Scaling a Niche Industry: How Shape Powers Book Your Block’s Growth
Book Your Block (BYB) is a US-based business providing a fully managed event housing solution for youth sporting events across the US, Canada, and Mexico. From arranging hotel accommodations for hundreds of travelling teams to securing specialised rates near event venues, BYB has become a trusted partner for event organisers nationwide.
What sets BYB apart is not just their service, it’s also their proprietary technology, built and maintained by Shape’s dedicated in-house team, which enables them to operate efficiently in a complex, niche industry.
The Challenge
Like many fast-growing startups, BYB relied heavily on manual processes: spreadsheets, email threads, and repetitive admin tasks. Every new client meant hours of manual work to set up dashboards, reports, and communications.
Off-the-shelf solutions like Salesforce or HubSpot didn’t meet the needs of BYB’s unique industry, leaving them with a choice: scale by adding headcount or invest in custom technology to automate and streamline operations. CEO Mark Shearer, with a background in technology, chose the latter.
Shape’s Solution: An In-House Development Team
Shape became more than a vendor, we became part of BYB’s team. For over four years, our dedicated developers have worked daily alongside BYB, learning the intricacies of their business and industry, and delivering custom solutions that evolve with the company’s needs.
Key elements of our partnership include end-to-end custom technology in the form of a bespoke CRM for team communications to data ingestion processes, API integrations, and reporting dashboards, we’ve built a platform that runs the business efficiently. As well as:
