyers, sellers and partners, as well as Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports users. Our scalable, reliable and performant systems power a consumer and partner-facing platform that supports ticket buyers while our tools power inventory management and ticket fulfillment for ticket sellers and partners.

Buyer Technology and Products

Our consumer systems are designed to respond to the dynamic, fast-paced landscape of the live events industry. Our marketplace, supported by proprietary digital marketing technology, is adept at capitalizing on demand opportunities by bringing ticket buyers to our platform for their desired event and seamlessly supporting their shopping and checkout experience. We continually invest in optimizing our consumer-facing technology across our website and mobile applications. We seek opportunities to create engaging and delightful experiences through a wide range of event ticket listings, relevant content, curated recommendations and a seamless checkout process. We power that experience through a host of technology systems that consider historical transactional and engagement behavior, proximity and ticket buyer preferences. We leverage the latest technologies in search, customer relationship management and data analytics and incorporate these capabilities into our advanced and flexible infrastructure.

Seller Technology and Products

Skybox, our premier ERP, enables ticket sellers to manage, price and fulfill their inventory. Utilizing a cloud-based technology infrastructure and a web-based application interface, Skybox serves as an asset to the entire ticket seller ecosystem. We invest in building capabilities that serve the needs of small, medium and large ticket sellers alike, including offering free integrations to other inventory distribution channels and third-party tools. Skybox allows ticket sellers to more effectively move their inventory, which in turn helps to increase the number of orders transacted in our marketplace.

Partner Technology and Products

Our platform allows distribution and supplier partners to bring additional ticket buyer demand into our ecosystem. Distribution partners can integrate our event feeds and ticket listings into their online properties through application programming interfaces (“APIs”) or fully-managed websites. We also provide turn-key checkout, customer service and fulfillment. This offering increases the number of ticket buyers and sellers accessing our platform, allowing us to leverage our scale to drive operational and marketplace efficiencies while enabling our partners to offer additional products to their customers.

For our Vegas.com supplier partners, we provide a full suite of technology and services including an efficient marketing channel for customer acquisition, a proprietary real-time inventory management platform, customer service, and tools to inform about demand and price elasticity.

Technology Infrastructure

Our platform is extensible and flexible. We can integrate with new partners, target new customer channels, access new supply bases, and connect with complementary technologies.

We have scalable and reliable systems. We continue to build and modernize our technology infrastructure to support the growth of our marketplace. We can handle increases from unpredictable surges in site traffic across our ticket buyer, seller and partner platform. We utilize a host of technology availability, monitoring and scaling solutions to respond to rapid changes for a business that operates around the clock.

Our technology architecture is service-oriented, cloud-based, and modular. Each individual component of our architecture is independent. We can innovate quickly, increase development velocity and leverage new development technologies available in the market. We can also scale our platform to meet changing levels of ticket buyer demand and evolving ticket seller and partner needs.

Third-Party Developers

Our APIs allow a broad ecosystem of third-party tools and systems to integrate with our platform. Third-party tools integrate with our marketplace ticket broker API and ticket broker portal to streamline and automate the sales and fulfillment process. Our Skybox ERP integrates with numerous third-party automation and workflow management solutions. Ticket sellers can thus leverage other applications and functions to support the specific needs of their business.

Our Values

Our passion and excitement for live events drives us to provide memorable experiences and services to our customers and partners.

Our values ground us in all that we do:

Employees and Human Capital

We are passionate about facilitating amazing experiences for our customers and we are similarly intent on providing compelling experiences for our employees. Offering employees an engaging and positive work environment contributes to both their and our success. In 2023, we were proud to be named to Built In Chicago’s Best Places to Work and Chicago Innovation Awards lists.

Our talented employees give us a competitive advantage. To support our employees, we have built and strive to maintain a company culture that empowers them to embrace challenges, collaborate freely and seek to constantly evolve. We are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and welcoming to a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and thoughts as a means toward achieving employee engagement, empowerment, innovation and good decision-making, and we seek to hire talented, dedicated and diverse team members. As of December 31, 2023, we had 768 employees, most of whom are based at one of our five office locations in Chicago, Illinois; Coppell, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; and Tokyo, Japan.

The main objectives of our human capital resources are identifying, attracting, hiring, integrating, developing, motivating and retaining our existing and new employees to create teams that are driven towards the common goal of achieving consistently strong results. Our talent management team identifies key positions based on current and future business strategies and creates robust programs for talent development, including evaluating bench strength, building redundancy, and identifying potential successors. In addition to providing an engaging work environment, we provide a robust assortment of benefits including healthcare and retirement programs, flexible paid time off, paid parental leave, wellness programs, in-office working perks, and ticket discounts.

Competition

Our business faces significant competition from other primary and secondary ticketing service providers to acquire new and retain existing ticket buyers, sellers and partners. Our main competitive factors are:

We have several competitive advantages that enable us to maintain and grow our position as a leading ticket provider:

Our key competitors are StubHub, Ticketmaster, SeatGeek and TicketNetwork.

With our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering, we face a highly competitive gaming market, including other free-to-play and real money online gaming and daily fantasy sports providers. We provide a differentiated product and experience to users with an easy-to-use app with simple player props. The app is enhanced by social and gamification features, the opportunity to play and win real money and the availability to purchase tickets directly in the app.

We also face competition from other avenues for entertainment. Consumers have a wide array of entertainment options including restaurants, movies and television and we compete for the discretionary spend of our ticket buyers and daily fantasy sports users.

Government Regulation

Government regulation impacts key aspects of our business. Applicable federal, state, local and international laws and regulations involve areas such as privacy, data protection, intellectual property, competition, consumer protection, ticketing, payments, export taxation, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, fantasy sports and sports gaming.

For example, privacy and the storing, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of personally identifiable information and user data is an area that is increasingly subject to federal, state and international legislation and regulations with which we must comply. These include, but are not limited to, the California Consumer Privacy Act, the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the Japanese Act on the Protection of Personal Information Act No. 57 of 2003.

From time to time, federal, state, local and international authorities and/or individuals commence investigations, inquiries or litigation with respect to our compliance with applicable consumer protection, advertising, unfair business practice, antitrust (and similar or related laws) and other laws, particularly as related to ticket resale services. Some jurisdictions prohibit the resale of event tickets at prices above the face value of the tickets or at all, or highly regulate the resale of tickets. New laws and regulations or changes to existing laws and regulations could limit or inhibit our ability to operate, or the ability of ticket buyers, sellers and our partners to continue to use, our ticket marketplace. For example, New York recently amended its Arts and Cultural Affairs Law to require additional disclosures by ticket marketplaces and restrict a ticket marketplace’s ability to charge fees for the e-delivery of tickets.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a high volume of events that were rescheduled, postponed and/or cancelled (particularly in 2020 and 2021) and made certain changes to our refund practices. Although we

have restored our refund policies to be consistent with our policies pre-pandemic, such changes to our refund practices have drawn the attention of, and inquiry from, various attorneys general and other regulators.

We are subject to laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the internet in many jurisdictions where we operate. With the continued state adoption of internet sales tax and marketplace facilitator laws, more buyers across the United States will encounter sales tax on our platform in the future. Tax collection responsibility and the additional costs associated with complex sales and use tax collection, remittance and audit requirements could create additional burdens for ticket buyers, sellers and partners.

Many of the laws and regulations to which we are subject are still evolving and being tested in courts and could be interpreted in ways that could harm our business. In addition, the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations are often uncertain, particularly in the rapidly evolving industry in which we operate. Compliance with these laws, regulations, and similar requirements may be complex, costly and difficult to implement, and variances and inconsistencies across jurisdictions may further increase the costs of compliance and doing business.

Intellectual Property

Our business relies substantially on the creation, use and protection of intellectual property related to our platform and services. We seek to protect our intellectual property through a combination of trademarks, patents, domain names, copyrights and trade secrets. We further seek to protect our intellectual property through contractual provisions with employees, customers, suppliers, partners, affiliates and others, including, but not limited to, employee confidentiality and intellectual property assignment agreements, and commercial contracts that protect our intellectual property and confidential information.

Seasonality

Our financial results can be impacted by seasonality. Typically, we experience slightly increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and there is an increase in order volume for theater events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the following year.

Corporate Information

Vivid Seats was founded in 2001, and in 2004, we launched our website, www.vividseats.com. In 2010, we launched our marketplace platform, which we scaled rapidly while we developed and refined our proprietary systems to enable us to best serve our customers. In 2014, we launched Skybox, a free-to-use cloud-based ERP tool for sellers to manage their businesses, and first deployed our mobile application in 2015 to capture the increasing volume of tickets purchased through mobile channels. In 2019, we launched our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program, and have since focused on building long-term customer value through brand affinity and a differentiated value proposition.

In March of 2021, Vivid Seats Inc. was incorporated in Delaware for the purpose of completing the transactions contemplated by the transaction agreement, dated April 21, 2021 (the “Transaction Agreement”), among Vivid Seats Inc., Horizon Acquisition Corporation, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (“Horizon”), Horizon Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Horizon Sponsor”), Hoya Intermediate, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Hoya Intermediate"), and Hoya Topco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Hoya Topco”).

In October 2021, as contemplated by the Transaction Agreement, Horizon merged with us (the “Merger Transaction”), upon which the separate corporate existence of Horizon ended and we remained as the surviving entity. At the same time, we became a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) with our Class A common stock trading under the symbol "SEAT" and our warrants trading under the symbol "SEATW."

Available Information

Because we are subject to the requirements of the Exchange Act, we file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. This information is available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. We also use our Investor Relations website, investors.vividseats.com, as a means for disclosing information to investors, some of which may be material and previously non-public. We make available free of charge on our Investor Relations

website a variety of information for investors, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC.

Website addresses included in this Report are for convenience only. Information contained on or accessible through such website addresses is not incorporated by reference in, and does not constitute part of, this Report.

Directors

Information about each member of our Board of Directors (our “Board”) as of December 31, 2023 is set forth below.

Stanley Chia. Mr. Chia has served as our Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board since joining Vivid Seats in 2018. From 2015 to 2018, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Grubhub Inc., an online and mobile takeout marketplace for restaurant orders. Mr. Chia has also held senior roles at Amazon.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) and General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), where he led strategic businesses and organizations. Mr. Chia also serves on the board of directors of 1871, where he is a member of the nominating and governance committee, and on the President’s Advisory Board of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Chia is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Mr. Chia also served as an Armored Infantry Platoon Commander in the Singapore Armed Forces.

Mark M. Anderson. Mr. Anderson joined GTCR LLC, a private equity firm, in 2000 and is currently a Managing Director. Mr. Anderson also serves on the boards of directors of Gogo Inc. (Nasdaq: GOGO), where he is a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee, CommerceHub, Jet Support Services, Inc., Lexipol and Point Broadband. Mr. Anderson is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard Business School.

Todd Boehly. Mr. Boehly co-founded Eldridge Industries, LLC, a holding company with a unique network of businesses across finance, technology, real estate and entertainment, in 2015 and has since served as its Chairman and Executive Officer. He has also served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and director at Horizon Acquisition Corporation II since August 2020 and at Horizon Acquisition Corporation III since November 2020. Mr. Boehly served as Horizon Acquisition Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer and director from June 2020 to October 2021 and Chief Financial Officer and Chairman from July 2020 to October 2021. From 2002 to 2015, he worked at Guggenheim Partners, most recently as President. Mr. Boehly also serves on the boards of directors of Kennedy-Wilson Holdings (NYSE: KW), the Los Angeles Lakers, Flexjet, PayActiv, CAIS and Cain International. Mr. Boehly is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and studied at the London School of Economics.

