This interview with Ben Duvdevani, co-founder of One More Time VIP, is part of Hypebot's Backstage Pass series. Here, we feature conversations with people working behind the scenes to help artists and audiences navigate live music industry economics, logistics, and trends.
One More Time VIP is an independent VIP services company focused on producing creative ticket packages for touring artists and their dedicated fans. The company is focused on making it so fans can have a spectacular concert going experience at affordable rates. Historically, the VIP experience has been reserved for the 1% — but with One More Time, fans can get a meet-n-greet or autographed merch package, etc. for often less than $200. We're talking about artists like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, My Morning Jacket, Shaboozey, Wu Tang Clan, Zara Larsson, Earl Sweatshirt and many more.
Backstage Pass is sponsored by venue, festival and promoter marketing solution Bandsintown PRO.
Hypebot: Let's start at the beginning. What Is One More Time VIP?
Ben: "One More Time is a VIP services company. We produce VIP programming for touring artists of all genres and sizes. Our specialty is creating bespoke experiences for fans at their live event (i.e.: meet & greets, backstage tours, soundcheck access, hospitality lounges, exclusive merchandise and more). It’s a very niche part of live touring that has become important for both the artist and fan. The connections that we can make to enhance a concert goers experience is unmatched."
H: The growth shortly after founding this company is spectacular. 250 tours with VIP offerings in the first year, and 350 just a couple years later? My question is: how did that scale? How can your team be responsible for in-person, intimate, experiences at that level without things falling through the cracks?
B: "The growth we’ve seen over the last 3 years has been amazing! We’re very grateful and excited to continue that growth. There are a couple of key factors that directly attributed to this."
- We don’t necessarily call One More Time a start-up, it’s more of a re-start. The team has collectively more than 30+ years of VIP experience across multiple companies. The unique thing is we’ve all done it mostly together!
- We know who we are, we’re a services company. We put the client and the objective first, we’re a cog in a very large machine which is touring. Our goal is always to take pressure off of a client or touring team's shoulders.
- Relationships are key, but those relationships come from years of sticking to our overall ethos as a company. Operating with respect, kindness, & efficiency. There are a lot of personalities in this business and we want to treat everyone the same no matter how big an opportunity is."
H: How do you make sure the artist makes time, and is prepared for engaging in these VIP events while on the often-unpredictable, busy tour road?
B: "When we’re at the initial phase of building out the creative for a VIP program we first make sure we understand what an artist is comfortable with. From there it’s easy to present an experience that fits in with a touring schedule."
Our Event Producers are meticulously advancing with the tour, venues, and internally with our Staffing & Guest Services department. Of course things pop up while on the road and we need to pivot in real time, but that's the exciting part. How can we adapt to an unforeseen moment and still have an amazing experience for the fan."
"The access is undeniable, for fans to have the opportunity for a great ticket, exclusive merch and be up close and personal to their favorite artist. That’s special in itself."
H: VIP used to mean a meet-and-greet and maybe a signed poster. Of course those elements are still at play today, but in 2026, what feels "outdated" for fans now?
B: "I don’t think anything we do or have done is necessarily outdated, I think it's a matter of evolving from the “grip and grin” photo to something more nuanced and engaging for the super fan. What elements can we add into a traditional meet & greet to make it more unique, what’s the theme of the tour or album, can we play into that? What are the artists' interests, can we incorporate something there?"
Also, merchandise, we love to have fun with the items we include in our packages. Let’s really make it special and perhaps interactive, we all have enough tote bags at this point."
H: What are some differences between VIP engagements in the US versus the UK, EU, Asia or Middle East markets?
B: "That’s a great question, pre-covid VIP programming internationally was a bit taboo. Culturally it just didn't resonate. Now almost a quarter of our overall business happens outside of North America. The steady incline of tours we’ve executed overseas has been remarkable, and we’re so happy to see it continue to catch on."
I think the big differences are paying attention to key words and phrases within your packages. We’re not just converting the money when we build these out but language also. We want to make sure the offering is coming across without hesitation as the fan is going through their purchase flow."
Without giving away the secret sauce, from an operations standpoint mirroring what we do in NA for international tours has been extremely beneficial."
H: What does live music mean to you?
B: "It means everything, going to concerts as a kid in New York City, being with a like-minded community enjoying a band. It’s a very euphoric experience. Moving into producing / promoting live events and watching those fans come in and knowing how they’re feeling in that moment because you’ve been there, it genuinely makes you feel like you're part of something bigger. To be able to parlay that love into a career, it’s unfathomable."
H: Perhaps harkening back to the scale conversation, how is AI being used to help this business grow?
B: "Another great question, 2026 was the year of AI embracement for One More Time. Again, not without giving too much away. The tools that we’ve built internally have optimized our operation flow immensely. With that free up of bandwidth it’s allowed our staff to give a little more TLC to our clients on a daily basis."
H: Can you talk about a success story that shows why there's nothing like a VIP experience for an artist's biggest fans?
B: "Well first the access is undeniable, for fans to have the opportunity for a great ticket, exclusive merch and be up close and personal to their favorite artist. That’s special in itself. When we’re able to create certain VIP packages that you, the fan gets to leave your mark, is when we’re getting into a very unique and memorable zone."
In 2025 we produced a hospitality lounge for Wu-Tang Clan’s farewell tour. We built a massive time capsule where fans of their 35 year career can leave a note, gift, memento in this functional structure that was going to be buried somewhere. I saw people leave photo’s, concert ticket stubs, memorabilia. It was really cool to know that these VIP buyers were going to be part of history forever, just because they bought that package."
"Let’s really make it special and perhaps interactive, we all have enough tote bags at this point."
H: As concerts themselves become more expensive overall, where do you think VIP goes next? Do the best programs become more exclusive and elaborate, or do artists need to start thinking about affordable “micro-VIP” experiences for fans who can’t spend hundreds of dollars?
B: "I think it’s both. Every tour, every artist is different. We want to cater to each one of them in a specific way that will lead to a fun experience for a fan, but also profitable for an artist. We’ve always been relatively conservative with our pricing in general, I’d always rather sell 10 more packages than make a couple of extra bucks."
So with that mindset building out programming based on the size of the venue / artist all boils down to budget. What does the team feel comfortable doing, and what’s practical within those means without gauging these dedicated fans."
H: I read that you're embracing sustainability and eco-friendly options to align with the green trend across the live touring industry as well. What does that look like on the ground level?
B: "Yes, thank you! This initiative has become very important to artists and us as well. As I mentioned earlier we produce a lot of unique merch, and it’s at volume. So we really took the time to research what vendors we could work with to maintain quality product that is also eco-friendly."
Truthfully it’s a lot of trial and error, and the pool of options sometimes can be limited. it’s expensive to try and do your part to save the planet. But, we know it's important and we love seeing that passion from our clients."
H: What was the last spectacular concert you saw?
B: "I’m currently on a flight home from the Teddy Swims “The Ugly Tour” kick off. It’s an amazing show that everyone should see!"
Learn more about One More Time VIP.
Hypebot’s Backstage Pass series is sponsored by venue, festival and promoter marketing platform Bandsintown PRO. Join leading live event professionals saving time and selling more tickets with their automated, self-serve and custom solutions.
