Editors pick
Three Major Problems That Keep Your Ice Skating Rink From...
- November 9th, 2022 | Riley Manning
Articles
July 28th, 2022
Refunds Don’t Have To Be a Nightmare With...
Whether you're canceling an event or issuing a one-off refund, giving revenue back to the customer is the last thing any event organizer wants to do. Most event ticketing apps don't make it easy. Apps like Eventbrite use their own internal payment infrastructure, which makes processing refunds a long, drawn-out hassle. As a result, you're left facing an impatient customer who wants their money. They'll blame you if they have to wait weeks or months for their refund. What if you could issue a refund instantly, without actually losing ticket revenue? Square gift cards let you do just that: protect your profits and protecting the customer's experience. It is almost impossible to foresee all of the situations that may trigger a need to issue a refund from your event ticketing platform. Events can be canceled for any number of causes beyond your control. Some examples include: Weather incidents Performer cancellations Supply chain equipment shortages Facilities or maintenance issues Labor unrest or strikes Ever-changing health and safety mandates These are large-scale incidents that may lead to your event being canceled altogether, resulting in mass refunds. Other instances could arise on the individual level that may cause you to issue a refund. Perhaps an event attendee was dissatisfied because of issues with the facility or a negative customer experience. You may also issue a refund in the interest of public health if your policies state that a refund is permitted due to COVID-19 exposure. Or you may just have a very liberal policy with ultimate customer flexibility as to event dates, specific event interests, and so on. Whatever the reason, your refund workflow will not only be easier with Square’s gift card integration, but it will also be more...
July 26th, 2022
7 Ways to Sell More Merch at Your...
With Halloween right around the corner, now is the time to start gearing up your haunted house plans. These fun and fright-filled attractions draw hundreds of attendees every year, and they require a thousand details to engineer. In addition to marketing, hiring and training, decorating, event ticketing, and the myriad of other matters to attend to, it's easy to let merchandising and your gift shop fall to the bottom of the list. But this is an important revenue stream often already supported by your event registration tool. By leveraging these systems and following the tips below, you can sell more merch at your haunted house attraction this autumn. Haunted House Gift Shops and Merchandising Across the nation, haunted houses are major fall destinations, and there’s a reason that nearly every haunted house attraction has a gift shop or a merchandising stand. Once your attendees are on-site at the haunted house event site, this is the perfect opportunity to level up their experience and sell them some merchandise. Once they’re in the attraction, having a great time, and with cash in hand and ready to spend, allow them to purchase commemorative merchandise. Not only does a souvenir t-shirt or beverage cup help them recall their event experience in horrific detail, it provides a high-visibility and long-lasting marketing opportunity for your future haunted house events. While event ticketing to your haunted house may be your primary revenue source, it shouldn’t be the only opportunity you focus on. Concessions and refreshments (maybe even some spooky-themed) often bring in the majority of a themed event’s revenue, but a much greater source of income comes from selling merchandise to the captive audience at your attraction. And all three of these revenue streams can be tied to the same platform, negating the hassles of...
June 22nd, 2022
Planning your Haunted House Event: save yourself some...
There are enough spooks and scares involved in creating a Halloween-themed Haunted House Event; don’t let your ticketing platform add to the gloom! Having a platform that integrates flawlessly with Square technology is a solution to your night-before-the-event nightmares. With so many Eventbrite alternatives on the market, it’s hard to know which one will integrate best with your haunted house. With all the steps involved in executing a perfect Halloween event, it's a relief to at least not have to fret over your ticketing solution. Planning your Haunted House Event with a Square integrated ticketing system will save and protect you from things that go bump in the night and other event pitfalls. Planning a Haunted House Attraction With over 4,000 paid Haunted House events in the nation, it is easy to see that these are crowd-drawing attractions. Before you dive headfirst into your future haunted house experience, here are a few top-level things to consider. Find a great location. Depending on your location (urban, suburban, or rural), there may be a local space that lends itself as the focal point of your haunted attraction. Corn mazes evoke the mood of the season, and everyone loves the spooky feeling of being lost in the silky confines of the maze. But this feature likely won’t work in an urban environment. Consider the option of warehouse space; maybe a haunted and (fake) bloody derelict meat-packing slaughterhouse plant could be crafted? Or is there a seldom-used institutional space like an old school or health-care facility that could be transformed into a creepy-vibe location? Let your imagination take you to some scary places as you look through Craigslist or other mid-term rental options. Logistics are key. Once you find your perfect creepy location, what are the logistics involved? Is the location safe? Is there...