Jane DeFlorio. Ms. DeFlorio served as Managing Director of Retail and Consumer Sector Investment Banking Coverage at Deutsche Bank AG from 2007 to 2013. From 2002 to 2007, she was an Executive Director in the Investment Banking Consumer and Retail Group at UBS Investment Bank. Ms. DeFlorio also serves on the boards of directors of SITE Centers Corp. (NYSE: SITC), where she is chair of the audit committee and a member of the compensation and pricing committees, Parsons School of Design and the Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology. Ms. DeFlorio also serves on the board of trustees of The New School University in New York City, where she is chair

of the audit and risk committee, and previously served on the board of directors of Perry Ellis International. Ms. DeFlorio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Harvard Business School.

Craig Dixon. Mr. Dixon is the Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of The St. James, a leading developer and operator of premium performance, wellness and lifestyle brands, technology experiences and destinations. From 2006 to 2013, he served as Assistant Vice President, Senior Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Smithfield Foods, Inc. Mr. Dixon began his legal career at McGuireWoods LLP and Cooley LLP and served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable James R. Spencer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Episcopal High School. Mr. Dixon is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and William & Mary School of Law.

David Donnini. Mr. Donnini joined GTCR LLC, a private equity firm, in 1991 and is currently a Managing Director. Prior to joining GTCR, he worked at Bain & Company. Mr. Donnini also serves on the boards of directors of AssuredPartners, Consumer Cellular, Park Place Technologies, Kick Health, Everon, ITEL, Senske Lawn Care and Sotera (NYSE: SHC), where he serves on the nominating and corporate governance committee. Mr. Donnini is a graduate of Yale University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Tom Ehrhart. Mr. Ehrhart joined GTCR LLC, a private equity firm, in 2012 and is currently a Principal. Prior to joining GTCR, he was an Analyst in the Financial Institutions group at Credit Suisse. Mr. Ehrhart also serves on the boards of directors of AssuredPartners, Consumer Cellular, Global Claims Services, Park Place Technologies, PPC Flexible Packaging and Senske Services. Mr. Ehrhart is a graduate of Georgetown University.

Julie Masino. Ms. Masino has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and director at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) since November 2023 after having served as Chief Executive Officer-Elect since August 2023. She served as President, International at Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), from January 2020 to June 2023 and as President, North America at Taco Bell from 2018 to December 2019. Ms. Masino previously held senior positions at Mattel, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAT) from 2017 to 2018 and at Sprinkles Cupcakes from 2014 to 2017. Ms. Masino previously served on the boards of directors of PhysicianOne Urgent Care and Cole Haan. Ms. Masino is a graduate of Miami University.

Martin Taylor. Mr. Taylor joined Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm, in 2006 and is currently a Senior Managing Director. Prior to joining Vista Equity Partners, he spent more than 13 years at Microsoft Corporation, including in roles managing corporate strategy, sales, product marketing and segment focused teams in North and Latin America. Mr. Taylor also serves on the boards of directors of Jamf Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: JAMF), where he serves on the compensation and nominating committee, and Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), where he serves on the compensation and nominating and committee. He previously served on the board of directors of Ping Identity Holding Corp. (NYSE: PING). Mr. Taylor is a graduate of George Mason University.

Executive Officers

Information about each of our executive officers as of December 31, 2023 is set forth below (other than Mr. Chia’s biography, which is set forth under “Directors” above).

Lawrence Fey. Mr. Fey has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2020, and previously served as a member of our Board from 2017 to February 2020. From 2005 to March 2020, he worked at GTCR LLC, a private equity firm, most recently serving as a Managing Director. While at GTCR, Mr. Fey served on the boards of directors of many successful investments, including Six3 Systems, CAMP Systems, Zayo Group, Cision, Park Place Technologies, GreatCall and Simpli.fi. Mr. Fey is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Riva Bakal. Ms. Bakal has served as our Chief Product and Strategy Officer since March 2022. Ms. Bakal joined Vivid Seats in February 2019 as our Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development. From 2016 to 2018, she served in a variety of senior positions across functions at Grubhub Inc., an online and mobile takeout marketplace for restaurant orders, most recently as Vice President of Market Operations. Ms. Bakal is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Business School.

Emily Epstein. Ms. Epstein has served as our General Counsel since joining Vivid Seats in October 2022. From January to July 2022, she served as General Counsel at Datto, Inc., a security and cloud-based software solutions provider. From December 2020 to January 2022, Ms. Epstein served as Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Coupang, Inc. (NYSE: CPNG). From 2016 to December 2020, she served in various leadership positions at Nielsen Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NLSN), most recently as Deputy Chief Legal Officer. From 2014 to 2016, she worked in the legal department at American Express Company (NYSE: AXP). Ms. Epstein began her legal career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Ms. Epstein is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Jon Wagner. Mr. Wagner has served as our Chief Technology Officer since joining Vivid Seats in 2018. Mr. Wagner has more than 25 years of experience in the technology sector, including most recently as a freelance decision engineering consultant in 2018. From 2017 to 2018, he served as Co-Founder of Aidan.ai, a start-up specializing in applied artificial intelligence. In 2017, he served as Vice President of Systems and Decision Engineering at Grubhub, Inc. From 2015 to 2017, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Zoomer, a B2B food delivery company. Mr. Wagner is a graduate of LaSalle University.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Set forth below are certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this Report. The risks discussed below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks not presently known or that are currently believed to not be material may also cause actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results. The risks discussed below should be carefully considered together with the other information set forth in this Report and in our other filings with the SEC.

Risks Related to Our Business and the Live Events and Ticketing Industries

Our success depends on the supply and demand of live concert, sporting and theater events, and a decline in either will adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The number of live concert, sporting and theater events depends on a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. A reduction in the number or availability of such events will adversely affect our revenue and operating results. For example, certain sports leagues have experienced labor disputes leading to threatened or actual player lockouts. Any such lockouts that result in shortened or cancelled seasons will adversely impact our business due to fewer events and increased event cancellations, as well as the possibility of decreased attendance due to adverse fan reactions.

A decline in attendance at live concert, sporting and theater events may also adversely affect our revenue and operating results. Our business depends on discretionary consumer and corporate spending. Many factors related to such spending, including economic conditions such as unemployment levels, fuel prices, interest rates, inflationary concerns and changes in tax rates and tax laws, as well as public concerns over terrorism and safety incidents, can impact our operating results. Business conditions, as well as various industry conditions, can also impact our operating results, including by affecting premium seat sales. Because consumers have historically reduced discretionary spending during periods of economic slowdown, recession and uncertainty, the risks associated with our business may become more acute during such periods.

The impact of economic slowdowns, recessions and uncertainty could result in reduced ticket sales and adversely affect our ability to generate revenue. We have a limited operating history during economic slowdowns as our marketplace developed subsequent to the last significant financial crisis, which began in 2008. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020, and related economic slowdown impacted our business through event cancellations and restrictions, but may not be representative of an economic slowdown or recession not induced by a pandemic. While demand for live events was strong throughout 2022 and 2023, there can be no assurance that discretionary

consumer and corporate spending will not be adversely impacted by any future deterioration in economic conditions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business depends on the continued occurrence of large-scale live concert, sporting and theater events, and a decrease in the number of such events could result in decreased demand for our services.

Ticket sales are sensitive to fluctuations in the number of concert, sporting and theater events and activities offered by promoters, teams and facilities, and adverse trends in the entertainment, sporting and leisure event industries could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We rely on artists, entertainers and teams to create and perform at live concert, sporting and theater events, and any unwillingness to tour, lack of availability of popular artists, entertainers and teams, or decrease in the number of games or performances held could limit our ability to generate revenue. Accordingly, our success depends upon the ability of promoters, teams and facilities to correctly anticipate public demand for particular events, as well as the availability of popular artists, entertainers and teams, and any decrease in availability or failure to anticipate public demand could result in reduced demand for our services, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business depends on our relationships with ticket buyers, sellers and partners, and an adverse change in these relationships could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business depends on maintaining our deep and longstanding relationships with the parties that use our platform to buy and sell tickets, including ticket buyers, sellers and partners. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain existing or develop new relationships on acceptable terms, if at all, and the failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in internet search engine algorithms and dynamics, search engine disintermediation or mobile application marketplace rules could have a negative impact on traffic for our websites and mobile applications and, ultimately, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely heavily on internet search engines, such as Google, to generate traffic to our websites, through a combination of organic and paid searches. Search engines frequently update and change the logic that determines the placement and display of results of a user’s search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our websites can be negatively affected. In addition, a search engine could, for competitive or other purposes, alter its search algorithms or results causing our websites to be placed lower in organic search query results. If a major search engine changes its algorithms in a manner that negatively affects its ranking of our or our partners’ websites, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected. Furthermore, our failure to successfully manage our search engine optimization could result in a substantial decrease in traffic to our websites, as well as increased costs if we were to replace free traffic with paid traffic, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We also rely on application marketplaces, such as Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play, to enable downloads of our mobile applications. Such marketplaces have in the past made, and may in the future make, changes (including to applicable security and privacy policies and requirements) that make access to our applications more difficult or limit the features we are able to offer. For example, our applications may receive unfavorable treatment compared to the promotion and placement of competing applications, such as the order in which they appear within marketplaces. Further, our Apple iOS and Google Android applications are an important distribution channel for ticket sales. If either marketplace were to charge commissions or fees on our revenue from application-based purchases, and we failed to negotiate favorable terms, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, if problems arise in our relationships with these or other providers of application marketplaces, our user growth could be harmed.

We face intense competition in the ticketing industry, and we may be unable to maintain or increase our ticket listings and sales, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business faces significant competition from other national, regional and local primary and secondary ticketing service providers to secure new and retain existing ticket buyers, sellers and partners on a continuous basis. We also face competition in the resale of tickets from other professional ticket resellers. The intense competition that we face in the ticketing industry could cause the volume of our ticketing business to decline, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Other competitive variables that could lead to a decrease in ticket orders, ticket prices, fees and/or profit margins that could adversely affect our financial performance include: competitors’ offerings that may include more favorable terms or pricing; competitors’ increase in marketing spending; technological changes and innovations that we are unable to adopt or are late in adopting; other entertainment options or ticket inventory selection and variety that we do not offer; increased pricing in the primary ticket marketplace, which could result in reduced profits for secondary ticket sellers; primary ticket marketplaces trying to restrict ticket sales by secondary marketplaces; and increased search engine marketing costs as competitors increase bid prices.

In addition, competition within the fantasy sports and gaming industry is significant, and our existing and potential Vivid Picks users may elect to use competing daily fantasy sports products.

If we do not continue to maintain and improve our platform or develop successful new solutions and enhancements or improve existing ones, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our ability to attract and retain ticket buyers, sellers and partners depends in large part on our ability to provide a user-friendly and effective platform, develop and improve our platform and introduce compelling new solutions and enhancements. Our industry is characterized by rapidly changing technology, service and product introductions and changing demands of ticket buyers, sellers and partners. We spend substantial time and resources understanding and responding to such parties’ needs. Building new solutions is costly and complex, and the timetable for commercial release is difficult to predict and may vary from our historical experience. In addition, after development, ticket buyers, sellers and partners may not be satisfied with our enhancements or perceive that our enhancements do not adequately meet their needs. The success of a new solution or enhancement to our platform can depend on several factors, including timely completion and delivery, competitive pricing, adequate quality testing, integration with our platform, user awareness and overall market acceptance and adoption. If we do not continue to maintain and improve our platform or develop successful new solutions and enhancements or improve existing ones, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our reputation and brand are important to our success, and if we are unable to maintain and enhance them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Maintaining and enhancing our reputation and brand as a differentiated ticketing marketplace serving ticket buyers, sellers and partners is critical in our ability to retain existing, and attract new, relationships with ticket buyers, sellers and partners. The successful promotion of our brand attributes depends on a number of factors, including many that are outside of our control.

