'Book it' was founded in early 2018 and launched its website in February. Having studied music business at Point Blank Music School in London and undertaken various internships within the industry, Mr Karahassan says he was exposed to the way in which small and large events are marketed and managed.

He explained: "Upon returning to Jersey, it became apparent that, unlike the model in other UK cities, there was no central platform dedicated to promoting and ticketing the island’s events.

"For this reason I have decided to introduce the initiative as a fresh, new approach to ticketing solutions in Jersey, by not only making ticketing accessible to all businesses, but also providing a complete directory of events for those on the island."

 

Pictured: Urbino Rodrigues of ‘Out and About’ and Juliano Karahassan of ‘Book It'.

Speaking about the perks of the competition, he said: "It is great to have an open and laid back office space to come and do my work where i am surrounded by like minded people in the digital sector to bounce off and network with. I believe that with the support of the Digital Jersey team and the financial advice from Natwest it will ensure that i have a strong foundation to grow and expand my business.

"Looking forward, I would love to expand my business by introducing my business model to different jurisdictions around the world. One of the obvious choices would be to set it up in Guernsey but looking beyond that it’s a business model which can be implemented anywhere which doesn’t have a central ticketing platform."

Urbino Rodrigues got the idea for 'Out and About' while going through a rough phase. "I was looking for things to do and I got lost on social media platforms," he explained. "I thought about creating a generic site where everything that is located nearby could be found. It could be ideas for a restaurant or for things to do with kids. There is also creative content on events that are going on."

Mr Rodrigues created the website which was entirely bespoke and built from scratch. "It is to help myself and others. Jersey is not boring despite what many people say. It's a beautiful island and my motto is always for the locals to live like a tourist and for tourists to live like the locals."

While the website is aimed to help locals and tourists find the coolest beer garden or the best spot for fresh seafood among other things, it also has benefits for restaurants, bars and other establishments. 

Mr Rodrigues says he is looking forward to working at a proper desk after years of work in his kitchen. "It will be good to have an actual desk place, somewhere I know is my space where I can go in, whether early in the morning or later in the day. It will great to be able to use the facilities like the super fast internet but also to be able to work with the digital and mentoring team."

As for the future, Mr Rodrigues hopes the membership will give him the opportunity to collaborate with other businesses.

Joe Vasey, Head of Business and Premier Banking at NatWest International, congratulated the two young entrepreneurs, adding: “We’re looking forward to working with you both over the next year to help your businesses grow and develop.”

Digital Jersey CEO Tony Moretta added: “I’d like to thank NatWest International for again supporting what was last year a very successful initiative which helped two new digital start-ups to thrive and expand, creating not only new businesses but new jobs for local people in our growing technology sector. I look forward to seeing this year’s winners achieve the same success."

Lead photo - from left: Urbino Rodrigues of Out and About, Juliano Karahassan of Book It, NatWest's Joe Vasey and Tony Moretta, Digital Jersey CEO.