May 13th, 2022
Top 5 Advantages of Eventbrite Competitors
High name recognition does not guarantee a quality product or impressive customer service. Though the Eventbrite ticketing platform has a widely recognizable name, it also falls far short of providing a streamlined ticketing experience and responsive service. Eventbrite competitors outdo its performance by offering unique and highly beneficial features. These features improve your profitability and your efficiency on the day of the event. These ticketing platforms also provide helpful human support when you need it. Eventbrite alternatives include options that improve your ability to organize, run, and market your events. For example, SimpleTix partners with Square to offer unique advantages to you and your customers. Eventbrite alternatives offer highly customized ticketing software for nonprofits, tourist destinations, large-scale one-off events, agritourism sites, and many others. Whether you are organizing a one-day outdoor event, hosting ongoing activities that require ticketing, or putting together a festival, your ticketing platform should provide flexibility, efficiency, and profitability. Eventbrite competitors provide all of these, along with easy access to customer service. Event organizers who want to put on well-run, memorable, and profitable events seek out Eventbrite competitors for their ticketing platforms. Read on to discover the SimpleTix features that make it possible to put on excellent, profitable events. 1. Instant payouts Every event organizer is familiar with the inevitable sinking feeling as funds flow out during the planning process. SimpleTix prevents this by enabling you to finance your event as you go. Thanks to a partnership with Square, SimpleTix offers instant payouts to event organizers. Square is the most comprehensive point-of-sale system on the market and is designed to be functional and user-friendly for businesses of all sizes. Instant payouts allow you to fund your event as you plan by paying you immediately for ticket sales, merchandise, and concessions. In this way, Eventbrite competitors make your...
November 9th, 2022
Three Major Problems That Keep Your Ice Skating...
Ah, ice skating, the perfect winter pastime. Put on a warm, fuzzy hat, a fleece coat, mittens, and a scarf, and get some hot cocoa on a frosty January day! Perfect weather to head out onto the ice with family—perhaps for a romantic date or to learn to skate for the first time. It sounds like a wonderful time, but this lovely outing could be thwarted by a few problems. Crowded ice rinks, equipment shortages, and limited staff can ruin your guests’ winter fun. There’s a big difference between the silly fun of falling on the ice in the company of your friends and family and falling and creating a huge skater pileup on a jam-packed rink stuffed with frustrated people whose good times have been marred by simply trying to get a date for this outing! This year, avoid these issues! Partner with SimpleTix, the event ticket system that will save you time and money and ensure your guests will be able to make the most of their time on the ice at your rink! With SimpleTix, event ticketing is simple, straightforward, and hassle-free! Read on to see how SimpleTix can help solve your ice skating rink woes! 1. The Ice Is Too Crowded In 2015, approximately 50,000 people sustained injuries from ice skating. With that many people getting injured per year, it’s important to keep safety in mind when planning a trip. While serious injuries can occur, the most common types of injuries are bruises or contusions on areas of the body that take the hardest landing during a fall. As a rink owner, you want to prevent as many of these incidents from occurring as possible. Many families come from a distance to your ice rink, only to find that when they get there,...
November 9th, 2022
4 use cases for timed entry ticketing that...
The event ticketing industry has undergone fundamental changes since March 2020. The way people interacted with each other during the pandemic brought to light new ways of thinking about how we gather together, and as a society, we have shifted some of these interactions. Some of these changes—remote work is an obvious example—‚are here to stay. Many of these modifications were for health and safety concerns, but two and a half years later, a few of these adaptations have morphed how we gather for our leisure or lifestyle pursuits. Timed entry event ticketing is one of these examples. As we move into the “new normal” of running events after COVID, expect some of these changes to our industry to stick around. Your attendees became used to timed entry as the “business as usual” way of attending gatherings during COVID, and many of them now still enjoy the benefits that these ticket types bring to their lifestyle. Timed entry ticketing makes your event workflow easier and your attendees happier. Some cultural institutions and other event venues are ending their timed entry ticketing options, but other operations are leaning into this option to make improvements in their workflow and customer experience. Timed entry ticketing seems like an obvious solution for drive-in theaters, museum exhibitions, and farm and agritourism events. Event managers that operate seasonal events like haunted houses or holiday light exhibitions will benefit from this ticketing category as well. Think about this solution the next time you see the line stretching down the block from your ticket gate right before your event starts. Timed entry removes friction points from almost every type of event. Timed entry is not as restricting as you might think. While you have ultimate control over the flexibility of your event ticketing software, your customers don’t...