The promotion of our brand requires us to make substantial expenditures and management investment, which may increase as our marketplace continues to expand and become more competitive. To the extent these activities yield increased revenue, it may not offset the increased expenses we incur. If we do not successfully maintain and enhance our brand and differentiate our marketplace from competitive products and services, our business may not grow, we may be unable to compete effectively and we could lose existing, or fail to attract new, ticket buyers, sellers or partners, all of which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

There are also factors outside of our control that could undermine and/or harm our reputation and brand. A negative perception of our marketplace may adversely affect our business, including as a result of complaints or negative publicity, our inability to timely comply with applicable laws, regulations and/or consumer protection-related guidance, the use of our platform to sell fraudulent or counterfeit tickets, our responsiveness to issues or complaints,

the timing of refunds and/or reversal of payments through our platform, actual or perceived disruptions or defects in our platform, cybersecurity incidents, a lack of awareness of our policies or changes to our policies that third parties perceive as overly restrictive, unclear or inconsistent with our values.

If we are unable to maintain a reputable platform that provides valuable solutions and desirable events, our ability to attract and retain ticket buyers, sellers and partners could be impaired and our reputation, brand and business could be adversely affected.

Disease epidemics and pandemics have adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Disease epidemics and pandemics (and governmental responses thereto) have had, and may in the future have, a material negative impact on macroeconomic conditions, the supply of live events and consumer behavior, all of which can adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The duration and scope of an epidemic or pandemic can be difficult to predict and depend on many factors, including the emergence of new variants and the availability, acceptance and effectiveness of preventative measures. An epidemic or pandemic may also precipitate or aggravate other risk factors, which have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, our business. Such additional or attendant risks include, among others: the impact of any economic downturn, recession or uncertainty, including reduced discretionary consumer and corporate spending and/or confidence of ticket buyers and sellers, that results in a decline in ticket sales and live event attendance; a decrease in our profitability due to governmental restrictions or safety precautions and protocols voluntarily undertaken, such as venues running under capacity or ceasing operations, which could reduce the supply of live events and limit the number of tickets sold on our marketplace; an increase in event cancellations; an inability to pursue expansion opportunities or acquisitions due to capital constraints; a decrease in the availability, or increase in the cost, of insurance coverage; and the incurrence of additional expenses related to compliance, precautions and management.

For example, the global COVID-19 pandemic has been complex, unpredictable and evolving. It resulted in significant disruption and additional risks to our business, the entertainment industry and the global economy in 2020 and 2021. The pandemic led governments and other authorities around the world to impose measures intended to control its spread, including travel bans, border closings and restrictions, business closures, quarantines and vaccine requirements. Many promoters, teams, theaters and facilities around the world shut down in 2020. Because our business depends on live events in order to generate revenue from ticket sales, fewer live events and lower event attendance during the pandemic negatively impacted our financial condition. While live events are now generally held at pre-pandemic scope and scale, it is difficult to predict the continued impacts of the pandemic, the emergence of new COVID-19 variants and whether restrictions could again be put into place in the future. Any of these circumstances could again threaten the live events industry and negatively impact our financial condition.

If any of the business acquisitions we have made, or may make in the future, are unsuccessful, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.

Our strategy has involved, and our future growth rate may continue to depend in part on, our selective acquisition of additional businesses. For example, we acquired Fanxchange Ltd. (“Fanxchange”) in 2019, Betcha (which we rebranded as Vivid Picks) in 2021, Wavedash in September 2023 and Vegas.com in November 2023. However, we may be unable in the future to identify other suitable acquisition targets or make acquisitions at favorable prices. Even if we identify a suitable acquisition candidate, our ability to successfully complete the acquisition depends on a variety of factors, which may include our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms and requisite government approvals. And, even if we complete an acquisition, our ability to successfully integrate the acquired business is subject to additional risks and uncertainties. Further, our credit facility restricts our ability to make certain acquisitions. In connection with future acquisitions, we could take certain actions that could adversely affect our business, including: using a significant portion of our available cash; issuing equity securities, which would dilute current stockholders’ ownership; incurring substantial debt; incurring or assuming contingent liabilities, known or unknown; and incurring large accounting write-offs, impairments or amortization expenses.

In addition, an acquisition involves inherent risks that, if realized, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including those associated with: integrating the operations, financial reporting, technologies and personnel of the acquired company; scaling of operations, system and infrastructure and achieving synergies to meet the needs of the combined or acquired company; managing geographically dispersed operations; the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; the inherent risks in entering new markets or lines of business in which we have limited or no direct experience, including the impact of newly applicable laws and regulations; and the potential loss of key employees, customers and partners of the acquired company. Any of these risks could significantly affect our ability to complete acquisitions and expand our business. For example, our acquisitions of Fanxchange, Betcha, Wavedash and Vegas.com all involved inherent risks, including, as applicable, those associated with integrating new lines of business, operating in new markets and adhering to new regulatory regimes. The success of these and any future acquisitions is based, in part, on our ability to overcome these risks.

We are subject to risks associated with the growth of our international operations.

We have operations in Canada and Japan, and we may continue to expand our international operations. Accordingly, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, including, but not limited to: complying with multiple, conflicting and changing laws and regulations, including those relating to privacy, data protection, anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering, in the jurisdictions in which we now or may in the future operate; obtaining governmental approvals, permits and licenses; obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights; staffing and managing foreign operations; financial risks such as longer payment cycles, difficulty collecting accounts receivable, the impact of local and regional financial crises and exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; preferences by local consumers for local competitors; and political and economic instability. We may also have difficulty expanding our international operations because of limited brand recognition, leading to delayed or limited acceptance of our services by ticket buyers, sellers and partners in new markets and increased marketing and other costs associated with establishing our brand. If we are unable to successfully expand internationally or manage the risks associated therewith, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our financial performance in certain periods may not be indicative of, or comparable to, our financial performance in subsequent periods due to seasonality and other operational factors.

Our financial results and cash needs vary from period to period depending on, among other things: popularity and demand for certain performers and events; sports teams’ performances, and the length and team composition of sports playoff series and championship games; the timing of top grossing events; event cancellations; weather, seasonal and other fluctuations in our operating results; the timing of guaranteed payments, investments, acquisitions and financing activities; competitive dynamics; and the timing of disbursements of accounts payable to sellers and partners around quarter-end. Because our results may vary significantly from period to period, our financial results for one period cannot necessarily be compared to another period and may not be indicative of our financial performance in future periods. Typically, we experience lower financial performance in the first, second and third quarters, with slightly increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and there is an increase in order volume for theater events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the following year. The timing of top-grossing tours can also impact comparability of quarterly results year over year and, in rare cases, annual results. Similarly, the number of sports games and the teams involved in playoff series can vary year over year and impact our results. The seasonality of our business could create cash flow management risks if we do not adequately anticipate and plan for periods of decreased activity, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations by negatively impacting our ability to execute on our strategy.

We rely on the experience and expertise of our senior management team, key technical employees and other highly skilled personnel, and the failure to retain and motivate these individuals could adversely affect our business.

Our success depends upon the continued service of our senior management team and key technical employees, as well as our ability to continue to identify, attract, hire, integrate, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. Each of our executive officers, key technical personnel and other employees could terminate his or her relationship with us at any time. The loss of any member of our senior

management team or key personnel could significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives and/or harm our business and relationships. As such, effective succession planning and the execution of smooth personnel transitions is important to our long-term success. Competition in our industry for qualified employees is intense. In addition, our compensation arrangements, such as our equity award programs, may not always be successful in attracting, hiring, motivating and retaining employees.

We face significant competition for personnel. To attract top talent, we have needed, and will continue to need, to offer competitive compensation and benefits packages. We may also need to increase our employee compensation levels in response to competition and inflation. If we fail to effectively manage our hiring needs or successfully integrate new hires, our efficiency and ability to meet forecasts, as well as employee morale, productivity and retention, could suffer, which may adversely affect our business.

Impairment of our goodwill has in the past and could in the future adversely impact our financial results and financial condition.

In accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), we review our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired. If the carrying amount of our goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment loss equal to the excess is recorded. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $573.8 million, including an impairment of goodwill of $377.1 million. As of December 31, 2023, we had goodwill of approximately $947.4 million, which constituted approximately 61% of our total assets at that date. Due to stock market volatility, economic uncertainty and inflationary concerns, there can be no assurance that our goodwill will not be impaired in the future, as it has in prior periods. Impairment may result from, among other things, a significant decline in our expected cash flows, an adverse change in the business climate and slower growth rates in our industry. If we are required to record an impairment charge for goodwill in the future, it could adversely affect our financial condition.

Our business may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation.

Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our business, financial condition, including liquidity, and results of operations by increasing our overall cost structure, particularly if we are unable to achieve commensurate increases in our revenues. The existence of inflation in the economy has resulted in, and may continue to result in, high interest rates and capital costs, increased costs of labor, weakening exchange rates and other similar effects. As a result of inflation, we have experienced and may continue to experience cost increases. Although we may take measures to mitigate the impacts of inflation, these measures may not be effective and our business, financial condition, including liquidity, and results of operations could be adversely affected. Even if such measures are effective, there could be a difference in timing between the impacts of inflation and the effects of the mitigating actions we take.

Our business may be adversely affected by extraordinary events, including terrorist attacks, mass-casualty incidents, military actions, acts of civil unrest, public health concerns, public safety incidents, security concerns, natural disasters and severe weather events.

The occurrence and threat of extraordinary events, including terrorist attacks, intentional or unintentional mass-casualty incidents, military actions, acts of civil unrest, public health concerns such as contagious disease epidemics or pandemics (and governmental responses thereto), public safety incidents such as Astroworld, security concerns or security-related disruptions, natural disasters or similar severe weather events, may deter performers, promoters, teams or facilities from holding live events and substantially decrease the demand for live events. The exposure of our Vegas.com property to certain of these risks may be exacerbated due to its concentration in Southern Nevada, which has experienced water and electricity shortages. The occurrence of such extraordinary events has in the past adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations. Related event cancellations could also adversely affect our financial performance, as we may be obligated to issue refunds or credits for tickets purchased for events that are not rescheduled.

Risks Related to Government Regulation and Litigation

We are subject to extensive governmental regulation, and our failure to comply with these regulations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations are subject to federal, state, local and international laws and regulations, which are subject to change at any time, governing key aspects of our business such as privacy, data protection, intellectual property, competition, consumer protection, ticketing, payments, export taxation, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, fantasy sports and sports gaming. While we attempt to conduct our business and operations in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that a particular law or regulation will not be interpreted or enforced in a manner contrary to our understanding of it. Our failure to comply with any such laws or regulations could result in proceedings and/or fines against us by governmental authorities and private actions brought by individuals which, if material, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The promulgation of new and sometimes conflicting laws and regulations could also unfavorably impact our business and make compliance more complex, costly and challenging.

