Let's dance: Humanitix launch takes off in the UK 🚀

There are some moments that change how you think about the world — and socks.

That was the case for many in the crowd at the Humanitix UK launch event last week at the National Museum of Scotland, where Laura Walker, CEO of Visibility Scotland, invited us all to close our eyes. Then she walked us through what it’s like to attend an event as a person with a visual impairment.

"How do you find your digital invitation? Your keys? How do you know your socks match?"

It was a simple, unforgettable exercise — and the perfect metaphor for what Humanitix is here to do: make the ticketing world more thoughtful, more inclusive, and more human.

Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister (DFM) and Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Gaelic, Scottish Government; Adam McCurdie, Humanitix and Laura Walker, CEO, Visibility Scotland (Photo credit: Karen Gordon)

🎟️ Welcome to Humanitix UK

If you haven't met us yet, we're Humanitix — the not-for-profit ticketing platform that dedicates 100% of booking fee profits to charity. We support education, equity, and accessibility — and to date, we’ve donated over £8.5 million to high-impact causes globally.

This month, we officially opened our first UK headquarters in Edinburgh — supported by Scottish Enterprise, alongside the International Social Enterprise Observatory.

"We've already had such an overwhelming reception to the Humanitix platform here in the UK and can't wait to see more event hosts making use of Humanitix to sell their tickets and see real local social impact as a result."

Humanitix team – Matt Reynolds, Natalie Armstrong, Olivia Band, Harry Cole, Adam McCurdie, Melvin Muturi (Photo credit: Karen Gordon)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland: our base for good

Scotland didn’t just welcome us — it championed us.

As Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said at the launch:

"I am delighted to see such a values-led organisation as Humanitix choose Scotland as a base to grow its international reach, demonstrating Scotland’s appeal as a world-class destination for impact-driven international businesses. This is more than a business launch. It’s a statement of the kind of economy that we want to build in Scotland."

Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister speaking at the launch event (Photo credit: Karen Gordon)

And Reuben Aitken, Managing Director of Scottish Enterprise, added:

"Scotland continues to punch well above its weight in attracting inward investment and a company like Humanitix choosing to base their UK operation here is a real vote of confidence. The boldness and innovation of Humanitix, combined with their ethical approach, is how you really go about disrupting an industry and we’re excited to see that happening from their Edinburgh HQ."

♿ Accessibility: more than a feature

Laura’s call to action was loud and clear:

"Make accessibility a top priority on absolutely every agenda."

In Scotland, 24% of adults have a disability, including over 200,000 people living with a visual impairment. And yet, far too often, attending an event becomes a frustrating or impossible experience. At Humanitix, we believe that a ticketing platform isn’t just part of the solution — it can lead it.

"It’s clear that at some point in our lives, we’ll all need a reasonable adjustment — if not for ourselves, then for someone we love. Accessibility must not be an afterthought."

In fact, our commitment to accessibility was born at a Microsoft hackathon, where our co-founder Adam McCurdie and Chief Technology Officer Ryan O'Connell heard firsthand from people who had stopped attending events entirely due to a lack of consideration for their needs.

That experience shaped our product roadmap — and our values. As Adam said at the launch:

"From appreciating just how influential the ticketing platform is in this problem, and realising that nobody else is interested in solving it, we said: ‘We’re doing this. This is part of our dual impact strategy now.’"

Adam McCurdie, co-founder of Humanitix speaking at the launch event (Photo credit: Karen Gordon)

💃 Inclusion is being asked to dance

One of the most powerful quotes of the night came from Vernā Myers, an internationally recognised expert in equality, diversity and inclusion, shared by Laura Walker:

"Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance."

At Humanitix, we want everyone to dance — no matter how they access the world. That’s why we’re continuing to build tools that help event hosts communicate accessibility information clearly, make informed choices easier, and keep inclusion front of mind.

We’re incredibly grateful to all our guests, hosts, supporters, and the Scottish community who welcomed us with such warmth. We can’t wait to see what we build together — one thoughtful ticket at a time.

If you’re an event organiser, charity leader, festival producer, or human who loves a good story and better systems — come be part of what’s next.

If you know of any event hosts in the UK who could benefit from switching to Humanitix, we'd love an introduction!

Adam with his son Henri and wife Natalie at the launch event (Photo credit: Karen Gordon)