October 26th, 2022
4 Event Ticketing Hacks to Make Your Drive-In...
With the sun setting over a long line of cars stretching down the thoroughfare, it’s easy to think that you’ve achieved success with your drive-in theater. But are you taking advantage of your event ticketing platform to guarantee that you are maximizing the revenue you can achieve from all those excited customers, eagerly anticipating the late-night, double-feature picture show? There are so many touch points and opportunities to upsell with the right event ticketing application… does yours bring all the opportunities available to your operation? By deploying the best event ticketing software, you will ensure that your drive-in theater isn’t leaving any money on the table. Missed opportunities from the wrong ticketing systems are not unique to drive-in theaters. Christmas light exhibitions, haunted houses, and other drive-thru operations will see increased profits from the following hacks as well. Spend a minute and think of how you can leverage the suggestions below to optimize your entertainment enterprise. “Put a fox in the henhouse and you'll have chicken for dinner every time.” -The Hack (Gene Hackman), The Quick and the Dead. Hack #1: Going Digital Traditionally, drive-in theaters have been cash-only for tickets and concessions. Families would line their cars up fifteen minutes before dusk, file in, park, wait through a lengthy consessions line, then stumble back encumbered with refreshments and snacks. If they were lucky, they’d find their vehicle before the feature started. Almost all the transactions were paper-money based with lots and lots of waiting... Thankfully, this is no longer the case! While an evening at the drive-in theater is an experience filled with nostalgia, the best event ticketing software can transform the movie-going experience for both you and your patrons. A state-of-the-art digital ticketing system can enable 24/7 online ticket sales – no more wondering what the...
October 21st, 2022
How to Eliminate Drive-Thru Holiday Light Display Frustration...
During the Winter holiday season and especially during the month of December, some of the most beloved and popular attractions are the local drive-thru Christmas light displays put on by many neighborhoods and organizations. Imagine getting excited to spend some quality time and make some memories with your family! You bundle everyone up and get ready to take a drive over to a nearby neighborhood to take in some gorgeous light displays, only to arrive and find yourselves waiting well over an hour in a traffic jam to look at sights that should take mere minutes to experience! The hot cocoa you brought in your thermos has gotten cold as you wait forever with restless and hungry children in the backseat. This trip to see the lights is starting to feel dark! As magical and lovely as these lights can be, holiday light drive-thrus can have a great many issues, from long lines to traffic jams–to the general safety risks many cars backed up on the roads can pose. Instead of your attendees waiting in seemingly unending lines this year, why not make their experience a bit easier and merrier and help them plan this year’s holiday lights visit with SimpleTix, the Eventbrite alternative that will help save you and your attendees time and money so that they can focus on enjoying this holiday tradition with their loved ones. Holiday lights attractions are just one of many different types of events SimpleTix works to serve to make attendee experiences smoother and more delightful! Timed Entry and Pre-Sale Tickets Some advantages to using SimpleTix when attending drive-thru holiday lights this year include timed entry and presale ticketing features. Presale ticketing and timed entry help attendees avoid those long lines, which allows you to be more effective with crowd control. Timed...
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April 27th, 2018 - Aron Kansal
Event Donations – Now Available!
Collect donations on your event page This is a feature that event promoters have been asking about for years. Previously, you could only add pre-set donation tiers to the shopping cart page. We heard feedback that this was too late in the registration process to be effective, and that the pre-set tiers did not work for everyone. We now offer the ability you to list one or more donation types on your page. Here's an example: Just like a ticket type, you can give the donation box a title and a subtitle. This allows you to let your prospective donors know exactly where their money is going. This is a great way for sports teams and other volunteer organizations to collect donations at the same time they are selling tickets to games or events. Click here to see a live example of an event registration form with donations. The Vaulter Club in California is using this feature for an upcoming clinic featuring world champion track and field coach Scott Kendricks. Kendricks coaches world-class athletes and will share what he's learned with the Vaulter Club community. The donations box on the event registration page allows patrons to make a donation to keep the club moving forward and support its other activities. The Vaulter Club provides poles and vault pits for its members to use. The club also offers private lessons and travel to events in other areas. Member dues and donations help make these activities happen while keeping the cost low for everyone involved.
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April 6th, 2018 - Jenna Spinelle
Brew Angels Use Discount Codes for Homebrew Club Members
As craft beer's popularity continues to grow in the U.S., so too does the popularity of home brewing. Like many things in life, home brewing is better done with friends by your side; homebrew clubs are a great way to do just that. The Brew Angels Homebrew Club in Stockton, California has brought homebrew enthusiasts together for more than a decade. The club hosts monthly events where members come together to brew beer, share a meal to go with that beer, and raise money for the community. Many Brew Angels events are open to the public and to club members, with members receiving a discount on tickets. The group needed a way to keep track of those discounts without a lot of manual processing or tracking who was a member and who was not. SimpleTix discount codes provided just the solution they were looking for. Discount codes can be hidden so that they're only visible to members uploaded through a spreadsheet or through automatically-generated discount codes. Codes can be set up for any event in SimpleTix and customized based on membership tiers or other categories. For example, you might have one group that receives $10 off each ticket and another group that receives $5 off each ticket. All it takes is a few clicks to set that up and send the codes to your members. Once the codes are generated, they can be distributed to members and applied on the site just like any other promotional code. Codes can be set to used only one or multiple times and can be applied for any amount off of the regular ticket price. Even the title of the discount code and the text around it can be customized to meet your needs and adopt the language your group uses. This adds a more personal feel to the process rather than going through a generic, one size fits all system. The Brew Angels generated hundreds of codes at once that were emailed to their members for their annual St. Patrick's Day fundraiser. Emails are sent through SimpleTix with the code automatically filled in. Another cool idea for the brewing community would be to send the list of codes to a printer and have them added under bottle caps, much like the codes soda manufacturers used to use. Like a lot of things in SimpleTix, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Check out this video for more information on how you can use discount codes for your next event.