From time to time, governmental authorities and/or individuals commence investigations, inquiries or litigation with respect to our compliance with applicable consumer protection, advertising, unfair business practice, disclosure and other laws, particularly as related to ticket resale services. While we have generally seen an easing of ticket resale restrictions, a limited number of jurisdictions prohibit the resale of event tickets at prices above the face value of the tickets or at all, or highly regulate the resale of tickets. New laws and regulations or changes to existing laws and regulations could restrict or inhibit our ability to operate, or the ability of ticket buyers, sellers and our partners to continue to use, our ticket marketplace. We have incurred legal expenses in connection with the defense of such investigations and litigation in the past and may be required to incur additional expenses in the future.

Our business depends on the ability of sellers to sell tickets on the secondary market unencumbered.

Our business depends upon sellers having the ability to list tickets for sale on the secondary ticket market for events put on by artists, teams and promoters. While we have generally seen an easing of ticket resale restrictions, any actions taken by governments, rights holders or companies that issue tickets (i.e., primary ticketing companies), such as enacting restrictions regarding resale policies, requiring certain disclosures, using technology to limit where and how tickets are sold on the secondary market, charging incremental fees for the ability to sell tickets on the secondary market or partnering with other resale marketplaces on an exclusive basis, could result in reduced demand for our services, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The processing, storage, use and disclosure of personal or sensitive information could give rise to liabilities and additional costs as a result of governmental regulation, litigation and conflicting legal requirements, including those relating to personal privacy rights.

We receive, transmit and store a large volume of personal data and other user data. Numerous federal, state and international laws address privacy, data protection and the collection, storage, sharing, usage, disclosure and protection of personal data and other user data. Many U.S. states have, and a number of additional states are looking to adopt or expand, data protection legislation requiring companies like ours to consider solutions to meet differing rights, needs and expectations of consumers. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”), which took effect in January 2020, established a new privacy framework for covered businesses such as ours and may require us to further modify our data processing practices and policies and incur additional compliance-related costs and expenses. The CCPA requires companies that process information on California residents to disclose to consumers their data collection, use and sharing practices and grants consumers certain rights, including to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties. The CCPA provides for statutory penalties and a private right of action for data breaches resulting from a failure to implement reasonable security procedures and practices. In addition, the California Privacy Rights Act (the “CPRA”), which went into effect in January 2023, introduced significant amendments to the CCPA and established and funded a dedicated California privacy regulator, the California Privacy Protection Agency, who issued new implementing regulations in March 2023 and proposed additional revisions to the CCPA in December 2023. These revisions, as well as any other future changes, may require us to further modify our data processing practices and policies and to incur additional compliance-related costs and expenses. Further,

Virginia enacted the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act in March 2021, Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act in July 2021, Connecticut enacted the Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring Act in July 2023 and Utah has enacted the Utah Consumer Privacy Act in December 2023. These are all comprehensive privacy statutes that share similarities with the CCPA and the CPRA. Similar laws have been proposed in other states and at the federal level, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States, which could increase our potential liability. The enactment of such laws could have potentially conflicting requirements that would make compliance more complex, costly and challenging and may require us to further modify our data processing practices and policies and to incur additional compliance-related costs and expenses. In addition to new regulations, courts around the country continue to evolve their interpretation of applicable data privacy and protection laws, including the CCPA. There has also been a noticeable uptick in class action litigation in the United States in which plaintiffs have utilized a variety of laws, including the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988 and state wiretapping laws, in relation to the use of tracking technologies, such as cookies and pixels. Such litigation may lead legislatures to consider responsive regulation.

Outside the United States, personal and other user data is increasingly subject to legislation and regulations in numerous jurisdictions in which we operate, the intent of which is to protect the privacy of information that is collected, processed and transmitted in or from the governing jurisdiction. Foreign data protection, privacy, information security, user protection and other laws and regulations are often more restrictive and complex than those in the United States. For example, the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) is a comprehensive privacy and security law for organizations collecting, using or disclosing information about identified individuals for commercial purposes, and may impose obligations upon covered organizations that are greater than what is common in the United States. Certain Canadian provinces have their own data protection regulations as well. Similarly, the United Kingdom, the European Union and countries in the European Economic Area (the “EEA”) traditionally have taken broader views on, and have imposed different legal obligations on companies as to, the types of data that are subject to privacy and data protection laws and regulations. For example, the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”), which took effect in May 2018, applies to any company established in the EEA and to companies outside the EEA if they collect and use personal data in connection with the offering of goods or services to individuals in the EEA or the monitoring of their behavior. Although we do not currently trigger the application of the GDPR, if we materially alter our operations such that we become established in the European Union and/or the United Kingdom (e.g., by employing individuals in those locations), begin monitoring individuals in the European Union and/or the United Kingdom or demonstrate an intention to offer goods and services to individuals in the European Union and/or the United Kingdom, we may be required to comply with EEA and/or U.K. data protection laws, such as the GDPR and the U.K. General Data Protection Regulation, which took effect in January 2021. If we are required to comply with PIPEDA or EEA or U.K. data privacy laws, it may significantly increase our operational costs and our overall risk exposure. In addition, the Canadian Parliament has debated a new privacy and security law, proposed to replace PIPEDA, which may impose new or additional obligations upon covered companies. The proposed new privacy and security bill was introduced in June 2022 and is subject to further debate and amendment. If PIPEDA is replaced with a new privacy and security law in the future, it may require us to further modify our data processing practices and policies and incur additional compliance-related costs and expenses. The Japanese Act on the Protection of Personal Information No. 57 of 2003, which also governs the handling of personal information, may impose obligations on covered entities that are in addition to, or differ from, those in other jurisdictions (for example, it differs from the GDPR with respect to its approach to notifications and the cross-border transfer of personal data).

The interpretation and application of many privacy and data protection laws are, and will likely remain, uncertain, and it is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our existing data management practices, policies or product features. If so, in addition to the possibility of fines, lawsuits and other claims and penalties, we could be required to fundamentally change our business activities and practices or modify our practices, policies or products, which could adversely affect our business. In addition to government regulation, privacy advocacy and industry groups may propose new and different self-regulatory standards that legally or contractually apply to us. Any inability to adequately address privacy, data protection and data security concerns or comply with applicable privacy, data protection or data security laws, regulations, policies and other obligations could result in additional cost and liability to us and adversely affect our reputation, sales and business.

Our failure, and/or the failure by our various service providers and partners, to comply with applicable privacy policies, laws, regulations or other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized access, acquisition or release of personal or other user data, or the perception that any such failure or compromise has occurred, could harm our brand and reputation, result in a loss of ticket sellers, buyers or partners, discourage potential ticket sellers, buyers or partners from using our platform and result in fines and proceedings by governmental agencies and users, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, U.S., Canadian and Japanese laws require, and laws in other jurisdictions in which we may operate in the future may in certain circumstances require, businesses to notify affected individuals, governmental entities and/or credit reporting agencies of certain cybersecurity incidents affecting personal information. Certain of our contractual obligations contain similar requirements. Such requirements are inconsistent, and compliance in the event of a widespread cybersecurity incident may be complex, costly and difficult to implement. These risks may increase not only as we expand our operations in new jurisdictions, but also as our business continues to involve greater numbers of ticket buyers, sellers and partners.

Our existing general liability and cyber liability insurance policies may not cover, or may cover only a portion of, any response and remediation costs and potential claims related to cybersecurity incidents to which we are exposed or may be inadequate to indemnify us for all or any portion of liabilities that may be imposed. There can be no assurance that our existing insurance coverage will continue to be available on acceptable terms or in amounts sufficient to cover the potentially significant losses that may result from a cybersecurity incident or that the insurer will not deny coverage of any future claim.

Unfavorable outcomes in legal proceedings in which we, ticket sellers or our partners may be involved could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be called on to defend ourselves against lawsuits relating to our business operations. Some of these claims may seek significant damages due to the nature of our business. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings.

Our results may be affected by the outcome of future litigation. Unfavorable rulings in legal proceedings in which we, ticket sellers or our partners may be involved may have a negative impact on us that may be greater or smaller than expected depending on the nature of the rulings. In addition, we are currently, and from time to time in the future, we, ticket sellers and our partners may be subject to various other claims, investigations, legal and administrative cases, and proceedings and lawsuits (whether civil or criminal) by governmental agencies or private parties. If we or they are unable to successfully defend against these claims, investigations, cases, proceedings or lawsuits, or if the results thereof are unfavorable, we or they may be required to pay monetary damages or be subject to fines, penalties, injunctions or other censure that could directly or indirectly adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if we adequately address the issues raised by an investigation or proceeding or successfully defend a third-party lawsuit or counterclaim involving us, such investigation, proceeding, lawsuit or claim, regardless of the outcome or merit thereof, could result in substantial costs and the diversion of management resources, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Unfavorable legislative outcomes could adversely affect our industry, business and operating results.

Approximately 40 states regulate the secondary ticket market, such as by requiring certain disclosures, refunding practices or other consumer affairs obligations. While we have generally seen an easing of ticket resale restrictions, it is possible that further regulation or unfavorable legislative outcomes impose additional restrictions, such as resale price caps and bans on transferability, could adversely affect our industry, business and operating results.

Various jurisdictions have enacted, and others may in the future enact, rules and regulations, including tax and license requirements, for daily fantasy sports operators that may make the entry process cumbersome, expensive and lengthy. The growth potential of our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering depends on the legal status of real-money daily fantasy sports in various jurisdictions and our ability to obtain licenses to operate in jurisdictions where licenses are required. We currently offer our fantasy sports contests in the District of Columbia and 23 states that either do not require a license or where we have obtained the required license. Any change in existing daily fantasy sports rules and regulations or their interpretation related to Vivid Picks, or the regulatory climate applicable to daily fantasy sports, could adversely impact our ability to operate our business as currently conducted or as we seek to operate in the future.

Our business may be subject to sales tax and other indirect taxes in various jurisdictions.

The application of indirect taxes, such as sales and use, amusement, value-added, goods and services, business and gross receipts, to businesses like ours, and to ticket buyers and sellers in our marketplace, is a complex and evolving issue. Significant judgment is required to evaluate applicable tax obligations and, as a result, amounts recorded are subject to adjustment. In many cases, the ultimate tax determination is uncertain because it is unclear how new and existing statutes might apply to our business. One or more states, localities or countries may seek to impose additional reporting, recordkeeping or indirect tax collection obligations on businesses like ours that facilitate online marketplaces. Imposition of an information reporting or tax collection requirement could decrease ticket seller activity on our platform, which would adversely affect our business. New legislation could require us, or ticket sellers on our marketplace, to incur substantial compliance costs, including costs associated with tax calculation, collection and remittance and audit requirements, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

It is possible that we could face sales and use tax and value-added tax audits in the future and that federal, state, local or international tax authorities could assert that we are obligated to collect additional amounts as taxes on behalf of ticket sellers and remit those taxes to those authorities. We could also be subject to audits and assessments with respect to jurisdictions for which we have not accrued tax liabilities. A successful assertion that we should be collecting additional sales or other taxes in jurisdictions where we have not historically done so, and where we do not accrue for sales or other taxes, could result in substantial tax liabilities for past sales and otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property

System interruptions and the lack of integration and redundancy in our and third-party information systems and infrastructure could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The success of our operations depends, in part, on the integrity of our information systems and infrastructure, as well as affiliate and third-party computer systems, computer networks and other communication systems. System interruptions and the lack of integration and redundancy in the information systems and infrastructure, both of our own ticketing and other computer systems and of affiliate and third-party software, computer networks and other communications systems service providers on which we rely, may adversely affect our ability to operate our websites and mobile applications, process and fulfill transactions, respond to customer inquiries and generally maintain cost-efficient operations. Similarly, due to our reliance on a network of technology systems, many of which are outside of our control, changes to interfaces upon which we rely or a reluctance of our counterparties to continue supporting our systems could lead to technology interruptions. Such interruptions could occur by virtue of natural disaster, malicious actions such as cyber-attacks or intrusions, acts of terrorism, military actions or human error. In addition, the loss of certain key personnel could require us to expend additional resources to continue to maintain our software and systems and subject us to systems interruptions. The large infrastructure footprint that is required to operate our systems requires an ongoing investment of time, money and effort to maintain or refresh hardware and software and to ensure it remains at a level capable of servicing the demand and volume of our business. Failure to do so may result in system instability, degradation in performance or unfixable security vulnerabilities that could adversely impact both our business and consumers.

