Cheese, wine & tickets are back on the menu: lessons from REVEL’s growth season

What happens when you combine Australia’s biggest cheese festival with Australia’s biggest Pinot Noir party? An uncorked success that is Gouda than ever. 🧀🍷🤪

When it comes to curating unforgettable experiences, Revel knows how to strike the perfect balance of indulgence and finesse. The legendary team behind epic wine and food events delivered a series of MOULD X PINOT PALOOZA festivals this year across Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, with unprecedented results.

We sat down with Jess Audas from Revel to unpack the wins, learnings and how Humanitix supported their smoothest (and biggest!) series of events yet.

Record-breaking growth 📈

This year was Revel’s most successful season on record.

“Selling out in each state was a win. Normally, for the 10 days in the lead-up to the event, we see a spike in ticket sales. This year, the Brisbane event was sold out and there were still 2 weeks to go. It feels like confidence is back. People are committing earlier, and we’re not dealing with that stressful late loading. It feels good, it’s comforting.”

• Almost double the ticket sales: in Melbourne, ticket sales were up 84% from the last time the festival hit the city.
• Nearly 100% attendance: with no-show rates dropping from 8–14% in previous years to almost zero.
• Increased spending power: at Brisbane’s Saturday session, average on-the-day spend (excluding tickets) hit the highest in Revel’s 14-year history.
• Early commitment: attendees were locking in ticket sales earlier this year — the Brisbane event sold out 2 weeks prior.

Humanitix features that made the difference ⚙️

Revel leaned on several Humanitix tools and processes that helped their team scale while reducing stress:

Hardware scanners & trained staff

Instead of training fresh teams on the fly, Revel requested agency staff who had worked with Humanitix before. The result? In Perth, Jess didn’t need to speak to a single ticketing staffer on show day.

“Wow. For the first time ever, the event ran itself with ticketing staff using Humanitix scanners eliminating the need for interaction with event organisers and personal device struggles - a BIG win.”

Waitlist & resale

For the first time, Revel trialled Humanitix’s waitlist and resale features.

• Waitlists captured thousands of eager fans for sold-out sessions.
• Resale gave ticket-holders flexibility while keeping events packed.

Human support, as always!

“Having the support of the Humanitix Customer Service was a big win for us, being a small team.”

The best is yet to come 🌟

After the success of their VIP lounge sponsored by NAB in Melbourne, Revel is planning to launch their first-ever purchasable VIP tickets next year. Scarcity (think stemmed glassware exclusive to VIPs) drove huge demand — and it’s a feature they’re ready to expand.

Jess is also exploring creative ways to use hidden tickets, staged on-sales, and waitlists to keep building excitement while capturing loyal fans earlier.

Key takeaways for event hosts 💡

Revel’s season offers some clear lessons for other event hosts:

1. Leverage trained staff – If you can, bring in ticketing staff who already know your platform. It saves hours of briefing.
2. Use waitlists & resale – They don’t just prevent lost revenue; they create extra buzz and urgency.
3. Track no-show rates – The data tells a bigger story. For Revel, seeing no-show rates plummet was proof their audience was more engaged than ever.

Revel’s events aren’t just about wine and cheese — they’re about connection, joy, and seamless guest experiences. With Humanitix behind the ticketing and reporting, Jess and her team had more time to focus on what they do best: curating unforgettable moments.