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April 5th, 2018 - Jenna Spinelle
Use Simpletix to Manage Multiday Event Registration
Now is the time of year when many people start making summer vacation plans. It's also crunch time for camp management professionals as they scramble to get a registration website up and running for the new season. Sound familiar? If your organization hosts multi-day camps or other types of events, you know how important it is to make registration as seamless as possible for your customers. Managing these events is complicated from an organizational standpoint, SimpleTix allows you to keep track of all your important details in one place. Fastlane Daytona recently used our multi-day discount feature to manage registrations for its Bike Week Campground event, which is held during Daytona Bike Week each year. At this event, a regular price RV spot is $60 per night. If someone buys a spot for five consecutive nights, the price drops to $55 per night. If the spot is purchased for all 10 nights of Bike Week, the prices is further reduced to $50 per night. That sounds complicated, but SimpleTix makes it easy to set up these discounts and keep track of them to ensure that each spot is being utilized to its fullest potential. All a potential customer has to do is select the spot they want and the number of days they want it; SimpleTix takes care of the rest. Behind the scenes, the discount is set up using the premium Discount feature in SimpleTix. Just set choose discount amount and how it should be applied and it will automatically be applied to your event: The Lanier Island Poker Run has also used this feature to manage registrations for this multi-day event held each summer. The possibilities for discounts are only limited by your creativity. Anyone who manages a camp or other multi-day event can use SimpleTix to take the hassle out of tracking attendance and payment. The less time you have to spend on these administrative tasks, the more time you can spend on the things you enjoy about camp management — working with campers and preparing your campsite to host another season full of visitors.
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November 9th, 2022
Three Major Problems That Keep Your Ice Skating...
Ah, ice skating, the perfect winter pastime. Put on a warm, fuzzy hat, a fleece coat, mittens, and a scarf, and get some hot cocoa on a frosty January day!…
November 9th, 2022
4 use cases for timed entry ticketing that...
The event ticketing industry has undergone fundamental changes since March 2020. The way people interacted with each other during the pandemic brought to light new ways of thinking about how…
October 26th, 2022
4 Event Ticketing Hacks to Make Your Drive-In...
With the sun setting over a long line of cars stretching down the thoroughfare, it’s easy to think that you’ve achieved success with your drive-in theater. But are you taking…
October 21st, 2022
How to Eliminate Drive-Thru Holiday Light Display Frustration...
During the Winter holiday season and especially during the month of December, some of the most beloved and popular attractions are the local drive-thru Christmas light displays put on by…
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Buncombe County Switches to Local Event Tech Provider,...
December 15th, 2019 - Aron Kansal
Buncombe County switched to SimpleTix, a local tech company, for the county’s annual Lake Julian Festival of Lights celebration. Ultimately, the county saved hundreds of dollars in fees and saw…
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Zapier now features SimpleTix
April 19th, 2019 - Aron Kansal
Automate repetitive tasks! Do you use other CRMs, email tools, or even Google Sheets? You can now find SimpleTix in the Zapier app list. Currently the most common SimpleTix Zaps…
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Taking the Hassle Out of Conference Registration
November 25th, 2018 - Jenna Spinelle
Anyone who has ever registered for a conference knows that it can be time-consuming to click through page after page of registration options. For the past three years, the Pacesetter…
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Combining Registration and Payment for a Club Event
January 8th, 2018 - SimpleTix Team
It's winter time in British Columbia and that means one thing — skiing! The Caledonia Nordic Ski Club is a community of more than 1,000 skiiers who share access to…
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Use Promotional Codes to Market Your Events
September 21st, 2010 - Aron
Sell More Tickets Thanks to SimpleTix e-Ticketing Promo Codes Feature With SimpleTix, you can easily use promotional codes in newsletters and ads as a marketing tactic In order to create…
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USA ePay eTicketing Event Registration Software
June 29th, 2010 - Aron
USA ePay has been integrated into SimpleTix. If you are working with an Electronic Payment Processing company that uses the USA ePay Gateway - SimpleTix is your solution! List of…
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