While we have backup systems for certain aspects of our operations, disaster recovery planning by its nature may not be sufficient for all eventualities. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses from an extended interruption. If any of these adverse events were to occur, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Cybersecurity risks, data loss or other breaches of our network security or information systems could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Due to the nature of our business, we process, store, use, transfer and disclose certain personal or sensitive information about our customers and employees. Penetration of our network or information systems or other misappropriation or misuse of personal or sensitive information and data, including credit card information and other personally identifiable information, could cause interruptions in our operations and subject us to increased costs, litigation, investigations and enforcement actions from governmental authorities, as well as financial or other liabilities. In addition, cybersecurity incidents or the inability to protect information could lead to increased incidents of ticketing fraud and counterfeit tickets. Cybersecurity incidents could also significantly damage our reputation with sellers, buyers, partners and other third parties, and could result in significant costs related to remediation efforts, including incident response and restoration and credit or identity theft monitoring. Such incidents may occur in the future, resulting in unauthorized, unlawful or inappropriate access to, inability to access, or disclosure or loss of, the sensitive, proprietary and confidential information that we handle.

Although we have developed systems, practices and policies that are designed to protect customer and employee information and to prevent cybersecurity incidents (which could result in data loss or other harm or loss), such measures cannot provide absolute security or certainty. It is possible that advances in computer and threat actor capabilities, new variants of malware, the development of new penetration methods and tools, inadvertent violations of our practices or policies or other developments could result in a compromise of, or a breach of the technology and cybersecurity processes that are used to protect, customer and employee information. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems may change frequently and, as a result, may be difficult for our business to detect for extended periods of time. We have expended and will continue to expend significant capital and other resources to protect against and remedy such potential cybersecurity incidents and their consequences. However, despite our efforts, we may be unaware of or unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures.

We also face risks associated with cybersecurity incidents affecting third parties with which we are affiliated, partnered or otherwise conduct business. In particular, hardware, software or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain design or manufacturing defects and/or pose cybersecurity risks that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Ticket sellers, buyers and partners are generally concerned with the security and privacy of the internet, and any publicized cybersecurity incidents affecting our business or third parties may discourage such sellers, buyers or partners from doing business with us and harm our reputation, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

For more information on cybersecurity-related legal and regulatory risks, see “Risks Related to Government Regulation and Litigation - The processing, storage, use and disclosure of personal or sensitive information could give rise to liabilities and additional costs as a result of governmental regulation, litigation and conflicting legal requirements, including those relating to personal privacy rights” above.

If we fail to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position and business could be adversely affected.

Our proprietary technologies and information, including our software, informational databases and other components that make our products and services, are critical to our success. We seek to protect our technologies, products and services through a combination of intellectual property rights, including trademarks, domain names, copyrights and trade secrets, as well as through contractual restrictions with employees, customers, suppliers, affiliates, partners and others. Despite our efforts, it may be possible for a third party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property without authorization, which, if discovered, might require legal action to correct. In addition, third parties may independently and lawfully develop products or services substantially similar to ours.

While we do not currently hold patents over our technology, we have 10 pending patent applications in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, six published patents in the United States and the United Kingdom and one completed patent under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and we may file additional patent applications in the future. We seek to protect our trade secrets and proprietary know-how and technology methods through confidentiality agreements and other access control measures. However, a failure of such strategies to protect our technology or our inability to protect patents in the future could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have been granted trademark registrations with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and various foreign authorities for certain of our brands. However, our existing or future trademarks may be adjudicated invalid by a court or may not afford us adequate protection against competitors.

There can be no assurance that the measures we implement will prevent infringement, misappropriation, dilution or other violations of our intellectual property rights, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as they do in the United States. Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights in a meaningful manner or challenges to our related contractual rights could result in erosion of our brand names or other intellectual property and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights claimed by others. Any such litigation, regardless of the outcome or merit thereof, could result in substantial costs and the diversion of management and technical resources, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may face potential liability and costs for legal claims alleging that we infringe upon third-party intellectual property rights.

There can be no assurance that we do not, or will not, infringe upon or otherwise violate third-party intellectual property rights. From time to time, we have been, and may in the future be, subject to legal proceedings and claims alleging that we infringe upon or otherwise violate such rights. These claims, regardless of the outcome or merit thereof, could result in substantial costs and the diversion of management and technical resources and adversely affect our reputation and financial condition. In addition, the outcome of litigation is uncertain, and third parties asserting claims could secure a judgment against us awarding substantial damages, as well as injunctive or other equitable relief, which could require us to rebrand, redesign or reengineer our platform, products or services, and/or effectively block our ability to distribute, market or sell our products and services.

Our payments system depends on third-party providers and is subject to risks that may adversely affect our business.

We rely on third-party providers to support our payment methods, as ticket buyers primarily use credit or debit cards to purchase tickets on our marketplace. Nearly all our revenue is associated with payments processed through a single provider, which relies on banks and payment card networks to process transactions. If this provider or any of its vendors do not operate well with our platform or suffer any failures, our payments systems and business could be adversely affected. If this provider does not perform adequately or determines that certain types of transactions are prohibited, if this provider’s technology does not interoperate well with our platform or if our relationships with this provider (or the bank or the payment card networks on which it relies) were to terminate or be suspended unexpectedly, ticket buyers may find our platform more difficult to use and, as a result, use our platform less.

Our payment processing partner requires us to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted by the payment card networks. The payment card networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or re-interpret existing rules in ways that might prohibit us from providing certain services to some ticket buyers or sellers, be costly to implement or difficult to follow. We are required to reimburse our payment processor for fines assessed by payment card networks if we, or ticket buyers or sellers using our platform, violate these rules, such as our processing of various types of transactions that may be interpreted as a violation of certain payment card network operating rules. Changes to these rules and requirements, or any change in our designation by payment card networks, could require a change in our business operations and result in limitations on or loss of our ability to accept payment cards, any of which could negatively impact our business.

We are also subject to the Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) Data Security Standard, which is designed to protect credit card account data as mandated by payment card industry entities. We rely on vendors to handle PCI matters and to ensure PCI compliance. Despite our compliance efforts, we may become subject to claims that we have violated the PCI Data Security Standard based on past, present and/or future business practices. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with the PCI Data Security Standard could subject us to fines, termination of banking relationships and increased transaction fees.

Under current credit, debit and payment card practices and network rules, we are liable for fraudulent activity on the majority of our credit and debit card transactions. We are also exposed to financial crime risk, against which we do not currently carry insurance. Additionally, while we deploy sophisticated technology to detect fraudulent purchase activity, we may incur losses if we fail to prevent the use of fraudulent payment information on transactions. Fraud schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and common, and our ability to detect and combat fraudulent schemes may be negatively impacted by the adoption of new payment methods and technology platforms. If we or our payment processing provider fail to identify fraudulent activity or are unable to effectively combat the use of fraudulent payments on our platform, or if we otherwise experience increased levels of disputed credit card payments or transactions, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, our failure to adequately mitigate this risk could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as our brand, reputation and ability to accept payments.

Payment card networks and our payment processing partner could increase the fees or interchange they charge us for their services or to accept or process transactions, which would increase our operating costs and reduce our margins. Any such increase in fees could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Finally, the laws and regulations that govern payment methods and processing are complex and subject to change, and we may be required to expend considerable time and effort to determine the applicability of such laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to meet all compliance obligations, including obtaining any required licenses in the jurisdictions we service, and, even if we are able to do so, there could be substantial costs and potential product changes involved in complying with such laws, which could adversely affect our business. Any actual or alleged noncompliance by us in relation to existing or new laws and regulations could result in reputational damage, litigation, increased costs or liabilities, damages or require us to stop offering payment services in certain markets. Failure to predict how a given law or regulation with respect to money transmission, prepaid access or similar requirements will be applied to us could result in licensure or registration requirements, administrative enforcement actions and/or materially interfere with our ability to offer certain payment methods or to conduct our business in particular jurisdictions. We cannot predict what actions the U.S. or other governments may take, or what restrictions they may impose, that will affect our ability to process payments or to conduct our business in particular jurisdictions. Further, we may become subject to changing payment regulations and requirements that could affect the compliance of our current payment processes and increase the operational costs we incur to support payments. The foregoing could impose substantial additional costs, involve considerable delay to the development or provision of our solutions, require significant and costly operational changes or prevent us from providing our solutions in any given market.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Our debt agreements impose restrictions that limit management’s discretion in operating our business and, in turn, could impair our ability to meet our debt obligations.

The agreement governing our credit facility includes restrictive covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to: incur additional debt; pay dividends and make distributions; make certain investments; prepay certain indebtedness; create liens; enter into transactions with affiliates; modify the nature of our business; transfer and sell assets, including material intellectual property; amend our organizational documents; and merge or consolidate. Our failure to comply with the terms of our indebtedness could lead to a default thereunder, which would entitle the lender(s) to accelerate the indebtedness and declare all amounts owed due and payable.

As of December 31, 2023, our total indebtedness, excluding unamortized debt discounts and debt issuance costs, was $273.1 million. A substantial portion of our debt is variable-rate debt. We incur higher interest costs if interest rates increase. Interest rates were at historic lows during 2021 when the U.S. Federal Reserve took several steps to protect the economy from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates by more than 400 basis points in 2022 and 100 basis points in 2023, and it may continue to increase interest rates in the future. Any such increase in interest costs could adversely affect our financial condition.

Our current level of indebtedness and any future increases in our indebtedness could have adverse consequences, including: making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations; increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic, regulatory and industry conditions; limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other purposes; requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to fund payments on our debt, thereby reducing funds available for operations and other purposes; limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry; making us more vulnerable to increases in interest rates; and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt.

We depend on the cash flows of our subsidiaries in order to satisfy our obligations.

We rely on distributions and/or loans from our subsidiaries to meet our payment requirements under our obligations. If our subsidiaries are unable to pay dividends or otherwise make payments to us, we may be unable to make debt service payments on our obligations. Subject to certain exceptions, each of our subsidiaries is a guarantor under our credit facility. We conduct substantially all of our operations through our subsidiaries. Our operating cash flows and consequently our ability to service our debt is therefore principally dependent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings and their distributions of those earnings to us and may also be dependent upon loans or other payments of funds to us by those subsidiaries. In addition, the ability of our subsidiaries to provide funds to us may be subject to restrictions under our credit facility and may be subject to the terms of such subsidiaries’ future indebtedness, as well as the availability of sufficient surplus funds under applicable law.

We may face liquidity constraints if we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows and/or to raise additional capital when necessary or desirable.

As of December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of $125.5 million, which is available to us to fund our operating, investing and financing activities. There can be no assurance that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations, or that we will be able to obtain financing, in an amount sufficient to fund our operations or other liquidity needs.

In the future, we may need to raise additional funds, and we may be unable to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. Our ability to obtain financing will depend on a number of factors, including: general economic and capital market conditions, including inflationary concerns; the availability of credit from banks or other lenders; investor confidence in us; and our results of operations. If we raise additional equity financing, it will result in dilution to our stockholders, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock.

If we need additional capital and cannot raise it on acceptable terms, if at all, we may be unable to, among other things: further develop and enhance our platform and solutions; continue to invest in our technology and marketing efforts; attract, hire, develop, motivate and retain employees; respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements; or pursue acquisition opportunities. Our inability to do any of the foregoing could reduce our ability to compete successfully and adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure and the Ownership of Our Securities

Our Private Equity Owner exerts significant influence over us, and its interests may conflict with ours or yours.

Hoya Topco, which is controlled by GTCR Fund XI/B LP, GTCR Fund XI/C LP, GTCR, Co-Invest XI LP, GTCR Golder Rauner, L.L.C., GTCR Golder Rauner II, L.L.C., GTCR Management, XI LLC and GTCR LLC (collectively, our “Private Equity Owner”) and its affiliates, controls approximately 36% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. Even though we are no longer a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq, for so long as our Private Equity Owner continues to own a significant percentage of our common stock, it will be able to significantly influence the composition of our Board and the approval of actions requiring stockholder approval. Accordingly, for such period of time, our Private Equity Owner has significant influence with respect to our management, business plans and policies, including the appointment and removal of our officers, decisions on whether to raise future capital and the amendment of our organizational documents, which govern the rights attached to our common stock. In particular, for so long as our Private Equity Owner continues to own a significant percentage of our common stock, our Private Equity Owner may be able to cause or prevent a change of control or a change in the composition of our Board and could preclude any unsolicited acquisition of us. This concentration of ownership could deprive our security holders of an opportunity to receive a premium for our securities as part of a potential sale and, ultimately, might affect the market price of our securities.

We are party to a Stockholders’ Agreement, dated October 18, 2021 (the “Stockholders’ Agreement”), with Hoya Topco and Horizon Sponsor, which provides our Private Equity Owner the right to nominate to our Board: (i) five directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner beneficially owns at least 24% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock that were issued and outstanding on October 18, 2021 (the “Closing Amount”), of which at least one will qualify as an “independent director” under applicable stock exchange regulations; (ii) four directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner beneficially owns at least 18% but less than 24% of the Closing Amount; (iii) three directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner beneficially owns at least 12% but less than 18% of the Closing Amount; (iv) two directors, so long as our Private Equity Owner beneficially owns at least 6% but less than 12% of our common stock; and (v) until the date our Private Equity Owner beneficially owns a number of voting shares representing less than 5% of the aggregate number of shares of our common stock that were held by our Private Equity Owner on October 18, 2021, one director. Pursuant to the foregoing provisions, our Private Equity Owner will be able to designate the majority of the members of our Board and generally exert significant influence over our business and affairs. Our Private Equity Owner and its affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of activities, including investments in our industry generally. In the ordinary course of their business activities, our Private Equity Owner and its affiliates may engage in activities where their interests conflict with our interests or those of our other stockholders, such as investing in or advising businesses that compete with certain portions of our business or are our suppliers or customers. Our amended and restated charter provides that our Private Equity Owner, any of its affiliates or any director who is not employed by us (including any non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his or her director and officer capacities) will not have any duty to refrain from engaging in the same or similar business activities or lines of business in which we operate. Our Private Equity Owner also may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, those opportunities may not be available to us. In addition, our Private Equity Owner may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in its judgment, could enhance its investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to our other security holders or may not prove beneficial.

While we are no longer a “controlled company,” we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance requirements during a one-year transition period.

On November 3, 2023, we ceased to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq. As a result, we became subject to additional Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, including that: our Board be composed of a majority of independent directors; our Compensation Committee have a formal written charter and be composed entirely of independent directors; and our director nominees be selected or recommended for our Board’s selection either by independent directors constituting a majority of our Board’s independent directors in a vote in which only independent directors participate or by a nominating and corporate governance committee comprised entirely of independent directors with a formal written charter. We were required

to have a majority of independent directors on our Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees within 90 days of, and we are required to fully comply with these corporate governance requirements by the one-year anniversary of, the date on which we ceased to be a controlled company. During the one-year transition period, we may continue to rely on the phase-in schedule permitted by the Nasdaq corporate governance standards. As of December 31, 2023, our Board was not composed of a majority of independent directors, and our Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees were not composed entirely of independent directors.

We intend to remain in full compliance with the applicable Nasdaq corporate governance requirements in accordance with the phase-in schedule. During the one-year transition period, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements. Further, a change in the composition of our Board and its committees may result in a change in corporate strategy and operation philosophies and result in deviations from our current strategy.

While we are no longer a controlled company, our Private Equity Owner continues to be able to exert significant influence over us and as of December 31, 2023 had the right to nominate five members of our Board pursuant to the Stockholders’ Agreement.

The TRA requires us to make cash payments to Hoya Topco in respect of certain tax benefits, which payments may be substantial.

Pursuant to the TRA, dated October 18, 2021, among us, Hoya Topco, Hoya Intermediate, GTCR Management XI, LLC (the “TRA Holder Representative”) and the other TRA Holders (as defined therein), we will generally be required to pay Hoya Topco and the other TRA Holders 85% of the amount of savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state, local and foreign taxes that are based on, or measured with respect to, our net income or profits and any interest related thereto that our consolidated subsidiaries realizes, or is deemed to realize, as a result of certain tax attributes, which include: (i) existing tax basis in certain assets of Hoya Intermediate and certain of its subsidiaries, including assets that will be subject to depreciation or amortization, once placed in service; (ii) tax basis adjustments resulting from taxable exchanges of common units of Hoya Intermediate (“Intermediate Units”) for shares of our Class A common stock acquired by us from a TRA Holder pursuant to the terms of Hoya Intermediate’s Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “Hoya Intermediate LLC Agreement”); (iii) certain tax attributes of Blocker Corporations (as defined in the Hoya Intermediate LLC Agreement) holding Intermediate Units that are acquired by us pursuant to a reorganization transaction; (iv) certain tax benefits realized by us as a result of certain U.S. federal income tax allocations of taxable income or gain away from us and to other members of Hoya Intermediate, and deductions or losses to us and away from other members of Hoya Intermediate, in each case as a result of the Merger Transaction; and (v) tax deductions in respect of portions of certain payments made under the TRA.

Payments under the TRA generally will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine (in consultation with an advisory firm and subject to the TRA Holder Representative’s review and consent). The Internal Revenue Service or another taxing authority may challenge a position we take, and a court may sustain such a challenge. If any tax attributes we initially claimed or utilized are disallowed, the TRA Holders will not be required to reimburse us for any excess payments that we may have previously made pursuant to the TRA, for example, due to adjustments resulting from examinations by taxing authorities. Rather, any excess payments made to such TRA Holders will reduce any future cash payments we are required to make under the TRA, after the determination of such excess. However, a challenge to any tax attributes we initially claimed or utilized may not arise for a number of years after such payment and, even if challenged earlier, such excess cash payment may be greater than the amount of future cash payments that we may be required to make under the terms of the TRA. As a result, there might not be future cash payments against which such excess can be applied and we could be required to make payments under the TRA in excess of our actual savings in respect of the tax attributes.

Moreover, the TRA provides that, in certain early termination events, we are required to make a lump-sum cash payment to all the TRA Holders equal to the present value of all forecasted future payments that would have been made under the TRA, which would be based on certain assumptions. The lump-sum payment could be material and/or materially exceed any actual tax benefits that we realize subsequent to such payment.

The amount and timing of any payments under the TRA will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of exchanges, the market price of our Class A common stock at the time of an exchange of Intermediate Units by a TRA Holder pursuant to the Hoya Intermediate LLC Agreement and the amount and timing of the recognition of our income for applicable tax purposes. While many of these factors are outside of our control, the aggregate payments we will be required to make under the TRA could be substantial.

If we are unable to make timely payments for any reason, the unpaid amounts will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. Additionally, nonpayment for a specified period and/or under certain circumstances may constitute a material breach and therefore accelerate payments. Furthermore, our future obligation to make payments under the TRA could make us a less attractive target for an acquisition, particularly in the case of an acquirer that cannot use some or all of the tax attributes that may be deemed realized under the TRA.

As a holding company, our principal asset is our equity interest in Hoya Intermediate, and we are accordingly dependent upon distributions from Hoya Intermediate to pay dividends, taxes and other expenses, including payments we are required to make under the TRA.

As a holding company, our principal assets are our direct and indirect ownership of equity interests in Hoya Intermediate. As such, we do not have any independent means of generating revenue. We intend to cause Hoya Intermediate to continue making quarterly distributions to its members, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay all applicable taxes, to make payments under the TRA, and to pay our corporate and other overhead expenses. To the extent that we need funds, and Hoya Intermediate is restricted from making such distributions under applicable laws or regulations, or is otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could adversely affect our financial condition, including liquidity.

In certain circumstances, Hoya Intermediate will be required to make distributions to us and Hoya Topco, which distributions may be substantial.

Hoya Intermediate is treated, and will continue to be treated, as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, generally is not subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, its taxable income is generally allocated to its members, including us. Hoya Intermediate may make cash or tax distributions to the members, including us, as set forth in the Hoya Intermediate LLC Agreement calculated using an assumed tax rate, to provide liquidity to members to pay taxes on such member’s allocable share of the taxable income. Under applicable tax rules, Hoya Intermediate may be required to allocate net taxable income disproportionately to its members in certain circumstances. Because tax distributions are made pro rata on a per-common unit basis to all members and such tax distributions are determined based on the member with the highest assumed tax liability per common unit, Hoya Intermediate may be required to make tax distributions that, in the aggregate, exceed the amount of taxes that Hoya Intermediate would have paid if it were taxed on its net income at the assumed rate.

As a result of (i) potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and to Hoya Topco, (ii) the lower maximum tax rate applicable to corporations than individuals and (iii) the use of an assumed tax rate in calculating Hoya Intermediate’s distribution obligations, we may receive distributions significantly in excess of our actual tax liabilities and our obligations to make payments under the TRA. If we do not distribute such cash balances as dividends on our Class A common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to Hoya Intermediate, Hoya Topco would benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances as a result of its right to acquire shares of our Class A common stock or, at our election, an amount of cash equal to the fair market value thereof, in exchange for its Intermediate Units. We will have no obligation to distribute such cash balances to our stockholders, and no adjustments will be made to the consideration provided to an exchanging holder in connection with a direct exchange or redemption of Hoya Intermediate limited liability company interests under the Hoya Intermediate LLC Agreement as a result of any retention of cash by us.

Risks Related to Being a Public Company

The market price and trading volume of our securities may be volatile.

Securities markets worldwide experience significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of our securities in spite of our operating performance. We cannot assure you that the market price of our securities will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others: the realization of any of the risk factors discussed in this Report; difficult global market and economic conditions; loss of investor confidence in the global financial markets and investing in general; adverse market reaction to indebtedness we may incur or securities we may issue in the future, including securities we may grant under our 2021 Incentive Award Plan, as amended (the "2021 Plan"); adverse market reaction to changes in our ownership or capital structure, including secondary offerings of our Class A common stock; unanticipated variations in our quarterly and annual operating results or dividends; failure to meet securities analysts’ earnings estimates; publication of negative or inaccurate research reports about us or the live events or ticketing industries or the failure of securities analysts to provide adequate coverage of us or our securities in the future; changes in market valuations of similar companies; speculation in the press or investment community about our business; the trading activity of our largest stockholders; the number of shares of our Class A common stock that are available for public trading; short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our securities; new or unexpected changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations thereof affecting our business or enforcement of these laws and regulations, or announcements relating to these matters; and increases in compliance or enforcement inquiries and investigations by regulatory authorities.

We may be subject to securities class action litigation, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their securities have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial legal fees, settlement or judgment costs, as well as a diversion of management’s attention and resources that are needed to successfully run our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and we may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.

We are required to comply with SEC rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”), which require management to certify financial and other information in our annual and quarterly reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable and timely financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, is designed to reasonably detect and prevent fraud. However, internal control over financial reporting may not detect and prevent all misstatements because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of controls or fraud. Therefore, even effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements.

We are also required to report any material weaknesses in such internal control. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

In connection with the audit of our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, we identified deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting which, in the aggregate, constituted a material weakness. We made the same determination in connection with the audits of our financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021. We determined in all of these years that we had deficiencies related to the

implementation of segregation of duties as part of our control activities, the establishment of clearly defined roles within our finance and accounting functions and the number of personnel in those functions with an appropriate level of technical accounting and SEC reporting experience which, in the aggregate, constitute a material weakness. We are continuing to review our internal control procedures, to implement new controls and processes, to hire additional qualified personnel and to establish more robust processes to support our internal control over financial reporting, including by creating clearly defined roles and responsibilities and the appropriate segregation of duties. These actions have begun to be validated through testing and, when fully implemented, we believe they will be effective in remediating the material weakness. However, additional time is required to complete implementing the enhanced procedures and to test and ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the improved controls.

If we are unable to successfully remediate the material weakness and otherwise establish and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, it could result in errors in our financial statements that require a restatement or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations, any of which could adversely affect investor confidence in us and the value of our securities. There can be no assurance that our remediation activities will be successful or that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future.

For as long as we are an “emerging growth company” under the Jumpstart Our Business Startup Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), which could be until December 31, 2026, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of SOX. Once we are no longer an emerging growth company, we will be required to have our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This independent assessment could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation. An adverse report may be issued if our independent registered public accounting firm is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and a decision by us to comply with reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our securities less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to emerging growth companies, including: not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of SOX; reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation or golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Our status as an emerging growth company will end as soon as any of the following occurs: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenue; (ii) the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700.0 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; (iii) the date on which we have issued, in any three-year period, more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or (iv) December 31, 2026.

We cannot predict if investors will find our securities less attractive if we choose to rely on any of the exemptions afforded to emerging growth companies. If some investors find our securities less attractive because we rely on any of these exemptions, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the market price of those securities may be more volatile.

Further, the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, companies that have not had a registration statement under the Securities Act declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with such standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, but that any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a financial accounting standard is issued or revised and it has different

application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt such standard at the same time as private companies. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company, which is neither an “emerging growth company” nor a company that has opted out of using the extended transition period, difficult because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

The exercise of outstanding warrants would increase the number of shares of our Class A common stock eligible for resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.

The following warrants to purchase shares of our Class A common stock are outstanding and exercisable: (i) warrants to purchase 6,519,791 shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share; (ii) warrants to purchase 17.0 million shares at an exercise price of $10.00 per share; (iii) warrants to purchase 17.0 million shares at an exercise price of $15.00 per share; and (iv) public warrants to purchase 6,766,853 shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share. In addition, Hoya Topco holds outstanding warrants to purchase 2.0 million Intermediate Units at an exercise price of $10.00 per unit and warrants to purchase 2.0 million Intermediate Units at an exercise price of $15.00 per unit (collectively, the “Hoya Intermediate Warrants”). Upon the exercise of a Hoya Intermediate Warrant, one share of our Class B common stock (which is generally exchangeable for one share of our Class A common stock) will be issued.

The issuance of shares of our Class A common stock in connection with the exercise of these warrants would increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market, or the fact that these warrants may be exercised, could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

Securities analysts may not publish favorable, or any, research or reports about us, which could adversely affect the market price or trading volume of our securities.

The trading market for our securities will be influenced to some extent by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us. We do not control these analysts, and the analysts who publish information about us may have relatively little experience with our business or industry, which could affect their ability to accurately forecast our results and make it more likely that we fail to meet their estimates. If analysts provide inaccurate research or issue adverse opinions regarding us or our securities, or cease coverage of or fail to regularly publish reports regarding us or our securities, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could adversely affect the market price or trading volume of our securities.

Provisions in our organizational documents may delay or prevent our acquisition by a third party.

Our amended and restated charter and our amended and restated bylaws contain several provisions that may make it more difficult or expensive for a third-party to acquire control of us without the approval of our Board. These provisions, which may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest or other transaction that stockholders may consider favorable, include the following: the sole ability of directors to fill a vacancy on our Board; advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations; provisions limiting stockholders’ ability to call special meetings of stockholders, require extraordinary general meetings of stockholders and take action by written consent; our Board’s ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used, among other things, to institute a rights plan that would have the effect of significantly diluting the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, likely preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our Board; the division of our Board into three classes, with each class serving staggered three-year terms; and the lack of cumulative voting for the election of directors. These provisions could discourage potential takeover attempts and reduce the price that investors are willing to pay for our securities.

The exclusive forum provisions of our amended and restated charter may discourage lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Our amended and restated charter provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and unless we provide consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, in the event that such Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, the U.S. federal district court for the District of Delaware or the other state courts of the State of Delaware) is the sole and exclusive forum for any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, employee or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (iii) action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), our amended and restated charter or our amended and restated bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (iv) action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, provided that this provision, including for any “derivative action,” does not apply to suits to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our amended and restated charter further provides that the U.S. federal district courts are the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. By becoming our stockholder, you will be deemed to have notice of and consented to these exclusive forum provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision relating to causes of action arising under the Securities Act, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

These exclusive forum provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar provisions in other companies’ charters has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find such provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

We recognize the importance of maintaining the safety and security of our critical systems, information, products, services and broader information technology environment (collectively, our “Information Systems and Data”), and we have developed and implemented a cybersecurity risk management program intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability thereof.

Cybersecurity risks are addressed as a component of our enterprise risk management program. As such, our information security team works with management to prioritize our risk management processes and mitigate cybersecurity threats that are more likely to lead to a material impact on our business. Features of our program include:

The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, to disable or degrade service or to sabotage systems change frequently. As a result, we have invested and continue to invest in the security and resiliency of our networks to help protect our Information Systems and Data. For a description of the risks from cybersecurity threats that may materially affect us and how they may do so, see the “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property” section of this Report.

Cybersecurity Governance

Our Board is responsible for overseeing our enterprise risk management activities in general, and each of its committees assists in this role of risk oversight. Our Board has delegated the monitoring and oversight of risks related to cybersecurity and information technology to our Audit Committee, which regularly reports to our Board regarding its activities, including those related to cybersecurity risk management. Our Board also receives periodic briefings

from management on our cybersecurity risk management program, including presentations on cybersecurity topics from our Chief Technology Officer, internal information security team and third-party experts.

Our Audit Committee oversees management’s implementation of our cybersecurity risk management program. Our Audit Committee receives regular updates from our Chief Technology Officer and other members of management on the cybersecurity risks that they view as most relevant to our business, our cybersecurity strategy and current cybersecurity trends, as well as other updates, as necessary, regarding certain cybersecurity incidents.

A cross-functional management team, which includes members of our information security, technical infrastructure, engineering and legal departments, is responsible for identifying, assessing and managing the risks from cybersecurity threats that are relevant to our business (and, depending on a threat’s potential nature and severity, reporting such information to our Audit Committee). This team has primary responsibility for our cybersecurity risk management program, including our cyber and data security incident response plan, supervises our internal personnel and third-party service providers and communicates our cybersecurity risk management processes to senior management, as well as to our Board and Audit Committee. This team reports to our Chief Technology Officer, who has more than 25 years of experience in the technology sector, and possesses more than 75 years of combined experience in cybersecurity matters, including threat assessment and detection, mitigation technologies, incident response, cyber forensics and regulatory compliance. In addition to relevant educational and industry experience, members of this team, including the heads of our information security and technical infrastructure departments, also hold relevant cyber and information security certifications, including from ISACA (Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)) and ISC2 (Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CSSP)). This team supervises efforts to prevent, detect, mitigate and remediate cybersecurity risks and incidents through various means, including, as appropriate, the operation of our cyber and data security incident response plan, briefings from internal security personnel, threat intelligence and other information obtained from governmental, public or private sources, including our third-party service providers, and alerts and reports produced by security tools deployed in the information technology environment.

Item 2. Properties

As of December 31, 2023, we leased approximately 48,000 square feet of space in Chicago, Illinois for our headquarters under a lease agreement that runs through December 31, 2033 with a five-year renewal option, unless terminated sooner. We also lease facilities in Coppell, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Ontario; and Tokyo, Japan.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Part II

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

On October 19, 2021, our Class A common stock and warrants began trading on Nasdaq under the symbols “SEAT” and "SEATW," respectively. Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our securities.

Stockholders

As of February 29, 2024, there were 57 holders of record of our Class A common stock and one holder of our Class B common stock. The actual number of holders of our Class A common stock is greater than this number, as it includes beneficial owners whose shares are held in “street name” by banks, brokers and other nominees.

Dividends

We did not pay any cash dividends on our Class A common stock during the year ended December 31, 2023. We intend to retain future earnings for future operations, development, expansion, debt repayment and potential acquisitions and share repurchases, and we have no current plans to declare or pay any cash dividends on our Class A common stock for the foreseeable future. Any future decision to declare and pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our Board and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions (including those under our credit facility and/or any future indebtedness we may incur), business prospects and other factors that our Board may deem relevant.

Stock Performance Graph

The following graph depicts the total return to stockholders from the closing price on October 19, 2021 (the date on which our Class A common stock began trading on Nasdaq) through December 31, 2023, relative to the performance of the Nasdaq Composite and the Russell 2000 Technology Index. The graph assumes $100 invested at the closing price on October 19, 2021 in each of our Class A common stock, the Nasdaq Composite and the Russell 2000 Technology Index, and dividends reinvested in the security or index. The comparisons reflected in the graph are not intended to forecast, and may not be indicative of, the future performance of us or our Class A common stock.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table provides information about our purchases of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2023:

On February 29, 2024, our Board authorized a share repurchase program for up to $100.0 million of our Class A common stock, which program was publicly announced on March 5, 2024 and does not have a fixed expiration date.

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This discussion is intended to help readers understand our results of operations and financial condition and is provided as an addition to, and should be read together with, our audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, as discussed in the “Forward-Looking Statements” section of this Report. Important factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of this Report.

Overview

We are an online ticket marketplace that utilizes our technology platform to connect fans of live events seamlessly with ticket sellers. Our mission is to empower and enable fans to Experience It Live. We believe in the power of shared experiences to connect people with live events delivering some of life’s most exciting moments. We operate a technology platform and marketplace that enables ticket buyers to easily discover and purchase tickets while enabling ticket sellers and partners to seamlessly manage their operations. We differentiate from competitors by offering an extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value. The following table summarizes our Marketplace Gross Order Value (“Marketplace GOV”), revenues and net income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

* See “Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measure” below for more information on Marketplace GOV and Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure.

Our Business Model

We operate our business in two segments, Marketplace and Resale.

Marketplace

In our Marketplace segment, we primarily act as an intermediary between ticket buyers, sellers and partners through which we earn revenue processing ticket sales from our Owned Properties, consisting of our websites and mobile applications, including Vivid Seats, Vegas.com and Wavedash, and from our Private Label Offering, which includes numerous distribution partners. Our Marketplace segment also includes our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering, where users partake in contests by making picks from a variety of sport and player matchups. Using our online platform, we facilitate customer payments, deposits and withdrawals, coordinate ticket deliveries, and provide customer service. We do not hold ticket inventory in our Marketplace segment.

We primarily earn revenue from service and delivery fees charged to ticket buyers. We also earn referral fee revenue by offering event ticket insurance to ticket buyers, using a third-party insurance provider. The revenue we earn from our Vivid Picks daily fantasy sports offering is the difference between cash entry fees collected and cash amounts paid out to users for winning picks, less customer promotions and incentives.

We incur costs for developing and maintaining our platform, providing back-office support and customer service, facilitating payments and deposits, and shipping non-electronic tickets. We also incur substantial marketing costs, primarily related to online advertising.

A key component of our platform is Skybox, a proprietary ERP tool used by the majority of ticket sellers. Skybox is a free-to-use system that helps ticket sellers manage ticket inventories, adjust pricing, and fulfill orders across multiple ticket resale marketplaces. Professional ticket sellers use an ERP to manage their operations, and Skybox is their most widely adopted ERP.

Resale

In our Resale segment, we acquire tickets to resell on secondary ticketing marketplaces, including our own. Our Resale segment also provides internal research and development support for Skybox and our ongoing efforts to deliver industry-leading seller software and tools.

Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measure

We use the following metrics to evaluate our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections, and make strategic decisions. We believe these metrics provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management team.

The following table summarizes our key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measure for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

Marketplace GOV

Marketplace GOV is a key driver of our Marketplace segment revenue. Marketplace GOV represents the total transactional amount of Marketplace orders in a period, inclusive of fees, exclusive of taxes, and net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. Marketplace GOV reflects our ability to attract and retain customers, as well as the overall health of the industry.

Our Marketplace GOV can be impacted by seasonality. Typically, we experience slightly increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and there is an increase in order volume for theater events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the following year. Quarterly fluctuations in our Marketplace GOV result from the popularity and demand of performers, tours, teams and events, the length and team composition of sports playoff series and championship games, and the number of event cancellations.

Our Marketplace GOV increased during the year ended December 31, 2023 as a result of increases in the number of orders processed and average order size and, to a lesser extent, fewer event cancellations and our acquisitions of Wavedash in September 2023 and Vegas.com in November 2023.

Total Marketplace Orders

Total Marketplace orders represent the volume of Marketplace segment orders placed on our platform in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. An order can include one or more tickets, hotel rooms or parking passes. Total Marketplace orders allow us to monitor order volume and better identify trends within our Marketplace segment. Total Marketplace orders increased during the year ended December 31, 2023 as a result of a higher number of new orders processed and, to a lesser extent, fewer event cancellations and our acquisitions of Wavedash in September 2023 and Vegas.com in November 2023.

Total Resale Orders

Total Resale orders represent the volume of Resale segment orders sold in a period, net of event cancellations that occurred during that period. An order can include one or more tickets or parking passes. Total Resale orders allow us to monitor order volume and better identify trends within our Resale segment. Total Resale orders increased during the year ended December 31, 2023 as a result of higher activity in our Resale segment.

Adjusted EBITDA

We present Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, because it is a measure frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry. Further, we believe this measure is helpful in highlighting trends in our operating results because it excludes the impact of items that are outside of our control or not reflective of ongoing performance related directly to the operation of our business.

Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure used by our management internally to make operating decisions, including those related to analyzing operating expenses, evaluating performance and performing strategic planning and annual budgeting. Moreover, we believe Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations, as well as provides a useful measure for making period-to-period comparisons of our business performance and highlighting trends in our operating results.

Adjusted EBITDA is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect all amounts associated with our operating results as determined in accordance with GAAP and may exclude recurring costs, such as interest expense – net, equity-based compensation, litigation, settlements and related costs, change in fair value of warrants, change in fair value of derivative assets and foreign currency revaluation (gains)/losses. In addition, other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, thereby limiting its usefulness as a comparative tool. We compensate for these limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from Adjusted EBITDA.

The following is a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss) (in thousands):

Key Factors Affecting Our Performance

Our operational and financial results have been, and will continue to be, affected by a number of factors that present significant opportunities as well as risks and challenges, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this Report, particularly in the “Risk Factors” section. The key factors discussed below impacted our 2023 results and/or are anticipated to impact our 2024 results.

Growth and Retention of Ticket Buyers, Sellers and Partners

Our revenue growth primarily depends on acquiring and retaining customers. We seek to have ticket buyers and sellers view us as the go-to ticketing marketplace when searching for, purchasing and selling event tickets. We differentiate ourselves from competitors by offering an extensive breadth and depth of ticket listings at a competitive value, and by providing a reliable and secure experience for ticket buyers. We acquire new ticket buyers through various marketing channels, partnerships, brand advertisement and word-of-mouth. Performance marketing channels are highly competitive, and we must continue to be effective in these acquisition channels.

We seek to retain buyers by cultivating brand awareness and affinity for our differentiated offering. We provide an optimal customer experience, additional avenues for engagement and outreach such as through customized emails, Game Center and Vivid Picks, and most importantly, exceptional value with our Vivid Seats Rewards loyalty program.

Likewise, we must preserve our longstanding relationships with ticket sellers to maintain extensive ticket listing options at competitive prices. We recognize the importance of seller and other partner relationships in the ticketing ecosystem and offer products and services designed to support their needs.

Macroenvironment and Resulting Consumer Demand for Live Events

Consumer demand for live events could be impacted by economic conditions affecting discretionary consumer and corporate spending, including unemployment levels, fuel prices, interest rates inflationary concerns and changes in tax rates and tax laws. While such conditions existed in 2023, we did not see a resulting impact to overall demand for live event tickets, ticket prices and/or price sensitivity, but an impact is possible if such conditions persist or worsen.

Ticketing Industry Competition

Our business faces significant competition from other primary and secondary ticketing service providers. Forms of competition can include, but are not limited to, increasing performance marketing spend, increasing brand advertisement spend, pricing changes, exclusive partnerships, and new product offerings and enhancements. To combat such competitive dynamics, we continue to refine our marketing strategies to attract and retain customers and innovate to offer our customers an attractive value proposition. We also face competition from other professional ticket resellers in our Resale segment.

Supply of Live Concert, Sporting and Theater Events

The number and popularity of live concert, sporting, and theater events will have a significant effect on our revenue and operating income. Many of the factors affecting the strength of the event slate are outside of our control.

Attracting and Retaining Talent

We rely on our ability to attract, motivate and retain employees. Our success depends on our ability to continue to identify, attract, hire, integrate, develop, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel for all areas of our organization. We share the dedication to our mission to Experience It Live. Offering employees an engaging and positive work environment contributes to both their and our success. We are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and welcoming to diversity in backgrounds, experiences and thoughts as a means toward achieving employee engagement, empowerment, innovation and good decision-making.

Seasonality

Our operational and financial results can be impacted by seasonality. Typically we experience slightly increased activity in the fourth quarter when all major sports leagues are in season and there is an increase in order volume for theater events during the holiday season and concert on-sales for the following year. In addition, our financial results and growth rates can vary from period to period depending on, among other things: popularity and demand for certain performers and events; sports teams’ performances, and the length and team composition of sports playoff series and championship games; the timing of tours of top grossing acts; event cancellations; weather, seasonal and other fluctuations in our operating results; the timing of guaranteed payments, investments, acquisitions and financing activities; competitive dynamics; and timing of disbursements of accounts payable to sellers and partners around quarter-end.

Recent Developments

Vegas.com Acquisition

On November 3, 2023, we acquired Vegas.com, an online ticket marketplace for live event enthusiasts exploring Las Vegas, Nevada. The purchase price was $248.3 million, consisting of $152.8 million in cash and approximately 15.6 million shares of our Class A common stock. We financed the cash portion of the purchase price with cash on hand. The acquisition was accounted for as an acquisition of a business in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting.

Wavedash Acquisition

On September 8, 2023, we acquired Wavedash, an online ticket marketplace headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The purchase price was JPY 10,946.1 million, or approximately $74.3 million based on the exchange rate in effect on the acquisition date, before considering the net effect of cash acquired. We financed the purchase price with cash on hand. The acquisition was accounted for as an acquisition of a business in accordance with the acquisition method of accounting.

2023 Secondary Offerings and Share Repurchase

On December 12, 2023, we completed a public offering of 23.575 million shares of our Class A common stock, which included 3.1 million shares sold pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares (the "December 2023 Secondary Offering") and 2.0 million shares subject to the Share Repurchase (as defined below). The shares were purchased by the underwriters from Hoya Topco, the selling stockholder, at a price of $6.24 per share and, other than the shares subject to the Share Repurchase (as defined below), were sold at a public offering price of $6.50 per share. Hoya Topco exchanged 23.575 million shares of our Class B common stock and 23.575 million Intermediate Units for the shares of our Class A common stock that it sold in the December 2023 Secondary Offering. We did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by Hoya Topco in the December 2023 Secondary Offering. Pursuant to the underwriting agreement for the December 2023 Secondary Offering, we repurchased 2.0 million shares of our Class A common stock from the underwriters at a price of $6.24 per share (the same price per share paid by the underwriters to Hoya Topco) (the “Share Repurchase”). We funded the Share Repurchase with cash on hand.

We completed a public offering of 18.4 million shares of our Class A common stock, comprising 16.0 million shares sold on May 22, 2023 and 2.4 million shares sold on June 15, 2023 pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters'

option to purchase additional shares (the "June 2023 Secondary Offering" and, together with the December 2023 Secondary Offering, the “2023 Secondary Offerings”). The shares were purchased by the underwriters from Hoya Topco, the selling stockholder, at a price of $7.68 per share and were sold at a public offering price of $8.00 per share. Hoya Topco exchanged 18.4 million shares of our Class B common stock and 18.4 million Intermediate Units for the shares of our Class A common stock that it sold in the June 2023 Secondary Offering. We did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by Hoya Topco in the June 2023 Secondary Offering.

Income Tax

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has a framework to implement a global minimum corporate tax of 15% for companies with global revenues and profits above certain thresholds (referred to as "Pillar Two"), with certain aspects effective January 1, 2024 and other aspects effective January 1, 2025. While it is uncertain whether the United States will enact legislation to adopt Pillar Two, certain countries in which we operate (Canada and Japan) have either introduced or are in the process of introducing legislation to implement Pillar Two. We continue to assess the Pillar Two legislation and do not anticipate any material impacts to our consolidated financial statements.

Results of Operations

Discussions of the year ended December 31, 2021 and comparison of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 can be found in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed on March 7, 2023, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto, which section is incorporated by reference herein.

On March 5, 2024, we issued a press release announcing financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Earnings Release”). Net income of $113.1 million presented in this Report differs from Net income of $107.0 million initially reported in the Earnings Release due to a $6.1 million income tax benefit adjustment for the three months and fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 made following the Earnings Release and prior to the filing of this Report. This resulted in a corresponding $6.1 million decrease in our Additional paid-in capital and $6.1 million decrease in our Accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2023 from the amounts included in the Earnings Release. The information in this Report supersedes the disclosure in the Earnings Release.

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

The following table sets forth our results of operations (in thousands, except percentages):